'The Sarawak Crisis, Mar-Apr 1939': Boyd's account of events, 1935-1946; 1966-1967
Volumes 1-3, 'Events in Sarawak leading to the retirement of five senior officers', Jun 1939:
Three typescript copies (pp. i-ii and 1-100) of Boyd's account of the events (pp. 1-42), followed by copies of related papers numbered 1-33, mostly correspondence between and about the persons chiefly involved. Notes by Boyd dated 1966 and 1967 are inserted in Vols. 2 and 3. The persons chiefly involved were:
- Sir Charles Vyner Brooke, Rajah
- Anthony Brooke, Rajah Muda
- Edward Parnell, Chief Secretary
- H.M. Calvert, Financial Secretary
- T. Stirling Boyd, Chief Justice
- J.B. Archer, Secretary for Internal Affairs
- N.A. Middlemas, Superintendent of Land and Surveys
- Dr J.H. Bowyer, Principal Medical Officer
- F.L.G. Crossley, District Officer, Oya (whose dismissal was the ostensible cause of the crisis).
Folder 1: Copies of relevant papers, 1935-1939:
- (fols. 1-40) 'Legal Administration': copies of memoranda by Boyd, and Circular No. 1/1935 by H.B. Crocker, 7 May 1935-22 Mar 1939
- (fols. 41-51) 'Enquiry': draft of Joint Minutes by Parnell, Calvert, Boyd, Archer, Middlemas, and Bowyer to the Rajah about his decision to hold an enquiry in connection with Crossley's dismissal, and brief notes (two copies) of the enquiry, 26-28 Mar 1939
- (fols. 52-55) 'Drafts': letter from Boyd to the Rajah about his proposal to change the title of Chief Justice to Judicial Commissioner, and rough notes about salary, n.d.
- (fol. 56) copy of circular from Anthony Brooke asking all senior officers to supply details of their financial positions, 30 Mar 1939
- (fols. 57-58) note by the Rajah about Boyd and his service to Sarawak 1930-1939 (two copies), 5 Apr 1939
- (fols. 59-69) 'Notes on certain recent events in Sarawak' [by Boyd], giving the sequences of events and the consequences of the crisis, Apr 1939
- (fols. 70-74) 'Not in manuscript': memorandum by Boyd to the Chief Secretary about the 'new' and 'old' systems of administration; and a letter from Archer to Boyd asking him to vacate his house (two copies), 1 and 2 Jun 1939.
Folder 2 (fols. 1-241) 'Sarawak Crisis', 24 Mar 1939-6 May 1945:
Correspondence, memoranda, and associated papers, numbered 1-99, with a list (fol. 1) of those to whom Boyd sent or showed copies of his account of the crisis (Volumes 1-3 above). Additional copies of some papers are inserted loosely at back of file; also, papers concerning Boyd's appointment (fols. 199-214). Correspondents, in addition to the persons chiefly concerned in these events (see names listed above, Volumes 1-3) include the following:
- (fols. 29-36, 48-50, 63-64, 83, 85-87) Adrian Clark
- (fols. 45-46, 68-70, 88-91) A.W. Cockburn
- (fols. 134-137) Bertram Brooke
- (fols. 146, 185) G.E.J. Gent
- (fol. 168) A.S. Northcote
- (fols. 175-178, 188, 192) Sir John Graham Kerr
- (fols. 181-182, 186) Claud Schuster
- (fols. 197-198) [J.?] Anderson.
Dates
- Creation: 1935-1946; 1966-1967
Extent
1 box
Language of Materials
- English
Shelfmark
MSS. Pac. s. 86/5
Repository Details
Part of the Bodleian Libraries Repository
Weston Library
Broad Street
Oxford OX1 3BG United Kingdom
specialcollections.enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk