91. [Ecclesiastical Content] – Luke, Harry Charles / Bertram, Sir Anton.

Report Of The Commission. Appointed By The Government Of Palestine To Inquire Into The Affairs Of The Orthodox Patriarchate Of Jerusalem.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. London / Edinburgh / Glasgow, etc. Oxford University Press, 1921. 22,5 cm x 15 cm. VI, 336 pages. Original Hardcover. Harry Luke’s (Lukach) personal copy. Frayed, bent corners, slight tear and cocking to spine. Otherwise in fair condition. Pages 316 to 336 have some damage, a few words are not readable as a result.

92. [Ecclesiastical Content] – [Luke, Sir Harry / Lukach, Harry Charles] / Bell, George Kennedy Allen (Bishop of Chichester, later Dean of Canterbury) / Mar Ignatius Elias III (Patriarch of Antioch and Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church) / Davidson, Randall T. (Archbishop of Canterbury / Douglas, John Albert (Dean of St.Luke’s) / R.F.Borough (Chaplain in Constantinople).

Collection of significant Documents and exchange of letters regarding “Intercommunion between the Anglican Church and Orthodox Syrian Church”. The documents and letters show a string of stunning developments during the last days of the Ottoman Empire, between Mar Ignatius and the Archbishop of Canterbury in which the tensions between Churches, the charged atmosphere of the outgoing Ottoman Empire and fragility of the Patriarchate in Jerusalem are manifested in these communications. Striking also the clarity with which is determined that all parties have to avoid to anger the Turks and avoid having the Turks think that Mar Ignatius “is trying to form some political alliance with the British”. See all documents listed below and some highlights mentioned here: Typed Letter Signed (TLS) with manuscript annotations by the later Dean of Canterbury, George Bell, sent to Commander H[arry] Luke while Luke was in Venice during October 2022. The letter is accompanied by two Typescripts of letters between the Archbishop of Canterbury (then Randall Davidson) and Mar Ignatius as well as a highly confidential Memorandum which outlines the very delicate topic of Mar Ignatius asking the Archbishop if he would be “prepared to authorise and arrange that the Syrian Orthodox (Jacobites) in America and elsewhere who were outside the ministrations of their own clergy should be [could be] mininistered to by Anglican Priests”. According to the Memorandum, compiled and sent by Rev. John Albert Douglas, Vicar of S. Luke’s, to “Commander Luke” in October 1922, the highly conflicting topic of “Intercommunion between the Anglican Church and Orthodox Syrian Church”, started “in the autumn of 1920” and the correspondence before us presents the culmination of a two year long, significant correspondence between Lambeth Palace (Archbishop of Canterbury) and the Syrian Patriarchat in Antioch (Mar Ignatios – Elias III). Harry Luke was sought out as intermediate after it became clear that Mar Ignatius had either misunderstood items in the communication or was stalling and the Memorandum suggests that Luke, “possibly with Archdeacon Waddy” should call to Mar Ignatios and “remind him what it was and why it was that the Archbishop of Canterbury wrote to him”. The mediation, hoped for from Luke, was at time clearly based on Luke’s experience in the region and the letter from George Bell suggests he is hought to be the solution to this delicate matter. The Typescript of the Letter from Randall Davidson to Mar Ignatius is of great importance due to the Archbishop and Mar Ignatius firstly establish in no uncertain terms the righteousness of either faith. Randall Davidson, satisfied by this, agrees that “It is now my privilege in consequence of these communications to authorise these recognised members of the Orthodox Syrian Church who, being prevented from access to their own clergy, desire to receive the Holy Communion, or to have their children being baptised, or their marriage solemnized, to avail themselves of the ministration of our clergy”.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Canterbury / Jerusalem / Camberwell [South London], June – November, 1922. Octavo / Quarto. Eight Documents [Letters and Typescripts]. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

93. [Ecclesiastical Content] – [Luke, Sir Harry / Lukach, Harry] / Archbishop of Canterbury, Randall T. Davidson / Davidson, Randall Thomas (1st Baron Davidson of Lambeth, GCVO, PC).

