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Berta Ruck archive
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A Smile for the Past

Typescripts, 1956-1957, of radio scripts by Berta Ruck, which formed the basis of her autobiographical volume, A Smile for the Past (London, 1959).
They comprise scripts, some incomplete, for a series of six talks, also called 'A Smile for the Past', recorded 2-3 April 1957 for transmission in June and July on the Home Service (ff. 5-16 [Talk 1], ff. 17-23, 27-40 [2], ff. 24-26, 116 [3], ff. 69-81 [4], ff. 83-95 [5], ff. 82, 96-115, 117-118 [6]) and the script of a talk recorded on 22 May 1956 and transmitted on 24 June (ff. 41-68, two copies). Also included is an incomplete draft, [?1957], of a letter from Ruck to Aled Vaughan at the BBC, discussing the series (ff. 1-4, first page lacking); typescript drafts, [1957x1959], of Chapter 8 of the book A Smile for the Past (ff. 119-128); and a cutting of an article by Ruck, 'I enjoyed my boarding schooldays', Western Mail, 9 April 1955, containing material found in Chapter 8 (f. 129).

A Smile for the Past

Three volumes containing a draft, mainly autograph with typescript insertions bearing autograph revision, of Berta Ruck's autobiographical volume, A Smile for the Past (London, 1959).

An Asset to Wales

The printer's copy, [1969x1970], in typescript, of Berta Ruck, An Asset to Wales (London, 1970), with manuscript additions and emendations by the author.
In addition to minor deletions throughout, there is an entire deleted section (4 ff.) from Chapter 2, most of f. 26 having been crossed through and ff. 27-29 having been omitted entirely. Some folios consist of two or more partial leaves pasted together.

Ancestral Voices

An incomplete manuscript and typescript draft of Berta Ruck's family history Ancestral Voices (London, 1972), based on the correspondence of her D'Arcy and De La Warr ancestors and conversations with her sister, Maud.
The volume contains drafts of the Foreword (ff. 1-10) and Chapters 2-3, 5-6, 8-10, 12-14, 16-20, 28-30, 33-34, 37-40, 43, 45-48, 51-53 and 55 (ff. 11-321, 332-382). 'Interval' (ff. 328-331) is an early draft of Chapter 51; 'Interval (for Argument)' (ff. 322-327) became part of Chapter 11. The volume consists of manuscript and typescript sections with annotations, often with fragments cut and pasted together to form single leaves.

Autobiographical writings

Manuscript and typescript drafts by Berta Ruck, [1955]-[1974x1978], of chapters of projected and published autobiographical works, mainly concerned with her life in Wales.
They include a manuscript draft of the first chapter of An Asset to Wales (London, 1970), [?1969] (ff. 1-24); drafts, mainly typescript, of various chapters for projected works entitled 'Welsh Harlequinade' and 'Fanfare for Wales', [1974x1978] (ff. 25-137); a typescript poem entitled 'Stair-case Remorse', [1970x1978] (f. 138); a typescript of various fragments of fiction and autobiographical prose, [1970x1978] (ff. 139-144); a cutting of an article by Ruck, 'A Golden Prince Came to the Castle', [1955] (f. 145); and a cut-out watercolour sketch of a young man (f. 146). There are references to N. C. Hunter (ff. 47-50), Stephen Peet, producer of the 1970 television documentary featuring Ruck (ff. 106-120), and to E. Nesbit (ff. 141-142).

Berta Ruck archive

  • GB 0210 BERTRUCK
  • Fonds
  • [c. 1890]-[1974x1978]

Papers, [c. 1890]-[1974x1978], of Berta Ruck, including notebooks containing journal entries, ideas for fiction, newspaper cuttings and ephemera, 1906-1973; literary and autobiographical manuscripts, typescripts and photocopies, [1950x1955]-[1974x1978]; letters, [c. 1890]-[1972]; poetry, [1920s]-[1930s]; and sketches, [1900x1920].

Ruck, Berta, 1878-1978

Berta Ruck manuscripts

Manuscripts of Berta Ruck, [c. 1890]-[1974x1978], including notebooks, 1906-1946; manuscripts and typescripts of literary and autobiographical works, 1955-[1974x1978]; letters, [c. 1890]-1971; poetry, [1920s]-[1930s]; and sketches, [1900x1920].
The notebooks typically contain notes and ideas for fiction, drawings and sketches, pasted in letters and ephemera, and journal entries. These detail her home life and travels and give news of her sons Arthur and Bill Oliver, husband Oliver Onions and other family and friends.

Berta Ruck papers

Papers of Berta Ruck, [20 cent., third ¼], comprising volumes of notebooks, 1951-1973, and a photocopy, [20 cent., third ¼], of a 1907 children's story 'The edge of the world'.

