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Notebook of Berta Ruck, August 1932-May 1933, containing journal entries, impressions of her stay in Vienna, October-November 1932 (ff. 12-54) and notes for fiction, short stories and articles. Some forty-four personal and family letters, cards and telegrams; press cuttings referring to her and to contemporary events; photographs; theatre, concert and film programmes (mostly German); and other ephemera, 1929-1930, 1932-1933, have been pasted in or are loose in the volume.
The correspondents include her husband Oliver Onions, November 1932 (ff. 42 verso, 84), Alec Waugh, [September] 1932 (f. 10 verso), Ivan Phillipowsky, [December 1932] (f. 64), Ménie Muriel FitzGerald (née Dowie), [1933] (ff. 72-73), and John van Druten, 27 October 1932 (ff. 85-86); a letter from Amy Mollison [i.e. Amy Johnson] to the Secretary of the London Airplane Club, 21 November 1932, is also included (f. 91). There are references to Maurice Bowra, whom she befriended in Vienna (ff. 22 verso, 24, 32, 37-38 verso) and Eric Maschwitz (ff. 52, 56, 66 verso, 75 verso, 84 verso), and references throughout to aviation and the exploits of famous aviators of her acquaintance. There are pen and ink drawings by Ruck on ff. 37 verso and 57.

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.

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).

Notebook of Berta Ruck, December 1939-May 1940, containing journal entries, comments on the progress of the war and notes for fiction. Press cuttings relating to contemporary events, other ephemera and some sixty-nine letters, postcards and Christmas cards, mostly to the author, have been pasted in.
The correspondents include Oliver Onions, 25 December 1939 (f. 20), Arthur Oliver, December 1939-May 1940 (ff. 2b, 20 verso, 51, 57, 63-65 verso), Vicki Baum, 25 November 1939 (f. 2), Edith Heal, [December 1939] (ff. 2a, 20 verso), Anthony Thorne, December 1939, March 1940 (ff. 7 verso, 56 verso), Osbert Sitwell, Christmas [1939] (f. 19 verso), Ménie Muriel FitzGerald, [1939] (f. 22 verso), Naomi Jacob, [December 1939] (f. 26 verso), Alys Meirion, 29 December [1939] (f. 27), Lieut-Cmdr Bradwell T. Turner, [February 1940] (f. 47 verso), Alec Waugh, [December 1939] (f. 51 verso), Sir Kenneth Barnes, 4 April 1940 (f. 57 verso), and Horace Horsnell, 2 April 1940 (f. 58). One letter from 'Effie', [January 1940], discusses the state of Ménie Muriel FitzGerald's health (f. 35 verso). The press cuttings include several political cartoons relating to the war (ff. 39 verso, 52-53 verso).

Notebook of Berta Ruck, November 1927-May 1928, containing journal entries including an account of her visit to France (pp. 1-12), the deaths of her aunt, Sister Mary Gabriel (Mary D'Arcy), on 15 December 1927, and her mother, Elizabeth, on 10 March 1928, and drafts of articles. Thirty-three letters, cards and telegrams from family and friends and ephemera have been pasted in.
The correspondents include Alec Waugh, [1928] (p. 42), Rebecca West, 20 February 1928 (p 57), Ménie Muriel Fitzgerald, [March 1928] (p. 64), Marda Vanne, [March 1928] (p. 77), Capt. Geoffrey de Havilland, 7 November 1928 (p. 103), Sir E. Ray Lankester, [November 1928] (p. 104), and Vyvyan Holland, 25 November 1928 (p. 107). A photograph, 1923, of Ruck with her parents is on p. 62; ink sketches by her are on pp. 1, 5, 21, 29, 47, 106. A menu for a Forum Club Welsh Group dinner, 12 December 1927, signed by David Lloyd George, is on p. 15. There are also references to the death of Thomas Hardy, January 1928 (pp. 36-37), and an anecdote relating to Colette, the French novelist (p. 8). The volume includes three folios, November 1928 (pp. 103-108), and two letters (ff. i b-e), removed from other volumes.

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 of Berta Ruck, 1914-[1922], containing draft passages of fiction, including passages from The Wrong Mr Right (London, 1922) (ff. 8-26 verso, 35 verso, 62 verso), together with notes and journal entries giving impressions of life in wartime in both Britain and France, March 1914-November 1915.
There are extensive notes concerning a journey to Paris and Bordeaux, apparently in the company of Menié Muriel Dowie, October-November 1915 (ff. 43 verso-48, 50-55, 56 verso-62, 63-64, 66 verso-67); as well as visits to aircraft works, 1914 (ff. 29 verso-32, 64 verso-66); and to Aberystwyth and the family home at Esgair, 1914-1915 (ff. 2, 3, 35, 41 verso-42). There are a number of pen and ink drawings by Ruck (notably ff. 24-25, 59 verso, 61).

Notebook of Berta Ruck, May 1933-May 1934, containing journal entries, including impressions of stays in Vienna, July, September 1933 (ff. 9 verso-10, 71-75, 84 verso-85), and the Tyrol, July-September 1933 (ff. 11-71), and brief notes for fiction. Some forty-nine mainly personal and family letters, cards and telegrams, press cuttings of articles by her, photographs, theatre programmes and other ephemera have been pasted in or are loose in the volume.
The correspondents include Marda Vanne, [June] 1933 (f. 8), Oliver Onions, February-August 1933 (ff. 38 verso, 91, 132, 136 recto-verso), Margaret Storm Jameson, 17 May 1933 (f. 88), A. M. Low, May-November 1933 (ff. 89, 92, 97 verso, 134 verso, 137 verso), James Agate, 25 January 1934 (f. 118), Louis Marlow, 20 March 1934 (f. 119 verso), and Ménie Muriel FitzGerald, April 1934 (ff. 123 verso-124). Her Tyrol journal includes a detailed account of location filming for the Basil Dean directed films The Constant Nymph (1933) (ff. 19 verso-51) and Autumn Crocus (1934) (ff. 52-71), her son Arthur being part of the film crew. Photographs in the volume include Ruck (ff. 36, 42 verso, 56), the actress Victoria Hopper (ff. 40 verso, 56) and other film crew (ff. 32-42 verso), on location, and Alys Meirion (f. 100). There are pen and pencil sketches by Ruck on ff. 21 verso, 75, 96 recto-verso, 114, 127 verso, 128 verso. On f. 91 is Oliver Onions' description, 26 February 1923 [recte 1933], of the funeral of Robin Anwyl, Llugwy.