[Sierra Leone Content] – Luke, Harry Charles.

Collection of ninetythree (93) [Multi-Page] Manuscript Letters Signed (MLS) / Autographed Letters Signed (ALS) – from Harry Luke sent home in the years 1908 – 1911 to his Father, Mother & Sister during his posting as Private Secretary to the Governor of Sierra Leone, Sir Leslie Probyn. With private but also lots of official news from the Colonies and including strong impressions by Harry Luke on his very first posting as an official for the Colonial Office. A fantastic collection of letters, re-introduced into Harry Luke’s private library after the death of his parents. Of great interest regarding the becoming of a colonial officer, Luke shares in these letters his adventures as much as his thoughts and worries about which career-path to take. These 93 letters give an extraordinarily detailed insight into the career of an Etonian and Trinity College Oxford Alumni, turning Colonial Officer, just prior of The Great War at the time of the ascent of contemporaries as eminent as Churchill & Bonar Law.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Freetown / “S.S.Nigeria”, November 1908 – January 1911. Octavo. From the personal collection of Sir Harry Luke.

This collection of Letters includes the following, 93 manuscript letters:

All of these letters are multi-page-letters !
Many of these letters have very interesting content besides family, travel etc. but we only mentioned the content of a few !

Letters from Sierra Leone in the Year 1908:

1 – 26th of September 1908 – First Letter from Harry Luke to his parents, upon him starting his journey to the very first posting of his career for the Colonial Office. He writes on Stationery from the S.S.Karina (African Steamship Company):

″My dear Father & Mother, thank you so much for your Wire. I am just sending off this line by the pilots’ boat to say that so far all is well. I got up all right & the ship seems quite nice if not very large. Probyn is not accompanied by his family, but Mrs. P. has come on board to see him off. She is a nice distinguished looking woman. She told me that they had hoped of his getting promotion at no very distant date. I will write a long letter from the Canariesbut no more for the present. With much love to both of you – Your loving son Harry – I had such a nice Steamer letter from Lily″

2 – 1st of October 1908 – Letter from Harry Luke to his sister Lily
Written on Stationery of the S.S.Karina on his way to the Canary Islands and then towards Sierra Leone

″My dear Lily, tomorrow we get to the Canary Island (where I believe not a single Canary lives) & so I can post a letter. There is little news…The Trip has been dull so far….There are few nice people on board….I hope to go on shore tomorrow at Las Palmas….We expect to get in to Sierra Leone next Tuesday, latest Wednesday…Your loving brother H.″

3. 11th October 1908 – Letter from Harry Luke to Father & Mother
First ever letter written by Harry Luke on official Government Stationery (Stationery of “Colony of Sierra Leone”):

″Dear Father & Mother, we arrived safely on Wednesday 7 & landed with great pomp as enclosed photos will show. After the reception at the whart we got into our Hammocks (there are no horses or carriages – you walk & are carried in hammocks) & were borne up to Government House through a row of wildly cheering ahouting & leaping people (blacks of course – there are no Whites except officials). Ten minutes after our arrival, up came a deputation of 160 citizens of Freetown to offer an address of welcome to the Governor. They were Marshalled on the lawn – the Governor stood in the middle under a huge umbrela & I beside him & he made a speech at the end of which he alluded to me & formally introduced me….″

4. 12th of October 1908 – Letter from Harry Luke to his sister Lily
Written on Stationery of the “Colony of Sierra Leone”:

″My dear Lily, thanks so much for your amusing letter of September 27th. It is good you being moved up & Miss Wyatt giving you books on Dante. Perhaps if you let her see you glancing at the works of other distinguished writers, you may thus be able to form a library. SInce beginning this letter I had 3 interruptions. The orderly who wants his pass, the Gardener who wants 150 ft of Garden hose, & the Attorney General who wants the Governor – So you see what my life is. I enclose for your Edification a letter from a native chief. These are among the things I have to answer…..I have such a funny black servant or ‘boy’ as they are called here. He is my own servant, not the Governors. At first I had an Indian, but did not like him, so I got him another job & got this boy Morbie – He is coalblack with wooly hair & a broad grin & perhaps if he behaves well I will bring him home. He is about 19 & valets very well & I pay him 30s a month…..Now tata – Much love Your brother H.″

5. 18th October 1908 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of the “Colony of Sierra Leone″

6. 25th October 1908 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of the “Colony of Sierra Leone″

7. 2nd November 1908 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father & Mother
Written on Stationery of the “Colony of Sierra Leone″

8. 7th November 1908 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father & Mother
Written on Stationery of the “Colony of Sierra Leone″

9. 12th November 1908 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

10. 12th November 1908 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

11. 21st November 1908 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Sister Lily
Written on Stationery of the “Colony of Sierra Leone″

12. 21st November 1908 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of the “Colony of Sierra Leone″

13. 21st November 1908 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of the “Colony of Sierra Leone″

14. 26th November 1908 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of the “Colony of Sierra Leone″

15. 28th November 1908 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of the “Colony of Sierra Leone″

16. 28th November 1908 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Sister Lily
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

17. 11th December 1908 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father & Mother
Written on Stationery of the “Colony of Sierra Leone″

18. 12th December 1908 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Sister Lily
Written on Stationery of the “Colony of Sierra Leone″

19. 31st of December 1908 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of the “Colony of Sierra Leone”.

Fascinating letter with great detail about Harry’s life in his new role:

″My dear Father, as you have not heard from me for three weeks you will no doubt have gathered that I was away in the bush….Out there, I neither had a chance of writing, nor did I receive my mails, so on my return here I found three letters from you awaiting me”.
We further learn that Harry tries to help his father to sell Automobiles (″I am interested to see about the Automobiles”) and Tramways (″Funds are not available, even for much more pressing things than Tramways”) to Sierra Leone.
″However, it may in time be possible to substitute them for the present less uncomfortable ‘Mountain Railway’ which runs through the town & up to the Hill Station.

How observing of you to have noticed Aldrich’s Lecture [that was Thomas Joshua Alldridge (1847-1916) – British colonial administrator who was the first district commissioner of Sierra Leone]”.
″He is not a man who enjoys the consideration of the Good out here. He was originally a commercial traveller out here about 30 years ago, got to know a certain amount about the country & in the Early Days of the Protectorate, when few white men knew it, & it was just being opened up, he was made District Commissioner, as being one of the few Europeans who had been there. He was not competent & retired on a pension 4 years ago, since when he is trying to hang on as a sort of concession hunter”.

″We had a most interesting time in the bush….The object of this bush trip was to enquire into a district which was being oppressed & terrorized by a man named Domingo, who as the paramount chief was an old woman nearly 90 years of age & in her second childhood, took advantage of her old age to run the chiefdom to enrich himself, he being a trader.The ‘palaver’ lasted 3 1/2 days & was really exciting. The fellow is very able to defend himself skilfully. The poor old Chieftainess (who looked just like Queen Victoria would have looked had she been black) was very pathetic & could only say when asked to answer certain questions, “Governor, I can’t remember ; I am an old woman & my mind is undone”. The Story is too long to write in detail, but I will tell you about it on my return. The old Lady, probably to her great relief, was deposed (in quite a friendly way) & the tyrant was relieved of all authority, to the almost hysterical delight of all the natives of the villages of the chiefdom, to whom the news was immediately made known″


Letters from Sierra Leone in the Year 1909:

20. 1st January 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of the “Colony of Sierra Leone″

21. 8th January 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father & Mother
Written on Stationery of the “Government House – Sierra Leone″

22. 17th January 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of the “Government House – Sierra Leone″

23. 19th January 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his sister Lily
Written on Stationery of the “Government House – Sierra Leone″

24. 30th January 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of the “Government House – Sierra Leone″

25. 30th January 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of the “Government House – Sierra Leone″

26. 6th February 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of the “Government House – Sierra Leone″

27. 6th February 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of the “Government House – Sierra Leone″

28. 12th February 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father & Mother
Written on Stationery of the “Government House – Sierra Leone″

29. 17th February 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of the “Government House – Sierra Leone″

30. 19th February 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of the “Government House – Sierra Leone″

31. 3rd March 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of the “Governor – Sierra Leone” (Blindstamped with Governor Seal)

Interesting 8-page Letter in which Harry Luke reports in detail about a trip to the Karene District of Sierra Leone:

″My dear Father, we returned on Feb 27 (1909) from the Karene District (in the North of the Protectorate). Where we had a very interesting time. The Governor had not been there for 14 years & there was a big assembly of paramount chiefs of the Timini Tribe (Mohammedans) there to meet us. They were mostly dressed in their Coronation robes & were extremely picturesque. I hope to send you some photos later on”.

