The records were appraised and selected on site, from the archive store and from a set of filing cabinets housing some refugee personal files.
Due to the nature of the organisation, the archive presents some problems of accessibility: for most of the period covered by these records, Ockenden was a small organisation, closely overseen by Joyce Pearce, and evolving to reflect the requirements of the projects which it undertook. Some records were probably off-site while the UK homes were in operation; filing of in-letters at Woking does not present a clear series. While some small series of filing systems were evident, they did not appear comprehensive for any period; some collation of papers of particular interest took place in the late 1980s. The result is many files of similar dates with a similar diversity of subject matter.
It is known that there was no comprehensive record of persons assisted by Ockenden and that some personal files of individual refugees are known to have been passed on to the persons concerned. For the Vietnamese and post Vietnamese period, a sample of personal files was selected for the archive.
For a general overview of current projects and houses, the annual reports (7155/4/1/-) provide a useful level of detail; the chairman's reports to the council are also of importance (7155/2/1/-), some of which are listed separately with Joyce Pearce's papers on policy and strategy (7155/3/-).
For records relating to individuals, see Administration of Ockenden Homes, 7155/5/-, including indexes of refugees, and Refugee projects series, 7155/6/- and 7155/7/ (the latter in particular for Vietnamese settlers); early annual reports (7155/4/1/-) also provide information on named individuals.
It is known that some of Joyce Pearce's correspondence was destroyed after her death by Margaret Dixon and staff members (see Margaret Dixon's diary, 7155/15/10).
Much of the correspondence was filed in no particular order, so any chronological arrangement is often lacking.
The following is a detailed summary of the contents:
7155/1/ THE OCKENDEN VENTURE CONSTITUTION 1955-1994
The Ockenden Venture was registered as a war charity on 1 January 1955. The objects of the original constitution were to receive young displaced persons from camps in West Germany who have been driven from their homes by the Second World War and to provide for their maintenance, clothing, education, recreation, health and general welfare. Ockenden's work expanded into other areas, and in 1962 the Constitution was revised, to receive displaced children and other children in need from any part of the world. The Ockenden Venture Family Trust was registered as a war charity on 16 February 1960. Its objective was to bring 20 refugee families (parents of Ockenden children and their other children) to the UK for permanent immigration under the government's World Refugee Year emigration scheme. Families would be found accommodation and maintained until they became self-supporting or could be accepted as British nationals. In 1971, Ockenden merged with the Lifeline charity although this was not formalised until 1989. For records of Lifeline, see 7155/2/4 and 7155/12. March 1989 saw the amalgamation of Ockenden Venture and Ockenden Venture Family Trust. Documents are listed in this series only if they solely relate to formal constitutional change. For discussion of the changes, see also General Council (7155/2/1/-) and Executive Committee (7155/2/2/-), and papers of Joyce Pearce (7155/3/5/-).
7155/2/ OCKENDEN MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION: MINUTES AND PAPERS 1954-1995
Joyce Pearce dominated both policy-making and executive action to the extent that it was occasionally unclear in what capacity, whether private or as the 'honorary organiser' or chairman of Ockenden, she acted. Aside from the creation of several sub-committees, the central management of Ockenden remained comparatively informal until the 1980s, although the charity's involvement with resettlement of Vietnamese refugees and its subsequent government funding demanded a more regulated management style. Following Joyce Pearce's death in July 1985, a management team was chosen to replace her role, and the first executive director was appointed in 1988. Directorships were created for UK operations, overseas activity and central management. During this time, the views of executive members were divided: there were those who wanted to run Ockenden in a more business-like manner, whilst others wished to maintain Ockenden in the perceived spirit of Joyce Pearce. For drafts of Joyce Pearce's chairman's reports to the general council, see policy and strategy (7155/3/-). For the charity after Joyce's death, see also Margaret Dixon's papers (7155/3/7/-).
7155/2/1/ GENERAL COMMITTEE (LATER GENERAL COUNCIL, LATER ADVISORY COUNCIL) 1958-1995
The General Committee was established in 1958 to make final decisions on general policy as proposed by the Executive Committee. The first Annual General Meeting was held at Caxton Hall on 21 May 1960. In 1961 the name was changed to the General Council. Meetings of the General Council appeared to have ceased from 1978. In the 1980s, a new Board of Management structure was mooted. This ultimately led to the establishment in 1989 of an Advisory Council as the policy-forming body of Ockenden. Its function was to advise the General Committee on policy issues; to provide a policy forum for Ockenden supporters; and to act as a link between Ockenden and the broader refugee community. The Council comprised General Committee members, patrons, representatives from groups of Friends and specially invited members.
7155/2/2/ EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (LATER GENERAL COMMITTEE) 1954-1995
The Executive Committee, which had overall policy control, first met on 2 December 1954 to launch a scheme for the education of children of displaced persons. Its first chairman was Canon Malcolm Venables, Canon of St George's Chapel, Windsor, who, on his death in 1957, was succeeded by Dr Christopher Woodard. Woodard, a medical doctor and faith healer by whom Joyce Pearce was greatly influenced, resigned in 1961, citing pressures of work (officially) and lack of confidence in Ockenden's administration (unofficially). Labour politician David Ennals stepped in as acting chairman until Dr Woodard was re-elected in May 1964. Following Woodard's second resignation in 1966, Joyce Pearce became chairman of the Executive Committee until 1970 when she was succeeded by Sir Arthur Rucker, and her role reverted officially to that of Honorary Organiser. Following the merger in 1971, a new Executive Committee incorporating Lifeline, was established. In 1987, the committee appeared to be divided on a number of matters. One issue was whether to depart from the traditional policy of payment of salaries according to need or whether salaries should be graded according to a structured scale. A paper proposing new salary structures was rejected by the committee resulting in the resignation of the chairman, David Ennals, in 1987. He was succeeded by Margaret Dixon until ill health prompted her resignation in 1990. In the same year, the Executive Committee was renamed the General Committee and was established as the policy-making body, meeting no more than four times a year. Some minutes include copies of reports and correspondence presented at the meetings.
7155/2/3/ MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE 1990-1994
The Management Committee was established in 1989 by Ailsa Moore, initially to replace the Ways and Means sub-committee. In February 1990, it became the implementing body of the Executive Committee. Very few minutes have survived prior to 1992.
