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Letters to his father, Maj Robert Poore, describing his work as a mining engineer in the New Mashonaland Development Company Ltd, Rhodesia, 1900-1901.

The collection covers Pyman's career from 1937 until 1963 when he suffered a severe stroke which forced his retirement in 1964. The earliest papers date from Pyman's work with the Royal Tank Cadre in converting the 17/21 Lancers from a cavalry to an armoured regiment. There are also papers from Pyman's period as an instructor at the Staff College in Quetta, India, 1939-1941. Pyman was involved in the World War Two campaigns by the 8 Army in the Western Desert, in 1941 as General Staff Officer with 7 Armoured Div, 30 Corps and in 1942-1943 as Commander of the 3 Royal Tank Regiment, 10 Armoured Div, 30 Corps. The papers consist mostly of Pyman's assessments of lessons learned from the ongoing campaigns particularly with regard to tanks and armoured units. In 1944-1945 Pyman was Brigidier General Staff, 30 Corps, 2 Army in the Normandy landings and the invasion of Northern Europe, with particular responsibility for organisation and planning of the Rhine crossing and advance to the Baltic. This is reflected in the papers which largely consist of planning studies and reports for the operations involved, this section also contains maps used in the campaign. Pyman's next appointment was as Chief of General Staff, Allied Land Forces, South East Asia, 1945-1946 which is documented by a series of diaries which reflect the tasks faced by Pyman in this command including dealing with the build up of tension between newly liberated former colonies keen to assert their right for independence and the former colonial powers such as France and Netherlands. Pyman spent 1946-1949 as Chief of Staff, Middle East Land Forces and kept monthly diaries which form the bulk of this section of the collection. The diary entries and additional papers reflect the debate over policy in the Middle East in the British Government and Military command, they include detail on the British withdrawal from Greece, the problem of illegal Jewish immigrants and their internment in Cyprus, the end of the British mandate in Palestine and the the effect of this on relations between Britain with Egypt and the other Arab states and the subsequent Arab Israeli conflict. This section of the collection also contains correspondence between Pyman and Maj Gen Sir Miles Christopher Dempsey on personal matters and on the Middle East. There are also papers from Pyman's work at the Ministry of Supply as Director General of Fighting Vehicles, 1951-1953, Director of Weapons Development, War Office, 1955-1956 mostly brief diary entries and lecture texts. Pyman was also General Officer Commanding, British Army on the Rhine, 1953-1955 and General Officer Commanding, 1 British Corps, 1956-1958 and the papers relating to these commands consist mostly of lectures, reports and directives reflecting his interest in armoured divisions and training. There are some papers, mostly personal correspondence and press cuttings, from Pyman's final command as Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Northern Europe in North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The collection also contains correspondence relating to Pyman's role as Colonel Commandant of the Royal Tank Regiment and The Royal Armoured Corps and a series of letters covering the reorganisation of the Berks and Westminster Dragoons, of which he was Honorary Colonel. The rest of the collection consists of diaries, correspondence, speeches, writings including the draft copy and papers relating to his autobiography, some preparatory work on a history of the 2 Army and reference works. The collection also includes the Boer War diaries and other papers of Col James Redmond Patrick Gordon who commanded the 1 Cavalry Bde of the South African Field Force 1900-1901 which were given to Pyman by a friend.

Photocopies of typescript copies of 84 letters from Lt Col Charles Mytton Thornycroft to his mother, Edith Frances Thornycroft (nee Cresswell), of Thornycroft Hall, Cheshire, from South Africa 19 Mar 1900 - 10 June 1902; includes voyage to South Africa on SS BAVARIAN; service at Magershoe Camp, Reddersburg, ; Dewetsdorp, Orange Free State; Bloemfontein Hospital, following attack of dysentery, including letter from Catherine Friend, the Sister in charge of sick officers; Winburgh Hospital, Norval's Point; The Glen, Orange River Colony; Harrisburg, Orange River Colony; Elands River; Ficksburg; Brindisi, Near Fouriesberg; Harrismith, Orange River Colony; Albertina, Orange River Colony; Oliver's Hoek, Orange River Colony and Barberton

Copies of papers relating to service in Second Boer War, South Africa, 1899-1902, principally comprising letters to his family describing his service with 10 Bn, Imperial Yeomanry, 1900-1901, notably action near Boshof, Orange Free State, in which Boer Gen Count de Villebois-Mareuil was killed, Apr 1900, and the failed attempt to rescue 13 Bn, Imperial Yeomanry at Lindley, OrangeFree State, Jun 1900.