Typed Letter Signed (TLS) from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Randall T. Davidson, to Harry Luke, then Assistant Governor of Jerusalem: ‘Dear Mr.Luke, I thank you very cordially for your ‘Handbook of Palestine’. I am sure that such a book has for some time been wanted – a book a little different from the mere guide-book. You have now met the need, so far as I can judge, most effectively. I am yours very truly Randall T. Canterbury.’

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Canterbury, Lambeth Palace, 20th of October, 1922. Octavo. One page with original envelope. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

94. [Ecclesiastical Content] – [Luke, Sir Harry / Lukach, Harry] Bell, George Kennedy Allen.

Typed Letter Signed (TLS) on Lambeth Palace stationery from Bishop George Kennedy Allen Bell to Sir Harry Luke: ‘My dear Luke – very many thanks for your letter and kind congratulations. I am sending this in duplicate to Jerusalem and to the St. James’ Club. I should greatly like to see you when you are in London if this is possible. I do not disguise the sorrow with which I hear of your impending departure from Jerusalem. The loss of yourself following so soon after Deedes’ [Brigadier General Sir Wyndham Henry Deedes] departure must be a great loss to Palestine and in particular to the Patriarchate. I am also very sorry to hear that Barron [J.B.Barron of the Palestine Land Commision Weights and Measure Commission] is leaving and I wonder what is going to happen to the Commission and all its affairs. I shall be leaving Lambeth on March 31st and spending ten days in the Lakes: then I go down at once to Canterbury where I shall be from April 12th to May 5th. I shall be in London for about a fortnight from May 5th onwards. I would greatly like to see you if you are about at that time. Yours very sincerely, G.K.A. Bell.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Lambeth Palace, 18th March 1924. Octavo. 1 page with original envelope. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

95. [Mesopotamia / Mosul Content] – [Luke, Sir Harry / Lukach, Harry].

Wonderful example of the research trips Harry Luke made for his later publications: Copy of a full page letter Sir Harry wrote from Mosul to his father in 1924: “My dear Father, only a hearty line in the state of great rush to tell you that we safely accomplished the Journey across the desert from Jerusalem to Damascus to Baghdad, though it took us 5 days instead of 2 and a half owing to breakdown and sticking in the mud etc. At one place, half way across the desert, we stuck for 20 hours. We left Jerusalem on the 9th and got to Baghdad on the 14th at noon and had to leave that same evening for Mosul, as the trains only go twice a week. We had 15 hours in the train to the Northern terminus of the Baghdad Railway and then 75 miles by car. We are being put up by the British Political Officer here, in a charming house. Today I have been out all day in neighbouring Jacobite and Chaldean villages and monasteries and this evening visited one of the persons I had especially come here to Kurdistan to see, namely the hereditary Patriarch of the Nestorians, now a boy of 15, who has been Patriarch for 3 years, an attractive shy lad who not officiating as Patriarch plays football with the other Nestorian children. Tomorrow we go out to the Shrine of the Yezidis, or Devil-worshippers, in the company of their hereditary Emir (who I am told is always tight). We leave here on the 20th for Bagdad and then straight back to Jerusalem.”

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Mosul, 1924. Octavo. One and a half page – Typescript Letter. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

96. [Mesopotamia / Nineveh / Iraq] – Luke, Harry Charles.

Mosul And Its Minorities [Harry Luke’s personal working copy, identifying it as such also on the endpaper / Manuscript annotations and markings on many pages with corrections and additions, possibly for a second edition].

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. London, Martin Hopkinson & Co., Ltd., 1925. 22,5 cm x 15 cm. IX, 161 pages, 16 illustrations on Plates and three (3) small maps printed within the text. Hardcover / Original publisher’s cloth with gilt lettering on spine. Poor condition of the binding. Spine cracked, almost detached. A few loosely inserted plates. Otherwise in fair condition. From the personal collection of Sir Harry Luke.

97. [Sierra Leone Content] – Luke, Harry.