7155/2/4/ LIFELINE (FORMERLY ADOPTION COMMITTEE FOR AID TO DISPLACED PERSONS) 1969-1989
On the disbandment of the Guides International Service (GIS), the Adoption Committee for Aid to Displaced Persons (later Lifeline) was formed in October 1953 to help victims of Nazi concentration camps, and displaced persons in Germany. Sue Ryder was vice-chairman of the Adoption Committee; former Belgian resistance leader, Françoise Rigby, was honorary secretary and later chairman until 1973. She and Joyce Pearce first met in August 1954 to discuss joint projects to help children from DP camps. In 1960, the charity changed its name to Lifeline and merged with the New York-based International Rescue Committee (IRC) in 1963. Lifeline extended its work to help elderly people in Trieste, Spanish refugees in France, African students in Uganda, Tibetan students in India, and Chinese children in Macau (Macao). Discussions concerning a merger with Ockenden began in 1969, and two years later Lifeline was incorporated into the Ockenden Venture, although this was not formalised until 1989. From 1971, Lifeline had a representative on the Ockenden executive committee and had a separate sub-committee to discuss and manage Lifeline affairs. Its funds were shown separately in Ockenden's accounts. By the mid 1980s, Lifeline's activities had declined to an extent that steps were taken to wind up the charity. This appeared not to happen although Ockenden started to take over former Lifeline projects. For pre-merger papers, see 7155/12/-.
7155/2/5/ OTHER OCKENDEN COMMITTEES AND SUB COMMITTEES 1960-1994
Further papers relating to sub-committees appear among the main Executive Committee series above.
7155/2/6/ EXTERNAL COMMITTEES (WITH OCKENDEN REPRESENTATION) 1959-1981
7155/3/ OCKENDEN VENTURE POLICY AND STRATEGY c.1945-1995
The roots of Ockenden 's work began in the discussion groups held by Joyce Pearce and Margaret Dixon for their sixth form pupils at Mitcham County School for Girls. By 1951, the Ockenden project to assist refugee children had unofficially begun, and henceforth Joyce Pearce's work (and indeed many aspects of her life) was dedicated to the charity's development. Since Joyce Pearce's work often predates the formal adoption of policies or specific projects by Ockenden, or deals with areas which were not realised in their original form, the records below have been separated from those of the general council and executive committee; however, the records of management of Ockenden include much comparable material and should be referred to for a fuller picture of her writings and opinions. This series also includes the writings of Margaret Dixon and other Ockenden staff members. See also Joyce Pearce: Private Papers, 7155/14/-, and Margaret Dixon: Private Papers, 7155/15/-.
7155/3/1/ WORK LEADING TO FORMAL ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OCKENDEN VENTURE c.1945-1968
See also Ockenden Work In The UK: East European Refugees, 7155/6/1.
7155/3/2/ POLICY STATEMENTS AND DISCUSSIONS 1959-1988
Ockenden had regular meetings with other organisations including the UNHCR to review its present work and future strategies. In addition, papers were presented, mainly by Joyce Pearce and often as 'thoughts' rather than as official policy documents. See also Ockenden general histories 7155/13/1/-.
7155/3/3/ ACCOUNTS OF OVERSEAS VISITS 1963-1990
See also individual overseas projects.
7155/3/4/ SPEECHES AND CONFERENCES 1962-1980s
7155/3/5/ JOYCE PEARCE: OCKENDEN PAPERS AND CORRESPONDENCE 1953-1983
The large volume of Joyce Pearce's correspondence is dispersed throughout the archive and illustrates her wide network of connections which invariably assisted Ockenden's cause. Many of her papers contain a combination of Ockenden-related subjects and personal topics which reflect the nature of her relationship with many of the correspondents. Throughout the collection, correspondence is often fragmented and lacking associated documents.
7155/3/6/ JOYCE PEARCE: DEATH AND TRIBUTES 1985
7155/3/7/ MARGARET DIXON: OCKENDEN PAPERS AND CORRESPONDENCE 1985-1995
Margaret Dixon, a colleague of Joyce Pearce at Mitcham Girls' School, was a founder member of Ockenden. She described herself as Joyce Pearce's 'ironic observer, devil's advocate and front line'. From 1959 until 1966, she was head of Donington Hall. She then ran The Abbey, Sutton Courtenay, after which she was at Woodleigh, and finally at Quartermaine. She was chairman of Ockenden from 1987 until 1990. See also Margaret Dixon, private papers, 7155/15/-.
7155/4/ ANNUAL REPORTS AND PUBLICITY 1951-2006
7155/4/1/ ANNUAL REPORTS AND ACCOUNTS 1962-2005
7155/4/2/ STRATEGIC REPORTS AND INFORMATION SHEETS 1960s-2006
See also policy statements, 7155/3/2/-.
7155/4/3/ PUBLICITY MATERIAL AND APPEAL LEAFLETS c.1959-2000s
7155/4/4/ FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES 1958-1989
7155/4/5/ NEWSLETTERS 1961-2006
See also records of individual Ockenden houses, reception centres and friends groups.
7155/4/6/ NEWS CUTTINGS AND JOURNAL ARTICLES 1951-1994
7155/4/7/ PHOTOGRAPHS 1957-1991
7155/4/8/ FILM FOOTAGE 1950s-2009
Over 40 reels of film were included in the original record deposit. These have has been digitised and DVD viewing copies are available. The original films are held at Screen Archive South East. See films compilation F/69 and individual description sheets. The DVDs contain both professional productions and amateur films, of which some of the latter is very fragmented and interspersed with other subject matter.7155/4/8/1-2 are in a single case.
7155/4/9/ OCKENDEN LIBRARY 1987-1992
7155/4/10/ PUBLICATIONS OF ASSOCIATED ORGANISATIONS 1951-1994
7155/5/ OCKENDEN HOMES: ADMINISTRATION 1951-1994
Ockenden's property portfolio quickly expanded from its beginnings at Ockenden House, White Rose Lane, Woking. In the organisation's formative years, further houses in Woking were acquired to house the growing number of children coming to Britain from Displaced Persons' camps in Germany. These included Venture House and Venables House. In the late 1950s, Ockenden acquired Donington Hall in Derbyshire and Keffolds in Haslemere, Surrey, the latter being designated as a school as well as a home. World Refugee Year (1959-1960) raised funds for resettlement of refugees in Europe, and Ockenden received money to open eight new houses including Broken Hill in Woking, Hendre Hall in Barmouth, Westholme in Birmingham, Beech Hill near Reading, and the Abbey, Sutton Courtenay (owned by David Astor). By 1963, there were 18 Ockenden homes with capacity for up to 600 children. Other properties were endowed to Ockenden by private individuals. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Ockenden homes also housed refugees and students from Tibet, South Africa, Biafra, Ethiopia, Malawi and Vietnam. From 1979, some of the Ockenden houses were used as reception centres for the Vietnamese Boat People. This series comprises records relating to the running of houses belonging to or leased by the Ockenden Venture, principally general correspondence files, but also some files relating to individuals which do not form part of a series. Often these contain lists of refugee residents and letters concerning their care and education. Excluded from this series are records relating specifically to the Vietnamese reception centres, which are described under resettlement of Vietnamese refugees and management of reception centres, below. Further detailed information on the Ockenden houses is included in reports to the general and executive committees. See also management of reception centres, 7155/7/3/-, and the 'Ockenden Houses' booklet, 7155/13/2.
