Guide to the Papers of Sir W. S. Kent Hughes
MS 4856
National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record
Collection Summary
- Creator
- W. S. Kent Hughes
- Title
- Papers of Sir Wilfred Selwyn Kent Hughes
- Date Range
- 1914 - 1986
- Collection Number
- MS 4856
- Extent
- 17.94 metres (82 ms boxes + 2 small folio boxes + 2 medium folio boxes + 4 large folio boxes + 1 map folio + 5 folio packets + 2 volumes + 1 folder + 21 sound/av carriers)
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- Special Collections (Manuscripts)
Introduction
Scope and Contents
The papers comprise correspondence (including letters written by Kent Hughes from the Middle East during World War I and POW camps during World War II), diaries, photographs, speeches, cuttings and cutting books and the manuscripts of his book Slaves of the Samurai and other writings. There are relatively few papers on Kent Hughes' career in Victorian politics, but extensive papers dating from his 21 years as a Federal Parliamentarian, including his work as Minister of the Interior and Works and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. There are extensive papers on the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games.
The correspondents include General Gordon Bennett, Sir Robert Menzies, Lord Casey, Sir Garfield Barwick, Sir Arthur Fadden, Louis Loder, Les Norman, Tom Lingford, Norman Martin, Major-General Hans de Fremery, Senator James W. Fulbright, Avery Brundage, Sir James Pitman, Derek Schreiber, J.H. Tyer and John Wedderburn-Maxwell.
The collection also includes papers of Lady Kent Hughes (including Kent Hughes' letters to her from POW camps), an account of Dr Wilfred Kent Hughes' journey to Russia in 1917, and papers relating to Kent Hughes: a biography by Frederick Howard.
Conditions Governing Access
Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2631927).
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Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions.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 Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.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 Sir W. S. Kent Hughes, National Library of Australia, MS 4856, [series and/or file number]'.
Provenance
The collection was donated to the National Library, in several instalments between 1973 and 1991, by Lady Kent Hughes and her daughters, Mrs Janet Derham, Mrs Margaret Sasse and Dr Mary Lou Sheil.
Arrangement
Some of the papers had been kept in files. Wherever possible, the Library has preserved the file titles and the arrangement of the papers within them.
Biographical Note
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1895 | Born in East Melbourne on 12 June, son of Dr Wilfred Kent Hughes |
| 1900-8 | Trinity Grammar School, Kew |
| 1909-14 | Melbourne Grammar School |
| 1914 | Enlisted as private in B Company 7 Infantry Batallion, promoted to Captain and on 18 October embarked for the Middle East |
| 1915-18 | Second Lieutenant 8th Light Horse Regiment and seconded as Orderly Officer 3rd Light Horse Brigade on 1 April 1915. During this time he took in various campaigns in the Middle East, including Gallipoli and Sinai. |
| 1919 | Entered Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar |
| 1920 | Resigned commission in UK on demobilization, captain of Oxford ski team and represented Australia in athletics at Olympic Games in Antwerp |
| 1923 | Married Edith Kerr in Montclair, New Jersey on 3 February. They returned to Melbourne in April |
| 1927-49 | Member of Legislative Assembly for Kew |
| 1940 | Enlisted in A.I.F. |
| 1941 | Left for Singapore |
| 1942-45 | Prisoner of war in Malaya, Taiwan, Japan and Manchuria |
| 1945 | Returned to Australia |
| 1947 | Victorian Minister for Transport and Education |
| 1948-49 | Minister for Transport and Electrical Undertakings and Deputy Premier |
| 1949-70 | Member of the House of Representatives for Chisholm |
| 1951-58 | Chairman of the Olympic Games Organising Committee |
| 1951-56 | Federal Minister for the Interior and Minister for Works |
| 1956-61 | Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee |
| 1957 | Awarded KBE |
| 1970 | Died in Melbourne on 31 July |
References:
Kent Hughes: a biography by Frederick Howard. Melbourne: Macmillan, 1972
Who's who 1968, pp. 494-95
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1895 | Born in East Melbourne on 12 June, son of Dr Wilfred Kent Hughes |