Committee on Military Education, Report of the Committee appointed to consider the Education and Training of Officers of the Army (HMSO, London, 1902), including the official report and recommendations of the Committee on Military Education; Committee on Military Education, Minutes of Evidence taken before the Committee appointed to consider the Education and Training of Officers of the Army (HMSO, London, 1902), including interview statements from officers in the Army, most notably FM Rt Hon Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts of Kandahar, Pretoria and Waterford; and Maj Gen Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton.

Typescript extracts from letters home, 1901-1902, describing MacGowan's voyage to South Africa, Apr 1901, his service with the South African Constabulary, May 1901-Jul 1902, and his work as a miner in the Transvaal, Sep-Nov 1902.

Copy of single letter from Biddulph to a Mr Fanshawe, 13 Jun 1904, commenting on recent administrative changes at the War Office, in comparison with reforms to the British Army proposed by Edward Cardwell, Viscount Cardwell, Secretary of State for War, 1868-1874.

Copies of papers relating to his service in the Boer War, 1899-1901, notably two letters from E A Wiggin, giving an account of operations around Greylingstad, July 1900, sketches and notes on scenes of action, [1900], including Spion Kop; notes by way of transcript of statements of witnesses, including Kriegler himself, in the trial of S G Kriegler, a Boer spy, [1899-1901], war news bulletins published by the Boers, 1899-1900, two letters to Col Blagrove from Lt C E Jenkins, a prisoner in Piet Retief Jail, 1900, and printed minutes of Burgher Peace Committee meeting, 20 Dec 1900.

Summary of his military career, 1890-1932, [1932], his daughter's birth certificate, 1905, and a list of medals, papers and other items relating to Hudson received by the National Army Museum, 1980. 'Correspondence regarding the removal of the grave of Capt Granville Gower Loch CB, RN from the Shwedagon Pagoda, Burma', 1924-1929, a pamphlet published at the request of MajGordon Loch in 1929.

Papers relating to his army career, 1906-1927, notably including Naval and military despatches relating to operations in the war covering the period Sep-Nov 1914, issued by HMSO, 1914; 'Peace celebrations, 1919, victory march through London, 19th July. Orders by Field Marshal Douglas Haig', issued by HMSO, 1919.

Papers relating to his medical career with the RN, 1939-1952, dated 1908, [1943]-1950, principally comprising typescript texts written as Chief Malariologist with the British Pacific Fleet, [1943-1946], including accounts of his work in Singapore, Hong Kong and Pacific Islands; typescript texts by Mockler and others on malaria and its treatment, [1943-1946]; official annual reportsas Naval Medical Officer of Health, Hong Kong, 1951-1952; lecture notes circulated at the RN Medical School, Alverstoke, to accompany a course on radiological defence, [1947]; British, Australian and US military publications on health and medical issues, 1942-1950, mainly malaria and tropical diseases.

Photograph album relating to service of Assistant Paymaster Lewis Roland Tippen aboard armoured cruiser HMS KENT, China Station, 1909, including: views of street scenes, people, buildings, harbours, village scenes and damage after a typhoon, Hong Kong; views of various towns including Port Arthur, Australia, Port Stanley, Australia, Nagasaki, Japan, Santiago de Chile, Chile, Port Said, Egypt, Weihawei City, China; views of Panama including Cathedral plaza, local villages, Chrisobal, and construction of the Panama Canal; the officers of HMS NIOBE; and views of the HMS KENT including in dry dock, the starboard battery on coaling day, the rudder and port propeller and a hand tinted photograph of the ship.

