Acc.13124 October 2010 Revised January 2013
Inventory
Acc.13124
Peter Roderick Oliver
National Library of Scotland Manuscripts Division George IV Bridge Edinburgh EH1 1EW Tel: 0131-466 2812 Fax: 0131-466 2811 E-mail: [email protected]
© Trustees of the National Library of Scotland Correspondence, diaries, photographs, press cuttings and miscellaneous printed ephemera, 1917 – 1977, of and relating to Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Roderick Oliver.
Peter Oliver (1907 – 1945) is best known as a mountaineer. He was a member of the British 1936 and 1938 Everest Expeditions, and accompanied Frank Smythe in the Himalayas on the first ascent on Mana Peak in 1937. He served with the Frontier Force Rifles (Coke‟s Rifles) and the South Waziristan Scouts on the North West Frontier between Pakistan and Afghanistan. His travels are documented through his letters home, diaries and photographs. Peter Oliver died on active service in Burma in 1945.
Peter Oliver was born in Lucknow, India. He was educated at Sherborne School in Dorset, England. His parents were Edward William Oliver (1869- 1929) and Bessie Oliver née Johnson (1878- 1946). They were both born in Torquay in Devon. His father was a Major and veterinary surgeon in India. Peter had a younger brother, William Marcus Oliver (b.1909).
For other papers of Lieutenant-Colonel Oliver see MSS.24656-24720 and Acc. 12096.
Bought 2010
NB. This material has been re-arranged prior to cataloguing. Ask staff for further information.
1-5 CORRESPONDENCE 6 DIARY 7- 164 PHOTOGRAPHS 165 -168 FAMILY PAPERS 169- 176 MISCELLANEOUS EPHEMERA AND MEMORABILIA
1- 5 CORRESPONDENCE
1. Correspondence and various other documents dating from between 1917 and 1977: correspondence mostly addressed to Peter Oliver relating to family, friends and career, including letters from fellow Everest climbers Hugh Ruttledge and Frank Smythe, 1920s to 1945; correspondence and papers relating to Peter Oliver‟s death in 1945, including telegram and condolence letters; later correspondence concerning Peter Oliver‟s grave in Burma, 1950s, the discovery of Peter Oliver‟s will, 1970, and award of war medals, 1976; photographs, family birth, marriage and death certificates, press cuttings, memorabilia and pamphlets. (286 sheets)
2. Letters of Peter Oliver to his parents and brother, 1927 – 1935, written while on service on the North West Frontier Province and the Garhwal Himalaya (177 ff.)
3. Letters of Peter Oliver to his mother and brother 1936 – 1938, including some illustrated letters from the Everest Expeditions of 1936 and 1938. (186 ff.)
4. Letters of Peter Oliver to his mother and brother 1939 – 1941 written while serving with the HQ 5 Indian Division, Middle East Forces (North Africa), Staff College, in Quetta, Secunderabad and elsewhere. (174 sheets)
5. Letters of Peter Oliver to his mother and brother 1942 – 1945 written while serving in India and Burma under the South East Asia Command (139 sheets)
6 DIARY
6. Diary of Expedition in the Garhwal Himalaya with Frank Smythe, 1937 and Diary of 1938 Mount Everest Expedition. (95 sheets)
7 – 164 PHOTOGRAPHS
7 -94 Career and Travel 95-140 Family 141-164 Unidentified photographs
7- 94 Career and Travel
7. Postcards, mostly of the Alps, late 1920s to mid 1930s
8. Wales, late 1920s
9. Europe, late 1920s to mid 1930s
10. Muad & Galtur (skiing), late 1920s to mid 1930s
11. Baspa Valley, 1929
12. Delhi, late 1920s to mid 1930s
13. Trisul, late 1920s to mid 1930s
14. Haramukh, late 1920s to mid 1930s
15. Negatives, Razmak 1928, 3 of home 1927
16. Negatives, Abbotabad 1928 and 1930
17. Negatives, Baspa 1929
18. Negatives, Baspa 1929
19. Negatives, Ambala, 1929 – 1932