| 1900-8 | Trinity Grammar School, Kew |
| 1909-14 | Melbourne Grammar School |
| 1914 | Enlisted as private in B Company 7 Infantry Batallion, promoted to Captain and on 18 October embarked for the Middle East |
| 1915-18 | Second Lieutenant 8th Light Horse Regiment and seconded as Orderly Officer 3rd Light Horse Brigade on 1 April 1915. During this time he took in various campaigns in the Middle East, including Gallipoli and Sinai. |
| 1919 | Entered Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar |
| 1920 | Resigned commission in UK on demobilization, captain of Oxford ski team and represented Australia in athletics at Olympic Games in Antwerp |
| 1923 | Married Edith Kerr in Montclair, New Jersey on 3 February. They returned to Melbourne in April |
| 1927-49 | Member of Legislative Assembly for Kew |
| 1940 | Enlisted in A.I.F. |
| 1941 | Left for Singapore |
| 1942-45 | Prisoner of war in Malaya, Taiwan, Japan and Manchuria |
| 1945 | Returned to Australia |
| 1947 | Victorian Minister for Transport and Education |
| 1948-49 | Minister for Transport and Electrical Undertakings and Deputy Premier |
| 1949-70 | Member of the House of Representatives for Chisholm |
| 1951-58 | Chairman of the Olympic Games Organising Committee |
| 1951-56 | Federal Minister for the Interior and Minister for Works |
| 1956-61 | Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee |
| 1957 | Awarded KBE |
| 1970 | Died in Melbourne on 31 July |
Item Descriptions
Series 1. Family correspondence, 1914-70
Kent Hughes enlisted in the AIF and left Australia with the Australian Light Horse for the Middle East (Sinai, Palestine, Syria and Gallipoli) on 18 October 1914. At the end of the War, he went to Oxford to take up the Rhodes scholarship that had been awarded to him in 1915. In 1940 he enlisted in the AIF and served in Singapore and Malaya. In February 1942 Kent Hughes was taken prisoner and was sent to POW camps in Singapore, Formosa and Manchuria.
The series comprises Kent Hughes' correspondence, including some transcripts, with his father and other members of his family, written from the Middle East and Oxford. There are also letters from Lady Kent Hughes and their children (written while Kent Hughes was in the POW camps), letters from his parents-in-law (Mr and Mrs R. C. Kerr) and other members of the family.
Kent Hughes' letters to his wife can be found in Series 24.
Series 2. General correspondence, 1914-70
Through out his life, Kent Hughes corresponded with a large number of Australian and overseas friends, including those from his years in Oxford, as well as American and Asian friends and politicians. Usually Kent Hughes kept copies of his letters. The Australian correspondents include ex-World War I soldiers and other POWs. Other correspondents include Major General Hans de Fremery, E.J. Holt, W.R. Milligan, Vernon Morgan, William J. Sebald, H.A. Stokes Hughes, Felix Stump and John Wedderburn-Maxwell.
Most of the papers had been arranged in alphabetical order, either by subjects or names of the correspondents. The remainder were grouped in chronological order. The Library has preserved this arrangement and the file titles.
Famous signatures, 1935-64 (File 24) - Box 5
The signatories are Duke of Gloucester, Willi Brandt, 'Weary' Dunlop, Cardinal Gilroy (Archbishop of Sydney), Sir Robert Menzies, Lord Casey, Sir Percy Spender and Sir William Slim
Overseas friends (mostly with A.G. Vromans and Senator James W. Fulbright), 1948-69 (File 43_44) - Box 7
Series 3. Diaries and notebooks, 1940-70
Kent Hughes kept diaries most of his life and many of them have been transcribed. The series comprises the original diaries, typescripts of some of the diaries and miscellaneous notebooks.
Kent Hughes had kept the typescript of 'A diary of the American trip of the Oxford-Cambridge Track Team 6.7.21 to 12.8.21' with his Oxford papers (Series 5/ File 23). The diaries of Kent Hughes' visit to the Far East in 1958 are in Series 14/ Files 18-19 and 22.
Diaries kept while serving in Malaya as a member of the Eighth Division of AIF, c.1940-42 (File 2) - Box 11
Part of a diary kept on USS Relief, Sep. 1945. A plaque from the ship is in Series 22 (File 13) - Box 13
Series 4. Photographs and photograph albums, early 1900s-70
In the First World War, Kent Hughes served in the Middle East, as a member of the Light Horse Brigade in the Australian Imperial Force, from June 1917 to March 1918. The earlier photographs document this period of his career.
