LIDDELL HART, Adrian John (1922-1991)

Papers relating to Adrian Liddell Hart's life and career, and to the life and work of his father, Capt Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart, 1926-1991, including typescript extracts from the diaries of Capt Basil Henry Liddell Hart, 1926-1944; Adrian Liddell Hart's letters to his father, 1930-1969; newspaper cuttings relating to Capt Basil Henry Liddell Hart, 1939-1950; correspondence with John Frederick Lehmann, 1940-1986; typescript articles by Adrian Liddell Hart, 1945-1972, notably 'Reflections on the General Election before the announcement of the result', 1945, 'The Free University of Berlin', Feb 1949, 'The Foreign Legion', Jan 1952, and 'Rehabilitation of drug offenders', Jun 1968; correspondence with MPs and Peers, 1946-1991, including Rt Hon Arthur Leslie Noel Douglas Houghton, Baron Houghton of Sowerby, 1958-1991, Rt Hon (John) Enoch Powell, 1973-1991, Sir (John) Anthony Kershaw, 1960-1986, Rt Hon Francis Aungier Pakenham, 7th Earl Longford, 1985-1991; typescript notes by Adrian Liddell Hart relating to recollections of his father, 1970-1982; correspondence with academics, 1973-1991, including Professor Sir Michael (Eliot) Howard, 1973-1990, Professor Brian (James) Bond, 1974-1991, Professor Robert John O'Neill, 1988-1991; correspondence with authors and journalists, 1978-1991; correspondence with the Foreign Legion Association of Great Britain, 1981-1991; typescript text of lecture by Adrian Liddell Hart entitled 'The British way in warfare', given to students of the Department of War Studies, King's College London, 11 Feb 1982; typescript copies of Adrian Liddell Hart's letters to the press and to magazines, 1983-1991; correspondence relating to Adrian Liddell Hart's research on correspondents of Capt Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart, 1985-1991; correspondence with the HMS JAMAICA Association and the Flower Class Corvette Association, 1986-1991; papers relating to a proposed book by Adrian Liddell Hart on penology, 1988-1991; book reviews of Liddell Hart and the weight of history by John J Mearsheimer (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, USA, 1988), with typescript review by Adrian Liddell Hart, 25 Feb 1989; correspondence with the T E Lawrence Society, 1990-1991.

Born 1922; educated at St Andrew's School, Pangbourne, Berkshire, Eton College, Berkshire, and King's College, Cambridge; served in World War Two, 1939-1945; Adjutant, Local Defence Volunteers (later renamed the Home Guard), Dartington, Devon, 1940; trained at HMS COLLINGWOOD, Fareham, Hampshire, 1941; commissioned into the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, 1941; service on Flower Class Corvette HMS CARNATION, Battle of the Atlantic, 1941; HMS KING ALFRED, 1942; Sub Lt, HMS JAMAICA, 1942; service on HM Landing Ship Tank 320, Mediterranean, 1943; served with Combined Operations Command, British North African Forces, 1943; Signal Division, Admiralty, London, 1943-1944; HMS COLDSTREAMER, 1944; served on HMS GUARDSMAN, 1944; Flag Lt to Adm Commanding Iceland, 1945; Liberal Party candidate for Blackpool (South Division), Lancashire, General Election, 1945; Assistant Editor, Preparatory Commission of the United Nations, 1945-1946; Political Affairs Officer, United Nations Organisation, New York, USA, 1946-1947; appointed Control Officer Grade 2, Public Revenue and General Finance Branch, Finance Division, Control Service for Germany (British Element), British Army of the Rhine (BAOR), Berlin, Germany, 1947; served with the Personnel Branch, Administrative Staff, Headquarters, Control Commission for Germany (British Element), British Army of the Rhine (BAOR), Berlin, Germany, 1947-1948; worked for the Outward Bound Sea School, 1949; employed as a journalist by Westminster Press Provincial Newspapers Limited, The Yorkshire Observer , Bradford, Yorkshire, and as Lobby Correspondent, House of Commons, London, 1949-1950; Liberal Party candidate for Sowerby, Yorkshire, General Election, 1950; served in the French Foreign Legion as Lgionnaire Peter Brand, [1950]-1951; service in 1 Regt Etranger de Cavalerie (1 REC), 1 Groupe d'Escadrons, Groupement Amphibie, Cochin, Indo China, 1951; employed by Outward Bound Trust, Aberdovey, Gwynedd, 1952; employed in the oil industry, Canada, 1953-1954; Editor B, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Toronto, Canada, 1955; Associate Editor, Saturday Night , Toronto, Canada, 1955-1956; employed with the Federation of British Industries, 1959-1960; appointed Assistant Director, Society of British Aircraft Constructors, 1960-1962; Analyst, Gordon Rayment and Company Limited, London, 1962-1963; appointed Assistant General Secretary, UN Association International Service, Nov 1963; Executive, Informat public relations company, London, 1965-1966; member of staff, St John's House, hostel for the rehabilitation of homeless young offenders, London, 1968; Warden, Elswick Lodge Rehabilitation Centre, North East Bridgehead Association, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, Feb-Jul 1971; died 1991.

The collection is arranged in three sections: papers relating to Capt Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart; correspondence; papers relating to articles and drafts for proposed books by Adrian Liddell Hart.

Open, subject to signature of reader's undertaking form.

Acquired from Adrian Liddell Hart's estate by Kathleen Liddell Hart, Lady Liddell Hart and presented to the Centre in 1992.

Date of compilation: Dec 1999

Summary guide entry available on-line at http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/top.htm, and in hard copy in the reading room.

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, attention of the Director of Archive Services.

The papers of Capt Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart include correspondence and notes relating to Capt Basil Henry Liddell Hart's speeches in support of his son as a Liberal candidate in the General Election, 1945 (Ref: LH 12/1945/4-10); article by Adrian Liddell Hart entitled 'America, the political scene', from World Review, May 1947 (Ref: LH 13/18); election leaflet for Adrian Liddell Hart, Liberal Party candidate for Sowerby, Yorkshire, and Liberal Party manifesto, 1950 (Ref: LH 5/21); comments and notes by Adrian Liddell Hart on the draft of his father's book The memoirs of Captain Liddell Hart (Cassell, London, 1965) [1962-1965] (Ref: LH 9/30/33); correspondence with the Rt Hon Leslie Hore-Belisha on Adrian Liddell Hart's campaign as a Liberal candidate in the General Election, 1945 (Ref: LH HB/11/1945/1-5).

Date of compilation: Dec 1999