Papers collected or created by Lt Archibald Percival Wavell (later FM Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell) during his studies at Staff College Camberley, 1909, principally comprising lecture notes and texts of lectures on the Waterloo campaign, 1815, the American Civil War, 1861-1865, and international and military law.

Papers, 1910, 1935-1986, of Lt Gen Sir John (Fullerton) Evetts, including report on Evetts by Col William Baume Capper, Commandant, Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Jul 1910; 136 photographic negatives relating to Palestine and the North West Frontier, India, 1935-1941; letters of congratulation for service and for decorations, 1936-1940, including letters from AVM Richard Edmund Charles Peirse, Air Officer Commanding British Forces, Palestine and Transjordan, and Lt Gen Sir George Alexander Weir, General Officer Commanding British Troops in Egypt, 1936, Gen Sir Arthur Grenfell Wauchope, High Commissioner and Commander-in-Chief, Palestine and Transjordan, 1937, Lt Gen Archibald Percival Wavell, Jan 1939, Sir Harold Alfred MacMichael, High Commissioner and Commander-in-Chief, Palestine and Transjordan, Mar 1939, and Lt Gen Alan Fleming Hartley, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, India, 1940; three copy typescript reports on operations carried out by British forces in Palestine and Transjordan, 20 May-31 Jul 1938, 1 Nov 1938-31 Mar 1939 and 1 Apr-30 Jul 1939, by Lt Gen Robert Hadden Haining, General Officer Commanding British Forces in Palestine and Transjordan; group photograph of Evetts and the staff of the 'Evetts Mission', Melbourne, Australia, 1946; papers relating to the Joint Anglo-Australian atomic test Project, Woomera, South Australia, including lectures, correspondence, eight volumes of manuscript diaries by Evetts, Jan 1947-Aug 1951, and printed map of missile and rocket ranges, Long Range Weapons Establishment, Woomera, South Australia [1950]; typescript text of lecture by Evetts, 'Woomera, yesterday and today', in English, French and Spanish [1957]; edition of Spanish magazine Ingenieria Aeronautica with illustrated article in Spanish by Evetts, 'Woomera ayer y hoy', Jul-Aug 1957; printed illustrated article by Chris Wren entitled 'The Commonwealth's Cape Canaveral', from The Aeroplane and Astronautics , Mar 1960; booklet entitled '14 May 1689 to 14 May 1968. 1st Battalion, The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)' commemorating the Regiment on its disbandment, 1968, with manuscript note, returning the booklet to Evetts, from Most Reverend and Rt Hon Arthur Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of Canterbury, 14 Jun 1968; correspondence relating to legal action taken against Anthony Mockler over statements concerning Evetts' actions in Syria, 1941, in his book Our enemies the French: being an account of the war fought between the French and the British, Syria 1941 (Cooper, London, 1976); five letters to Evetts from Col George Alan Dawson Young, Middle East Commandos Historical Research Group and former Commanding Officer 50 and 52 Middle East Commandos, Jul-Aug 1983, relating to allegations made against 50 Middle East Commando by Martin John Gilbert in Finest hour, Winston S Churchill, 1939-1941 (Heinemann, London, 1983); papers, 1979-1986, on the Anglo-Australian Joint Project, including typescript draft chapters of Fire across the desert: Woomera and the Anglo-Australian Joint Project, 1946-1980 by Dr Peter Ralph Morton (published by Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1989); Bristol Civil Defence Sub-Section, report by Evetts as retiring sub-regional controller, 1959.

Papers relating to his life and career, 1911-1942, dated 1911, 1938, [1960-1965], 1967, principally comprising bound typescript entitled 'Disaster in the Far East, 1941-1942', an account of his work as Secretary for Defence, Malaya, 1938-1941, and his assessment of the events leading up to the fall of Singapore, 1942, written in [1960-1965], including a copy of his unofficial report on the defence of Malaya, 1940, and a census map of Malaya, 1931, with covering letter to the Centre and cutting of his article on 'Singapore: the legend and the facts' from the The Daily Telegraph, 1967.