Other photographs include those taken during Kent Hughes' frequent visits overseas, particularly to Asia, in his capacity as a Minister for the Interior and Works (1951-56) and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee (1956-61). Papers relating to these visits can be found in Series 14. There are also pictures of both the Victorian and Federal Liberal Ministries and photographs taken during the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games.
Related papers are in Series 1, 6 and 19.
Album of photographs, taken in Melbourne, Yemen, Suez Canal, Syria and Egypt, of the First Australian Imperial Expeditionary Force (B. Company Seventh Battalion), Sep. 1914 - Apr. 1915 (File 2) - Box 16
Album of Headquarter of the Third Light Horse Brigade AIF, including Anzac Cove and Egypt, Apr. 1915 - Jan. 1916 (File 3) - Box 17
Album of Headquarter of the Third Light Horse Brigade AIF, including Egypt and India, Jan. 1916 - June 1917 (File 4) - Box 17
Portrait of Edith Kent Hughes (nee Kerr) on her wedding day 3 February 1923 (File 11) - Folio-Box FB 1
Group photograph of the Victorian Cabinet Picture of Kent Hughes with Tom Hollway taken after the announcement of the withdrawal of the Victorian Country Party Leader, J.G. McDonald, from the Coalition Government in 1948 (File 20) - Box 19
Photographs of Menzies Government after the swearing-in ceremony at Government House Canberra, 1951 (File 22) - Box 19
Photographs of official tour of War Cemeteries by the Minister of the Interior and Works, 1955 (See also Series 4/ File 61 and Series 14/ File 7) (File 32) - Box 21
Photographs of Australian 4 x 100m. Women's Relay Team Gold Medal winners, Melbourne Olympic Games, 1956 (File 34) - Box 21
Photograph taken at a meeting of the Asian People's Anti-Communist League Executive Committee, Taiwan, 1967 (File 45) - Box 23
Photographs of Opening ceremony of the Light Horse Memorial in Canberra, 19 April 1968 (See also Series 2/20) (File 51) - Box 23
Photographs of Kent Hughes receiving an honorary degree from the China Academy, Taiwan, 1968 (File 52) - Box 23
Series 5. Oxford, 1920-22
Kent Hughes went to Christ Church, Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship in 1920 and graduated as a BA with honours in Modern History in 1922. While in Oxford, he took an active part in various sporting activities, including track and field and skiing.
The series comprises lecture notes, some of which are in notebooks. Kent Hughes' correspondence with his family is in Series 1/ Files 5-7 and his correspondence with his friends from Oxford is in Series 2/ Files 1 and 7. Other related papers are in Series 4/ File 10.
Series 6. World War I, 1914-19
Kent Hughes enlisted in the AIF and left Australia with the Australian Light Horse for the Middle East (Sinai, Palestine, Syria and Gallipoli) on 18 October 1914.
The series includes certificates of appreciation for gallant and distinguished service in the field, notes and correspondence relating to Kent Hughes' discharge from the AIF and non-military employment. His letters to his family can be found in Series 1 and the WW I photographs are in Series 4.
Typescripts entitled 'Evacuation of Gallipoli', 3 December 1915 and 'Second Light Horse Brigade', 10 December 1917 (File 2) - Box 31
Correspondence with the Department of Repatriation and Demobilisation concerning Kent Hughes' discharge from the AIF, non-military employment and the settlement of accounts, 1919-22 (File 3_4) - Box 31
Series 7. World War II, 1942-55
Kent Hughes served in the 8th Division, AIF in 1940. He went to Malaya in 1941, where he became a Lieutenant-Colonel in 1941 and Colonel in 1942. He was taken Prisoner of War on 16 February 1942 and was in camps in Changi (18 months), Formosa (2 years), Japan (2 weeks) and Manchuria (1 year) until 1945. The series includes correspondence, notes and drafts of various writings about the camps.
For related papers see Series 1-3, 8, 15/ File 12 and 24.
