Papers Relating to Ransome Wallace Cooper and "Gospel to Britain's Guests"

The papers include original manuscript and typescript correspondence, autobiographical notes, notebooks of conferences, address books, notebooks of readings at Nutley P.O.W. camp, notebooks of details of European and other emigrants, miscellaneous notes, duplicated typescript and printed poems, tracts and articles. The autobiographical notes were published as a series of articles in Echoes Quarterly Review, 1973-1976. A large number of the letters were written from New Zealand where R.W. Cooper settled with his wife and daughter in his later years. It also comprises papers relating to "Gospel to Britain's Guests": original and typescript correspondence, notes, accounts and printed tracts.

R.W. Cooper was well known for his preaching work in Britain and in Europe. He wrote numerous poems, tracts and articles and is particularly remembered for his work with his wife in helping displaced Europeans in Britain during World War II. This led to the development of "Gospel to Britain's Guests" which undertook outreach work among refugees in Britain.

The catalogue is divided into two sections. The papers in the first section comprise mainly the papers donated by Miss Cooper, though a few donated by Mr. Coad have been included. The second section comprises entirely papers relating to the work of "Gospel to Britain's Guests" donated by Mr. Coad and includes papers originally of others besides R.W. Cooper. When the papers donated by Miss Cooper arrived at the Library, they were found to be in four groups as follows: tracts and articles, poems, original MS. of "A Veteran Remembers" and correspondence, personal papers. The order shown in the catalogue is, however, a rearrangement of this order so as to incorporate the additional papers donated by Mr. Coad. The catalogue is divided as follows (and, within these sections, into chronological order - Note that in Section 1, part 1 however, the papers were first arranged according to correspondents with any draft replies):

Section 1:

• 1. Letters, 1973-1976
• 2. Autobiographical notes, [c.1973-1976]
• 3. Notebooks and address books, 1939-1951
• 4. Miscellaneous notes, 1971-1979 and [n.d. ]
• 5. Poems of R.W. Cooper, 1924.-1978 and [n.d.]
• 6. Cuttings, tracts, articles, 1970-1971 and [n.d.]

Section 2:

• 1. Letters, notes, minutes, agenda, 1944-1969 and [n.d]
• 2. Accounts, 1956-1969
• 3. Miscellaneous items, 1954, 1958, [1979] and [n.d.]]
• 4. Printed tracts, 1957 and [n.d.]

The collection is open to any accredited reader.

This collection and the finding aid may contain personal data about living individuals. Under Section 33 of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA), The John Rylands University Library (JRUL) holds the right to process such personal data for research purposes. The Data Protection (Processing of Sensitive Personal Data) Order 2000 enables the JRUL to process sensitive personal data for research purposes. In accordance with the DPA, the JRUL has made every attempt to ensure that all personal and sensitive personal data has been processed fairly, lawfully and accurately.

The papers came to the Library from two sources: CBA 3087-3194 and CBA 5713(27-33) were donated by Mr. F.R. Coad; CBA 5713(1-26 and 34-78) were donated by Miss P.R. Cooper, daughter of R.W. Cooper.

A catalogue of the Collection was produced by David Brady and Susan M. Noble in 1984 (reference number CBA H6). The present catalogue has been produced to replace this with a modern ISAD(G) compliant catalogue.

Photocopies and photographic copies of material in the archive can be supplied for private study purposes only, depending on the condition of the documents.

A number of items within the archive remain within copyright under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988; it is the responsibility of users to obtain the copyright holder's permission for reproduction of copyright material for purposes other than research or private study.

Prior written permission must be obtained from the Library for publication or reproduction of any material within the archive. Please contact the Keeper of Manuscripts and Archives, John Rylands University Library, 150 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3EH.

Grass, Tim, Gathering to his name (Milton Keynes: Paternoster Press, 2006)

Tatford, Frederick A., That the world may know, volume 8, West European evangel (Bath: Echoes of Service, 1985)