Finding Aid
Adrian Grant Duff series. -- 1883-1951. -- 1 m of textual records. -- 148 photographs. -- 14 maps. -- Title based on content of series.
Sub-series 1: Diaries, indexes, and account books sub-series. -- 1902-1930. -- 25 cm of textual records. -- Title based on content of sub-series.
Note: Grant Duff's diaries, 1882 to 1902, are owned by the Black Watch Regiment. In The Red Hackle (April 1987) a table of contents is provided as well as a biographical sketch of Grant Duff by Colonel Neville Blair. Although it was the stated intention of the Regiment to print extracts from the diaries, with Colonel Blair's commentary, in future issues of The Red Hackle, this did not occur. Blair died in 1988. A photocopy of 3 pages of the journal can be found in the Shiela Grant Duff series. Also diary extracts made by her can be found in that series as well. Photocopies of extracts from the 1902 diary held by the Black Watch can be found in the Master file. The text of the extracts differs from the 1902 diary that forms part of this fonds.
Box 1:
Dairies, F.1-F.6, primarily by Adrian Grant Duff.
F.1 Diary extracts, Feb. 5 [1902] to April 22 1902. Mostly holograph carbon, in unknown hand, possibly Grant Duff's, 37 p.
F.2 Diary, 1 January 1903-13 August 1914. Holograph, bound, 154 p. The last page is completed by Ursula. She writes about their son, Neill, who also served the in the Black Watch. He was killed at St. Valerie on 12 June 1940. She has also added commentary and notes in pencil in other places throughout the diary. A holograph copy of a letter from Sir Maurice Hankey has been tipped into the diary on top of the entry of 31 July 1914. Grant Duff writes: "1 October [1910]. From to-day I keep a separate chronicle touching my work." See F.3.
F.3 Diary, 29 September 1910-19 December [1911]. Holograph, bound, 134 p. A letter from Arthur Grant Duff (Adrian's brother) to their mother has been tipped into the diary opposite the entry of Oct. 24 [1911], p. 109.
F.4 Diary, 11 January 1912-10 August 1913. Holograph, bound, 132 p. A letter from "E." has been tipped in opposite p. 74. A letter from John Bernard Seely has been tipped in opposite p. 75.
F.5 Diary, 23 March 1914-13 September [1914]; continued by Ursula to October 1930. Holograph. The pages covering the dates 23 March 1914-30 July [1914] are loose in the front of the diary. The bound pages have been numbered 1-66; 1-60. Grant Duff entered the date of 13 September but did not complete an entry. Thus his last entry was 12 September. Ursula has added to this diary. She notes that the pencil comments she has interspersed throughout August and September in the diary are from Lieutenant F. Chalmer's (the machine gun officer) diary. See also Box 3, F.8. Transcripts of many letters as well as newspaper extracts, in unknown hands, about Grant Duff have been added to the diary. Ursula has added occasional comments in pencil.
F.6 Ursula's diary, 12 November 1907-1913. Holograph, 19 p. Also a water colour drawing done by her daughter, Ursula, age 3 1/2.
Box 2:
F.1 Grant Duff's pocket appointment diaries. 1912 and 1914.
F.2 Name and subject index, 1905-1913; predominant 1907-1909. Loose pages removed from a ring binder, 228 p. Contains entries on several subjects, mainly military ones. Holograph entries interspersed with pasted on printed items. Notes on the new Chinese army were found loose at the front of the binder.
F.3 Household account book, 1904-1914; predominant 1907-1909. Loose pages removed from a ring binder, 50 p. Holograph entries interspersed with pasted on printed items. Following the "garden" entry are 6 pages containing expenditures, 1907-1912.
F.4 Household inventory book, last updated in 1910. Removed from a ring binder. Holograph (in both Adrian and Ursula's hands) and typescript, 60 p. Includes lists of books, jewellery, some correspondence, guns, paintings, silver plate, and many other items.
F.5 Mary, Queen of Scots. Bound notebook into which has been pasted clippings from various auction catalogues. There are a few holograph additions.
Sub-series 2: Correspondence sub-series. -- 1886-1951. -- 25 cm of textual records. -- Title based on content of sub-series.
Adrian Grant Duff correspondence.
Box 3:
Outgoing
F.1 32 letters to his sister, Victoria Grant Duff (nicknames, Dotty and Dot), 1886-1891. Some of these letters were written from Victoria barracks in Belfast, some from Gibraltar; some are illustrated by sketches.