Notes on 'Japanese instructions given to Prisoners of War in Changi' by Kent Hughes, 1942 (File 2) - Box 32
A photograph of a pencil portrait of Kent Hughes by Murray Griffin, the Official War Artist, May 1942 (File 3) - Box 33
Transcript of an interview with Mr Hagiwara from Domei News Agency, Karenko, 1 June 1943 (File 4) - Box 33
Notes, notebook and other writings (including a poem on Mukden) kept by Kent Hughes while he was in POW camps, 1942-45 (File 5_7) - Box 33
Carbon copy typescript of 'An account of liberation by Col. W.S. Kent Hughes, Mukden Main POW Camp, 15-18 Aug. 1945' (File 8) - Box 33
Letters from Military Board of the Australian Military Forces, on matters such as entitlements and honours, 1943-49 (File 11) - Box 34
Correspondence with the Australian Military Forces and other papers on POW matters, 1943-51 (File 12) - Box 34
Handwritten draft and typescripts of 'Recollections of the last days of Singapore' by Capt. A.H.L. Wheeler, Cowra, 1942 (File 21) - Box 35
Series 8. Slaves of the samurai (1946), 1946-69
The manuscript was written while Kent Hughes was in POW camps and was hidden between layers of cardboard in his suitcase. The book was published in Melbourne by Oxford University Press in 1946. The Series contains the manuscript and typescripts, letters from friends and the general public about the book and book reviews.
Series 9. Member for Kew (Victorian Parliament), 1927-49
In 1927 Kent Hughes stood for the Victorian Parliament as a Nationalist candidate and was elected as the Member for Kew. He was Minister for Transport and Education in 1947 and Minister for Transport and Electrical Undertaking between 1947 and 1949 in the Ministry led by Tom Hollway.
The series include a small quantity of correspondence and other papers on various subjects, including the Victorian elections and houses for migrants.
Series 10. Minister for Transport, 1948-53
Kent Hughes became the Victorian Minister for Transport and Education in 1947 and Minister for Transport and Election Undertakings in 1947-49. This small series comprises correspondence and other papers relating to these portfolios, in some cases extending into the early 1950s. The correspondents include Les Norman, Norman Martin and Tom Lingford
Correspondence relating to the transportation of Callide coal (from Queensland) to Victoria, 1948-53 (File 1) - Box 38
Series 11. Member for Chisholm (Commonwealth Parliament), 1954-70
Following his resignation from Victorian politics, Kent Hughes stood as a Liberal candidate and won the Federal seat of Chisholm in December 1949. He held the seat until his death in 1970. He was the Federal Minister for the Interior and Works between 1951 and 1956.
The series mostly comprises papers on a wide range of subjects that Kent Hughes received as a Federal Parliamentarian. They include both incoming and outgoing correspondence with other politicians, Cabinet Ministers and his constituents and with a wide range of acquaintances in Australia, Asia and other overseas countries. There are also files on Australian defence and foreign policy and relation with Asian countries and communism. Papers relating to Kent Hughes' work as a Minister can be found in Series 12 and papers on the Joint Foreign Affairs Committee are in Series 17.
The papers had been kept in files and, wherever possible, the Library has preserved the arrangement of the papers within them and also the file titles.
