Papers of Sir Edward Montague Compton Mackenzie, 1883-1972, writer and rector of the University of Glasgow

• Correspondence between Sir Edward Montague Compton Mackenzie (1883-1972) and the Duke of Windsor (1894-1972)
• Letters and telegrams, mainly regarding Mackenzie's book The Windsor Tapestry and the Duke of Windsor's autobiography A King's Story 1937-1961

Sir Edward Montague Compton Mackenzie, 1883-1972 , was born on 17 January 1883  at West Hartlepool, Yorkshire, England. He was educated at St Paul's School, London, England and at Magdalen College, Oxford, England where he received a second class honours degree in history in 1904 . He became a writer and published his first book of Poems in 1907. His first novel followed in 1911 and his most successful book Sinister Street was published in 1913 . He converted to Roman Catholicism in 1914. During the 1914-1918 World War he first served with the Royal Naval Division on the Dardanelles, Turkey, expedition and rose to be director of the Aegean Intelligence Service at Syros, Greece. These experiences led to the three books Gallipoli Memories (1929), Athenian Memories (1931) and Greek Memories (1932). A period when he lived on the island of Capri, Italy, inspired the books Vestal Fire (1927) and Extraordinary Women (1928).

Edward Compton Mackenzie was the literary critic of the Daily Mail from 1931 to 1935 and rector of the University of Glasgow from 1931 to 1934. He also founded the magazine The Gramophone which he edited from 1923 to 1961. In 1938, Compton Mackenzie published a biography of Edward VIII, 1894-1972, Duke of Windsor, entitled The Windsor Tapestry. Edward was born on 23 June 1894, the son of King George V and Queen Mary. He was created Prince of Wales on his 16th birthday. During the 1939-1945 World War Mackenzie stayed on the Hebridean island of Barra, Western Isles, Scotland, where he wrote Whisky Galore (1947). He also wrote many children's books and an autobiography in 10 volumes. Compton Mackenzie was awarded an OBE in 1919  and was knighted in 1952 . He died in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 30 November 1972 . Source: Dictionary of national Biography, and Wintersgill, Donald , Rectors of Glasgow University 1820-2000,  , Glasgow, 2001

The arrangement of this material reflects the original order in which it was received

Open

Gift : Executors of Sir Compton Mackenzie : March 2000 : ACCN 4744

Collection level descriptions are available via the department's online manuscripts catalogue available at University of Glasgow Library, Department of Special Collections website http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/manuscripts/, searching by the call number MS Gen 537/26-45

No known copies

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Reproduction subject to usual conditions: educational use and condition of documents

This material has been appraised in line with standard procedures

Held by Sir Compton Mackenzie and his executors

None expected

• USA 0696 Mackenzie, Sir Edward Montague Compton (1883-1972), correspondence and literary papers, available at Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources
• USA 0728 Mackenzie, Sir Edward Montague Compton (1883-1972), manuscripts and correspondence (University of Texas in Austin)

USA 0707 Mackenzie, Sir Edward Montague Compton (1883-1972), correspondence and essays 1912-71 (Indiana University), GB 2225 Mackenzie, Sir Edward Montague Compton (1883-1972), manuscript of Sinister Street (The King's School, Canterbury), GB 0096 SL 63 SL V 64 SL V 65 SL V 66 SL V 67 SL V 68 Mackenzie, Sir Edward Montague Compton (1883-1972), literary manuscripts (London University Library), GB 0233 MSS 10791-95 Mackenzie, Sir Edward Montague Compton (1883-1972), manuscript of Gallipoli memoirs and miscellaneous letters (National Library of Scotland), GB 0233 Acc 7007 Mackenzie, Sir Edward Montague Compton (1883-1972), letters to John Davenport 1940-62 (National Library of Scotland), GB 0233 Accs 8102, 8199, 8302 Mackenzie, Sir Edward Montague Compton (1883-1972), letters to H Aubry Gentry 1924-63 (National Library of Scotland), GB 0233 Mackenzie, Sir Edward Montague Compton (1883-1972), letters to Brian Hill c1945-70 (National Library of Scotland), GB 0206 Library Publications no 3NRA 9840 Gosse Mackenzie, Sir Edward Montague Compton (1883-1972), letters to Sir EW Gosse 1914-24 (Leeds University Library), GB 0099 KCLMA Liddell Hart B H Mackenzie, Sir Edward Montague Compton (1883-1972), correspondence with Sir BH Liddell Hart 1932-69 (King's College London), GB 1193 Mackenzie, Sir Edward Montague Compton (1883-1972), letters to Royal Society of Literature 1945-67 (Royal Society of Literature), GB 0058 Add MSS 63286 A, B Mackenzie, Sir Edward Montague Compton (1883-1972), correspondence with Society of Authors 1921-55 (British Library), GB 0150 FBY Mackenzie, Sir Edward Montague Compton (1883-1972), correspondence with Francis Brett Young (Birmingham University Information Services), GB 0150 MSS 5/iv/16NRA 32504 BUL misc Mackenzie, Sir Edward Montague Compton (1883-1972), notebook as a student at Magdalen College, Oxford (Birmingham University Information Services)

Material in other repositories: no material associated by provenance

This material is original

Mackenzie, Compton ,The Windsor TapestryLondon, 1938

Fonds level description compiled by Wiebke Redlich, Archives Assistant (Hub), 04 August 2003.