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Brown (Percy) papers
88033  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Access
  • Use
  • Acquisition Information
  • Preferred Citation
  • Biographical/Historical Note
  • Scope and Content of Collection
  • Arrangement Statement

  • Title: Percy Brown papers
    Date (inclusive): 1900-1967
    Collection Number: 88033
    Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
    Language of Material: English
    Physical Description: 2 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize box. (1.6 Linear Feet)
    Abstract: The Percy Brown papers consist of writings, newspaper articles, and photographs relating to Percy Brown, a photojournalist and author who photographed scenes of World War I from the front lines on the Western front. Also included is information on the Ruhleben prison camp in Germany where Brown was a POW for three years, and first-hand accounts of the rescue of the icebound Soviet ship Solovei in 1920.
    Creator: Brown, Percy, 1885-
    Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives

    Access

    The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

    Use

    For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

    Acquisition Information

    Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1988.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Percy Brown papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

    Biographical/Historical Note

    British journalist and photographer; German prisoner of war during World War I.
    1885 March 9 Born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England
    1906-1908 Worked in San Francisco, California, U.S.A as a carpenter after the 1908 Earthquake
    1934-1938 Owned and managed Royal Hotel in Portishead, England
    1908-1914 Became a "professional rollerskating expert" at the Olympia Rollerskate Rink in London
    1914-1915 Photographed scenes of World War I in Belgium and France
    1915-1918 Captured by German counter-intelligence and sent to Ruhleben prisoner of war camp
    1922-1930 Worked as a photojournalist for The Daily Sketch
    1918-1919 Photographed the German Revolution in Berlin
    1920 Snuck aboard the icebreaker Svyatogor as correspondent for The Daily Graphic en route to rescue the icebound Solovei
    1948 Left England for San Francisco, California; worked as a carpenter, doorman, photographer, and life insurance salesman.
    1938-1948 Owned and managed Castle Lodge in Ludlow, England

    Scope and Content of Collection

    The Percy Brown papers consist of writings, newspaper articles, and photographs relating to Percy Brown, a photojournalist and author who photographed scenes of World War I from the front lines on the Western front. Also included is information on the Ruhleben prison camp in Germany where Brown was a prisoner of war for three years, and first-hand accounts of the rescue of the icebound Soviet ship Solovei in 1920. Much of the material centers on his writings, including diary entries and unpublished manuscripts, and on newspaper articles, both by Brown and others.

    Arrangement Statement

    The collection is organized into 6 series: Biographical Material; World War I; Solovei Rescue file; Writings; Newspaper Articles; and Photographs

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Journalists
    Prisoners of war
    World War, 1914-1918 -- Prisoners and prisons
    World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- Western Front
    Ruhleben (Prison camp : Germany)
    Solovĕi (Ship)