Sir Michael Adeane, the Queen's Private Secretary, concerning the Royal visit to Australia, 1954 (File 1) - Box 38
Amendment of the Broadcasting and Television Act (correspondence with F.M. Osborne and Vernon Wilcox), 1953-58 (File 2) - Box 38
Australian Broadcasting Commission (correspondence with C.W. Davidson, Sir Richard Boyer, Sir James Darling and T.S. Duckmanton), 1958-68 (File 4_5) - Box 39
Caulfield Rifle Club, Williamstown Rifle Range, 1953-54 (See also File 39 and 44) (File 13) - Box 40
Committee Against Communism (correspondents include T.K. Critchley and W.C. Wentworth), 1962-65 (File 15) - Box 40
Defence (correspondents include A.J. Forbes, Athol Townley and Shane Paltridge), 1952-65 (File 17_18) - Box 40
Defend Australia Committee (correspondence with Rex Becke and C.R.R. Huxtable), 1962-68 (File 19) - Box 40
Editors of major Australian newspapers The Age, Sydney Morning Herald and the Herald), 1958-68 (File 20) - Box 40
Fan mail: letters from English people following the publication of Kent Hughes' letter, on his stand against Communism, to the editor of the Daily Telegraph, 1967 (File 21) - Box 41
Federal elections, 1949-69. Papers include 'How to vote' leaflets and draft of speeches (File 22) - Box 41
Foreign affairs correspondence within Australia, 1950-68. Correspondents include Rohan Rivett, J.G. Porteus, Harold Holt, M.H. Hungerford, Sir Norman Kater, Eric Butler, Geoffrey Fairbairn, Jim Thyer and Robert E. Hoey (File 24_26) - Box 41
Inigo Jones, 1953-68. Investigations of Jones, who was a long-range weather forecaster for Cromhurst Obsevatory, Queensland (File 30) - Box 42
Ministers of External Affairs (correspondents include R.G. Casey, Sir Garfield Barwick and Sir Paul Hasluck), 1950-67 (File 31_32) - Box 42
Primary Industries (correspondents include Sir John Teasdale of Australian Wheat Board, Associated Chambers of Australia and T.C. Stott of Australian Wheat Growers' Federation), 1956-63 (File 36) - Box 42
Regular Defence Force Welfare Association and Defence Forces Retirement Benefits, 1959-62 (File 38) - Box 43
Rip tragedy, 1960. Two men were drowned during an Army training exercise outside the Port Phillip Bay Heads near Queenscliff (File 40) - Box 43
Series 12. Minister for Interior and Works, 1952-57
Kent Hughes became the Federal Minister for the Interior and Minister for Works and Housing on 11 May 1951. In June 1952 the latter portfolio was changed to Minister for Works. As Minister for the Interior, he was responsible for the developmental planning and administration of Canberra. Other responsibilities included elections and franchise, astronomy, mapping and surveys, meteorology, forestry and timber, war graves, War Service Land Settlement, the Australian War Memorial, the acquisition and leasing of land for Commonwealth purposes, and publicity. The department of Works was responsible for the design, supervision, execution and inspection of all architectural and engineering works for the Commonwealth Government and the formulation of town planning proposals in areas controlled by the Commonwealth. In January 1956, as a result of a Cabinet reshuffle, Kent Hughes was dropped from the Menzies Ministry and he did not hold office again.
The series consists of semi-official and personal correspondence, cuttings, minutes, speeches, reports and papers relating to many of Kent Hughes' Ministerial responsibilities, including papers on his removal from the Ministry in 1956. The correspondents are mostly Ministerial colleagues or public servants, including R.G. Menzies, Sir Arthur Fadden, R.G. Casey, George McLeay, Paul Hasluck, W.H. Spooner, Louis Loder, Lionel Price and J.R. Fraser.
Accommodation for the Department of Defence upon its transfer to Canberra (correspondents include R.G. Menzies and W.E. Dunk), 1954-55 (File 1) - Box 45
Canberra housing: correspondence and cutting concerning rent increases and shortage of housing (correspondents include Jim Fraser), 1953-55 (File 3) - Box 45
Development of Canberra, 1949-55. The papers include correspondence, report, minutes and press releases on the development of Canberra, such as the creation of Lake Burley Griffin, Australian War Memorial, Australian National University, Mount Stromlo and the Olympic pool. The main correspondents are C.E.W. Bean, A.H. Corbett, J.A. McCallum and Sir William Slim (File 8_10) - Box 46
Conference of the State and Commonwealth Ministers on War Service Land Settlement, Canberra, 1954 (File 11) - Box 46
Miscellaneous correspondence (includes A.W. Fadden, L.F. Loder and R.G. Menzies), 1950-55 (File 20_21) - Box 47
'Operation administration': a proposal to centralised the administration of some Government Departments in Canberra, 1954 (File 24) - Box 47
Sir Earle Page (Minister for Health) and Stuart Acason (Liberal Party, Queensland) concerning the opening of the Tuberculosis Annexe at Cairns General Hospital, 1954 (File 25) - Box 47
Papers (including typescript of Kent Hughes' recollections of his interview with Menzies and his conversation with other Ministers, such as John McEwen and draft of speech on Foreign Affairs given by Kent Hughes at the House of Representatives on 28 April 1955) relating to Kent Hughes' dismissal from the Menzies Ministry, 1955-57 (File 33) - Box 48
Series 13. Speeches, 1930s-70
The series comprises handwritten drafts, typescript and roneoed copies, as well as cuttings, of Kent Hughes' speeches. Some of the speeches were kept in files and have been either arranged in chronological order or according to subjects. These arrangements have been preserved by the Library.
