Guide to the Papers of Lady Frances McNicoll

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MS 9246

National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record

Collection Summary

Creator
Lady Frances McNicoll
Title
Papers of Lady Frances McNicoll
Date Range
1922-1989
Collection Number
MS 9246
Extent
2.4 metres (16 MS boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Repository
Special Collections (Manuscripts)

Introduction

Scope and Contents

The papers relate almost entirely to Lady McNicoll's work on a biography of Sir Robert Menzies, a project that was never completed. The largest category is her notes and research material and there is also correspondence, some personal documents, newspaper cuttings, tape recordings and transcripts, lectures by or about Menzies, publications and documents received from various sources. There are a few papers of Sir Alan McNicoll.

Conditions Governing Access

Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn239845).

Conditions Governing Use

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred Citation

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Lady Frances McNicoll, National Library of Australia, MS 9246, [series/file number]'.

Provenance

The custody and ownership of the papers were transferred to the Menzies Foundation shortly before Lady McNicoll's death in 1993. They were subsequently deposited in the Library by Sir John Bunting, the National Co-ordinator of the Menzies Foundation. The Foundation has retained ownership of the collection and has directed that most of the papers can be made available for research within the Library.

Arrangement

The papers were in a highly disordered state. Wherever possible, Lady McNicoll's files and file titles have been retained, but the overall arrangement has been imposed by Library staff.

Separated Material

A number of original papers of Menzies were found in the collection and, with the consent of the Menzies Foundation, they have been transferred to the Menzies Papers (MS 4936).

Biographical Note

Frances Chadwick, the daughter of John Chadwick, a London barrister, and his wife Edith, was born at Bromley, Kent, England. Her brothers were the diplomat Sir John Chadwick (1911-1987), Sir Owen Chadwick (b.1916), Regius Professor of Modern History at Cambridge University (1968-83), and the Very Reverend Sir Henry Chadwick (1920-), Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford University (1959-69), Dean of Christ Church, Oxford (1969-79) and Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge University (1979-83).

For twenty years Frances Chadwick was on the staff of the Economist, both in its London bureau and as its Australian correspondent. She was later contributing editor of Vogue Australia. She married the Australian naval officer, Captain Alan McNicoll in 1957. He became a Rear-Admiral in 1958 and was Flag Officer commanding HM Australian Fleet in 1962-64 and Chief of the Australian Naval Staff in 1965-68. He was knighted in 1966 and was appointed Ambassador to Turkey in 1968. Sir Alan and Lady McNicoll returned to Canberra in 1973. Sir Alan died in 1987 and Lady McNicoll died in 1993.

Lady McNicoll met Sir Robert Menzies in 1959 and corresponded with him intermittently in the 1960s. It appears that in 1969 they agreed that she should write his biography. In 1972 Menzies altered his will to give her exclusive access to his personal papers during his lifetime and for three years after his death. In 1972-73, while she was living in Ankara, Lady McNicoll had an extensive correspondence with Menzies and on her return to Australia she recorded a number of interviews with him. She worked on the biography for several years, but does not appear to have progressed beyond some first drafts. In 1982 the Menzies Family lifted the restriction on most of the Menzies Family and in late 1983 it was decided that Dr Allan Martin should take over as the biographer of Menzies.

Item Descriptions

Series 1. Correspondence, 1960-86

The letters nearly all relate to the research for the biography of Menzies and include letters from members of the Menzies Family, former associates of Menzies, journalists and historians. Some of the correspondence with Menzies deals with contemporary events and politics and there are also a few letters on family matters. The correspondents include Sir Robert Menzies, Heather Henderson, Frank Menzies, Sir Owen Chadwick, John Chadwick, Ronald McNicoll, David McNicoll, Sir James Forrest, Sir Victor Windeyer, Lord Murray, Alfred Stirling, Sir Howard Beale, Sir Charles Court, Geoffrey Nathan, Michael Costigan, Ken Wilder, Richard Ollard, Hazel Craig, Harold Macmillan, Charles Meeking and Lord De L'Isle.

General correspondence, 1972-77 (File 1) - Box 1

General correspondence, 1978-86 (File 2) - Box 1

Correspondence with Collins Publishers, 1971-80 (File 3) - Box 1

Correspondence with Menzies, 1960-72 (File 4) - Box 1

Correspondence with Menzies, 1973-77 (File 5) - Box 1

Series 2. Personal documents, 1922-81

The 1981 diary is an appointment diary. Most of the papers of Sir Alan McNicoll comprise naval commissions and certificates and cuttings. Other papers of Sir Alan McNicoll are held at MS 2164 and MS 8740.

Contract with Collins Publishers, 1974 (File 1) - Box 1

1981 diary (File 2) - Box 1

Papers of Sir Alan McNicoll, 1922-80 (File 3) - Box 1

Series 3. Notes and research material

The research files, whether arranged by subject or date, are relatively uniform, comprising handwritten notes by McNicoll, copies of letters and other papers of Menzies, copies of newspaper articles and cuttings and other printed items. Any original letters of Menzies have been removed and added to the Menzies Papers. The file titles are those used by McNicoll. When received by the Library there was a quantity of loose notes and other research papers. They have been placed in folders 82-91 and no attempt has been made to sort them.

