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- 1946-1976 (Creation)
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1 folder of loose items held together by a rubber band
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Name of creator
Biographical history
Clive Sansom (1910-1981), poet and speech educator, was born at Finchley, North London, in 1910. He worked as a clerk and salesman in London and studied speech and drama under Marjorie Gullan at the Polytechnic, Regent Street, and the Speech Institute (1930-35) and phonetics under Professor Daniel Jones at University College, London (1935-6). He lectured in speech training at Borough Road Training College, Isleworth, and the Speech Fellowship (1937-9) and edited the Speech Fellowship Bulletin (1934-49). He was instructor in the Drama School of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and examiner in speech and spoken poetry. In 1937 he married a fellow student and speech teacher, Ruth Large from Tasmania. Although neither was at the time a Quaker, they were married in the Friends Meeting House at Winchmore Hill. They were both interested in the Society of Friends and had attended a few Meetings. Clive's teacher and friend, Marjorie Gullan, was a Quaker. Soon they both joined the Friends. Clive Sansom contributed poems and articles to Friends' journals and studied religious topics. During the war Clive, as a conscientious objector to war, did land work, partly based on "Spicelands" a Quaker Centre for special "war work". In 1949 Clive and Ruth Sansom travelled to Hobart to visit Ruth's family and decided to settle in Tasmania. Clive was appointed, with Ruth, Supervisor of Speech Education for the Tasmanian Education Department and was responsible for the Speech Centre 1950 - 1965 and was also examiner in speech and drama for the A.M.E.B. He and Ruth broadcast and wrote scripts for the ABC. programs for primary schools. Clive also wrote or edited a number of short plays for schools. Clive Sansom's main works included In the midst of death, (1940), The unfailing Spring (1942), Passion Play (a novel based on the Oberammergau passion play, 1950), The Witnesses (Festival of Britain prize winning poem 1951), The World turned upside down (a morality play, 1948), The Cathedral (1958), performed in Salisbury for that Cathedral's 700th anniversary 1961), Dorset Village (1962), Swithun of Winchester (produced in Winchester Cathedral for the 100th anniversary of the translation of St. Swithun 1971), Francis of Assisi (performed in Winchester Cathedral 1978, published 1981). He also wrote or edited a number of works for schools, including Adventures in words with Rodney Bennett (1936), Speech rhymes, Acting rhymes, Counting rhymes, Story rhymes, (1942-80) Speech and commucation in the primary school (1965) etc. and edited a number of anthologies, such as The poet speaks (with Marjorie Gullan 1940), The English Heart (1946). He published a number of poems and short stories in periodicals and newspapers from the 1930s onwards. Clive was also interested in conservation and was patron of the Wilderness Society. The papers consist of drafts and typescripts of his works (and some published copies) together with research notes, news cuttings, extracts from historical studies etc. on the background of his topics; correspondence with his literary agent, publishers and broadcasters, and cuttings of review notices.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Deposited on indefinite loan by Mrs Ruth Sansom February 1987 (& later additions 1989, 1991) to be held for safekeeping in the University Archives with the Friends' Meeting Records. May be withdrawn by Mrs Sansom on reasonable notice.
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(i)
• Handwritten notes apparently relating to Sansom's autobiography.
• The program for performances of Die Fledermaus at the Theatre Royal, 9-19 March 1955. Sansom produced the opera and wrote the dialogue. 'Our Moral Obligation'
• Copy of Sansom's address to the Tasmanian Chapter of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects.
• The wedding speech Sansom wrote for Brian Paine in 1974.
• Copy of Branich's [?] poem 'The Monk in the Kitchen'.
• Short story by Reverend Howard Schode [?].
(ii) Copy of Lloyd James' pamphlet ‘Talks on English Speech’.
(iii)
• Christmas card 1946
• Sansom's statement to the Military Tribunal in which he opposed military service in the Second World War.
• Owen Reid's article on Sansom published in the journal Tasmanian Education.
• Sansom's diary notes for 1961 mentioning a visit to Dorchester, to Hardy Country, to Dorset, to Glastonbury, and his meeting with Canon Dawson (to discuss a recital of poems from The Cathedral).
• Sansom's notes for a talk on 'Writing Poetry' - 1975.
• List of poems for a reading by Sansom at Richmond, Tasmania.
• Selected quotes from reviews of The Witnesses.
• Sansom's biographical details that he provided on request to a parent. Two copies of the text of Sansom's talk titled 'One Poet's Job' with an attachment about his early life.
• Sansom's handwritten notes on God and Imagination.
• Sansom's brief notes on his life and career that he prepared for entry in the International 'Who's Who in Poetry.
• A note about Sansom's poetry reading that he presented in Canberra 8 September 1974.
• Sansom's address to the 6th Biennial Assembly of the Australian Society of Education through the Arts on 21/9/76, Also notes on a talk he gave on 22 January 1976.
• Two handwritten copies of poems from Dorset Village.
• A printed sheet containing four of Sansom's poems on Tasmanian themes, Extracts from reviews of The Unfailing Spring and The Witnesses,
• Two typed poems by Sansom: 'A Recipe for Bones' and 'At Miss Austen's Grave'.
• Typed version of Sansom's article 'Poetry Reading and Appreciation', Sansom' s article about The Witnesses.
• Several typed pages of Sansom's poems.
• Extracts from reviews of In the Midst of Death and The Witnesses
(iv)
• Sansom's notes prepared for his introduction of Judith Wright at the Town Hall - 15 March 1972.
• Sansom's speech at the memorial service for Brenda Hean - 29 September 1972.
• Copies of several small advertisements about Lake Pedder, which Sansom placed in the Mercury.
• The text of Sansom' s speech about Lake Pedder - 'A Place Apart from all Others'.
(v)
Quaker material including:
• Copy of an edition of The Australian Friend containing Sansom 's article on 'The Religious Basis of Peace Testimony'.
• Draft typescript of the above article.
• Program for Quakers' Yearly Meeting 1972 at which Sansom and his wife spoke on music and poetry.
• Two copies of a talk and reading presented to the Yearly Quaker Meeting on January 9th 1971.
• Submission to a Senate Committee on Children's Television.
• Newspaper and magazine clippings about school assemblies and religion in schools.
• Program for a presentation to Quakers on 24 November 1973 on the subject of St Francis of Assisi.
• A draft of Sansom's article titled 'York Minster'.
• Minutes of two Friends' meetings -25 July and 28 September 1975.
• 'The Timeless Moment' extracts from poets and writers and Sansom's work, compiled by Sansom.
(vi) Speech education material by Sansom and others:
• Material from University of Michigan 21/8/56.
• Zoe Community School.
• Newsletter of Tasmanian Education Department Speech Centre, October 1970.
• Topics for talks.
• Range of clippings about speech and talking.
• Noel Atkins' demonstration lesson on speech education.
• Sansom's letter of advice to Sister Canice of Thomas Moore School. Articles on group discussion, 'How we Speak', oral language and impromptu talks. Sansom wrote most of these.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
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Boxes inventoried by Ralph Spaulding March 2006
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May be consulted by researchers under supervision
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This material is made available for personal research and study purposes under the University of Tasmania Standard Copyright Licence. For any further use permission should be obtained from the copyright owners. For assistance please contact Special.Collections@utas.edu.au
When reusing this material, please cite the reference number and provide the following acknowledgement:
“Courtesy of the UTAS Library Special & Rare Collections”
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HE Feb2019