Drafts of radio broadcasts, which were filed with the speeches, can be found in File 22.
Series 14. Overseas visits, 1946-70
During his terms as the Minister of Interior and Works and as the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Kent Hughes undertook numerous overseas visits. The series includes correspondence, notes, invitations to official functions, cuttings, travel leaflets and other papers relating to these visits. Photographs of these visits can be found in Series 4.
Asia, including a visit to Australian War cemeteries in Asia and the Pacific, February - March 1955 (See also Series 4/ Files 32 and 61) (File 7_8) - Box 53
Antarctica Sub-Committee (Operation 'Penguin'). As a member, Kent Hughes visited Antarctica in October 1958 (File 13) - Box 53
United States, UK and Europe (including correspondence, notes, drafts of reports and diaries kept during the trip), Apr. - Sep. 1961 (File 20_22) - Box 54
Asia, 1966. Kent Hughes visited Taiwan as Australia's representative for the inauguration of Chiang Kai-Shek's 4th term in office, 1966 (File 36_39) - Box 56
Taiwan, June - Aug. 1968. Kent Hughes was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by the China Academy in Taipei (File 48) - Box 58
Series 15. Cuttings and cutting books, 1902-70
The cuttings and cutting books have been arranged both in chronological order and by subjects. Wherever possible the arrangement of cuttings within the files and the file titles have been preserved by the Library.
Scrapbook 1953-1955 (various topics: Works, General, Civic, Defence etc), 1953 - 1955 (File unumbered) - Folio-Box (Shared), Volume Scrapbook 1953-55
Scrapbook 1955-1962 - Elections Political & Miscellaneous, 1955 - 1962 (File) - Folio-Box (Shared), Volume 1 Scrapbook
Series 16. Invitations and menus, 1931-70
The series comprises invitations to official functions and Liberal Party meetings and menus. Many of them were annotated to show whether or not they were accepted.
Series 17. Foreign Affairs Committee, 1956-61
In 1956 R.G. Casey proposed that a Joint Committee be appointed to consider foreign affairs generally and to inquire into matters referred to it by the Minister of External Affairs. It was boycotted by the Opposition and as a result the Committee consisted almost entirely of Government backbenchers from both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Kent Hughes was elected Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and held the position until 1961. The series includes correspondence (mostly with R.G Menzies and R.G. Casey), notes, drafts of reports or papers and minutes.
Correspondence on subjects including the recognition of China, ungary, Antarctica, trade and Taiwan, 1956-60 (File 1) - Box 61
Correspondence (including deserted Japanese wives of Australian servicemen), 1957-59 (File 8) - Box 62
Correspondence (mostly with R.G. Casey on West New Guinea) and other papers, 1957-60 (File 12) - Box 62
Includes correspondence with Massey Stanley, R.G. Casey and Sir Garfield Barwick on citizenship in Papua New Guinea and the Fourth South Pacific Conference in Rabaul, 1956-59 (File 16) - Box 63
Series 18. Subject files, 1947-69
For most of his life Kent Hughes maintained files on various subject matters. They include some correspondence, cuttings, notes and other papers. The file titles and the arrangement of the papers within them have been preserved by the Library.
Correspondence relating to Churchill's book on the fall of Singapore entitled Secret session speeches (1946), 1948-49 (File 3) - Box 63
Japanese Mission's visit to war graves in Papua New Guinea to collect the remains of their families, 1954 (File 10) - Box 64
Official history of Australia in the War of 1939-1945: includes correspondence with Gavin Long, 1953-58 (File 12) - Box 64
Series 19. 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games, 1952-68
The Provisional Organising Committee of the 1956 Olympic Games was set up by the Australian Olympic Federation in 1949. Its main responsibility was the selection of venues and liaison with Governments and the Melbourne City Council in relation to the construction of venues and the Olympic Village. An office was opened in 1951 and in that year Kent Hughes became Chairman of the Organising Committee, holding the position until the Committee was wound up in 1958. He was also chairman of the Executive Committee and the Finance and general Purposes Committee, which was formed in 1953 and which met every two weeks or so.