20. Negatives, Dharmsala, 1930
21. Negatives, Dhaula Duar, 1930
22. Negatives, „Best photos Baspa 1931‟
23. Negatives, „Baspa 1931‟
24. Negatives, „Trisul best‟, 1930s
25. Negatives, „Selected photos, Trisul, Delhi, 1931
26. Negatives, Kohat, 1931
27. Negatives, Wales, late 1920s to mid 1930s
28. Negatives, England, 1932
29. Negatives, Switzerland, 1932
30. Negatives, Dechi/Agra, 1933
31. Negatives, Pachmarhi, 1933
32. Negatives Scouts, Early 1934
33. Negatives Haramukh, 1934
34. Negatives Narai Juan, Khyber, 1930s
35. Negatives Sports at JLA Twickam? Abad, 1934
36. Negatives Scouts, Early 1934
37. Negatives Tiarza Kurram, 1934
38. Negatives, Copies of Alps, 1935
39. Negatives, LDA, March – April, 1935
40. Large mounted photos signed by Peter Oliver with his descriptions, Dharmsala, Baspa, 1930, 1931
41. Ladha, early 1936
42. Portraits, 1936
43. To Everest, 1936 'Photos for Seaton'
44. Everest 'Annotated good photos', 1936 or 1938
45. March to Everest, 1936 or 1938
46. Everest and North Peak, 1936 or 1938
47. Everest 1938
48. Everest 1938
49. Everest/ Tibet, 1936 or 1938
50. Negatives, Everest, 1936 or 1938
51. Negatives, Marghoi Camp, 1939
52. Negatives, Voyage, Marghoi Camp, 1939
53. Negatives, Dunagiri, late 1930s
54. Negatives, Dunagiri, late 1930s
55. Negatives, Cannanore, Ooth – Aravan Kadu, late 1930s
56. Surrender at Amba Alagi, 1941
57. Syria, Abad, Poona, 1942
58. Cyprus 'Snaps to keep', 1940s
59. Cyprus, 1940s
60. Cyprus?, 1940s
61. 1944
62. Dorf, 1940s
63. Various annotated, 1940s
64. Kolahoi, 1940s
65. Misc Mons, 1940s
66. Mons, 1940s
67. Negatives, Syria, Abad, Poona, 1942
68. Negatives, Cyprus ME, 1940s
69. Negatives, Cyprus ME, 1940s
70. Negatives, Kolahoi, 1940s
71. Negatives, Quetta, Poul to Poul?, 1940s
72. Negatives, Phal, Ziarat, 1940s
73. Negatives, Anuba Alagi, 1940s
74. Negatives, Cyprus, 1940s
75. Army group shots
76. Annotated photographs, undated
77. Tiny prints, unidentified
78. „Small photos – ordinary‟, unidentified
79. Unidentified prints
80. Venkana, undated
81. Fopi Lockhari, undated
82. March to Cannanore, undated
83. March to Cannanore, undated
84. Bahadur, undated
85. Mixed Sikaran, undated
86. Nilkania, undated
87. Unidentified prints
88. Unidentified prints
89. Unidentified prints
90. Unidentified prints
91. Dorf, undated
92. Small unidentified prints
93. Large unidentified prints
94. Bundle of photocopies of various images, 1920s to 1940s
95- 140 Family Photographs
95-102 Childhood 103-105 Sherborne School 106 – 122 Marcus Oliver 123 -140 Other family photographs
95- 102 Childhood
Photographs that feature Peter Oliver as a child, early twentieth century.
95. Various family photos, includes Peter Oliver as a boy.
96. Family photographs including Peter and Marcus Oliver as children in India, their parents, their grandfather and Peter as a young adult, mostly 1910s to 1920s.
97. „Small photos of India‟, childhood family pictures
98. „Early photos - India‟
99. Various photographs, including man and dogs, studio portrait of women and two small boys
100. Childhood photographs
101. Small album, photos of boys
102. Assorted featuring boys
103 – 105 Sherborne School
Peter Oliver attended Sherborne, a boarding school in Dorset between about 1920 and 1925.
103. Postcards of Sherborne, including postcards written by Peter and Marcus to their father just before starting school
104. Album of prints of Sherborne School buildings
105. School group photographs including school sport team photographs and Peter as captain of cricket team, 1920s
106 – 122 Marcus Oliver
Photographs of, and relating to William Marcus Oliver, known as Marcus, younger brother of Peter Oliver, mid twentieth century.