Luke goes in extreme detail about his wish to move for Probyn’s post and writes about trouble in neighbouring Liberia: “As to the Liberia Complication, Gunboats etc. etc. I know about all these things long before Earle [that was Sir Lionel Earle] or Crewe [Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe – Secretary of State for the Colonies]. ….Liberia is a ridiculous State & horribly mismanaged”. The letter inlcudes lots of detail about conflict, “putting secret cables into cipher” etc. etc.

″There is a lot of business between the F.O. [Foreign Office] and Liberia, but that is done largely with President Barclay [Arthur Barclay, 15th President of Liberia from 1904 – 1912] direct & largely through our Consul-General at Monrovia, Wallis [Charles Braithwaite Wallis], whom I know very well”.

Luke continues to scheme with his father about future prospects for his career and they talk about Luke joining the Yeomanry Regiment of the Westminster Dragoons but Harry is not sure because he believes “My Horsemanship also will need a lot of improving before I could join. Also, a Territorial Regt. with a pompous name of Westminster Dr[agoons] is liable to excite some ridicule among officers of the regular army”.

The letter contains much more detail worth mentioning !

32. 8th March 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

Important Letter regarding Harry Luke’s future plans in which he intensely involves his father.
Also the first letter in which Luke writes about a first publication “sending you…my first chapter & corrected version of the old one”.
Luke informs his father that he has spoken to the Governor [Sir Leslie Probyn] “about my prospects – I think he proposes to write to Earle about me & we presume Earle will show it to Hopwood” [Francis John Stephens Hopwood, 1st Baron Southborough – Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies].
Luke asks his father: “Can you diplomatically find out from Earle whether he thinks it would be best to try (through him & Hopwood & get Probyn’s recommendation) to obtain a position in the Secretariat of some Colony when P[robyn] leaves Sierra Leone or stay with him, provided he agrees to keep me on for one or 2 or 3 years, and then try for a higher post. Earle will be able to say. Which will be better policy”.

33. 8th March 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

34. 11th March 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

35. 17th March 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of the “Governor – Sierra Leone” (Blindstamped with Governor Seal)

″I am delighted I had so many Endorsements at the Club & that I am now a member. I have written to Oppenheim, Lang & Austen Lee to thank them…” / “Earle was perfectly right about the vancant post of ADC to an important Governor. A [?] military job would be of no use to me in the future, & I am going to stick to the Colonial Service, which, unless anything Good in the political line turns up at home, seems to be the best thing I can do, my present post is more which to help me on in that line. I trust Earle is keeping his Eyes open in case a good opening occurs, or if, better still, a job can be Effected”.

36. 18th March 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of “Government House, Sierra Leone” [also loosely inserted Luke sent home parts of the “Sierra Leone Royal Gazette” in which Luke is mentioned as Private Secretary to Probyn and another clipping mentioning Luke’s return to Freetown from the Ronietta District on the 25th ultimo, where he travelled together with Probyn.

37. 7th of April 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of “Government House, Sierra Leone″

38. 7th of April 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of “Government House, Sierra Leone″

39. 8th of April 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Sister Lily
Written on Stationery of “Government House, Sierra Leone″

40. 15th of April 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of “Government House, Sierra Leone″

41. 15th of April 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of “Government House, Sierra Leone″

42. 19th of April 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of “Government House, Sierra Leone″

43. 22nd of April 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother & Sister Lily
Written on Stationery of “Government House, Sierra Leone″

44. 26th of April 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of “Government House, Sierra Leone″

45. 29th of April 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of “Government House, Sierra Leone″

46. 24th of May 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father & Mother
Written on Stationery of “Government House, Sierra Leone″

Luke writes home after a longer stay at Sherbro [Sherbro Island, Sierra Leone]:

″We got back from Sherbro 3 days ago, returning by Steamer, which was a most delightful change, & are off again in 1/2 hour into the centre of the country to settle a boundary dispute between two chiefs. In the meantime I had to finish off a section of the Report on the Blue Book, which took me all my time. I am so glad you like my second chapter – I just wish I had time to get on more with it, but I mean to devote all my leave …to the book. We sail, as at present arranged, on Aug 7th. On July 22 the citizens of Freetown are giving Probyn a banquet as a mark of appreciation for all he has done for them.”

