William David Grenfell Papers (microfilmed)

1. Copies of the Angolan political papers of William David Grenfell (GB 193 GR). Microfilm (35mm, 1 reel) filmed in 1977 by the Southern African Documentation Project. Documents relating to the Angolan war 1962-1967. Also contains documents not included in the York papers, including: detailed political memoranda which Grenfell sent to the Baptist Missionary Society's London headquarters for the period 1964-1967, c. 130 pp; unpublished manuscripts by Grenfell - A history of the Zombos, (87 pp), and Angola - the story of a revolt (167 pp); War Communiques numbers 14 and 15 (1969) from the Committee for Freedom in Mozambique.
2. 1 microfilm reel of 'Various documents' filmed in London, by Kodak Recordak Division (197-). Notes and Reports from Kibentele concerning refugees from Angola, 1962-1967. With a foreword by David Grenfell. This film was made at the request of an American university. The contents include all of Grenfell's annual reports (1962-1967) and a complete set (1962-1967) of his weekly notes on refugee work, which by 1964 were mimeographed for a wider audience than the Baptist headquarters. For this reason the notes contain less specifically political information than those on the first film; on the other hand there is extremely precise information on the influx of refugees and the measures taken to cope with them.

William David Grenfell was born and educated in Leeds, and later trained at Cliff College and Rawdon Baptist College. After leaving school at thirteen, he worked for ten years as a chemical plumber before entering the ministry. He worked in Angola from 1933 to 1961 among the Zombo people in the north of the country. When the revolt began in 1961, Grenfell was immediately involved in the care of refugees whose numbers quickly grew as a result of Portuguese bombing of villages hitherto unattacked in the guerilla war led by União das Populações de Angola (UPA). Much of the relief work was done under illegal conditions as it involved contact with UPA cadres and visits to zones administered by the UPA. Grenfell was in a unique position to gather information about the northern Angolan revolt as he was Field Secretary for the Baptist Missionary Society, one of the main missionary groups operating in the area, and many of the UPA leaders were evangelical protestants. The Portuguese government eventually expelled the Baptists from Angola, accusing them of directly instigating the revolt. Grenfell was compelled to leave in 1961, but from 1966 onwards he worked on the other side of the border in southern Zaire with the refugees from Angola. Relief work amongst them refugees was done in close co-operation with Governo Revolucionário de Angola no Exílio (GRAE), the UPA provisional government which was headed by Holden Roberto. David Grenfell retired in 1969 to live in Buckinghamshire, and the same year he received the MBE. He died in 1980.

Records are open to the public, subject to the overriding provisions of relevant legislation, including data protection laws.

William David Grenfell was born and educated in Leeds, and later trained at Cliff College and Rawdon Baptist College. After leaving school at thirteen, he worked for ten years as a chemical plumber before entering the ministry. He worked in Angola from 1933 to 1961 among the Zombo people in the north of the country. When the revolt began in 1961, Grenfell was immediately involved in the care of refugees whose numbers quickly grew as a result of Portuguese bombing of villages hitherto unattacked in the guerilla war led by União das Populações de Angola (UPA). Much of the relief work was done under illegal conditions as it involved contact with UPA cadres and visits to zones administered by the UPA. Grenfell was in a unique position to gather information about the northern Angolan revolt as he was Field Secretary for the Baptist Missionary Society, one of the main missionary groups operating in the area, and many of the UPA leaders were evangelical protestants. The Portuguese government eventually expelled the Baptists from Angola, accusing them of directly instigating the revolt. Grenfell was compelled to leave in 1961, but from 1966 onwards he worked on the other side of the border in southern Zaire with the refugees from Angola. Relief work amongst them refugees was done in close co-operation with Governo Revolucionário de Angola no Exílio (GRAE), the UPA provisional government which was headed by Holden Roberto. David Grenfell retired in 1969 to live in Buckinghamshire, and the same year he received the MBE. He died in 1980.

A reprographics service is available to researchers subject to the access restrictions outlined above. Copying will not be undertaken if there is any risk of damage to the document. Copies are supplied in accordance with the Borthwick Institute for Archives' terms and conditions for the supply of copies, and under provisions of any relevant copyright legislation. Permission to reproduce images of documents in the custody of the Borthwick Institute must be sought.

Further accruals are not expected.

* David Grenfell Reports, 1963-1970, at the Hoover Institution Archives (Collection Number 96021).

* Borthwick Institute: The Angolan political papers of William David Grenfell (GB 193 GR)

Published

GB 193