7155/5/1/ PROPERTY PORTFOLIO 1954-1990
Joyce Pearce and her mother, Mabel Pearce, inherited several Woking properties from Mrs Pearce's father, Henry Quartermaine, a former mayor of Woking.
7155/5/2/ WOKING HOUSES 1955-1994
Many of the Woking houses were initially leased or loaned to Ockenden by Mabel Pearce who had inherited them from her father, Henry Quartermaine.
7155/5/3/ OCKENDEN HOUSE, WHITE ROSE LANE, WOKING 1966-1971
Ockenden House was purchased by Mabel Pearce in 1946, with the intention of opening a healing centre. Following the church's opposition to her plan, Mrs Pearce offered the house to her daughter Joyce to house the sixth form weekend conferences which were increasing in popularity and size. 'Ockenden' became the headquarters of the Ockenden Venture until its sale in 1969. The house was demolished and a new estate of homes was built on the site. See also Ockenden Education Centre, 7155/3/1/-.
7155/5/4/ VENTURE HOUSE, CONSTITUTION HILL, WOKING 1960-1986
Originally called 'Dunblane', Venture House was purchased in 1954 by Ockenden for 'the reception and accommodation of suitable young persons'. It was officially opened by the Dean of Windsor in November 1955. See film footage, 7155/4/8/1. For a short while, it was used as a residential nursery for the children of Commonwealth students in the 1960s. The houses then reverted to housing for young refugees. In the early 1970s, the playgroup was reopened for young children with special needs.
7155/5/5/ VENABLES, CONSTITUTION HILL, WOKING 1960-1984
Originally called 'Tumble In', Venables was owned by Henry Quartermaine (grandfather of Joyce Pearce). On his death, the property was held in trust for Joyce and her two cousins, Frederick Henry Quartermaine Weaver and Barbara Mabel Quartermaine Weaver. With the financial help of the Variety Club of Great Britain, the house was opened as an Ockenden home in September 1958. In 1983, it was sold to the trustees of the Aquarian Healing Trust (run by Joyce Pearce and Ruth Hicks). The house then served as a transit centre for refugees seeking asylum in Britain.
7155/5/6/ BROKEN HILL, GUILDFORD ROAD, WOKING 1957-1975
In 1960, Broken Hill was purchased by Ockenden with World Refugee Year funds. Following the vacation of Ockenden House in 1969, Broken Hill became the Woking headquarters. The property was badly damaged by fire in April 1973. Rebuilding of the house was undertaken by former Ockenden boys who worked in the building trade.
7155/5/7/ REIGATE HOUSE, CLAREMONT ROAD, WOKING 1960-1969
Reigate House was purchased with funding from the Reigate World Refugee Year Committee and from Woking Urban District Council to house families from DP camps. One of the first residents was Sister Maria, a former Polish underground worker, imprisoned at Belsen concentration camp and godmother to Jeremy, son of Sue Ryder and Leonard Cheshire. The house was officially opened by Herbert Best, Mayor of Reigate, in April 1961.
7155/5/8/ NO. 1 CLAREMONT AVENUE, WOKING (LATER MAXWELL HOUSE) 1962-1978
The property which was purchased with World Refugee Year donations, opened in September 1961, as 'the fifth children's house ... temporarily used for ten small boys newly arrived from Germany'. In 1962, it was renamed Maxwell House in recognition of the work of Mrs Constance Maxwell (first Chairman of Woking Friends).
7155/5/9/ KATANA, BROOKLYN ROAD, WOKING 1987-1988
Closed in September 1988 and was handed over to Greenfield School.
7155/5/10/ DONINGTON HALL, DERBYSHIRE 1956-1989
The tenancy of Donington Hall was offered to Ockenden in 1955 by its owner Gillies Shields, but the charity was unable to afford to support the number of children who could be accommodated. However, on the invasion of Hungary in 1956, it served as a transit centre for Hungarian refugee boys. In 1958, after the Hungarians' resettlement, Donington Hall was used for Polish refugee children. The girls were then transferred to Woking, and Bernard Faithfull-Davies was appointed to look after the boys. In 1959, Margaret Dixon resigned her teaching post at Mitcham County Girls School and moved to Donington to run the school for East European refugee boys until its closure in 1966. Most of the older boys relocated to Sutton Courtenay with Miss Dixon, with the remainder going to Barmouth and Beech Hill.
7155/5/11/ HASLEMERE HOUSES 1962-1967
See also individual houses below, and Haslemere Community 7155/9/1/-.
7155/5/12/ KEFFOLDS AND KEFFOLDS COTTAGE, BUNCH LANE, HASLEMERE 1958-1990s
Keffolds was originally run as a children's home by Dr Barnardo's Homes from 1942 to 1958. On the suggestion of local resident Valerie Walmisley that the property would be suitable to house refugee children, Dr Barnardo's agreed to lease Keffolds to Ockenden who opened the home in April 1959, with the support of a group of Ockenden Friends, led by Mrs Walmisley. In 1965, Ockenden purchased Keffolds, and Joyce Pearce later chose this as her residence, moving from Woking. The Keffolds estate was sold in 1994.
7155/5/13/ QUARTERMAINE, FARNHAM LANE, HASLEMERE 1959-1993
Quartermaine, originally Stoatley Rough, was built in the 1890s for Arthur Lewis Leon, a London County Council alderman. The house was left to Leon's daughter, Mrs Marjorie Vernon, who in 1933 allowed the house to be used by Dr Hilde Lion as a school for Jewish refugee children of German parentage. In 1945, Mrs Vernon transferred the use of her property by deed poll to the religious order of St Mary's Convent in Wantage, Oxfordshire, on the condition that the premises should be occupied free of rent by a school for German evacuees until the end of the war and for five years after. Later, the school also accepted English children but closed in July 1960.In the same year, St Mary's Convent agreed to lease the property to Ockenden in order to establish a school for the children housed at Keffolds. It was renamed Quartermaine, after Joyce Pearce's grandfather, and opened on 17 January 1961. The first headmaster was T D (Tom) Green who favoured an academic approach along grammar school lines, whilst Ockenden's executive wanted to establish a more practical school. Mr Green was replaced by Herbert Leigh-Jones who remained at Quartermaine until 1965.Quartermaine was purchased by Ockenden in 1964 and continued as a school for resident boys and for girls from Keffolds until the summer of 1965. Margaret Dixon and Eric Jones took charge of Quartermaine in 1975, and the house later served as a centre for the Quartermaine Educational Project (see 7155/9/1/-) and the Intermediate Care programme (see 7155/9/2/-). In the late 1980s, it became a reception centre for Vietnamese refugees.