Manuscript Letter Signed (MLS) / Autographed Letter Signed (ALS) from Harry Luke to his Father & Mother during his posting as Colonial Secretary of Sierra Leone with interesting content about two of his books [″Anatolica” and “Mosul”]. Written on Stationery of the “Governor of Sierra Leone”, Luke writes home in May 1926, during a heatwave “the worst reknown in Freetown in living memory”. Luke talks about “an unbroken series of visitors, including the O-G party, a Portuguese Naval Squadron, a British Educational Musician, an American ditto, an International Medical Study Tour of Doctors promoted by the League of Nations, comprising 16 Medical Officers of 12 nationalities & finally Empire Day, when I had to harangue 2000 Schoolchildren….”. Luke continues about the situation of his family-travels and his wife Joyce making plans for a holiday in Kent but then interestingly talks about his publication “Anatolica”: “….so, the price of “Anatolica” has not yet been reduced ; & it is not in the interest of the reputation of a bookto suffer that fate. I do not therefore want to suggest it to mau., tho’ they may themselves decide to do it some time. There must be several hundred copies in stock. “Mosul” sales so far about 600 copies”. Luke closes with “I enclose a group [photo] taken when Ormsby-Gore was here….With much love From your son Harry”.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. [Sierra Leone], 25th of May, 1926. Quarto. 4 pages on two leaves. From the personal collection Sir Harry Luke.

98. [Sierra Leone Content] – [Luke, Harry / Lukach, Harry].

Collection of 16 letters (often multipage – letters) from Sir Harry Luke’s employed nanny who looked after the children while Sir Harry and his wife were posted in Sierra Leone. One letter also from Joyce Fremlin (that is Mrs. Luke) back to the Nanny. The letters are filled with extensive reports of the development of Sir Harry Luke’s children, Peter Luke and Michael Luke. / Trips to Alt-Aussee in Austria are talked about / Local situations in London etc./ The children Peter and Michael have included handwritten, often heartbreaking letters to their parents diplomatic posting in Africa while they were left behind in England. An interesting look into the life and often emotional hardship of british diplomats in the foreign / colonial service of the early 20th century. The collection also includes seven private photographs.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Alt-Aussee / London, 1927. Octavo. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

99. [Sierra Leone Content] – [Luke, Harry / Lukach, Harry].

Collection of twentyone (21) letters to Sir Harry Luke during his posting as colonial secretary in Freetown / Sierra Leone (1924 – 1928). Twelve (12) of the letters are from J.H.Luke (Sir Harry’s father) and he discusses with him, as usual very opinionated, not only family matters but also politics, matters relating to the colonial administration. Interestingly J.H.Luke also follows and influences the career of his son Harry by alerting him in a letter from April, 2nd, 1928 of the fact ‘that the Chief Secretaryship of Palestine has become vacant by the appointment of Colonel Symes as Resident at Aden….’ / In another letter from April 13th, 1928, J.H.Luke writes to his son Harry: ‘I am glad you took time to consider the Transjordan post – until you heard of the vacancy in Palestine; / He also informs him that he heard that ‘Guggisberg [that was Sir Frederick Gordon Guggisberg] was offered the Governorship of British Guiana (before the change in the Constitution) which he declined’. / In another letter he informs his son that ‘The rumours about Guggisberg going to Newfoundland have been contradicted in the Times’ / J.H. Luke also thanks his son for the interesting lecture on Slavery in Sierra Leone. / The other letters contain more poltical talk, society talk (often a mixture of both when for example J.H.Luke talks about the marriage of the former Miss Janet Phillips to a member of the British diplomatic corps, Leander McCormick-Goodhart). Four of the letters are from Luke’s mother one from a friend called Amelie and one from his sister Lily.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. London / Sierra Leone, 1928. Octavo. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

100. [Sierra Leone Content] – [Luke, Harry / Lukach, Harry] Edward, Prince of Wales / Alphonso Sylvester Lisk-Carew.

Vintage Photograph of Harry Luke with Edward, Prince of Wales, 1925, Sierra Leone. [at Municipal Garden Park in Sierra Leone]. Photograph taken by Alphonso Sylvester Lisk-Carew, Freetown, Sierra Leone.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Sierra Leone, 1925. 14 cm x 19 cm. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.