Papers relating to his life and career, [1891]-1931, dated [1891]-1931, 1977, 1985, 1988, principally comprising diaries, 1899-1900, and letters to his family, 1900-1902, describing his service as Provost Marshal with the South African Field Force; memorandum to Col Duff, Assistant Adjutant General, South African Field Force, concerning the functions of the Provost Marshal, 1900; photographs, [1891-1931], mainly of Poore and his family; 'The new cavalry sword and mounted swordsmanship', copy of an article by Poore from The Cavalry Journal, Apr 1911; copies of published articles relating to his cricketing career, 1899, [1920], 1985, 1988. Papers relating to his wife Lady Flora Poore, 1899-1900, 1916, comprising her diaries, 1899-1900; lists of work completed and statements of accounts of the Jhansi Cantonments Comforts to Troops Fund, 1915-1916.

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.

Papers relating to his life and RN career, 1902-1956, dated 1956, [1968-1977], 1983, 1987, 1989 and 1994, principally comprising photographs relating to the mining of the HMS SAUMAREZ, Corfu Channel, 1946; 'Memoires (sic) of a salthorse', an illustrated account of his life and career, 1902-1956, notably covering his service on HMS MASHONA, North Sea, Norway and Atlantic, 1940-1941, and HMS ONSLAUGHT, Russian convoys, 1942-1944, as Chief of Staff, Londonderry, 1944-1945, on HMS SAUMAREZ, Mediterranean, 1946-1947, and in South Africa, 1950-1952, and Greece, 1953-1955, written in 1989 for private circulation.

Microfilm copies of papers relating to his naval career, 1942-1946, principally comprising 'Africa Navy blues', an illustrated account of his experiences in the RN, 1942-1946, written in 1946, covering his service on HMS BIRMINGHAM in a convoy from Egypt to Malta (Operation VIGOROUS), June 1942, and on anti-submarine trawlers in the Bay of Bengal, 1942, during the Allied invasion of Madagascar, 1942, and in South Africa, 1942-1945; diary, 1943-1945. 'War time trawler', a transcript of a broadcast by James McClurg of the South African Broadcasting Corporation concerning his experiences on board an anti-submarine trawler during World War Two, written in [1940-1945].

Papers and photographs, 1888-1924, 1972, mostly manuscript letters by Simpson-Baikie to his wife, Marion Evelyn Simpson-Baikie, Lady Simpson-Baikie, 1906-1919, including letters whilst on active service on the Western Front, Gallipoli, Salonika and Palestine, 1914-1918; four manuscript letters from Simpson-Baikie to his mother-in-law, Emilita Miller, 1904-1918, and three manuscript letters from Simpson-Baikie to his daughter, Jean Simpson-Baikie, 1917-1918. Also, manuscript letter from Gen Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton to Jean Miller Hamilton, Lady Hamilton, asking her to inform Marion Evelyn Simpson-Baikie that Simpson-Baikie has been chosen to serve at Gallipoli, 1915; manuscript letter to Simpson-Baikie from Gen Sir Horace Lockwood Smith-Dorrien, Governor of Gibraltar, on adverse comments about Smith-Dorrien in 1914 (Spiers, London, 1919) by FM John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Viscount of Ypres, 1920. Eleven photographs and two negatives relating to Simpson-Baikie's career, 1888-1920, including three photographs of Simpson-Baikie, 1888, [1904]; Lt Gen Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Baron Kitchener of Khartoum, General Officer Commanding in Chief, South Africa, with his Aide de Camp, Lt Francis Aylmer Maxwell [1901]; Maj Gen Hubert Ion Wetherall Hamilton, Maj Gen General Staff, Mediterranean Command, 1911; Gen Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton at Charing Cross station, London, on his departure for Gallipoli, 13 Mar 1915; aerial photograph of the French camp at Sedd el Bahr, Gallipoli, Turkey, 1915. Typescript letter to Jean Morley Kennerley (née Simpson-Baikie) from Professor Robert Clifford Walton concerning Smith-Dorrien, 1972.

Photocopies of memoir covering military service, 1860-1918; published account of Tochi Valley expedition, Afghanistan, 1897-1898; complaint relating to conditions in trenches, Western Front, World War One, 1915.

World War Two ordnance survey maps of the United Kingdom and Europe, mainly 1 inch, prepared by the Geographical Section, General Staff, and the War Office, for use by the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), including 1:40,000 map of Antwerp, Belgium; 1:100,000 map of Brussels, Belgium; 1:5,000,000 map of South Africa; 1:250,000 map of Italy; and 1:50,000 map of Northeast France. Also included are German survey maps of North Africa and Northern Greece, and 1:300,000 map of the Netherlands with manuscript outline of German Army occupation districts, 1940-1943