7155/5/14/ COOMBE HEAD, HASLEMERE 1975-1997
In 1916, Coombe Head opened as an Edith Cavell Home of Rest for Nurses. The house was purchased by Ockenden in 1975 for use as staff accommodation, a conference centre and emergency refugee quarters. In 1993 it was re-opened to house the 'Ten or More' disabled refugee project, and it was finally closed in 1999. See also 'Ten or More Scheme, 7155/6/5/-.
7155/5/15/ THE ABBEY, SUTTON COURTENAY, OXFORDSHIRE 1958-1980s
The Abbey, originally built in the early 13th century by the Benedictine Abbey of Abingdon, was purchased in 1958 by David Astor, editor of The Observer newspaper and son of Nancy Astor. From November 1960 until 1970, Astor leased The Abbey at a nominal rent to the Ockenden Venture. The first houseparents were Dane and Joan Leadlay. Initially, it housed Polish girls, followed by South African, Tibetan and Rumanian students. Margaret Dixon took over the running of the Abbey in 1966, bringing with her some of the older Donington boys. Following its sale in 1980 to a non-profit-making organisation which undertook extensive restoration work, The Abbey became home to 'The New Era Centre', a religious and meditative community.
7155/5/16/ HENDRE HALL AND GWYNFA, BARMOUTH 1961-1994
Originally called 'The Cliffs', Hendre Hall was leased at a peppercorn rent to Ockenden in 1961 by Mr A F Elliott for a period of up to 21 years. With the help of local support groups, it opened in December 1961 as a home for refugee children and families. On 27 August 1961, The BBC Welsh Service visited Hendre Hall and recorded a short programme for radio and television about the work of Ockenden and Hendre Hall in particular. In the late 1970s, Hendre Hall was used as a reception centre for Vietnamese refugee families. See also 7155/7/3/10. A smaller house nearby, Gwynfa, was purchased in 1978. For film footage of Hendre Hall, see 7155/4/8/2.
7155/5/17/ BEECH HILL, READING, BERKSHIRE 1960-1971
In 1960, Beech Hill, a Georgian property near Reading, Berkshire, was leased to Ockenden by the British Red Cross Society who had run the house as a children's convalescence home since 1949. It was officially opened on 2 May 1960. The house initially served as a boarding school for refugee children under the age of 11 years. The first housemother was Henriette Wright, a Polish woman. Lease was renewed in March 1967. In 1968, Ockenden used Beech Hill temporarily as a reception and transit camp for Czechoslovakian refugees. Following the Red Cross's decision to sell the property, Ockenden vacated Beech Hill in September 1971.
7155/5/18/ BICKERTON GRANGE, TOM CAT LANE, WETHERBY, YORKSHIRE 1960-1975
Bickerton Grange was leased to Ockenden in 1960 by the Smith brewing family following an appeal by a group of Ockenden Friends in York which was launched in March 1959 by Philip Rowntree. £1,250 was raised and, in January 1961, the house received its first intake of East European children from DP camps. The first housemother was Dinah Newman; the house was later run by Tom and Pattie Lovell who featured in a 1965 Granada Television documentary 'Bickerton Grange'. See 7155/4/8/2.
7155/5/19/ WINDLEHURST, MILLANS PARK, AMBLESIDE, CUMBRIA 1960-1977
Windlehurst, a large semi-detached house, originally a guest house, was purchased in 1960 by Friends of Ockenden for use as a home for East European refugee girls. In June 1961, the house was officially opened by Christopher Chataway, MP. In 1966, the house was temporarily closed, and the older girls were transferred to Woking. However, later that year, boys came to live at Ambleside. By the 1970s, there were plans to develop an Intermediate Care programme or to run Windlehurst commercially as a retreat and seminar centre, but instead it was used as a reception centre for Vietnamese refugees.
7155/5/20/ WESTHOLME, OAK TREE LANE, BOURNEVILLE, BIRMINGHAM 1960-1980
Westholme was the former residence of Henry and Lucy Cadbury. Part of the house was leased to Ockenden in 1960 and opened as a hostel for refugee boys to receive industrial or commercial training on reaching school-leaving age. When some of these boys returned to Germany to be with their families who had been rehoused from the camps, several younger boys were transferred to Westholme from Haslemere. The first wardens were Frederick and Madeline Figures. Following their departure in 1962, Barrie and Enid Denton were appointed to run the house. Barrie Denton later ran Ockenden's Birmingham office for Vietnamese refugees (see 7155/7/3/-). Ockenden vacated Westholme in 1971 when it was handed back to Bourneville Village Trust.
7155/5/21/ WOODLEIGH, DEWSBURY, YORKSHIRE 1960-1989
In 1961, Woodleigh, Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury, was leased to Ockenden by mill owners, Wormald and Walker Ltd, as an 'apprentice hostel' for 20 working refugee boys (on a similar model to that at Westholme, Birmingham). The first warden was Joe Hornsby, who was later joined by Fred and Jeanne Sizer. From 1970 to 1975, Margaret Dixon and Eric Jones took charge of Woodleigh. The house then remained empty for three years, other than being occupied by a Malawian refugee family who paid rent to Ockenden. In 1978, Ockenden purchased Woodleigh for £18,000 and opened it as a reception centre for Vietnamese refugees. See also 7155/7/3/13-16. Woodleigh closed in March 1994.
7155/5/22/ SOUTH VIEW, BURGH HILL, HURST GREEN, SUSSEX 1964-1978
In 1963, South View (also spelt Southview), a small house with garden and orchard, was offered to Ockenden by the Witcombe family. It was initially used as a short-term convalescent home for children and staff, and Winifred Beckett was the first housemother until 1968. In 1966, a small group of younger children were taught English at South View by Helen Daniels, a former Ockenden volunteer in India. The house was later used as holiday accommodation by Ockenden staff and by London Borough of Southwark for children in its care. In 1972, Peter Woodard moved into South View and stayed until its sale in 1987. Yeshe Tsultrim (later warden of the Tibetan Cultural centre in Cambridge) lived at South View briefly in 1978 and it also housed Vietnamese refugees for a time during the 1970s.
7155/5/23/ KILMORE HOUSE, CAMBERLEY 1977-1994
Kilmore House was left in trust to Ockenden in 1969 by Mr de la Poer Beresford on condition that it be used as a convalescent home or as a children's home. In 1972, the house opened initially as a hostel for Ugandan Asian refugee families, with elderly Polish convalescents, and Biafran, Polish and Tibetan students joining the following year. In 1975, Kilmore became home to fifteen severely disabled Vietnamese children from the Daily Mail airlift who needed specialist nursing care. It was later developed to provide facilities for disabled children from Cambodia and the Falkland Islands. In 1981, registration was granted for provision of short-term care to local severely disabled children and young people. In 1982, Kilmore was successfully registered as a children's home with Surrey County Council. It remained as the last of Ockenden's properties, housing severely disabled Vietnamese children, but closed in July 2006. The building was demolished in April 2010.
