81. [Malta Content] – [Luke, Sir Harry / Lukach, Harry].

Correspondance of 10 letters between Sir Harry Luke and Commander J.R. Clay of Clay’s Marine Steering Gear Limited on behalf of his father J.H.Luke, who was a partner in the company and held a patent on Steering Gear used in the ships of the ‘White Star Line’ from which J.H. Luke hoped to get an income. Sir Harry took over the correspondance from his father who fell ill during the year 1930. The collection of letters is very interesting in regard of the company’s relation ot The Stottpool Steamship Company’ – the fate of the company being discussed in the paper as ‘COMPANY WITHOUT CAPITAL’ – Nothing coming in or going out (Owner were: J.H.Luke / Sir A. Henry Mc Mahon / Comm. J.R.Clay / Lord Southborough / Sir Harry receives information from Commander Clay in a letter from July 17th, 1930 regarding the fact that ‘We have not had any further orders for the Gear, but as previously mentioned to you there is another Motor Vessel similar to the ’″Britannic” building in Belfast for the White Star Line, and we should be able to get the order for her’. The correspondance goes into detail: ‘You will note from the pamphlet which i prepared that the new helm order will become law on the 30th of June 1931. When in Belfast on the trials of the “Brittanic” I met one of the Committee of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea…..He represents the Gyro Compass Company in London and i hopeto bring him to see you as I consider he will be able to help us considerably by recommending the adoption of the Steering Gear Device.’ / The correspondance mainly between Liverpool and Sir Harry Luke’s summer – address in Alt-Aussee, Steiermark, Austria. / The correspondance also includes a manuscript letter in which Sir Harry writes about his fathers illness and wonders if it is really worthwhile to renew the patent in light of the fact ‘that for so many years hardly any line except th White Star Line has adopted the Gear’. [The collection also includes a further 8 letters and also the papers of the estate of Sir Harry’s father. Sir Harry corresponds with his families solicitor, Oliver Dayrell Paget Paget-Cooke and besides the technicalities of the estate also encourages him to visit Malta / one page also on stationery of “The Palace – Malta”].

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Octavo. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

82. [Pacific Content] – [Luke, Harry Sir / Lukach, Harry] Arthur Richards, 1st Baron Milverton.

Eight – page – Manuscript letter (MLS) to Sir Harry together with a 27-page manuscript-evaluation of local personnell at Government House (Fiji) as well as local politicians and possible agitators in Fiji and the British Western Pacific Territories from Arthur Richards, 1st Baron Milverton, in his capacity as Governor of Fiji and High Commissioner of the British Western Pacific Territories. This letter and the manuscript evaluations were sent by Richards on July 10th, 1938, on Stationery from Government House (Fiji) in order to inform Luke of the special situation of the posting before Sir Harry would take over the post (from 1938 – 1942). Very intriguing insights into colonial portraiture of possible troublemakers in the colonial service, excellent service men, clerks, and also recommendations for promotions etc. Arthur Richards evaluation of Sir Alport Barker, owner of ‘The Fiji Times & Herald’ is exemplary for the opinionated report to Sir Harry and one of the remarkable reports on ‘European Members of the Legislative Council on Fiji and the British Western Pacific Territories: ‘Aplort Barker – Has been an elected member for about twelve years, ex-mayor of Suva, owns the Fiji Times = Herald – Member of Executive Council / Has a small-minded, narrow outlook partly the result of physical disability. Lame from early days owing to infantile paralysis. Very anxious to get a knighthood. He has an intimate knowledge of local affairs and is often useful. He could be more useful if he were not so petty and spiteful.Very sensitive of slights, real on imaginary. / Apolosi [that was Apolosi Nawai] – Arthur Richards describes him as follows: ‘Apolosi – A man of the people. Fijian agitator & leader. The John the Baptist of a possible future. An ignorant misguided man with a great natural flair for speaking. Can sway words + is to some extent feared by the Chiefs because of his influence. The papers on him are worth reading. He is at present banished to Rotuma but the term expires at the end of 1939, when despite filaria + increasing age (he is well over 50) he will be a man to be watched. / Arthur Richards goes on to report on the ‘Council of Chiefs (Fiji)’’ where matters of interest to the Fijian people are discussed, resolutions are passed and answers are given’ – He informs Sir Harry that ‘The Council has been postponed until Oct. 18th [1938] to enable you to preside. The position of Governor carries immense prestige with the Fijians’. Richards also informs Luke that ‘no ladies, except the Governor’s wife should be present at the opeimus’. In total Arthur Richards talks about c. 32 people in his evaluations and he also gives Sir Harry Luke some information on the Coconut Estates on Fiji, Mines, Suva Yacht Club etc. He goes on to talk about Sir Harry Luke’s arrival and swearing in as governor and taking the oath ‘the whole being relayed over the wireless’ / ‘I assure you that the whole of Fiji + much of the Western Pacific will be listening in, so make a good speech.’ / Magnificent, confidential report between two important representatives of the British Empire during a very sensitive period of world history.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Suva (Fiji), Government House, 1938. Octavo / Quarto From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

