1949 Dec 29
Polden's Sudan Government contract of employment

1953 Jun 3
Polden's Sudan Government identity certificate

1953 Oct 30
Letter from Polden to D.G. Clow, Senior Veterinary Inspector, Malakal, concerning his interrogation of two Murle men about the deaths of local game

1954 Sep 9
Establishments circular letter no.30/1954 concerning the procedure to be followed in cases of expatriate officials whose service is terminated

[c.1955]
“Some notes on the Nuer Districts”, by Polden including names of tribes and their chiefs, and note of diseases encountered in each district

1949 Dec 24
Letter from Mr. Kfouri, Belgravia Dairy, Khartoum North to a friend of Polden's father offering advice to the prospective candidate and describing life in the Sudan

1950 Jan 10-1951 Jan 4
Letters from A.W. Polden to his parents written during his role as Veterinary Inspector at Wad Medani and, later, Fangak. The letters are chiefly of a personal nature, but also include occasional references to his work, including an inventory of items he intends to take on trek (SAD.995/1/5-7); descriptions of the trek, including his inspection of government donkeys in the Gezira (SAD.995/1/8); the landscape of Singa (SAD.995/1/9), a stopover at Roseires (SAD.995/1/10); the non-Arabic speaking inhabitants of Ingessana and his impression of the Sudanese D.C. for Sennar, Da'ud al-Khalifa `Abd Allahi (SAD.995/1/11); the landscape of Kurmuk and its role in the Second World War (SAD.995/1/12); a further trek to Kurmuk including his encounter with the Jum-Jum tribe (SAD.995/1/16-18); an account of a tribal court at Bau in the Ingessana Hills (SAD.995/1/20); a plan to evade Abyssinian currency restrictions relating to the selling of mules, and the landscape near Yabus (SAD.995/1/21-24); delivering an Abyssinian woman's baby (SAD.995/1/26); his opinions on the character of the Northern Sudanese, and the various political schools of thought associated with Sudanese independence (SAD.995/1/28-30); his dislike of Sudanese Effendis (SAD.995/1/45-49); trips to the Wad Medani suq to rescue mistreated animals (SAD.995/1/53-57); his arrival at Fangak to take up a new post as Senior Veterinary Inspector, sketch maps of his new station and house, a description of its organisation, as well as descriptions of Nuer clothing and mannerisms (SAD.995/1/102-105); his frustration at the railway strikes, and the nuances of Nuer language (SAD.995/1/106-109). Enclosure:

1950 Mar 10 - Aug 8
Letters from Polden at Wad Medani to his mother, mainly concerning personal and family matters but including descriptions of a visit to Kosti (SAD.759/6/1-3); account of a trek to Abyssinia to buy mules (SAD.759/6/4-14); a visit to Dinder National Park, a concert for a girls' school and the sinking of a steamer at Malakal with resulting loss of life (SAD.759/6/19-21); the effects of Ramadan on everyday life (759/6/27-29); outbreak of anthrax at the research farm (SAD.759/6/40-42); treatment of a calf with tetanus (SAD.759/6/32-37); petrol shortage, anti-cruelty inspections in the suq and a dog destruction campaign in the Gezira villages (SAD.759/6/52-56)

1951 Jan 20-Feb 20
Letters from Polden at Fangak, to his mother describing his first attempt at big game shooting (SAD.739/10/22-25) and a fire in the dairy at Fangak (SAD.739/10/26)

1951 Jan 26–1952 Jan 1
Letters from Polden to his mother written during his time as Senior Veterinary Inspector, Upper Nile Province. The letters are chiefly of a personal nature, but also include frequent references to his work with the Nuer, including his successful attempt in stopping a fight between two rival villages near Fangak (SAD.995/2/8-10); a description of his Sudanese colleagues (SAD.995/2/11-13); his work at Fangak administering cattle injections, as well as his opinions on the Nuer character (SAD.995/2/14-15); the curiosity of the Nuer towards a wireless radio (SAD.995/2/15-16); his descriptions of the wildlife near Fagali (SAD.995/2/26-30); a brief description of a Nuer cattle camp, and the Nuer concept of adultery (SAD.995/2/37-39); his opinions on Sudanisation (SAD.995/2/90-91,111-112); and his concerns about the future administration of Southern Sudan following independence (SAD.995/2/101-103)

1952 Jan 5–Dec 19
Letters from A. W. Polden to his mother written during his time as Senior Veterinary Inspector, Upper Nile Province. The letters are chiefly of a personal nature, but also include references to his veterinary work and life on trek, including his opinion of Dinka names, and on compensation for British officials following Sudanese independence (SAD.995/3/25-30); breaking up a tribal fight involving the Nuer (SAD.995/3/35-37); innoculating Dinka cattle (SAD.995/3/42); a District Commissioners' meeting at Fangak (SAD.995/3/50-52); strikes in Khartoum (SAD.995/3/82-83); and his opinions of the Dinka at Rom (SAD.995/3/98-102)

1953 Jan 6-Dec 27
Letters from A. W. Polden to his mother written during his time as Senior Veterinary Inspector, Upper Nile Province. The letters are chiefly of a personal nature, but also include references to his veterinary work and life on trek, including a case involving the stabbing of Nuer cattle at Ler (SAD.995/4/4-7); the need to set up a Commission to accomplish Sudanisation (SAD.995/4/33-36); the reaction of the tribal chiefs and educated Sudanese towards self-government (SAD.995/4/36-40); his trip to Duk FadiAt to innoculate Nuer cattle following an outbreak of Anthrax (SAD.995/4/121-125); the postponement of the elections in Bor due to a large contingent of Dinka turning up armed at the polling station, and Polden's initiation in a Dinka naming ceremony including a detailed description of this ceremony (SAD.995/4/156-162)

1954 Jan 2-1955 Mar 23
Letters from A. W. Polden to his mother written during his time as Veterinary Inspector at Malakal. The letters are chiefly of a personal nature, but also describe his daily routine, life on trek, etc., and contain frequent references to Sudanisation, including riots in Khartoum and the new political system (SAD.995/5/46-51,53-54); plans to hand in his resignation (SAD.995/5/64-65); and the attack by the Nuer on the Sudanese District Commissioner for Renk (SAD.995/5/133-135). Enclosure:

[1980s]
Memoirs by A.W. Polden, based on accounts in his letters home, written in later life

[1950-1955]
Photographs of A.W. Polden on trek:

[1950-1955]
A.W. Polden's house at Fangak

[1950-1955]
A.W. Polden's servants

[1950-1955]
A.W. Polden with lorry on trek

[1950-1955]
Sentry on guard (Equatorial Corps?) before the Sir Lee Stack steamer

Nuer cattle camp:

[1950-1955]
Young Nuer male

[1950-1955]
Fishing on the River Sobat

[1950-1955]
Two Nuer girls

[1950-1955]
Series of contact prints (many duplicates of above) including:

[1950s]
“Sudan 1955” and “1986”, two humorous verses by Polden on the handover of power

[1950s]
Humorous verses, probably by Polden, entitled “The Maleish Bird”, “Buer Neasts”, and “Lines written in dijection [sic] at Kilo 50”