7155/5/24/ DE LA SALLE HOUSE, OXFORD 1990-1991
From 1984, De La Salle House, Banbury Road, Oxford, was administered by Ockenden and staffed by the De La Salle Brothers, an international teaching order, to provide care for unaccompanied Vietnamese refugee children. The agreement with Ockenden finished on 1 September 1988 when management of the house was taken over by the Brothers. However Ockenden continued to work with the Brothers to provide care for the refugees.
7155/6/ OCKENDEN REFUGEE WORK IN THE UK (EXCLUDING VIETNAMESE REFUGEES) 1950s-1990s
This series is arranged chronologically by the places of origin of refugees, rather than strictly by project. From the 1960s, Ockenden assistance to refugee groups evolved from the early UK-based assistance solely to children from DP camps to the reception of families and individuals from other countries in the 1960s to the 1980s onwards. These included adult relatives of the early refugees, university students, handicapped people and asylum seekers. These cards and indexes are not believed to offer a complete record of residents of Ockenden homes. Reference should also be made to the Ockenden homes series, 7155/5/2/- (as well as to the annual reports, 7155/4/1/-) for a full picture of the assistance given to UK-based refugee groups, and for records of individuals. Work with the Vietnamese Boat People is treated separately, as it was a project which was well beyond the normal scale of Ockenden activity, and because the records held relate to Ockenden's part in joint relief work with other bodies.
7155/6/1/ EAST EUROPEAN REFUGEES FROM GERMAN DISPLACED PERSONS' CAMPS 1950s-1990s
See also Work Prior To Formal Establishment Of The Ockenden Venture, 7155/3/1.
7155/6/2/ SOUTH AFRICAN STUDENTS 1963-1984
In 1963, Ockenden, with the National Union of South African Students (NUSAS), explored the possibility of helping African students obtain qualifications and tuition in order to qualify for entry into British universities and technical colleges. In 1965, a selection committee including Ockenden patron, Dr Robert Birley, began to consider suitable candidates. With the co-operation of NUSAS, the South African Committee of Higher Education (SACHED), the Africa Bureau and other organisations, an initial intake of six students from South Africa and Rhodesia was selected to come to Britain. Ockenden provided a home base for students from South Africa who were unable to complete their education because of the extension of apartheid after 1958. The students were financially supported by the National Union of South African Students. Some of the students came from neighbouring states to South Africa.
7155/6/3/ TIBETAN STUDENTS 1965-1985
In 1964, Ockenden began a pilot scheme for the further education of Tibetan students in England, as part of a professional training scheme for the exiled Tibetan community in India. The scheme was approved by the Dalai Lama and the British Government on the condition that the students would return to work in India at the end of their studies. See also Tibetan Homes and Schools, India, 7155/8/1/-, and Tibetan Community and Cultural Centre, Cambridge, 7155/9/4/-.
7155/6/4/ BIAFRAN REFUGEES 1968-1980s
In 1967, the independent republic of Biafra in south-east Nigeria was created, following years of civil war. The new state witnessed the death of 1 million of its inhabitants through famine and fighting, and eventually 2,000 sick children were evacuated to Gabon and the Ivory Coast. Between 1968 and 1970, Ockenden worked with Caritas Internationalis and other charities to bring some of these children to Britain, and later with the Biafra Parents' Association to reunite children with their families in Britain. Ockenden also supported Claire Glorieux, a Belgian social worker, at the Mission Sainte-Marie in Libreville, Gabon, which cared for 700 Biafran children. See also news cuttings, 7155/4/6/16.
7155/6/5/ 'TEN OR MORE' PROGRAMME 1973-1999
The 'Ten or More' scheme was started in 1973 by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in co-operation with several European governments. It offered resettlement in participating countries to refugees requiring urgent medical treatment for life-threatening injuries or illnesses and that could not be provided in their current country of residence. At least ten refugees per annum were accepted by each country. See also case file, 7155/6/6/3.Ockenden took an active part in the programme from the outset, sponsoring refugees from Africa, the Middle East and South America. In 1993, Coombe Head was designated as the centre for 'Ten or More' activities until its closure in 1999.
7155/6/6/ UGANDAN REFUGEES 1975-1984
After Idi Amin became president of Uganda in February 1971, his attempts to eliminate all opposition led to 20,000 refugees fleeing the country. Ockenden provided support for some refugees who came to Britain at this time, and later under the 'Ten or More' scheme.
7155/6/7/ ETHIOPIAN REFUGEES 1975-1995
7155/6/8/ REFUGEES FROM OTHER COUNTRIES 1966-1998
7155/7/ RECEPTION AND RESETTLEMENT OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN UK 1963-1996
Ockenden's involvement in Vietnam began with its takeover of a Saigon orphanage in 1971 (for which see 7155/8/4 below). After the fall of Saigon to the Communists in 1975, Ockenden became involved in the reception of refugees fleeing the country. Initially, it provided BCAR with informal assistance, particularly with obtaining housing offers in the Midlands. In 1979 the government agreed to receive refugees from camps in Hong Kong and rescued by British boats. Ockenden was officially appointed along with Save the Children and the British Council for Aid to Refugees to administer reception and resettlement. Between 1977 and 1980, with government funding, Ockenden took on over 200 staff, opened 26 reception centres and resettled 3000 refugees. In 1982, the government programme for welcoming refugees ended. Ockenden continued to liaise with the Home Office for the reception of small numbers of refugees under the Geneva Convention and of others rescued at sea (who were funded by the Home Office). Ockenden also attempted to negotiate for the reuniting of families. It is worth noting that, amongst the 'Vietnamese refugees' accepted into Britain were also nationals from Cambodia and Laos.
7155/7/1/ ORPHAN AIRLIFT FROM SAIGON 1975-1991
In April 1975, David English, editor of the Daily Mail newspaper, chartered a plane to rescue Vietnamese orphans before the fall of Saigon to communist forces. These included children from the Ockenden Hoi Anh Duc Orphanage and from establishments run by Project Vietnam Orphans (PVO). The Home Office sanctioned the move on condition that the children were initially cared for by a registered charity and Ockenden was chosen to undertake this task. The 99 children on the airlift included the five disabled Vietnamese children who had come to Ockenden in 1973. See also Ockenden Orphanages, Saigon, 7155/8/4/-, and individual files 7155/7/4/-.
7155/7/2/ VIETNAMESE RECEPTION AND RESETTLEMENT PROGRAMME 1975-1994
Following its involvement in the 1975 orphan airlift, Ockenden became increasingly involved in the resettlement of Vietnamese refugees in the UK. In October 1978, 350 Vietnamese boat people were rescued by the 'Wellpark', a British registered ship, and brought to the UK. In 1979, when the British government agreed to resettle a further 1,500 Vietnamese refugees, Ockenden, along with Save the Children and the British Council for Aid to Refugees (BCAR), worked with the Home Office under the umbrella of the Joint Committee for Refugees from Vietnam (JCRV), to undertake resettlement of refugees in the UK. A zoning arrangement was established whereby each charity had recognised territories within the UK for its operations. Ockenden was responsible for the Midlands and the North of England, although it also operated in other parts of the country.