Arts (File 1) - Box 2

Britain (File 2) - Box 2

Britain and the Monarchy (File 3) - Box 2

Cabinet (File 4) - Box 2

Canberra (File 5) - Box 2

Churches (File 6) - Box 2

Common Market (File 7) - Box 2

Commonwealth (File 8) - Box 2

Communism (File 9) - Box 2

Defence (File 10) - Box 3

Education (File 11) - Box 3

H.V. Evatt (File 12) - Box 3

Foreign policy (2 files) (File 13-14) - Box 3

Friends (File 15) - Box 3

Governor-General (File 16) - Box 3

Greek campaign (File 17) - Box 3

Industrial trouble (File 18) - Box 3

Liberal Party (1945) (File 19) - Box 4

Media (File 20) - Box 4

Ministers (File 21) - Box 4

Monarchy and honours (File 22) - Box 4

Personal qualities (File 23) - Box 4

Petrov (File 24) - Box 4

Public Service (File 25) - Box 4

Race relations (File 26) - Box 4

Relations with States (File 27) - Box 4

Retirement and death (2 files) (File 28-29) - Box 5

South Africa and Rhodesia (File 30) - Box 5

Suez (2 files) (File 31-32) - Box 5

Vietnam (3 files) (File 33-35) - Box 5

Wartime (2 files) (File 36-37) - Box 6

Women and family (File 38) - Box 6

World War II (File 39) - Box 6

Untitled (2 files) (File 40-43) - Box 6

1930-37 (File 44) - Box 7

1938 (File 45) - Box 7

1939 (File 46) - Box 7

1940 (File 47) - Box 7

1941 (File 48) - Box 7

August 1941 (2 files) (File 49-50) - Box 7

1942 (File 51) - Box 7

1943 (File 52) - Box 7

1944 (File 53) - Box 7

1945 (File 54) - Box 8

1946 (File 55) - Box 8

1947 (File 56) - Box 8

1948 (File 57) - Box 8

1949 (File 58) - Box 8

1950 (File 59) - Box 8

1951 (File 60) - Box 8

1952 (File 61) - Box 8

1953 (File 62) - Box 8

1954 (File 63) - Box 8

1955 (File 64) - Box 9

1956 (File 65) - Box 9

1957 (File 66) - Box 9

1958 (File 67) - Box 9

1959 (File 68) - Box 9

1960 (File 69) - Box 9

1961 (File 70) - Box 9

1962 (File 71) - Box 9

1963 (File 72) - Box 9

1964 (File 73) - Box 9

1965 (File 74) - Box 10

1966-71 (File 75) - Box 10

1972-73 (File 76) - Box 10

Notebooks (5 files) (File 77-81) - Box 10

Unfiled papers (10 files) (File 82-91) - Box 10, 11

Family (Closed) (File 92-93) - Box 15 (closed)

Series 4. Drafts

The only draft chapter of any length found in the papers relates to Menzies and the Greek campaign of April 1941. It is in typescript with handwritten amendments.

The Greek campaign (File 1) - Box 12

Series 5. Newspaper cuttings, 1941-89

Newspaper cuttings, 1941-69 (File 1) - Box 12

Newspaper cuttings, 1970-72 (File 2) - Box 12

Newspaper cuttings, 1973-79 (File 3) - Box 12

Newspaper cuttings, 1980-89 (File 4) - Box 12

Newspaper cuttings, undated (File 5) - Box 12

Obituaries of Menzies, 1978 (File 6) - Box 12

Series 6. Tapes and transcripts, 1969-73 (Closed)

Interviews with Sir Robert Menzies, May 1972 (File 1-3) - Box 15 (closed)

Interview with Sir Robert Menzies, Dec. 1973 (File 4) - Box 15 (closed)

Interview with Frank Menzies, May 1972 (File 5) - Box 15 (closed)

Miscellaneous transcripts, 1969-73 (File 6) - Box 15 (closed)

Cassette tape recordings (File 7-19) - Box 16 (closed)

Series 7. Miscellaneous papers

Manuscripts of Allan Dawes: diary kept in Nov. 1938 and unpublished account of Menzies' early life entitled 'Eureka's shattered lantern' (File 1) - Box 12

Papers by David Sissons on 1936 trade dispute with Japan, 1975-76 (File 2) - Box 13

Lectures by Menzies, 1935-68 (2 files) (File 3-4) - Box 13

Lectures and essays about Menzies, including lectures by Sir Paul Hasluck and Margaret Thatcher (File 5) - Box 13

Correspondence of Frank Menzies, 1965-78 (File 6) - Box 13

Miscellaneous papers (3 files) (File 7-9) - Box 13

Publications (2 files) (File 10-11) - Box 14

Australia. Report of the Royal Commission on Espionage, 22 August 1955 (Menzies' copy) (File 12) - Box 14

Obituary of Menzies by Sir Frederick White, 1979 (File 13) - Box 14


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