Guide to the Papers of Francis West
MS 9471
National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record
Collection Summary
- Creator
- Francis West
- Title
- Papers of Francis West
- Date Range
- 1949-2012
- Collection Number
- MS 9471
- Extent
- 6.06 metres (35 boxes, 1 folio box, 1 carton, 2 files)
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- National Library of Australia
Introduction
Scope and Contents
The collection documents West's activities as academic, historian and political commentator. The papers include correspondence, papers created while he was at the Australian National University, Adelaide University, Bedford Park, Independent University, Buckingham, England and Deakin University, papers relating to his books and broadcasts, research material on Papua New Guinea, cuttings, printed material and papers written by other academics and students.
Conditions Governing Access
Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2061442).
Conditions Governing Use
Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.
Preferred Citation
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Francis West, National Library of Australia [class number, box number and series and/or file number]'.
Provenance
Professor Francis West donated the papers to the Library in several instalments between 1995 and 2000.
Arrangement
The papers have been arranged into 20 series. West has kept most of the papers in files and, wherever possible, the Library has retained them. The general arrangement into 20 series and the order of the files within series has been imposed by the Library.
Biographical Note
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1927 | Born 26 June in East Yorkshire |
| 1938-44 | Hymers College, Yorkshire |
| 1944-47 | University of Leeds |
| 1947-49 | Institute of Historical Research, University of London |
| 1949-52 | Trinity College, Cambridge |
| 1952-55 | Research Fellow, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University |
| 1955-59 | Senior Lecturer in History, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand |
| 1959-64 | Senior Fellow, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University |
| 1963 | Married Katharine Ogilvie Holgate (nee White) m. dissolved 1976 |
| 1964-65 | Professor of Comparative Government, University of Adelaide at Bedford Park (later Flinders University) |
| 1965-76 | Professorial Fellow, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University |
| 1973-75 | Pro-Principal, Dean of Arts and Social Studies and Professor of History at the University of Buckingham, England |
| 1976-86 | Professor of History and Government, Deakin University, Geelong |
| 1976-80 | Planning Dean in Social Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong |
| 1980-83 | Dean in Social Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong |
| 1982 | Married Margaret Anne Rose |
| 1986-90 | Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Development), Deakin University, Geelong |
| 1994- | Churchill College, Cambridge University, England |
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1927 | Born 26 June in East Yorkshire |
| 1938-44 | Hymers College, Yorkshire |
| 1944-47 | University of Leeds |
| 1947-49 | Institute of Historical Research, University of London |
| 1949-52 | Trinity College, Cambridge |
| 1952-55 | Research Fellow, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University |
| 1955-59 | Senior Lecturer in History, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand |
| 1959-64 | Senior Fellow, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University |
| 1963 | Married Katharine Ogilvie Holgate (nee White) m. dissolved 1976 |
| 1964-65 | Professor of Comparative Government, University of Adelaide at Bedford Park (later Flinders University) |
| 1965-76 | Professorial Fellow, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University |
| 1973-75 | Pro-Principal, Dean of Arts and Social Studies and Professor of History at the University of Buckingham, England |
| 1976-86 | Professor of History and Government, Deakin University, Geelong |
| 1976-80 | Planning Dean in Social Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong |
| 1980-83 | Dean in Social Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong |
| 1982 | Married Margaret Anne Rose |
| 1986-90 | Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Development), Deakin University, Geelong |
| 1994- | Churchill College, Cambridge University, England |
Item Descriptions
Class MS 9471. Original consignment
Comprises general correspondence, Australian National University, Adelaide University, Bedford Park, Independent University, Buckingham, England and Deakin University, Command and Staff College, Queenscliff, Political advancement in the South Pacific, Hubert Murray, Justiciarship in England 1066-1232, Selected letters of Hubert Murray, Gilbert Murray, a life, From Alamein to Scarlet Beach: 2/4 Light A.A. Regiment, 'Testifying the past', 'Notes on the news', research material on Papua New Guinea, cuttings, printed material and papers written by others.
The correspondents in MS 9471 include Arnold Toynbee, F.R. Jevons, Gilbert Murray, Sir John Crawford, Sir Keith Hancock, J.W. Davidson, M.D. Knowles, J.G. Edward, Max Gluckman, John Le Patourel, R.F. Treharne, V.H. Galbraith, Ralph Bulmer, E.J. Venney, G.R. Elton, G. Kitson Clark, Richard Mayne and Hanna Solf. Copies of some of West's letters are included.
Series 1. General correspondence, 1949-90
Most of the correspondence has been kept in files. The Library has preserved this arrangement and the titles of the files. Many of the correspondents are English academics. The subjects include their research, news of other academics, personal news and West's writings.