7155/7/3/ MANAGEMENT OF OCKENDEN RECEPTION CENTRES AND RESETTLEMENT UNIT 1978-1996
Many of the existing Ockenden properties which had fallen into disuse were reopened as reception centres for Vietnamese refugees in the 1970s and 1980s. Additional centres, leased by Ockenden, were opened in Bridport, Cullercoats, Didsbury, Exmouth, Harrogate, Hindhead, Portsmouth, Stockton-on-Tees, Wetherby and Wolverhampton. The largest centre was Nelson Hall in Eccleshall, Staffordshire, which could hold 400 refugees. In addition, an office was opened in Birmingham from where the resettlement programme was run. This series also includes some case notes and arrival lists of Vietnamese refugees at the individual centres. See also individual Ockenden Houses, 7155/5/-.Arrival lists have been retained only where they include arrivals processed by Ockenden. Some lists also include non-Ockenden destinations. Each refugee was given a JCRV serial number, and these were normally grouped in family units. See also refugee files, 7155/7/4/-.
7155/7/4/ VIETNAMESE REFUGEE FILES 1963-1995
See also arrival lists under management of reception centres, 7155/7/3/-.
7155/7/5/ RESETTLEMENT SUPPORT PROJECTS 1979-1990
Different aspects of the resettlement process were shared out among the involved agencies. Ockenden managed several educational and vocational training schemes for Vietnamese refugees. Other projects included the provision of bursaries for higher education, 'Vietnamese Children in Care' which offered support for unaccompanied minors, and English courses for children with special needs. Local support groups were largely instrumental in organising housing for refugee families, but the lack of adequate social housing became a problem. See support groups below, 7155/7/6/-.
7155/7/6/ LOCAL SUPPORT GROUPS: MEETING MINUTES AND PAPERS 1979-1991
A total of 213 refugee support groups were established within Ockenden's areas of responsibility (Surrey, the Midlands, the North West, North East, North Wales, and the Gosport / Portsmouth areas of Hampshire). The role of the support groups was to assist with the resettlement of Vietnamese refugees in the locality. They were often established by local churches or other organisations, with links to local reception centres. Sometimes they evolved through the work of local volunteers and later became formalised support groups. By 1984, the network of groups across central and northern England was organised by regions: North East, North West and West Midlands.
7155/7/7/ VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: RESEARCH 1980-1990s
This series comprises research undertaken by or on behalf of Ockenden, and by external parties. All contain references to Ockenden.
7155/8/ OCKENDEN: OVERSEAS WORK 1963-1994
Through its worldwide network of contacts, Ockenden became involved in many overseas projects in Europe, Africa, South East Asia and the Indian subcontinent.
7155/8/1/ TIBETAN HOMES AND SCHOOLS, INDIA 1963-1995
Following the invasion of Tibet by the Chinese in 1959, the Dalai Lama fled to India where he established a government in exile. In April 1963, following a global appeal for aid for Tibetan refugees, Joyce Pearce and project worker, Jill Buxton, visited the Dalai Lama and Tibetan orphanages and schools in India. Subsequently, Ockenden established several projects in India in co-operation with Tibetan charities, organising sponsorships and the supply of staff and volunteers. This record series includes correspondence between Joyce Pearce and Ockenden staff who provided regular reports of their work and conditions in India. See also Peter Woodard correspondence, 7155/10/3/3, and records of Lifeline which provided sponsorship for Tibetans in India, 7155/12/-.
7155/8/2/ ECOLE MENAGÈRE AGRICOLE PROJECT, MESSAAD, ALGERIA 1963-1970
In 1965, at the suggestion of Catholic Relief Services who were already active in the district, Ockenden applied for funding from Oxfam to establish a girls' vocational training school in Messaad, Algeria. The school was designed by architect, David Etherton, and building began in 1967. Renee Beach was appointed as the school's teacher-administrator in October 1967. The school was officially opened in May 1968 when it was handed over to the Algerian government. See also account of Messaad, 1966, by Renee Beach (Joyce Pearce by Others), 7155/13/2/2.
7155/8/3/ REFUGEE CHILDREN'S PROJECTS, MIDDLE EAST 1963-1985
Through the many contacts of Joyce Pearce in the Middle East, Ockenden sought to provide support for several projects in Lebanon and Jordan in the 1960s.In 1967, accompanied by Peter Woodard, Joyce Pearce visited Lebanon at the invitation of Mrs Lamia Moufarrige, president of La Maison Libanaise pour la Reformation, an organisation of high society women dedicated to establishing 'Les Villages d'Enfants du Liban', for underprivileged children. La Maison Libanaise purchased land for the development of a village at Batroun, north of Beirut, and Ockenden submitted a proposal for a residential school for Lebanese street children and Palestinian refugees. However, permission for the children's village was never granted by the Lebanese authorities. In the same year, Ockenden was contacted by Winifred Coate, director of the Abdelliyeh Village Project in Zerka, Jordan (founded 1961), and sister of one of Joyce Pearce's tutors at Oxford. Miss Coate wanted to establish a girls' school at the village, and David Etherton (architect of the Ecole Menagère Agricole project, Messaad) drafted plans for the school. Ockenden approached Oxfam initially to finance a homecraft school at Zerka, but following a decision to open a general literacy school instead, funding was withdrawn. (See also article in 1970-1971 Annual Report, 7155/4/1/-).Other projects that attracted Ockenden's attention, but appeared not to have come to fruition, included the support for a rehabilitation centre in Amman in 1967. The centre, founded by Leonard Cheshire in 1959, was run by the Jordanian Ministry of Health, but had lost vital third party funding. In 1968, Ockenden considered a further training scheme to bring to the UK Jordanian and Palestinian refugee students whose education had been disrupted by the Six-Day War.
7155/8/4/ OCKENDEN ORPHANAGES, SAIGON 1971-1981
Ockenden became a registered south Vietnamese charity in 1971, and took over the running of the Hoi Anh Duc orphanage in Saigon from the Project Vietnam Orphans (PVO). Two years later, Ockenden established a playgroup for young children at Ky Quang orphanage. In February 1973, five girls suffering from polio were brought to England for intensive physiotherapy treatment (on condition that they did not learn English). By the time they had returned to Vietnam nine months later, Ockenden had opened a day-care centre for handicapped children in Ky Dong Street. Some of the orphans, including the five girls, were brought to England on the Daily Mail airlift in 1975. See 7155/7/1/-. For individual files, see 7155/7/4/-.
