Material relating to Alec Buckels' biography and career. Many of the letters were written to Lucy Alston (1910-1996). Lucy is often referred to as Mi-lady and sometimes as Lady Alston and Lady Allsong. In the 1920s Alec refers to Lucy as Peggy or Peggie. Luce in the letters is Lucy Alston's mother, Lucy (nee Buckels). Will is William Alston her father.
Alec signed his letters to Lucy Uncle Charles or U.C. He also wrote a letter from Toby Jinks the cat and Santa Claus. Edna in the letter from Santa Claus is Lucy's lifelong friend. Wheen was an English spy in WW1 who posed as a German Officer. He was discovered and reputedly had to shoot a German officer to escape.
The principal dates covered are 1921-1937 with some earlier items.
1916-1917 and undated:
Small collection of letters from Alec Buckels to Lucy, "My dear little Lady Alston", "Lady Allsong", etc. mainly 1916 and 1917 and undated. Buckels uses special handwriting, upside-down letters etc to amuse the child. Long story The Witch in different cursive handwriting, on an old diary page of January 1903
1918:
Printed item, Johannsen, Ernst, "Four infantrymen on the Western Front, 1918", translated from the German by A. Wheen. Methuen 1930. Loose gatherings from the publication, 181pp. Labelled as First Proof. Wheen is referred to in the explanatory material referred to above
1921:
Long letter to "Luce [Lucy Alston of Brownhill, Blackburn, Lancashire] and Will", from Kensington February 28, 1921. Covers family and news of various trips, concerts
1923:
Five letters from Buckels to Will or Luce,
18 January, apologises for failure to send Grandma a card and writes about alterations to a building he has visited
30 May, designs for a silver pendant for Luce, descriptions of time in Oxford
October 8, from Kensington, very busy with work coming at him from all directions., organisation of his studio Read [A.B. Read] has been very lax; Alec has resigned his position as Hon. Assistant Secretary to the Junior Art Workers' Guild; probable start for work on new children's book
November 11, to Luce – very busy workmen have departed from the studio at last, describes all the alterations
December 17, nothing but a dirty shirt available to wrap a bottle in for Will – hope it arrives safely
Letter to Buckels from A.S. Mott [?] of B. H. Blackwell, publisher of Oxford. Casual remarks. Apologises for the position of the woodcuts but says it is too late to alter.
1924:
January 17, to Will, hoping he gets better soon.
January 18, to Luce, on how the business is progressing
January 22, to Mrs Alston accepting an offer of accommodation
January 29, to Will, thanking him for a parcel and referring to a new edition of "Come Hither"
January 30, to Lucy, apologies for being very late with a Christmas parcel, and very glad she liked "Master Skylark"
August 25, to Will saying he has received some lovely slippers from Grace and Ormerod and believes that Will must have had a hand in the choice of gift
August 31. To Will. Casual news and says Mr Jack of Nelsons has sent him a proof of the cover of "Mother and Babies" and they have printed it beautifully.
September 5, to Will, with thanks for the etching
September 15, to Mrs Alston, with thanks for her kindness
September 27, to Will but enclosing some cut-outs for Luce
September 28, to Luce and Will, describes a lovely day spent in Kensington Gardens; visit from his mother and Sarah
October 24, to "Mi-lady", describing a bag he has sent her
November 2, to Will. Talks about trouble because Betts [J. C. Betts one of the members of the Clement Dane Studio] had been tearing his character to shreds and this had upset Colin, who fortunately knew Buckels too well to believe it all.
December 27, describing Christmas events.
1925:
Letters to Will and Luce
January 5, February 10, February 20, March 3, March 4, April 3, April 30, "May", May 21, June 6, August 12, August 20, September 1, September 16, September 23, "September", October 6, November 3. All general and family news. April 3 – so busy he must postpone his holiday. June 6 is in mock formal style to Lucy. September 1 – details of a visit to his mother
Three postcards to "Milady", January 5, 14 October and 1 December.
Letter to Buckels from George Blake of John o'London's Weekly, 5th May – invitation to a dinner party prior to a friend's wedding.
Card to Buckels dated Angers, September 26, from Jim and A[…]
1926
Letters from Buckels to Will and Luce, January – December 29. Several letter to "Milady" are also included.
1927
As 1926, January 6 – December 22 and undated. To Will, Luce, "Milady" and Peggy.
1928
Letters from Alex Buckels to Fred, Luce, "Milady", Peggy and Peggie, un-dated and January 6 – November 13. One long letter lacks its first page. One letter to Peggy is dated 30 May, but has no year. It is probably related to her French lessons mentioned in the other letters to Peggy dated 1928.
1929
Letters to Will, Luce and "Milady" January 1929 – December 30 and un-dated
1930
Letters as above, January 4[?] – October 8
1931-1937
Letters and cards to "Milady" January 21, March 20, May 5, May 8, May 14, 1931
Letters to Will June 26 1931, April 13, 1932February 26 1937
Undated fragments
1) Miscellaneous letters and postcards, mainly to "Milady"
2) Typescript sheets (2) with a story called "Over the garden wall" incorporating numerous fairy story and nursery rhyme characters
3) Various poems and songs.
4) Newspaper cuttings collected by Lucy including two about John Yates of Belthorn and two about Lucy's friend Edna Croasdale 1966-1973.
5) One newspaper cutting probably collected by Alec containing a review of 'All Quiet on the Western Front', 1929.
6) Two items found in Lucy's books:
Pamphlet for a posthumous exhibition of Buckels' works containing a brief biography and a list of his works for sale.
Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers, 1924.