Colonel A. A. Ruck

Notebook, July-August 1939, compiled by Berta Ruck in memory of her late father, Colonel Arthur Ashley Ruck (d. 12 July 1939), including reminiscences; twenty-three letters, telegrams and postcards from family and friends, 1935-1939, being mainly letters of condolence; and other items, [1920s]-1939.
The correspondents include Alys Meirion, [17 July 1939] (f. 5), A. Bodvel Roberts, 13 July 1939 (f. 104 verso), Paul Bland, 18 July 1939 (f. 112a verso), Ménie Muriel FitzGerald, 17 July 1939 (f. 113 verso), and Bernard Darwin, 13 July 1939 (f. 114); there are also two letters from A. A. Ruck to Berta Ruck, 25 February 1935, 26 March 1939 (ff. 3 verso, 37). Also included are newspaper obituaries of A. A. Ruck, [July 1939] (f. 1 verso), and of his brother, Col. Oliver Edwal Ruck, [July 1934] (ff. 16 verso-17), and two group photographs, one a family group, [1920s], both including A. A. Ruck (ff. 4, 44 verso).

Letters

Forty-six manuscript and typescript letters, [c. 1890]-[c. 1934], from Berta Ruck, mostly to her father, Col Arthur Ashley Ruck, [1920s]-[c. 1934], containing mainly personal and family news.
Also included are two letters to her grandmother Mary Anne Ruck, [c. 1890] (ff. 1-4), and a carbon copy letter to her sister-in-law, Georgina Ruck, 15 July 1932 (ff. 86-91). Most of the letters were written either from home or while on holiday in Austria, France, Germany and Sweden. There are references to Oliver Onions (ff. 6-100 passim), Geoffrey Moss (f. 6), Sir Ray Lankester (ff. 9 verso, 10 verso-11, 12, 31, 32, 66), Ménie Muriel FitzGerald (ff. 13-17, 18, 29, 46-47, 56, 59), Alec Waugh (ff. 26, 35-36) and Vita Sackville West (f. 46); she also describes her car accident on 14 July 1932 (ff. 88-91). There are ink drawings by Ruck on f. 2 recto-verso.

Ruck, A. A. (Arthur Ashley), 1847-1939

Letters and papers

Letters and papers of Berta Ruck, 1921-1933, found loose inside her 1921-1924 notebook (NLW MS 23569iB).
The correspondents include her father, A. A. Ruck, [1933] (f. 7), and Gerald Gould, 1933 (f. 8).

Miscellaneous papers

Miscellaneous papers of Berta Ruck, 1902-[early 1970s], including autograph and typescript drafts of verse, [1920s]-[1930s], many in multiple copies (ff. 1-123); lecture notes, [c. 1935]-[c. 1945] (ff. 124-224); a short story, 'April Folly', [c. 1935], apparently related to her novel Half Past Kissing Time (London, 1936) (ff. 225-248); and some thirteen letters to the author in English and German, [1903x1904]-1971 (ff. 264-283).
The correspondents include Clement Scott, [1903x1904] (f. 264), Marda Vanne, 9 October 1936 (f. 280), Harold Nicolson, 14 June 1962 (f. 281, on the death of his wife, Vita Sackville-West), and Quentin Bell, September 1971 (ff. 282-283, concerning his biography of Virginia Woolf); there are also three letters, 1929, from 'Harry', her Austrian lover (ff. 265-272, mostly in German). Also included are two leaves from Ruck's journal, June 1930 (ff. 249-250); reminiscences, [early 1970s], of Lydia Lopokova (ff. 251-259) with a photograph of her, [?1920s] (f. 260); press cuttings of an article by Ruck, September 1936 (f. 261), and of two articles relating to Virginia Woolf, 1972 (ff. 262-263); W. R. Oliver's school report at Shrewsbury School, 1929 (f. 284); programme for 'My Lady Molly' at the Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, 1902 (ff. 285-286); and page proofs for Chapter 8 of A Smile for the Past (London, 1935) (ff. 287-292).

Notebook

Notebook of Berta Ruck, October 1929-May 1930, containing journal entries recording her social life, family life and work in Windsor and London, as well as an account of her excursion to Zurich, Vienna and Budapest, April 1930 (ff. 41-47), a detailed description of the plane journey from Croydon, via Le Bourget, to Zurich, 17 April (ff. 36 verso-40 verso), and a typescript draft of a satirical play entitled 'Guests on Sunday' (ff. 12, 13 verso-18 verso). Some forty letters, cards and telegrams from family, friends and fans, photographs, cuttings, programmes and other ephemera have been pasted in.
The correspondents include Sheila Kaye-Smith, 12 January [1930] (f. 19 verso), Evelyn Waugh, [?1930] (f. 24), A. M. Ludovici, 27 March 1930 (f. 29 verso), and Alec Waugh, April 1930 (ff. 50, 52 verso). The volume contains sketches and drawings (f. 13, inside back cover) and poetry (inside front cover, f. 1) by Ruck. There are two lines of mirror writing on f. 29.

