Papers of Alan Michell relating to Henry Reed

Personal papers of Alan Michell relating to his friend Henry Reed (poet and translator, 1914-1986), the two having met whilst both were working at Bletchley Park during the Second World War.

Material includes a manuscript copy of Reed's poem 'Naming of Parts', in Reed's own hand, with an accompanying dedication to Lieutenant Alan Michell; manuscript copies of Reed's pieces titled 'Sonnet' and 'Portrait of the Artist as a Middle-Aged Man', written by Reed and given to Alan Michell; a typescript letter sent to Alan Michell from Henry Reed regarding the American publication of 'A Map of Verona', 1947; and a printed copy of a photograph of Alan and Glenys Michell taken shortly after the couple's wedding in December 1941.

Alan Michell was born on 11 November 1913, the third child of Pierre William Michell and Mary Jane Theophilus. His elder siblings were Francis (1908-1985) and Pierre William (1911-1916), the family home being 138 Woodlands Road, Barry.

Alan was educated at Gladstone Road Elementary School and later attended Barry County School. He was a committee member of the school's Literary and Debating Society in 1926 and 1927. With his best friend, Gwynfor Evans, Alan went on his first trip abroad in 1928, a six-week walking holiday in the Pyrenees and Basque country. In 1929 he played the role of Egeus, father to Hermia, in the Barry County School's production of 'A Midsummer Nights Dream'.

In 1931 Alan was awarded a State Scholarship, spending one year at Cardiff University College; and he then won the 'Meyricke Scholarship' to Jesus College, Oxford. In 1936 he was awarded a BA degree First Class Honours, in History, and was awarded the Stanhope History prize worth £30. Between 1937 and 1940 he taught at Kings School, Canterbury, before enlisting and joining the Royal Tank Regiment in 1940.

In 1941 he was posted to Bletchley Park and supported intelligence work there. In 1943 he was posted to Arlington Hall Station, USA, and worked alongside Bob Soule on breaking Japanese codes. After a brief teaching spell at Campbell College, Belfast, he joined the Foreign Office in 1947, relocating to Cleveland Road, Ealing. Between 1952 and 1954 he was Second Secretary at the Paris Embassy. In 1954 he was posted to Nicosia, Cyprus, and in 1956 to Singapore. Between 1959 and 1962 he was First Secretary at Saigon, south Vietnam.

He was awarded the CMG [Companion, Order of St Michael and St George] in the 1966 January Honours list. He retired from the Foreign Office in 1972 and moved to Northwicke House, Brabourne, Kent.

Alan married Glenys Enid Davies at St Andrews Major on 27 December 1941. The couple had three children: Katharine Jane (b 1944), Nicholas John (b 1947), and Rachel Elizabeth (b 1954). Glenys died on 27 December 1965. Alan later married Josephine 'Jo' Price in Denmark in December 1980.

Alan Michell died in France on 28 November 1985.

Source: information supplied by the donor.

Open, access to all registered researchers.

Presented, October 2019

Please see full catalogue for more information.

Digital copies of this material have been lodged by the family at Bletchley Park, National Codes Centre, archon code: 2767.

Papers arranged and described by Mark Eccleston, October 2019, in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description (ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; and in-house cataloguing guidelines.

Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Director of Special Collections (email: special-collections@contacts.bham.ac.uk). Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Special Collections will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material

Full catalogues of the following collections relating to Henry Reed are available for:

MS2: the papers of Walter Allen, a contemporary of Henry Reed during their time at the University of Birmingham in the 1930s;
MS31: papers of Henry Reed;
MS61: papers of, and collected by, John Phillips which relate to Henry Reed;
MS672: letters addressed to Ed and Sharon Leimbacher from Henry Reed;
MS902: a DVD listening and viewing copy of the reminiscences of Michael Ramsbotham, produced in June 2016;
MS969: papers of Alan Michell relating to Henry Reed.

A copy of Jon Stallworthy's book, 'Henry Reed: Collected Poems', Manchester: Carcanet Press, 2007 (shelfmark: r PR 6035.E3). A review of the collection can be found in the Special Collections department's publication 'Research Libraries Bulletin', Number 6, Autumn 1998.

The Shakespeare Institute library holds 'Hilda Tablet and others: four pieces for radio' by Henry Reed, London: British Broadcasting Corporation, 1991 (shelfmark: PR 6035.E4).

Original copy of the photograph of Alan and Glenys Michell has been retained by the family.