7155/8/5/ KHELAGHAR ORPHANAGE, BANGLADESH 1972-1994
Following the conflict between Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan) and West Pakistan in 1971, and subsequent visits to the Indian subcontinent by David Ennals in 1972, Ockenden launched an appeal to support Khelaghar, an inter-community orphanage for Bangladeshi children in Jessore. Khelaghar was run by the Council for the Promotion of Cultural Harmony (CPCH), founded by Maitraye Devi to improve Hindu-Muslim relations in 1964. The orphanage moved to Dacca in 1973 and then to Calcutta in 1974. See Joyce's Ockenden, 7155/13/3/1, pp147-152.
7155/8/6/ SUDAN COMMUNITY PROJECTS 1980-1993
Joyce Pearce attended a conference as representative of the British Standing Conference on Refugees in Sudan at Khartoum in 1980 and agreed to Ockenden's involvement. With UNHCR funding, Ockenden established a number of community projects in Port Sudan and East Sudan. These included educational and vocational training programmes, handicraft centres, and pre-school classes. Anne Leng was appointed as Ockenden coordinator, but initially became involved in a countrywide survey on behalf of the Sudanese Commissioner for Refugees; she withdrew when Joyce Pearce expressed fears at the cost of the survey, as Ockenden generally undertook small local projects. In 1981, a playschool for Eritreans at Deim Korea, Port Sudan, was built, which also provided adult training and a reception centre. The initial phase of project development in Sudan was completed in 1984.In summer 1981, Anne Leng was recalled to UK for health reasons and replaced by Susan Dow, although she continued to take an interest in the Sudan projects. Ockenden then approached UNHCR for funding to expand its activities in Sudan. Many of the letters from Ockenden field workers are informal project reports and are generally upbeat but sometimes give vent to the challenges faced: dealing with the Sudanese government, relations with other agencies, the political situation, lack of resources, logistical matters, communications and the climate.
7155/8/7/ LAOTIAN AND CAMBODIAN REFUGEE CRAFT PROGRAMME, THAILAND 1982-1993
From 1979, Ockenden established vocational training centres in camps in northern Thailand for refugees from Laos and Cambodia. In 1984, it funded a handicraft programme, named 'Thai Payap', that provided refugees and local people with materials at cost price. The goods were then distributed for sale in the West. The handicraft programme helped craftspeople to establish new communities in Thailand. Ockenden was able to withdraw its support in 1988, when the communities had become self-supporting. For promotional material, see 7155/4/3/7.
7155/8/8/ AID TO POLAND 1981-1993
In 1981, Ockenden started to raise funds for shipping goods to Poland, and later became responsible for spending further EEC money towards the cause. 2,000 Ockenden and Rotary Club centres in the country were mobilised to provide storage. From 1985, the Ockenden operation was run by Beryl Taylor who, along with Margaret Dixon, was awarded the Grand Order of Smile by the Polish Government in 1991. In 1986, a bequest from Czeslaw Chmielinski, who had worked for Ockenden since the 1950s, was used to equip a new ward in a children's hospital in Lublin.
7155/8/9/ SRI LANKA 1983
7155/8/10/ AFGHAN REFUGEE EMPLOYMENT PROJECTS, PAKISTAN 1983-1994
From 1984, Ockenden funded employment projects for Afghan refugees in camps in north western Pakistan. These included a quilt-making scheme and a UNHCR-supported marketing centre (providing an outlet for local and overseas sales). The schemes were established on behalf of Ockenden by Tibetan refugees, Lobsang and Yangchhen Yeshi, in September 1984, and were later expanded to produce uniforms and tents. (See interview with Yangchhen Yeshi regarding Afghan projects in Peshawar, 7155/13/4/1).
7155/9/ OTHER OCKENDEN PROJECTS 1964-1992
See also papers of Joyce Pearce, 7155/3/5-, and executive and general committee records, 7155/2/-, above for other projects based in Ockenden houses in the UK, including voluntary service courses at Haslemere.
7155/9/1/ HASLEMERE COMMUNITY AND QUARTERMAINE EDUCATION PROJECT 1972-1992
By the 1970s, Haslemere had become the main centre for Ockenden's operational work, and the concept of a community caring project was proposed. A 'Haslemere Community' developed to help include all children and young people in need: this comprised not only overseas refugees but also British children from troubled backgrounds. Its aim was 'to provide a way of living, regardless of differences of race, colour or creed.' A number of training and educational schemes were established, including the Quartermaine Education Project, and the Haslemere site hosted several festivals and conferences. See also Haslemere Houses, 7155/5/11/- to /14/-, and Intermediate Treatment, 7155/9/2/-.
7155/9/2/ INTERMEDIATE TREATMENT PROGRAMME 1972-1985
Intermediate Treatment (IT) was established by the 1969 Children and Young Persons Act for young people 'in trouble or at risk' to improve their lifestyles through education, practical training and the development of meaningful relationships with others. In 1972 Ockenden met with Surrey and London social services and probation services departments to discuss the feasibility of a 'centre for preventative and intermediary care'. In April 1973, an IT programme was started at Quartermaine, Haslemere. The following year, Ockenden established an IT centre at 18 St Mary's Road, Peckham, London, which it rented from the Peter Bedford Trust. See also Haslemere Community above, and magazine article, 7155/4/6/23.
7155/9/3/ TIBETAN COMMUNITY IN BRITAIN AND TIBETAN CULTURAL CENTRE, CAMBRIDGE 1964-1993
From the early 1960s, Ockenden was a staunch champion of Tibetan causes and communities. Joyce Pearce was an honorary vice president of the Tibet Society of the United Kingdom and a member of the Tibetan Community in Britain. In 1976, the establishment of an official cultural centre in Britain was discussed at a meeting between the Dalai Lama and Joyce Pearce. Six years later, Ockenden acquired 6 Glisson Road in Cambridge. The Tibetan Cultural Centre, which finally opened in July 1989, was run by Tibetans Yeshi Tsultrim and Phuntsok Dhumkang. It closed in 1993.
7155/9/4/ BASLE COURT, BRIXTON HILL, LONDON 1982-1985
Basle Court was a reception centre for refugees with special needs, and run by a joint management committee comprising representatives from Ockenden, British Refugee Council, London and Quadrant Housing Trust, and other charities.
7155/9/5/ A STRATEGY OF HOPE FOR A WORLD IN CRISIS 1983-1990
In 1983, Joyce Pearce launched an educational initiative to increase global consciousness, 'A strategy of hope for a world in crisis'. Supported by Christopher Woodard, Christopher Chataway and others, the manifesto was unveiled in a speech by Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan at the House of Commons on 23 January 1984.
