Papers of David Beatty

Collection

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Letters home from Canton and Christmas Island, with related photographs, press cuttings and farewell addresses, 1899-1954; transcript of journal of his father Robert Beatty's voyage to India, 1856.

Dates

Creation: [1856], 1899-1954

Extent

3 boxes : The farewell address, 1926, written on silk and originally stored in a wooden box, was donated to the library in a large frame format, with degraded paper backing. The Conservation Section of the Bodleian Library undertook limited drycleaning, minor repairs, etc. in [March 1997], rehousing the item in a card box and placing a hollytex sheet against the silk to prevent abrasion when rolled. Future plans for the item's preservation include flat storage and remounting of the silk with new borders by an experienced Oriental conservator.

Language of Materials

English
Chinese

Preferred Citation

Oxford, Bodleian Libraries [followed by shelfmark and folio or page reference, e.g. MSS. Ind. Ocn. s. 286].

Please see our help page for further guidance on citing archives and manuscripts.

Full range of shelfmarks:

MSS. Ind. Ocn. s. 286, t. 8

Collection ID (for staff)

CMD ID 677, 678

Additional Description

Biographical / Historical

David Beatty (fl 1899-1952) served in Canton [1900-1904], Christmas Island [c1903-1904] and Singapore as a member of the Malayan Civil Service. He retired as Secretary for Chinese Affairs in Singapore in 1926.

Other Finding Aids

Listed as no. 662 in Manuscript Collections in Rhodes House Library Oxford, Accessions 1978-1994 (Oxford, Bodleian Library, 1996).

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Letters home from Canton, etc., 1900-1904 and the transcript of the India voyage, 1856 were donated to the library by Beatty's daughter, Miss D. Beatty on c21st February 1985.

Miss D. Beatty donated the following items

Farewell address from the Foochow Society of Singapore and the Chinese community of Sanchow, given to Beatty on his retirement as Secretary for Chinese Affairs in Singapore, 1926, donated [May 1985]
Copy of Malaya, December 1952, containing an account of Beatty's death, donated on 24th April 1985
Two letters from Beatty concerning the Chinese procession and Borneo exhibition during the visit of the Prince of Wales (Duke of Windsor) to Malaya in 1922, with request for photograph of Beatty by the Po Leung Kuh Committee, 1954, donated on 18th July 1985
Album of photographs including views of Hong Kong, Canton and Macao, donated in October 1985
Cuttings from the Supplement to the Strait[s] Budget, 30th September 1926, donated on [28th] February 1989