Comprises:
- seven photographs of Sir William Battershill, c. 1910-1950
- 263 photographs of views, camp scenes, fellow officers, etc., taken in India and Mesopotamia (mainly Iraq) during World War I, 1914-1918, with photograph of HMAS Sydney at Aden
- 39 photographs taken in Egypt and London during World War II, 1939-1945
- 1525 photographs, with 23 duplicates, taken in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Jamaica, Cyprus, Palestine, Tanganyika (Tanzania) and London, c. 1920-1959
- ten photographs taken on a voyage to Australia, 1927.
Dates
- Creation: 1914-1959
Extent
0.22 linear metres (5 boxes)
Language of Materials
- English
- No linguistic content; Not applicable
Preferred Citation
Oxford, Bodleian Libraries [followed by shelfmark and folio or page reference, e.g. Bodleian Libraries of Commonwealth and African Studies at Rhodes House MSS. Brit. Emp. t. 8/1, item 1].
Full range of shelfmarks:
MSS. Brit. Emp. t. 8/1-5
Collection ID (for staff)
CMD ID 655
Abstract
Sir William Denis Battershill photographic collection
Biographical / Historical
Sir William Denis Battershill (1896-1959) was a soldier and colonial administrator. Educated at King's School, Worcester, 1908-1914, he served in India and Iraq from 1914 to 1919 with the 6th Battalion, East Surrey Regiment, and the 2nd Battalion, the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment. Entering civilian life in 1920 as a cadet in the Ceylon (Sri Lanka) Civil Service, he rose to the post of 2nd Assistant Secretary and Clerk to the Legislative Council in 1928. Continuing his career, he served as Assistant Colonial Secretary, Jamaica, 1929-1935, Colonial Secretary, Cyprus, 1935-1937, Chief Secretary to the Government of Palestine, 1937-1939, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Cyprus, 1939-1941, Assistant Under-Secretary of State, Colonial Office, 1941-1942, Deputy Under-Secretary, Tanganyika Territory (Tanzania), 1942-1945, and Governor and Commander-in-Chief, Tanganyika Territory (Tanzania), 1945-1949.
In 1924, he married Joan Gellibrand, with whom he had two daughters. He spent the last ten years of his life after 1949 in retirement on Cyprus.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in 13 albums, with 23 loose duplicates. The Royal Commonwealth Society identification marks are included.
Custodial History
The photographs were originally presented to the Royal Commonwealth Society in 1981 by Sir William Battershill's daughter, Jane D'Arcy, through the Oxford Development Records Project.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The photographs were transferred to the library on 6 Jan 1993 from the Royal Commonwealth Society.
Bibliography
- A photograph of Sir Charles Tegart, taken in Palestine 1937-1938, was used in the article 'An Irishman is specially suited to be a Policeman' by Michael Silvestri, History Ireland, Vol. 8, No. 4, Winter 2000.
Geographic
- Australia.Royal Australian Navy -- Photographs
- Cyprus -- Photographs
- Great Britain -- Colonies -- Administration
- Great Britain -- Photographs
- India -- Photographs
- Iraq -- Photographs
- Jamaica -- Photographs
- Pakistan -- Photographs
- Palestine -- Photographs
- Sri Lanka -- Antiquities
- Sri Lanka -- Photographs
- Tanzania -- Photographs
- Yemen -- Photographs
Topical
- Title
- Catalogue of the Sir William Denis Battershill Photographic Collection
- Status
- Published
- Author
- Original catalogue by Clare Brown
- Date
- 1993; EAD version 2023
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Edition statement
- Second edition.
Repository Details
Part of the Bodleian Libraries Repository
Weston Library
Broad Street
Oxford OX1 3BG United Kingdom
specialcollections.enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk