Diocese of Central Tanganyika [i.e. Tanzania] 1927-1952

A collection of 137 photographs and other pictures. The collection was mounted on sheets of brown paper for display at exhibitions and bazaars in the 1950s, but has now been transferred to an album. The photographs represent various aspects of the activities of the Diocese, and were gathered from local mission staff, who in many cases wrote descriptive notes on the backs. The majority are amateur snapshots not exceeding 14 x 8 cm, but there are a few larger ones, including some of people and scenery (plates 125-129) probably supplied by the Public Relations Department. In general the subject arrangement has been retained; the captions are based on information on the backs of the photographs or appearing on the display sheets.
The Diocese of Central Tanganyika was established in 1927 from part of the Diocese of Mombasa; its area was Tanganyika west of longitude 38 degrees east and north of latitude 8 degrees south, some 250,000 square miles. It was chiefly financed by the Church Missionary Society in Australia and Tasmania, whose General Secretary, G.A. Chambers, became its first Bishop, and who obtained many volunteers from Australia. After his retirement in 1947 the Rt. Rev. W. Wynn Jones became Bishop, followed by the Rt. Rev. A. Stanway in 1951. The first African Bishop was Yohana Madinda (1971).
The photographs were the property of Miss Minnie Dennant, who died in November 1983. She had moved to Windsor during the Second World War after being bombed out of London, and had assisted Mrs Chambers, wife of the 1st Bishop of Central Tanganyika, in work for the Diocese, later taking over from her as Hon. Secretary of the Central Tanganyika Diocese Association, and continuing until Bishop Stanway transferred all the work to Tanganyika. Miss Reddick wrote 'they are really a gift from Miss Tennant.'

Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).

Presented to the Royal Commonwealth Society by Miss Phyllis Reddick of Old Windsor through the Rev. J.W. Staples in March 1984.

Includes index.

A catalogue of the collection can be found on ArchiveSearch.

This collection is available on microfiche: Africa, fiche numbers 125-126.

Good condition.

This collection level description was entered by WS using information from the original typescript catalogue. The assistance of Miss Jean Woods, Librarian of the Church Missionary Society, is gratefully acknowledged.

Various