F.2 21 letters to his sister, Victoria, 1902-1914. Some of the letters were written from South Africa, some from Aldershot barracks. Some are originals, others are holograph copies.
F.3 33 letters to his sister, Lily Collier, 1899-1901, written from India. Bound in green leather by Ursula with inscription, "Ursula Grant Duff, in memory, 14 September 1916."
F.4 5 letters to his father, Sir Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff, 1890-1912; also one letter from Ursula to her father-in-law.
F.5 26 letters to his mother, Anna Julia Grant Duff, 1906-1914. Some are holograph originals, some holograph carbons, some holograph copies. The letters from 1912 concern family history.
F.6 Letter to Lord Haldane, 21 February 1912. Two holograph copies, one in Grant Duff's hand.
F.8 6 letters to his cousins, members of the Ainslie family, 1912 concerning family history. Holograph carbons, in Grant Duff's hand; one holograph copy in Grant Duff's hand. Includes notes he took from the Banff registers.
F.9 3 letters, one to Wilhelmina A. Duncan, one to Dr. Farquarhson, one to James Grant Espe, 1912-1913, re family history. Original and holograph carbons. Enclosed to Miss Duncan was a copy of the Grant Duff family tree, showing Adrian and his eight siblings, as well as three of his four children. Also there is a typed extract from Miss Duncan's reply.
F.10 Letter to Ursula, n.d. but 1914.
Incoming
Letters from his father. See Shiela Grant Duff series, Box 9, F.7, for photocopies of letters, 1893-1895.
F.11 12 letters from Henry Scott Turner, 1894-1899, written from South Africa. 1 letter from Dora Scott Turner, 1900. Signed photograph of Henry Scott Turner, dated 1892.
F.12 1 letter from Lord Haldane, 1912; 1 letter from Sir Maurice Hankey, 14 August 1914.
F.13 11 letters from his mother, Anna Julia Grant Duff, 1912. Enclosed 2 letters from Hunter & Gordon to her.
F.14 4 letters from his cousins, members of the Ainslie family, [1912-1914].
F.15 Letter from his brother, Arthur Grant Duff, 1913 re family history.
F.16 Letter from his sister, Lily Collier, 14 August 1914.
F.18 12 letters from the following, 1895-1914: J.M. Ainsworth, J. Ardagh, Dick and Gladys Barry (nee van der Byl), Committee of Imperial Defence (R.G. Garter?), J.R. Chancellor, L.G. Cranford, Maurice de Munsen (?), Nono, Allen Wilkinson, Edith M. White. Also poem, "Kismet", signed A.K.W.W. (?).
F.19 Letter from W. Bester to C.J. de Villiers, 1892.
Ursula Grant Duff Correspondence
Outgoing
Box 4:
F.1 16 letters to Adrian, 1906-1914. 15 of the letters were written in August 1914.
F.2 6 letters to Adrian's sister, Victoria Grant Duff, Sept.-Nov. 1914, encl. accounts of Adrian's death.
F.3 6 letters to Adrian's mother, Anna Julia Grant Duff, Aug.-Sept. 1914. Five of the letters are holograph copies.
F.4 Letter to Mrs. Smith, 5 September 1915.
F.5 Letter to Adrian's brother, Iseult Grant Duff, 1930.
Incoming
F.6 l letter from her mother, Lady Avebury, 6 August 1914.
F.7 Telegram from Undersecretary of War, reporting Adrian as missing.
F.8 Letter from Annie Rea, 20 September 1914.
F.9 50 letters of condolence, 1914-1915. Includes telegram of condolence from Buckingham palace, 24 September 1914 and letters from Annabel Huth "Tiny" Jackson.
F.10 7 holograph copies of letters of condolence, 1914. These letters contain details of Adrian's death. Also holograph copy of Lieutenant F. Chalmer's diary. See also Box 1, F.7.
F.11 Letter from T. Murray, 5 October 1914, with memorial service program, 7 October 1914.
F.12 6 letters from Sir Maurice Hankey, 1914-1938. Most of the letters concern the War Book. Also a news clipping from The Times about Hankey.
F.13 Letter from M. Malcolm (?), 14 November [1914], concerning the guardianship of the children.
F.14 63 letters from Black Watch Regiment wives; 2 letters from men, 1915.
F.15 36 thank you letters from recipients of photographs of Adrian Grant Duff sent by Ursula.
F.16 2 letters, 1914-1945, from Hans Holm Millar, the composer of "I Lift Mine Eyes", a sacred song, which was dedicated to the memory of Adrian Grant Duff. Also one letter, 27 May 1915, concerning the song. Sheet music of the song is also in the file.
