The Maxwell Letters

The main part of the collection consists of letters from Maxwell to his sister Margaret Eccles (ne Maxwell) and to other members of the Maxwell family. Maxwell comments on life on board ship, arrival in Constantinople, conditions in the trenches, bad weather, fatalistic attitudes of the men, hopes that Sebastopol won't fall, conditions and supplies, the death of Lord Raglan, alcoholism among the men, peace in 1856. The collection also includes some miscellaneous items relating to the theatre including letters from Henry Irving and Beerbohm Tree.

Alexander Maxwell served in the Crimea, 1854-1856 as an officer with the border regiment.

Reference: University of Birmingham, Guide to Special Collections Archives and Manuscripts ( http://www.is.bham.ac.uk/specialcoll/archives_btb.htm ). Accessed January 2002.

The correspondence is arranged chronologically.

Open. Access to all registered researchers.

This collection was deposited by 1968

Please see full catalogue for further information

Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the University Archivist, Special Collections. Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult.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.

Further deposits are not expected.