Private letters of Dame Enid Russell-Smith sent to her family in the form of a daily diary. Correspondence between Dame Enid Russell-Smith and fellow members of the Durham County Conservation Trust during her time as chairman. Notes for speeches made following her arrival at Durham.
Dame Enid Russell-Smith Papers
This material is held atDurham University Archives
- Reference
- GB 33 ERS
- Dates of Creation
- 1963-1972
- Name of Creator
- Language of Material
- English
- Physical Description
- 1 metre
Scope and Content
Administrative / Biographical History
Dame Enid Mary Russell-Smith (1903-1989) was born in Esher, Surrey on 3 March 1903. She was educated at St Felix School, Southwold and Newnham College, Cambridge. She began her career in the Civil Service in 1925 as assistant principal and was one of the first three women to enter the service through open competition. Dame Enid spent most of her civil service career in the Ministry of Health, occupying the position of assistant secretary in 1939 and under-secretary in 1946, finally rising to the position of deputy secretary in 1957. Her work included the co-ordination of provision for evacuees during WWII and she helped to introduce the National Health Service following the war. Following her retirement from the civil service, Dame Enid served as Principal of St Aidan’s College, University of Durham (1963-1970) and lectured part-time in the politics department until 1986. During this time she was involved with various voluntary organisations such as the Durham County Conservation Trust and St Paul’s Jarrow Development Trust. Dame Enid was a key figure in women's judo and achived the level of Shodan in 1945.
Access Information
Open for consultation.
Acquisition Information
Bequeathed by Dame Enid Russell Smith
Other Finding Aids
Online catalogue, available at online catalogue
Separated Material
Earlier letters mainly to her brother and sisters, with a draft memoir, speeches and other correspondence can be found at Churchill College, Cambridge under GBR/0014/RUSM.
Conditions Governing Use
Permission to make any published use of material from the collection must be sought in advance from the Sub-Librarian, Special Collections (e-mail PG.Library@durham.ac.uk) and, where appropriate, from the copyright owner. The Library will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.