83. [Palestine Content] – [Luke, Harry / Lukach, Harry] / Pirie-Gordon, Harry.

Fantastic letter from Harry Pirie-Gordon to Sir Harry Luke’s father, helping him to solve an issue regarding a Napoleon-letter / Correspondence between Professor Jean la Cecilia (Professeur d’Anglais au Lycee de Foix), J.H.Luke, the editor of THE TIMES and subsequently a letter from J.H.Luke reporting the outcome to Sir Harry Luke, regarding an original Napoleon – letter, and Napoleon’s Services to European Peace. Interesting correspondence and newspaper – clipping of the published article as a consequence of the correspondence. With some interesting, patriotic remarks. Also included a wonderful letter from J.H.Luke to his son Harry Luke in Palestine on occasion of Luke regarding the Napoleon-letter-incident Priri-Gordon helped him with and to express his disappointment that Harry and family can not holiday with him because he is succeeding (or standing in for) Lord Plumer [that is Field Marshal Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer] in his role as High Commissioner of the British mandate in Palestine: “The one …i can find in that ‘acting’ for a man like Lord Plumer at the outset will add to your prestige…”.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. London / Cap de la Ville (Foix), 1928. Octavo. Five letters in total. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

84. [Private Materials Sir Harry Luke] – [Luke, Harry Sir / Lukach, Harry]. Luke, Peter / Luke, Michael.

Important typescript mentioning Cyprus, with manuscript annotations by Sir Harry Luke – the typescript is a copy of a letter which Sir Harry Luke wrote to his son Michael Luke on December 1st, 1963 from his residence in 96 Hellas Street, Kyrenia and Luke informs his son of Harrap (Publisher) urging him on to publish a revised edition of his Cyprus book. Luke writes: “The day before i left Harraps asked me if I would be willing to do a revised edition of my Cyprus book. I did not even know that the stock was down to its last few copies. I naturally said yes, and that is what i am working on now. It is involving, in fact, quite a bit of thought and work because I will have to trace the painful transition from British Crown Colony, which Cyprus was then, to Independent republic.” – Luke also reflects on the recent assassination of JFK: “The Dallas outrage is indeed a world tragedy. Not only is it the case that the world’s most valuable life of the moment has been taken; we have all lost something young, buoyant and infinitely engaging”.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. London, 1964. Octavo. Thirteen (13) letters and one Telegram and one photograph in total: 6 Letters from Peter Luke to his father, Sir Harry Luke / 2 manuscript draft – letters from Harry Luke / 2 annotated typescripts by Sir Harry Luke / 1 Letter from Michael Luke to his father, Sir Harry Luke / 1 Letter from Lloyds Bank to Sir Harry Luke / 1 Letter from June Luke (Peter Luke’s wife) in which June refers to the tragedy Cyprus is experiencing during the intercommunal violence between the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots on “Bloody Christmas”. June Luke is feeling with Sir Harry Luke “…i hear you have been through so many rebellions and revolutions that this will seem nothing ! – But all the same it must be very depressing for you to witness such turmoil in a country that you love so well”. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

85. [Private Materials Sir Harry Luke] – [Luke, Harry Sir/ Lukach, Harry].

