Guide to the Papers of Sir Cyril Bingham Brudenell White

The strength of the collection lies in the correspondence between Brudenell White and key military figures such as General Birdwood and Bridges during his military service, and with C. E. W. Bean regarding the writing of the official war histories of both Australia and Britain. The cornerstone of the collection are the diaries covering every year from 1895 until 1940 documenting his official career. The Brudenell White collection is diverse and spans his military and defence career from 1895 until his death in 1940 Few items relate to his brief service in the South African War however his attachment to the Staff College and War Office in London prior to the First World War is better represented [ official papers and correspondence]. Papers relating to the First World War cover both the Gallipoli campaign and the Western Front. There is a mixture of official reports and notes on operations including the withdrawl from Gallipoli and Allied offensive operations on the Western Front, particularly in 1918. Additionally, there are miscellaneous military articles, souvenirs and ephemera. The period between the wars when Brudenell White was a leading figure in planning Australia's future defence, is particularly well represented with numerous notes and reports from meeting and studies, as well as correspondence with other officials. In 1920, White agreed to formally hand over some papers to the Australian War Memorial, which he had previously sent to the Australian War Records Section for safekeeping. These were mostly AIF operational papers for 1916. No more papers were received until 1951, those being donated by White's widow, Lady White. The final installments were donated by White's daughter in 1975 and 1977.