F.17 90 letters concerning the Commemoration of the First Seven Divisions which took place on 15 December 1917.
F.18 10 letters from the following, 1930-1951: M. Atkinson, J.E. Edmunds, Victor Fortune (?), Milli, Bronislaus Malinowski, Grace Moulder, C. Needholm (?), The New Commonwealth, W. Selkirk, and one unsigned letter.
F.19 Letter from Adrian's brother, Arthur Grant Duff, 1942.
Other:
F.20 2 telegrams and 6 letters of condolence, 1914, to Ursula's mother, Lady Avebury. Includes one letter from Annabel Huth Jackson. Also holograph copy of a letter from Victoria Grant Duff to Lady Avebury.
F.21 Letter from Brigadier General Ivor Maxse to Drummond, 30 October 1914, re Adrian Grant Duff. Also a holograph copy of part of a letter from Maxse to his wife about Adrian. See also Box 5, F.7.
F.22 Letter from the French Ambassador to Switzerland, addressed to my dear colleague, 5 July 1916.
F.23 5 letters between third-parties, including one from Lord Esher, 13 September 1901.
Sub-Series 3: Biographical and military sub-series. -- 1888-1923. -- 12.5 cm of textual records. -- 14 maps. -- Title based on content of sub-series.
Box 5:
F.1 Adrian Grant Duff's military records, 1888-1914. Includes some correspondence and examinations.
F.2 Petition of Black Watch regiment, F Company, stationed in India, requesting to be sent to South Africa, December 1899. Adrian Grant Duff is one of the signatories.
F.3 Jepp's map sheet no. 4 of the Transvaal.
F.4 6 printed maps of the War of 1870-1871 in France, issued to Adrian Grant Duff, presumably in 1914. 1 printed map of Northern France and Belgium. 3 printed maps of part of Germany. 2 sketch maps of France and Belgium. 1 sketch map of Belgium and The Netherlands. 1 sketch map showing line occupied by British troops after the battle of the Aime. Daily Mail supplement, "Bird's-eye map of the Front". 4 newspaper clippings containing maps. Sketch of the tombstone of Lt. H.F.P. Lubbock, killed in action, 4 April 1918.
F.5 Graphology analysis of Adrian Grant Duff's character, 1888.
F.6 Speech to officers by their commanding officer, Lt. Col. Grant Duff, 27 March 1914. Manuscript, 6 p.
F.7 Accounts of Adrian Grant Duff in battle, 1895 and 1914. Includes one sketch map. See also condolence correspondence.
F.8 News clippings about Grant Duff's promotions and marriage.
F.10 Obituaries. Includes draft notice of obituary, 27 September 1914, combined with an unsigned copy of an account of Grant Duff's death.
F.11 Account of Adrian Grant Duff's life to 1882 written by Ursula, manuscript, 10 p. Account of Adrian's death and what she told the children, written by Ursula, manuscript, 5 p. Other notes, manuscript, 6 p.
For further biographical materials, see Shiela Grant Duff series.
F.12 Invoice from a German book dealer to Sir Eveyln Grant Duff (Adrian's brother), 1923, and lists of generals.
Sub-series 4: Printed materials sub-series. -- 1883-1919. -- 12.5 cm of textual records. -- Title based on content of sub-series.
Box 6:
F.1 Woodcote Gazette and Ascham School Magazine, 1883.
F.2 Tear-sheets from Contemporary Review, containing an article by A. J. Grant Duff on Laurence Oliphant, 1888 or after, with annotations by Shiela Grant Duff.
F.3 Proclamatie (Vertaling), 1901.
F.4 Wellington Year Book (1914). A List of Old Wellingtonians Serving Their Country (1915).
F.5 Post cards of World War I.
F.6 News clipping removed from John Stewart, The Story of the Black Watch, 2nd edition.
F.7 G. F. Hill, Les Médailles Commémorataives comme Instruments de Progadande Allemande (1917).
F.8 Festival of Peace programme, 1919.
Adrian Grant Duff's bible. Contains inscription by him dated 1884; several religious pictures have been placed throughout the bible, several family dates are at the end.
The following books have been catalogued for Archives and Research Collections.
Books belonging to Adrian Grant Duff:
D'Aguilar, G. C., trans., The Military Maxims of Napoleon (London: Freemantle, 1901).
Gell, Mrs. Lylleton, The Cloud of Witness (London: Henry Frowde, n.d.). Inscribed: Adrian Grant Duff from father, October 1895.