The series comprises correspondence, cuttings, reports and press releases. After the Games, Kent Hughes received many letters from friends, colleagues and the general public the success of the Games. The correspondents include Avery Brundage, Lord Burghley, John T. McGovern, Hugh Weir, H.E. Bolte, Sir Arthur Fadden, Sir Harold Alderson, Lewis Luxton and T. Forristal.
The series also includes a letter from John Ian Wing, a schoolboy from Melbourne. Wing suggested that at the closing ceremony all athletes should walk together rather than as teams and the idea was adopted.
Correspondence with Sir Alexander Cadogan, Chairman of the BBC, relating to broadcasting the Games in the UK, 1957 (File 5) - Box 66
Lord Burghley, Vice-President of the Executive Committee of the International Olympic Committee, 1953-61 (File 11) - Box 66
Series 20. Sporting events and associations, 1920-72
The series includes cuttings and cutting books, correspondence and some photographs relating to various sporting events and associations. The cutting books date back from Kent Hughes' Oxford days and they include cuttings of his own participation in various sporting events (For other sporting photographs see Series 4).
Asian Games in Japan, including photograph and a diary kept during the visit, 1958 (File 1_2) - Box 68
Bronze plaques for former Olympic gold medallists (File 5) - Box 68
In 1972 the Victorian Government commissioned a memorial Bronze plaques to commemorate Kent Hughes' services to amateur sport. Replicas of the plaques were awarded to former Olympic gold medallists: Herb Elliott, Ralph Doubell, the late Russell Mockridge (received by his wife, Irene), Tony Marchant and Ian Browne. The papers include note and cuttings.
Series 21. Writings by Kent Hughes, 1920s-70
Through out his life, Kent Hughes wrote a great number of stories, essays, articles and poems, but most of them were not published. The series comprises handwritten manuscripts and typescripts of his writings. For papers relating to his published book, Slaves of the samurai, see Series 8.
Series 22. Miscellaneous items, 1922-70
The series includes personal items (such as passports, health books), news letters, poems sent to Kent Hughes by friends and an emu feather.
Series 23. Printed material, 1913-70
The series includes papers relating to the Intelligence digest (1953-70), index and copies of Intelligence bulletin (1958-69), copies of The (old) Melburnians (1913-23) and other printed material.
(5 bundles and 1 box)
Series 24. Papers of Lady Kent Hughes, 1922-86
Kent Hughes wrote many letters to his wife while he was in the POW camps and on his overseas visits. Some of the letters have been transcribed and, in some cases, the Library only holds the transcripts.
The series also includes letters of condolence, cuttings of obituaries and tributes to Kent Hughes.
Letters and messages sent by Kent Hughes through a Tokyo radio station while he was in POW camps, 1942-44 (File 3) - Box 78
Letters from the Record Office of the Australian Military Forces containing news of Kent Hughes and letters and telegrams sent by Kent Hughes after Liberation, 1942-45 (File 5) - Box 78
Original and transcripts of Kent Hughes' letters written from Mukden and Morotai, Aug. - Oct. 1945 (File 6) - Box 78
Series 25. Papers of Dr Wilfred Kent Hughes, 1917
Dr Wilfred Kent Hughes was the father of Sir Wilfrid. During World War I, he was appointed as Chief Surgeon to the Anglo-Russian Hospital in Petrograd. This small series comprises the account of his journey to Russia, via Norway and Sweden, in 1917 and his passport.
His correspondence with Sir Wilfrid is in Series 1/ Files 5-6.
Series 26. Kent Hughes: a biography by Frederick Howard, 1970-72
Frederick Howard's book, Kent Hughes: a biography, was published by Macmillan in 1972. In researching for the biography, Howard corresponded with some of Kent Hughes' friends, including Edmund J. Lilly Jr. and Sir James Pitman. The series also includes drafts of the book.
