William Swale collection

This material is held atUniversity of Leeds Special Collections

Reference
- GB 206 Liddle Collection RUH 52
Dates of Creation
- 1914-1977
Name of Creator
- Swale, William Eric
Language of Material
- English German
Physical Description
- 2 boxes; manuscript, typescript, photographs, postcards, and printed material

Scope and Content

4 Christmas cards (1914-1918); 30 postcards (1914-ca. 1918); 4 postcards with sketches used to illustrate a lecture (n.d.); 3 watercolour cartoons (n.d.); 50 photographs (1915-1918); Papers from the American Consular Service (13 Aug. 1914); Manuscript letter to the Home Office confirming considerate and courteous treatment of British residents in Mannheim (1 Nov. 1914); Manuscript letter, with typescript translation, from a German friend regarding the causes of the First World War (27 Sep. 1914); 2 manuscript notebooks "Ruhleben Memories" and "Stable Jottings" (1914-1915); Letter to his Father (2 May 1915); Supplement to Ruhleben paper (June 1915); Printed theatre and concert programmes, revue extracts, poems and song-sheets (1915-1917); Tercentenary Shakespeare Festival song-sheet (23-30 Apr. 1916); Manuscript verses of the Ruhleben song and five other songs (n.d.); Issue of The Ruhleben Daily News (25 Jan. 1916); Typescript English text of Russian poem (8 Jan. 1916); Issue of magazine Prisoners' Pie (1916); Fragment of Summer issue of The Ruhleben Camp Magazine (Aug. 1916); Press cuttings from The Daily Telegraph (20 Sep. 1916) and Selfridges News (ca. 1916); Manuscript letter, with typescript translation, from a German uncle (21 June 1916); German press cutting relating to Ruhleben (n.d.); Ruhleben Camp School membership card for Winter Term (1916); Prospectus of work for Autumn Term at Ruhleben Camp School (1917); German certificate (22 Nov. 1918); 3 books bound by W. E. Swale at Ruhleben Camp School (n.d.); Booklet of "Special War Cartoons" published by The Daily Graphic (n.d.); Typescript projected index for Ruhleben magazines (n.d.); Typescript recollections "A Barbed Wire Society" by J. D. Ketchum (n.d.); Typescript recollections "We Band of Brothers" (May 1962); Autographed Ruhleben reunion dinner menu (3 Nov. 1967); Letter to Edmonds relating to reunion dinners (5 Oct. 1970); Papers relating to Ruhleben reunion dinners (1973-1974); Typescript list of future professions entered into by a selection of Ruhleben prisoners (13 Dec. 1974); Typescript autobiography "Slide Rule in Hand: An Engineer Looks Back - 1890-1974" [1974]; Typescript list of books and articles dealing with Ruhleben (n.d.); Manuscript and typescript notes from letters to his mother (n.d.); Typed transcript of an interview recorded with Peter Liddle (Apr. 1977): Typescript essay "Novel Evidence on the Tay Bridge Disaster" (Aug. 1977); Letter (20 Sep. 1977); Typescript "Memories of Ruhleben Camp" compiled by W. E. Swale and Peter Liddle (Nov. 1977).

Administrative / Biographical History

William Eric Swale (1890-1980) was born in London and educated at the City of London School. He studied engineering at Aachen, 1911-1913, and was working for an electrical manufacturer at Mannheim at the outbreak of War. Held as a British Civil Prisoner of War, he was interned at Ruhleben, 1914-1918, living in Barrack No. 11.