Papers of William Adair Nelson (1907-1993)

Zona de identificação

Código de referência

GB 891 WAN

Título

Data(s)

[1986 - 2003] (Produção)

Nível de descrição

Arquivo

Dimensão e suporte

1 archival box

Zona do contexto

Nome do produtor

Nelson William James Adair Finance Officer of Aberdeen University, Author

História biográfica

William James Adair Nelson (1907-1993), the elder son of H. Adair Nelson who was the original manager of His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen, was educated at Aberdeen Grammar School (1914-24). On leaving school he was apprenticed to chartered accountants Williamson & Dunn, qualifying with distinction in 1930 when he took up a series of appointments with London accounting firms, followed by five years in Colombo working for Ford, Rhodes & Thornton. He served in the Royal Artillery in the Middle East during WWII. In 1946 he was appointed Finance Inspector to the Ministry of Food in Colwyn Bay, later becoming Finance Officer to the National Coal Board. In 1948 he was appointed Treasurer and Assistant Secretary at Aberdeen University where he remained until his retirement in 1975.

During his five years in Sri Lanka he developed an interest in castles and artillery fortifications and after his retirement he wrote Dutch Forts of Sri Lanka published in 1984. He then went on to study Fort Jesus at Mombasa and his book of the same name was published posthumously in 1994. Nelson was an active member of the Fortress Study Group for which he wrote many articles.

Entidade detentora

Royal Asiatic Society Archives

História do arquivo

Fonte imediata de aquisição ou transferência

It is unknown how the Papers came into the RAS Collections. They were probably in the possession of Nelson's daughter, Sarah, and passed on to the Royal Asiatic Society sometime after August 2003.

Zona do conteúdo e estrutura

Âmbito e conteúdo

These Personal Papers consist of the typed manuscript for Nelson's Fort Jesus of Mombasa including colour photographs. There are photocopies of a letter sent by his daughter and of Nelson's Obituary in the Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine.

Avaliação, seleção e eliminação

Incorporações

Sistema de arranjo

The Papers were divided into two files:

WAN/1: Manuscript of Fort Jesus of Mombasa
WAN/2: Allied Correspondence

Zona de condições de acesso e utilização

Condições de acesso

Open. Please contact the archivist using the email address given here. The archive is open on Tuesdays and Fridays 10-5, and Thursdays 2-5. Access is to any researcher without appointment but it will help if an appointment is made via phone or email. Please bring photo ID

Condiçoes de reprodução

Digital photography (without flash) for research purposes may be permitted upon completion of a copyright declaration form, and with respect to current UK copyright law.

Idioma do material

inglês

Script do material

Notas ao idioma e script

Características físicas e requisitos técnicos

Instrumentos de descrição

Zona de documentação associada

Existência e localização de originais

Existência e localização de cópias

Unidades de descrição relacionadas

A Copy of Fort Jesus of Mombasa by Nelson (Canongate Press, 1994) is held in the Royal Asiatic Society Collections. We also hold 180 colour 35mm slides of Fort Mombasa.
An interview with Nelson is held by the University of Aberdeen Oral History Archive

Descrições relacionadas

Nota de publicação

Nelson, W.A., Fort Jesus of Mombasa, Canongate Press PLC, Edinburgh, 1994

Zona das notas

Identificador(es) alternativo(s)

Pontos de acesso

Pontos de acesso - Assuntos

Fort Jesus (Kenya)

Pontos de acesso - Locais

Pontos de acesso - Nomes

Nelson William James Adair Finance Officer of Aberdeen University, Author (Assunto)
Nelson Sarah Freelance Journalist (Assunto)