The correspondents include M.D. Knowles, J.G. Edwards, Max Gluckman, John Le Patourel, R.F. Treharne, V.H. Galbraith (File 1), Ralph Bulmer, E.J. Kenney, Sir Geoffrey Elton, G. Kitson Clark, Richard Mayne (File 2), Hanna Solf, the British Broadcasting Corporation, Encyclopaedia Britannica and the Australian Broadcasting Commission. Copies of some of West's letters are included.
'Tahiti connections': letters of Edmond O'Brien (Hollywood actor) and Hamilton Basso (American writer), 1959-62 (File 5) - Box 1
Correspondence with Encyclopaedia Britannica concerning West's entries on Tahiti, Papeete and French Polynesia, 1960-80 (File 6) - Box 1
Series 2. Australian National University, 1954-76
West came to the Australian National University as a Research Fellow in 1952 and he held the position until 1955. After four years teaching in New Zealand, he returned to the ANU in 1959, as a Senior Fellow at the Research School of Pacific Studies, where he worked until 1976.
The series comprises papers created during this period. They include correspondence, minutes of meetings, reports on post-graduate students, research and seminar papers, teaching material and miscellaneous papers (including plans and report of the extension of the H.C. Coombs Building in 1966) . The correspondents include J.W. Davidson, O.H.K. Spate, Sir John Crawford, D.O. Hay, John Beaglehole, A.D. Trendall, Peter Munz, Sir Keith Hancock and C.G. Plowman. Copies of some of West's letters are included.
Series 3. Adelaide University at Bedford Park, 1964-65
West moved to the University of Adelaide at Bedford Park (later Flinders University) in 1964, as Professor of Comparative Government. However, he tendered his resignation the following year, when the University refused to appoint his wife, Katharine West, as a lecturer. The series includes correspondence, letters of applications for a sub-professorial position in politics and some teaching material. The correspondents include Peter Karmel, H.J. Buchan, Oliver G. MacDonagh and Noel Stockdale. Copies of some of West's letters are also included.
Series 4. Independent University, Buckingham, England, 1973-74
West was seconded as Pro-Principal, Dean of Arts and Social Sciences and Professor of History at the Independent University in Buckingham between 1973 and 1975.
Series 5. Deakin University, Geelong, 1960-94
West worked at Deakin University in Geelong between 1976 and 1994, holding the positions of Professor of History and Government, Planning Dean and Dean of Social Sciences and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Development). The series comprises correspondence (including copies of some of West's letters), papers on academic appointments and university tenure and other administrative files.
The papers in this series were created during his time at Geelong. Although some of the files do not relate specifically to Deakin University, the Library has retained West's original arrangement and has kept the papers together.
The main correspondent is F.R. Jevons, Vice-Chancellor of Deakin University. Other correspondents include J.L. Carrick, Marian Kent, A.L. Pritchard, John Avieson, John Milton-Smith, Philip Maxwell, N.C.A. Franzi, Oxford University Press, Australian Dictionary of Biography, University of Melbourne, Australian National University, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, London, Churchill College, Cambridge and The Australian Encyclopaedia.
Correspondence (1975-76) concerning West's article 'Constitutional crisis 1975' for the Australian Quarterly (File 5) - Box 6
Correspondence with Chancellor (Austin Asche) and Deputy Chancellor (Lloyd Senior), 1983-90 (File 8) - Box 7
File entitled 'Confidential papers' (including M.R. Crick's application for tenure and West's references for Deakin University academic staff), 1980-82 (File 9) - Box 7
File entitled 'Deakin Problems', 1978-80: containing correspondence relating to tenure issues and papers of the Tenure Review Committee (File 11-12) - Box 7
Series 6. Command and Staff College, Queenscliff, 1977-91
West was invited to give lectures on international relations to students attending the Command and Staff College at Queenscliff in Victoria in 1991. The papers in the series comprising correspondence, notes and drafts of some of the lectures and printed material. The correspondents include Brig. I.G.C. Gilmore, Brig. J.H. Townley, Brig. P.L. McGuiness, Lt. Col. B.C. Gilchrist, Lt. Col. A.W. Hammett, Brig. J.R. Salmon and Lt. Col. D.L.H. Buring.
Series 7. Political advancement in the South Pacific, 1958-65
West's first book was published by Oxford University Press in 1961.
Series 8. Hubert Murray, 1953-73
Hubert Murray, published by Oxford University Press in 1962, is a biography of the New Guinea administrator, Sir Hubert Murray. Born in Sydney in 1861, Murray was appointed Chief Judicial Officer of British New Guinea in 1904. From 1908 until his death in 1940, he was Lieutenant Governor of Papua. The series comprises correspondence, the agreement with the publisher, research material, photographs, drafts and reviews of the book. The correspondents include Walter Lucas, H.L. Murray, Gilbert Murray, P.D.F. Murray, Mary Pinney and Oxford University Press.