Series 27. Audiovisual
No 2. Start Out. Kent Hughes + Wentworth. Magnetic. Full Track. A (Item NLA.MS-SAV000045) - Shelf-Tall OH2-9-006
1 item, 16mm film. ANSCOCHROME 16mm Tungsten 3400K Type 232[W. S. Kent Hughes recording] (Item NLA.MS-SAV000049) - Shelf-Short OH2-1-001
1 item, AGFA Magnetonband stereo PER 525 360m 1200 ftIntroduction Talk 50 and over session Radio 3UZ. 25/03/1956, 1956 (Item NLA.MS-SAV012906) - Shelf-Tall OH2-9-012
1 item, 7" disc 33? RPM, Lacquer (instantaneous discs)Recorded John West's Studio
appears to be a blank disc (Item NLA.MS-SAV012907) - Shelf-Tall OH2-9-012
1 item, 7" disc blank?, Lacquer (instantaneous discs)Talk given to 50 and over session Radio 3UZ. 25/03/1956, 1956 (Item NLA.MS-SAV012908) - Shelf-Tall OH2-9-012
1 item, Audex Royal Sydney 12" Long Playing disc, Lacquer (instantaneous discs)Budget speech 1956 re State finances versus Federal, 1956 (Item NLA.MS-SAV012909) - Shelf-Tall OH2-9-012
1 item, Audex Royal Sydney 12" Long Playing disc, Lacquer (instantaneous discs)Speech on New Guinea, House of Representatives (Item NLA.MS-SAV012910) - Shelf-Tall OH2-9-012
1 item, Audex Royal Sydney 12" Long Playing disc, Lacquer (instantaneous discs)Olympics opening Speech Melbourne Cricket Ground 22/11/1956, 1956 (Item NLA.MS-SAV012911) - Shelf-Tall OH2-9-012
1 item, 33? RPM Long Playing 10" disc, Lacquer (instantaneous discs)Sir W. S. Kent Hughes on 'Meets the Press' (Item NLA.MS-SAV012912) - Shelf-Tall OH2-9-012
1 item, Audex Royal Sydney 33?RPM Long Playing Microgroove, Lacquer (instantaneous discs)Olympic Marching Song (Item NLA.MS-SAV012913) - Shelf-Tall OH2-9-012
1 item, AWA, Vinyl discsAWM 1575. 3 mins 58secs
Full recording of the last day of the Melbourne Olympic Games 8/12/1956; Opening speech by W S Kent Hughes and remarks by New Zealand visitors, 1956 (Item NLA.MS-SAV012914) - Shelf-Tall OH2-9-012
1 item, Audex Royal Sydney 10" Long Playing disc, Lacquer (instantaneous discs)Same as NLA.MS-SAV012915 and NLA.MS-SAV012916?
Full recording of the last day of the Melbourne Olympic Games 8/12/1956; Opening speech by W S Kent Hughes and remarks by New Zealand visitors, 1956 (Item NLA.MS-SAV012915) - Shelf-Tall OH2-9-012
1 item, Audex Royal Sydney 10" Long Playing disc, Lacquer (instantaneous discs)Same as NLA.MS-SAV012914 and NLA.MS-SAV012916?. (Sides numbered 1 and 2)
Full recording of the last day of the Melbourne Olympic Games 8/12/1956; Opening speech by W S Kent Hughes and remarks by New Zealand visitors, 1956 (Item NLA.MS-SAV012916) - Shelf-Tall OH2-9-012
1 item, Audex Royal Sydney 10" Long Playing disc, Lacquer (instantaneous discs)Same as NLA.MS-SAV012914 and NLA.MS-SAV012915? (Sides numbered 3 and 4)
1956 Melbourne Olympic Games Closing Ceremony, 1956 (Item NLA.MS-SAV012917) - Shelf-Tall OH2-9-012
1 item, 10" Long Playing disc, Vinyl discsSir Wilfrid hits out at Red Menace Canberra' House of Representatives debate 10/04/1957, 1957 (Item NLA.MS-SAV012918) - Shelf-Tall OH2-9-012
1 item, Audex Royal Sydney 12" Long Playing disc, Lacquer (instantaneous discs)John West's Christmas Party 1958 disc 1 of 2, 1958 (Item NLA.MS-SAV012919) - Shelf-Tall OH2-9-012
1 item, Audex Royal Sydney 12" Long Playing disc, Lacquer (instantaneous discs)Sides numbered 1 and 2