Grant Duff, Mountstuart E., Some Brief Comments on Passing Events (Madras: Printed by R. Hill, at the Government Press, 1884).
Kipling, Rudyard, Soldiers Three (London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1891).
Maurice, J. F., Hostilities without Declaration of War (London: 1883).
Other books:
Godsman, James, The Church of King-Edward, Aberdeenshire (Banff: Banffshire Journal Ltd., [1948]). Contains information on the Grant Duff mausoleum.
Linklater, Eric, The Highland Division (London: 1942).
Stewart, John, A Brief History of The Royal Highland Regiment The Black Watch (Edinburgh: T.A. Constable, 1912; 2nd edition, 1914).
Sub-series 5: Photographs sub-series. -- 1885-[1914]. -- 147 photographs. -- Title based on content of sub-series.
Box 7:
Note: All photographs are b&w.
F.1 Adrian Grant Duff. 9 photographs, all in uniform. 1 reproduction of a drawing of him. 1 photograph of his burial place.
F.2 1 photograph of Adrian with two of his brothers. 1 photograph of the painting by Arthur Hughes, of Adrian as a child with his mother, Anna Julia Grant Duff, in the grounds of Hampden House, Bucks., with a peacock.
F.3 2 photographs of Alice Grant Duff (Adrian's aunt, Mrs. Gaspar Obrist). 1 photograph of her son, Aloys Obrist.
F.4 8 photograph portraits of women and women with children, 1885-1911. 13 photograph portraits of men, only one is dated, 1885. 1 photograph of Government House, Ootacamund, India. 1 photograph of the yacht, Sheila, at Port Louis Harbour, 1893. 1 photograph of a Paris church. 1 photograph of a pond. 1 photograph of a home in Scotland.
F.5 21 photograph portraits of Black Watch soldiers with signatures, 1890-1897. 1 photograph of the Marrett family. 1 group photograph of the Black Watch in India, dressed in theatrical costumes.
F.6 Photograph of Brigadier-General U. G. Alexander, United States Army, with card from Colonel Charles W. Exton, Chemical Warfare Service, United States army: "General Alexander asked me to send this photo."
F.8 Photograph portrait of unidentified man, not Lord Avebury nor Sir E. Grant Duff.
Grant Duff photograph albums.
Brown leather, with The Victoria Album printed inside. Contains photographs of Adrian's parents, Ursula with two of their children, Adrian, his brothers and sisters, other Grant Duffs, and others. 47 photographs.
Box 8:
Black leather, contains photographs of Adrian, his brothers and sisters, other Grant Duffs, and others. 36 photographs.
Shiela Grant Duff series. -- 1931-1987. -- 12.5 cm of textual records. -- Title based on content of series. -- Note: This series contains materials collected or written by Shiela about her father.
Box 9:
F.1 Photocopy of The Red Hackle (April 1987) containing article about the Grant Duff diaries. See Box 1.
F.2 Diary and letter extracts, research notes. Her commentary is interspersed in the extracts.
F.3 Correspondence with the Royal United Services Institute and Michael Howard, 1972, concerning her article on the War Book.
F.4 Various typescript drafts of her article, with many holograph additions and changes, 81 p.
F.5 Photocopies of the published article, "The Origins of the War Book," Journal of the Royal United Services Institute (Sept. 1972.)
F.6 [Reflections on her Father], May 1959, manuscript, 3 p. One page of notes on her great-grandfather, James Cunningham (or Cunninghame) Grant Duff, 1789-1858, her father, Adrian Grant Duff, and her brother Neill Grant Duff. She notes that Neill left one son, James Adrian Grant Duff, born 1938, who was brought up by his mother, Mrs. David Dick, as a Canadian.
F.7 Photocopies of 9 letters to Adrian Grant Duff from his father, 1893-1895.
F.8 Photocopy of a biographical articles about Sir Mountstuart Grant Duff, and his father, James Cuninghame Grant Duff, annotated by Shiela.
F.9 Notes on index cards.
F.10 2 bound notebooks.
F.11 5 bound notebooks.
F.12 Notes.
F.13 Contacts of Ursula Grant Duff, i.e. friends and acquaintances, especially of Adrian Grant Duff.
F.14 2 letters to Douglas Jay, 1931. Letter from Swiss Confederation archives, 1964, which was forwarded to Shiela by Larry.
F.15 Sunday Times Magazine (23 February 1964) on World War I.
F.16 Envelopes containing notes by Shiela.