Series 9. Justiciarship in England 1066-1232, 1965-84
The Justiciarship in England 1066-1232 is a study of the office of the Justiciarship, which was the most important office under the crown in Norman England. At the height of his power, in the reigns of Henry I and Henry II, the Justiciar had a controlling influence over judicial and administrative machinery and acted as regent in the King's absence abroad. The book was published by Cambridge University Press in 1966.
Series 10. Selected letters of Hubert Murray, 1970-71
Oxford University Press published the Selected letters of Hubert Murray in 1970.
Series 11. Gilbert Murray: a life, 1961-90
Gilbert Murray, the brother of Hubert Murray, was Professor of Greek at Oxford University and was famous for his verse translation of Greek plays. He was also President of the League of Nations Union (1923-38). When he embarked on the biography, West placed notices in The Times Literary Supplement and the New York Times, inviting people with information on Gilbert Murray to write to him. A long sequence of letters from members of the public forms the bulk of the series. It also includes copies of some of West's letters, drafts and reviews of the book. The major correspondents include Arnold Toynbee, Douglas Woodruff, John MacCallum, Sir Roy Harrod, E.R. Dodd, Hugh Lloyd-Jones, Alexander Murray, William Calder III, E.J. Dingwall, Sidney P. Albert, Frank Eyck, Helena Burke, Margery Murray and the Keepers of Manuscripts at the National Library of Scotland, Newnham College, University of London Library and the Bodleian Library.
West also corresponded with Arnold Toynbee of the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London about applying for a grant to write the biography from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Ford Foundation.
The book was published by Croom Helm (London) and St Martin's Press (New York) in 1984.
Series 12. From Alamein to Scarlet Beach: 2/4 Light A.A. Regiment, 1981-90
The 2/4 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment was formed in Palestine during World War II to provide support to the 9th Australian Division. The bulk of the papers in this series are photocopies of war diaries held at the Australian War Memorial. It also includes correspondence and drafts. The correspondents are Major David Nott, Neil Joseph, Sir John Bloomfield, M.J. Scott, James A. McDonald, P.L. Brown, Allen & Unwin Australia and the Australian War Memorial. Deakin University Press published the book in 1990.
Series 13. 'Testifying the past', n.d
West's memoirs, entitled 'Testifying the past', have not yet been published.
Series 14. Other writings, 1950s-90s
This series contains drafts and cuttings (and some assorted correspondence) of West's journalism, articles, talks and lectures on various subjects, including Nazi Germany, Fiji and the South Pacific, Papua New Guinea and the Australian constitutional crisis in 1975. Copies of some of the reprints and photocopies of some of the articles are also included.
Papers (including comments from the general public) relating to West's article in the Australian Quarterly and radio broadcast ('Notes on the news') on the Australian constitutional crisis, 1975-76 (File 1-4) - Box 19
Drafts of articles, talks and lectures and reprints on Fiji and the South Pacific, 1950s-70s (File 5-6) - Box 20
'Sir Hubert Murray: the man and his policy' paper given by West to the New Guinea Society, 1961 (File 7) - Box 20
Drafts of 'An historical survey of boundary agreements relating to Papua New Guinea' (File 14) - Box 21
Notes and draft on Owen Stanley for the Australian Dictionary of Biography, c. 1963 (File 22) - Box 22
Series 15. 'Notes on the news', 1962-90
Between 1962 and 1990, West wrote short news commentaries 'Notes on the news' which were broadcast on the ABC radio. The series contains drafts of the commentaries and some correspondence (mostly from the general public). Although most of the correspondence was filed with the drafts, some letters were filed separately. The Library has retained this arrangement.
Series 16. Research material, Papua New Guinea, 1966-88
The series comprises a file of correspondence relating to West's review of Australian policy in Papua New Guinea which was published in the Current Affairs Buletin, 1972. The correspondents include Ian Downs, Sir Paul Hasluck, D.O. Hay and R.G. Neale. The series also include a copy of the 'Descriptive list of Papuan papers held the Australian Archives', by L.S. Bethell.
Series 19. Printed material
Journals, reports and pamphlets (File 1-4) - Box 28-31
Some of the journals contain articles written by West, for example 'From intellectual cooperation to UNESCO' in The new era, vol. 66, no. 2, 1965 and 'Indigenous labour in Papua New Guinea' in International Labour Review, vol. LXXVII, no. 2, 1958.
Series 20. Papers by others, 1929-92
West received copies of papers, including reprints and theses, written by academics, scholars and students.