Kaye-Smith, Sheila, 1887-1956

Notebook

Notebook of Berta Ruck, May-October 1936, containing journal entries recording her social and family life in Henley-on-Thames and London, and notes for fiction, in particular the novel Half-Past Kissing-Time (London, 1936) and various Christmas themed short stories. Some twenty-six letters and telegrams, mostly from family and friends, cuttings, programmes and other ephemera have been pasted in.
The correspondents include her father A. A. Ruck, June-October 1936 (ff. 14, 79 verso), sister Ursie [Ursula Griffith], July-August 1936 (ff. 47 verso, 56 verso, 60), and husband O[liver Onions], 16 September 1936 (f. 67), Noel Langley, 10 July 1936 (f. 29), Alec Waugh, [n.d.] (f. 60), Gertrude Lawrence, 14 September 1936 (f. 64 verso) and Rebecca [West], [n.d.] (f. 79). The volume contains references to Amy [Johnson] Mollison (ff. 1, 8 verso) and Norman Haire (ff. 37 verso, 43 verso, 44 verso) and includes ink sketches by Ruck (ff. 52, 68) and the seating plan and menu for H. G. Wells' 70th birthday party on 13 October 1936 (ff. 75 verso-76).

Ruck, A. A. (Arthur Ashley), 1847-1939

Notebook

Notebook of Berta Ruck, March 1920-January 1921, recording visits to Oxford and London and holidays in Brittany and Scotland; a few extracts were later incorporated in her autobiographical volume A Story-teller tells the Truth (London, 1935).

Notebook

Notebook, July 1924-July 1926, of Berta Ruck containing diary entries and impressions of her visits to Switzerland, Paris, Germany and Austria; theatre programmes, letters to her and press cuttings relating to her work and to contemporary events have been pasted in.

Notebook

Notebook of Berta Ruck, March 1921-June 1924, containing diary entries, ideas for fiction, comments on the progress of her work and impressions of holidays in Vichy, Brittany and Haute Savoie, France; a few extracts were later incorporated in her autobiographical volume A Story-teller tells the Truth (London, 1935).
Letters and papers, 1921-1933, found loose inside have been filed separately (NLW MS 23569iiC).

Notebook

Notebook of Berta Ruck, Aberdyfi, September-December 1939, containing journal entries and comments on the progress of the war. Press cuttings relating to contemporary events, photographs and some forty-six letters and postcards, mostly personal, to the author have been pasted in.
The correspondents include her son Arthur Oliver, October-[November] 1939 (ff. 13-14, 16, 33 recto-verso, 42-44), Ménie Muriel FitzGerald, 2 October 1939 (f. 12 verso), Michael Joseph, October-November 1939 (ff. 12 verso, 40, 59 verso), Anthony Thorne, [1939] (f. 34), Horace Horsnell, 28 November 1939 (f. 59), Harold Nicolson, 21 November 1939 (f. 59a), and Osbert Sitwell, 28 November 1939 (f. 60 verso). There are numerous references in journal and letters to the marriages of both her sons, Arthur and Bill, in October 1939. Among the photographs are one of Ruck (inside front cover) and two of Bill Oliver (inside front cover, f. 36 verso).

Notebook

Notebook of Berta Ruck, 1907-1914, containing impressions of people and places, various ideas for fiction and sketches in ink or pencil (ff. 5, 9 verso-10, 17, 23, 29 verso-30, 33 verso, 38, 51 verso, 52 verso).
The volume includes descriptions of Équihen-Plage, France, July 1907 (ff. 1-3 verso), and Pennal, Merioneth, 8 June 1911 (f. 35, 45), and notes describing the lifestyle and duties of nurses (ff. 39 verso-44 verso).

Notebook

Notebook of Berta Ruck, October 1931-August 1932, containing journal entries, including an account of her stay in Vienna, October-November 1931 (ff. 2-31), notes for fiction, verses and sketches by the author and a record of her dreams. Some twenty-seven letters, postcards and telegrams from family and friends, photographs, cuttings and other ephemera have been pasted in.
The correspondents include Oliver Onions, [October 1931] (f. 21), Doris Langley Moore, December 1931-February [1932] (ff. 53, 87), Marie Belloc-Lowndes, [1932] (f. 54 verso), Marda Vanne, [1932] (ff. 70 verso, 76a), and Ferdinand Deutelmoser, October 1931, April 1932 (ff. 73, 91). The volume also contains ink sketches (ff. 60, 70, 71, 81 verso) and verse (ff. 47 verso, 66, 68, 93 verso) by Ruck, and a German translation by Deutelmoser of another of her verses (f. 25 verso).

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