Inventory of The Legion Papers

1927-1935

Biographical Note

British Captain Humphrey Cotton Minchin served as editor for The Legion book, which was commissioned by the Prince of Wales as a way to raise funds for the Royal British Legion, a charity organization that donates to current soldiers and veterans, as suggested by King George V. Not much is known about the editor. Some of the writing contributors include Rudyard Kipling, Edmund Blunden, Hilaire Belloc, Sir Henry Newbolt, and Sir Winston S. Churchill, who also wrote The Jungle Book (1894), Undertones of War (1928), The Path to Rome (1902), Vitai Lampada (1897), The World Crisis (1923-31), respectively. There are fifty artistic contributors, which include: Jacob Epstien, who also sculpted St Michael's Victory over the Devil (1958), Muirhead Bone, who also sketched A View in Flanders behind the Lines, Showing Locre and the Tops of Dug-Outs on the Scherpenber (1915), Paul Nash who also painted The Ypres Salient at Night (1917-18), and Sir William Orpen who also painted Zonnebeke (1918). The contributors to The Legion were some of the most talented British subjects in their field, who composed new and special works of art or literature to be compiled into The Legion.

Scope and Content Note

The Archives of The Legion book materials are housed in 4 boxes. The contents are divided up into the following categories: (1) Letters from Writers, (2) Letters from Artists, (3) Miscellaneous Letters, (4) Miscellaneous Documents, and (5) Various Artwork.

There are approximately 110 items in the section "Letters from Writers." Most of these letters are written in reference to the author being asked to contribute to The Legion work, or discussing his/her contribution. The majority of letters are written to Captain H. Cotton Minchin. There are also some letters to Sir Lionel Halsey, and an undisclosed "Sir." Authors include Hilaire Beloc, George Moore, A.A. Milne, Virginia Woolf, and others.

Like the previous category, the "Letters from Artists" category contains letters written by artists mostly written in reference to an artist being asked to contribute work to The Legion book. Most of the letters are written to either answer the request or discuss the details of artist’s contribution. There are approximately 116 items in this section, all written to Capt. H. Cotton Minchin.

The "Miscellaneous Letters" section contains letters from Lord Jellicoe, a few other known authors, and many authors whose name is illegible. Like the previous two sections, these materials are written mostly to Capt. H. Cotton Minchin. There are approximately 70 letters that cover a variety of different topics.

Approximately 41 items are in the "Miscellaneous Documents" category. These materials include letters from various authors, including Capt. H. Cotton Minchin, as well as other documents relating to a mixture of different topics. Many of the letter author’s names are illegible or are not found on the letter.

The "Artwork" section contains numerous illustrations for The Legion book, contributed by various authors. Not all of the works have the artist’s name on it, and some of the signatures are illegible. In this category there are proof sheets for the book, as well as multiple copies of some items. The section also contains some pieces of artwork that were done by artists either not listed in the "Letters from Artists" section or were not listed on the list of contributing artists, including Pablo Picasso, who was not listed among the book’s artistic contributors.

Restrictions

Access

No restrictions.

Usage Restrictions

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Administrative Information

Provenance

Purchased from David Holmes Autographs, 2002.

Processing Information

Processed by Tiffany Sjogren in February 2006

Detailed Description of the Collection