7155/9/6/ JOYCE PEARCE MEMORIAL LECTURES 1986-1993
The Joyce Pearce Memorial Lecture was delivered annually at Oxford University under the auspices of the Refugee Studies Programme and the Ockenden Venture. The eighth (and possibly last) lecture, 'Towards a New Refuge', was delivered on behalf of Aung San Suu Kyi by Dr Michael Aris on 19 May 1993.
7155/9/7/ PROPOSED WORLD REFUGEE YEAR II 1984
7155/10/ OCKENDEN OFFICERS AND STAFF 1959-1995
7155/10/1/ DAVID HEDLEY ENNALS (1922-1995), BARON ENNALS OF NORWICH 1959-1995
David Ennals was a Labour politician and human rights campaigner. He first met Joyce Pearce in 1948 when he was Secretary of the Council for Education in World Citizenship, and was invited to address an Ockenden sixth form weekend. Following Christopher Woodard's resignation, Ennals served as acting chairman of Ockenden's executive committee from 1962 to 1963. He later became chairman of Ockenden's general council in 1970 until 1987. He was active in the support of Vietnamese refugees, and fostered an orphan from the 1975 Daily Mail airlift, (see 7155/7/4/6). Following Joyce Pearce's death, Ennals was elected chairman in December 1985, resigning in November 1987, and severing ties completely with Ockenden in 1990. He once described his role as 'Ockenden's chairman and Joyce's servant'. See also Executive Committee minutes, 7155/2/2/-, and United Nations Association correspondence 7155/5/10/3.
7155/10/2/ RUTH HICKS (1900-1986), OCKENDEN FOUNDER 1971-1991
Ruth Hicks, a cousin of Joyce Pearce, lived with her mother and an assortment of relatives and lodgers at Beechlands, Woking. She was a founder member of Ockenden but her main role was as headmistress of Greenfield school, Woking, which she purchased in the post war years, and which was closely linked with Ockenden. The school, which under Miss Hicks's leadership taught 'giving and caring and thinking of others', took boys up to the age of 11 and girls up to 16 years. Many of the pupils were Ockenden refugee children. Beechlands later became part of Greenfield School. An unassuming woman, very few records relating to Miss Hicks appear in the collection: Margaret Dixon described her as 'a Core of Quiet in the heart of all the Bustle.'
7155/10/3/ ALFRED NATHANIEL PETER WOODARD (1913-2004) 1959-1986
Alfred Nathaniel Peter Woodard (known as Peter) was the twin brother of Ockenden executive chairman, Christopher Woodard. He became involved with Ockenden in 1959 whilst organising refugee fundraising activities in Jersey. He was initially appointed as Ockenden's estates and transport manager in 1960, with responsibility for planning children's transport to and from Germany during the summer holidays and helping to resettle refugee families in the UK. In 1964, he went to India to help establish an Ockenden home for Tibetan refugees (see 7155/8/1/-). His engagement to Joyce Pearce was announced in The Times in 1961, but they never married. His role at Ockenden was sometimes controversial, in particular his involvement in the handling of the 'Dharwar Revolt' in 1966. (See also Tibetan Homes and Schools, India, 7155/8/1/-).
7155/10/4/ STAFF PAPERS AND CORRESPONDENCE 1977-1994
Records relating to staff can also be found in the Ockenden Homes files, 7155/5/-, and the papers of Joyce Pearce, 7155/3/5/.
7155/11/ OCKENDEN SUPPORT 1959-1992
7155/11/1/ FRIENDS OF OCKENDEN VENTURE 1959-1992
Activities of the various Friends of Ockenden groups ranged from direct participation with refugees, through organisation of sponsorships, to fundraising events. Some groups were established with a constitution and committee, whilst other support groups were more informal. In addition, many individuals organised fundraising activities in aid of Ockenden. See also Friends groups of individual houses, 7155/5/-, and Vietnamese support groups, 7155/7/6/-.
7155/11/2/ OTHER SPONSORSHIP 1959-1990
7155/12/ LIFELINE (FORMERLY THE ADOPTION COMMITTEE FOR AID TO DISPLACED PERSONS) 1954-1970
The Adoption Committee for Aid to Displaced Persons (later Lifeline) was formed in 1953 to help victims of Nazi concentration camps, and displaced persons in Germany. The charity changed its name to Lifeline in 1960. For Lifeline records following merger with Ockenden, see 7155/2/4.
7155/13/ OCKENDEN VENTURE: HISTORY AND RECOLLECTIONS 1950s-1990s
7155/13/1/ GENERAL HISTORIES 1950s-1970s
7155/13/2/ JOYCE PEARCE BOOKLETS EDITED BY MARGARET DIXON 1980s-1990s
In the late 1980s, Margaret Dixon, assisted by Denise Moll, began to compile a series of 24 booklets, entitled 'Joyce Pearce by Herself' and 'Joyce Pearce by Others'. These comprised extracts from Joyce's diaries, reports and speeches, and reminiscences by former Ockenden staff members. In 1996, a condensed version of some of the booklets was published as a single book, Joyce Pearce: the story of Ockenden in her own words: 1951-1985.
7155/13/3/ PAMELA WATKIN BOOK ON OCKENDEN 1992
With the co-operation of Ockenden (in particular, Margaret Dixon), Pamela Watkin was given access to organisation's records to write a history of Ockenden, Joyce's Ockenden: the story of a vision that became a venture for refugees.
7155/13/4/ RECORDED ORAL HISTORIES AND TRANSCRIPTS 1998-2009
This series comprises interviews with former Ockenden staff and refugees, conducted and recorded by Rib Davis (writer of 'The Vision' community play, staged as part of the project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund). Most have been transcribed. There are also transcripts of interviews with Margaret Dixon, made by Hilary Alder in 1998
7155/14/ JOYCE PEARCE, OBE, (1915-1985), PRIVATE PAPERS 1911-1985
Dorothy Joyce Quartermaine Pearce was born at 48 Chertsey Road, Woking, on 23 November 1915. She was the only child of Albert Victor (Vic) Pearce and Mabel (Mary), née Quartermaine. She attended Woking County School for Girls, and read history at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. After obtaining an Oxford education diploma, she took temporary teaching posts in Reigate, Chichester and Launceston, before accepting the position of senior history mistress at Mitcham County Girls' School. As Joyce Pearce's life was so intrinsically linked with Ockenden, it is difficult to separate her business and personal papers. The personal diaries in this series contain entries relating to both personal and work matters. Other diaries relating specifically to work matters – for example, overseas visits on behalf of Ockenden - are found in 7155/3/5/-.
7155/15/ MARGARET DIXON (1907-2001), PRIVATE PAPERS 1929-1992
Margaret Dixon's diaries and reminiscences offer a candid and acerbic insight into her life at Ockenden. See also her Ockenden papers and correspondence, 7155/3/7/-.
7155/16 ADDITIONAL MATERIAL 2012
This series relates to material deposited after the completion of the main catalogue in 2010.