‘Correspondence regarding the burial of my dear mother Eugenie Luke, who died during the War in 1941, while I was in the Pacific and her subsequent Exhumation and Cremation in Paris’.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. London / Paris, 1956. Octavo. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

86. [Family History of Sir Harry Luke / Zamarski] – [Luke, Harry Sir / Lukach, Harry] / Pirie-Gordon, Christopher.

Correspondence regarding the portrait of Sir Harry Luke’s Grandfather L.C.Zamarski / A painting, depicting the influential viennese publisher L.C.Zamarski was auctioned / sold without the knowledge of Sir Harry and he tries in several letters to persuade the new owner of the painting to sell it to him. Sir Harry writes these letters in impeccable german ! Luke is supported by Christopher Pirie-Gordon (3 letters on stationery of the British Consulate in Innsbruck) [Christopher Pirie-Gordon was the son of his friend Harry Pirie-Gordon].

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Octavo. Seven (7) letters. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

87. [Private Materials Sir Harry Luke] – [Black Friday 1929 / Lukach, J.H.] Consolidated Gold Fields of New Zealand / Westinghouse Bremen Gesellschaft (Germany) .

Stock Certificate / Papers, correspondence and ephemera from the estate of J.H.Lukach: Interesting letters from Westinghouse Brake & Saxby Signal Company (Sir Harry Luke has discovered that his father had shares in the Westinghouse Bremen Gesellschaft (Germany) and the several letters refer to the transfer of shares just shortly after Black Friday / Typescript of a letter by J.H.Lukach to Westinghouse, thanking him for ‘your kindness in giving me an option on 500 Shares of the Societe Anonyme Westinghouse’ / Old stocks as well as J.H.Lukach’s will including a letter from solicitor Laurence Alfred Baker (20, Copthall Avenue and Stock Exchange, London) to Harry Luke in which he urges Sir Harry Luke to destroy the certificate of the New Zealand Gold Company to prevent a query into its value cropping up again – Laurence Alfred Baker also indirectly refers to the recent crash at the stockmarket by mentioning: ‘It is most interesting, and no doubt significant, that in bad times such as these, when one might almost say that everything is falling, there is a definite and persistant demand for Consolidated Signal and Westinghouse Shares. / Also included is extensive documentation of J.H.Lukach’s estate etc. / Old IOU’s / One postcard to Harry Luke Esq. in Alt-Aussee (Austria) – from his father / One letter to Sir Harry in Kensington from a source undeciphered (1965) / Original, hungarian documentation (certificate) of the name J.H.Luke / Lease documentation of Ashley Gardens in the City of Westminster /

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. London etc., c.1910 – 1930. Octavo.

88. [Private Materials Sir Harry Luke] – [Luke, Sir Harry / Lukach, Harry] Luke, Peter.

Two emotional letters from writer Peter Luke to his father, Sir Harry Luke. One of the letters from ‘The Shelbourne’ in Dublin (10th of April 1949) to Sir Harry while he is possibly travelling in Brazil, in which Peter Luke makes fun of his father giving him the middle names ‘Ambrose Cyprian’ and also mentioning that ‘By the way, just in case you meet any business people in Brazil, C& Co. are interested in exporting Port, Sherry + Irish Whisky to that country – Bon voyage – your affectionate son Peter’ / One of the letters from Peter Luke’s address in London discusses the wish to relocate to the Oxford area and contemplating if the location is right for his commute to work and Sir Harry obviously wants to help. Peter Luke informs him that he thinks 5000 pounds would do the trick but he was not sure ‘what your limit is’.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Dublin / London, 1949. Octavo. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

89. [Caribbean Content] – [Luke, Sir Harry / Lukach, Harry].

Manuscript letter, signed, from colonial administrator, Sir Ronald Herbert Garvey on stationery from Government House, Belize, during his Governorship of British Honduras (1949) to Sir Harry Luke regarding the necessary refurbishment of Government House in Belize: ’‘They are tying me down to a pathetic 750000 pounds when I need 10 million pounds’ – Good God ! Wake up England !!!’

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Belize, 1949. Octavo. 1 Letter. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

90. [Malta Content] – [Luke, Sir Harry / Lukach, Harry].

Original photographic plate of Edward Cruana Dingli’s painting of Sir Harry Luke.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Octavo. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.