106. Photographs, mostly featuring Marcus and Friends
107. Photograph of Marcus and friend outside a pub, ca. 1960s
108. Assorted annotated photographs, includes his godson, a Spanish friend of Marcus‟s and Easter celebrations.
109. „Owen, Italy, 1949‟
110. Captain Radford, Danny Hare, friends of Marcus 1952- 1953
111. Portrait of Marcus as an elderly man
112. Holiday snaps of Rothenburg, Sept 1934
113. Miscellaneous colour prints
114. „Pat Allsop et moi‟, Berlin/ Thoms Family, Chichester at the Deanery
115. Friends in Salisbury and Tandridge 1955- 1956
116. Miscellaneous prints
117. Harry Brighton & Windsor, 1949
118. Le Touquet & Cambridge, 1950
119. Hamburg
120. Malta & Taormina
121. Weddings and dances, ca. 1960s
122. Photographs of Marcus as an elderly man, and friends
123 – 140: Other Family Photographs
123. Studio portraits taken in Torquay, late nineteenth century
124. Various photographs, featuring different people, most annotated by Marcus, 1930s to 1970s
125. Portrait of man in uniform by Fred Bremner, Lahore, India.
126. Portraits of Bessie Oliver
127. Various portraits including children, Peter Oliver as adult, Mother and a friend, other unidentified
128. Photo Album, possibly dating to the Oliver boys school years
129. Various, 1910s to 1930s
130. Various photographs mostly annotated, featuring Bessie Oliver
131. Photograph Album, probably features Oliver boys as teenagers/young adults
132. Group wedding photographs and children in fancy dress group photograph, early twentieth century
133. Portrait of Bessie Oliver by Paul Tanquery
134. Various portraits unidentified but probably includes Marcus Oliver, Michael Langley (the naked man by the river) and possibly Edward Oliver.
135. Family photograph album, holiday shots 1926 -1929
136. „Portraits‟ assorted photos, some feature Peter and fellow climbers
137. Assorted family photographs
138. Peter Roderick Oliver Portraits
139. Envelope of negatives
140. Assorted loose photographs
141 -164: Unidentified, unsorted photographs
141. Unidentified and unsorted photographs
142. Unidentified and unsorted photographs
143- 163. Unlabelled envelopes of negatives
164. Two rolls of negative photographs and broken glass negative
165 – 168 FAMILY PAPERS
165. Family and genealogy papers, notes on family history, and copies of birth certificates.
166. Handwritten will written by Marcus Oliver in 1962, attached to a newspaper clipping about the importance of making a will.
167. Correspondence mostly related to Marcus Oliver, includes letter from Jagrup, family servant, 1921, job offer letter from Peninsulan & Oriental Steam Navigation Company, 1927, letters from Michael Langley, a journalist, to Marcus, from Sudan, Italy and Malta, 1930s – 1940s, letters and notes from Paul Tanqueray, photographer.
168. Papers relating to E.W. Oliver, includes letter proposing ideas for a film about the Indian Mutiny of 1857 and typed articles written for publication in magazines and newspapers dating from 1920s. Subjects covered include the popularity of polo, animal preservation, greyhound racing, educating an elephant, Indian Mutiny, Oxford and the “George” and the Ascot Race.
169- 176 MISCELLANEOUS EPHERMA AND MEMORABILIA
169. Sketches and poems, probably by Peter Oliver as child or teenager
170. School ephemera includes cricket fixture booklets, membership of Old Shirburnian Society Card, 1924 boxing champion medal
171. Scroll of Honour awarded to Peter Oliver for his service in the Second World War
172. Second World War and Army items includes official programme of the Victory Celebrations, 8th June 1946, Take care of your respirator leaflet, Marcus's application for membership of OTC, Marcus's clothing ration books, Marcus‟s record of service in army.
173. Miscellaneous printed ephemera includes various business cards, Indian Empire Garden Party Polo Card, 1925, General Election booklet, 1950, Print of Scottish American War Memorial by Charles Napier, French identity cards for Bessie and Marcus Oliver, Birthday speech in honour of Charles A. Cain by George Clark.
174. Greetings Cards
175. Newspaper clippings covering Sherborne School, celebrities, acquaintances, death notices and royalty
176. „Nowell Smith and his Sherborne‟ by Oliver Holt, memoir of schooldays by a contemporary of the Oliver boys at Sherborne School.