47. 11th of June 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of “Government House, Sierra Leone″

48. 16th of July 1909 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Sister Lily
Written on Stationery of “Government House, Sierra Leone″

Luke writes to his sister in great haste before he catches a Steamer.
Luke embarks on a longer trip and will only write again a few months later,
at the end of the year 1909.

49. 31st of December 1909 – Letter from Harry luke to his Father & Mother & Sister Lily
Written on Stationery of “73, Eaton Square, S.W.″

Luke wishes everyone a happy new year and regrets that he can not be with his family but is happy to be home.
Luke talks about how he met two Sierra Leone Officials at a recent wedding and how he was introduced to Sie Leslie Probyn (senior). He then goes on to tell his parents that the ship which will take him back to Sierra Leone is the “Nigeria” and Luke continues: “I went to Dinner with the Buckle’s (he is Editor of the Times). Pirie-Gordon is staying with them & is Engaged to Miss Buckle who is an extremely pretty & nice girl.They were all very pleasant & interested about Sierra Leone…″

Letters from Sierra Leone in the Year 1910:

50. 5th of January 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father and Mother
Written on the Steamship “S.S.Nigeria”, using the Stationery of the African Steamship Company

51. 10th of January 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father and Mother
Written on the Steamship “S.S.Nigeria”, using the Stationery of the African Steamship Company

52. 17th of January 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father and Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

53. 31st of January 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

54. 7th of February 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father and Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

55. 14th of February 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

56. 14th of February 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

57. 27th of February 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

58. 13th of March 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of the “Colony of Sierra Leone″

59. 14th of March 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

60. 21st of March 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

61. 21st of March 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of the “Colony of Sierra Leone″

62. 23rd of March 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father and Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

63. 3rd of April 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of the “Colony of Sierra Leone″

64. 3rd of April 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Darling Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

65. 10th of April 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father, Mother & Sister Lily
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

66. 18th of April 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

67. 1st of May 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

68. 2nd of May 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

69. 7th of May 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father and Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

70. 15th of May 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

71. 29th of May 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

72. 30th of May 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Darling Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

73. 5th of June 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father and Mother
Written on Stationery of the “Colony of Sierra Leone″

74. 13th of June 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father and Mother
Written on Stationery of the “Colony of Sierra Leone″

[″A German Gunboat, the “Eber”, was here last week, Captain Lustig [which means “Funny”]. He kunched with the Governor”]

75. 19th of June 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father and Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

76. 19th of July 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

77. 4th of July 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

78. 10th of July 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father and Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

79. 17th of July 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

80. 17th of July 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of the “Colony of Sierra Leone″

81. 24th of July 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father and Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

82. 1st of August 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Darling Mother
Written on Stationery of the “Colony of Sierra Leone″

83. 7th of August 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

84. 14th of August 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father and Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

85. 4th of September 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

86. 3rd of October 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

87. 8th of October 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

88. 10th of October 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

89. 23rd of October 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

90. 29th of October 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Darling Mother
Written on Stationery of the “Colony of Sierra Leone″

91. 30th of October 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

92. 6th of November 1910 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Mother
Written on Stationery of Government House, Sierra Leone

Letter from the Year 1911:

93. 4th of January 1911 – Letter from Harry Luke to his Father and Mother
Written on Stationery of 73 Eaton Square, shortly before leaving again for Sierra Leone

″Please Father, don’t forget about Bonar Law. Mention, but without laying too much stress on it, that I was active on the Conservative side at Oxford & President of the Strafford Club, one of the conservative varsity Clubs”.

• Keywords: Africa – Rare · ALS · ALS (Autographed Letter – signed) · Autograph – Rare · Autographed Letter – signed · British Colonial Administration · British Colonial History · British Foreign Office · British Foreign Policy · Colonial administrators · Colonial History · Colonial History – Rare · Harry Luke – Sierra Leone I (1908 – 1911) · Luke, Sir Harry · Manuscript · Manuscript / Autograph – Rare · Manuscript History Rare · Manuscript Letter Rare · Manuscript Letter Signed · Sierra Leone · Sierra Leone / First Posting 1908-1911 – Sir Harry Luke · Sierra Leone / Sir Harry Luke Collection · Sierra Leone Content (Autographed Letter Signed – ALS) · Sierra Leone Content / Sir Harry Luke Collection · Sierra Leone Correspondence · Sir Harry Luke · Sir Harry Luke – Personal Archive of Books and Correspondence · Sir Harry Luke Collection
• Language: English
• Inventory Number: 31745AB

EUR 275.000,--