Reference code: GB-0033-SAD
Title: Roper, Henry Leslie
Dates of creation: 1923-1955
Extent: 0.5 box
Held by: Durham University Library, Archives and Special Collections
Created by: Roper, Henry Leslie
Language:
English
(1900 - 1995)
| | |
| 1922-1949 | Sudan Customs Department |
| 1922-1929 | Assistant Inspector of Customs, Sinkat |
| 1930 | Assistant Controller - General and Personnel, Sinkat |
| 1931-1932 | Assistant Collector of Customs, Port Sudan |
| 1932-1935 | Inspector / Collector of Customs, Khartoum |
| 1935-1936 | Collector of Customs, Port Sudan |
| 1936 | Controller of Customs, Khartoum |
| 1937-1940 | Chief Collector of Customs, Port Sudan |
| 1941-1943 | Controller of Customs, Khartoum |
| 1944-1949 | Director of Customs, Khartoum |
1. Personal Papers
2. Photographic Material
(a) Photographs
(b) Cinefilms
3. Museum Objects
4. Printed Material
Presented by Roper, 1966 and by Mrs A. Ramsay, 1992
Catalogue
1. Personal Papers
SAD.882/6/1-3
1939 Aug 24
Letter from H.L. Roper at Port Sudan to his brother E.M. Roper concerning a major washout on the railway line near Kamob Sanha, A.R.P. training at Port Sudan and the sale of his brother's copies of
Sudan Notes and Records. E.M. Roper served in the Customs Department from 1923 to 1935 and as Director of Economics and Trade from 1935 to 1939
SAD.882/6/5-7
[c. 1955]
Detailed review of
The making of the modern Sudan: the life and letters of Sir Douglas Newbold by K.D.D. Henderson, incorporated in a letter from E.M. Roper to his brother H.L. Roper
2. Photographic Material
(a) Photographs
Photographs, mostly of Northern Sudan, taken by H.L. Roper during his service with the Customs Department. Many are unidentified
SAD.877/16/1-4
[c. 1923]
Photographs of Southern Egypt and Northern Province, probably taken during the journey out to Khartoum:
SAD.877/16/1
View of Abu Simbel, taken from the corrugated roof of a building
SAD.877/16/5-27
[c. 1923 - 1949]
Photographs of the Roper family and house at Port Sudan:
SAD.877/16/13
H.L. Roper with Mrs. M.I.B. Roper and their first daughter Priscilla, Khartoum or Port Sudan, 1930
SAD.877/16/14
Mrs. M.I.B. Roper with brother-in-law, E.M. Roper and daughter Joan at a swimming pool
SAD.877/16/15-16
Ann Roper diving into a swimming-pool at the Sudan Club
SAD.877/16/17
H.L. Roper's daughter Joan, c.1937
SAD.877/16/18-20
Joan Roper with Julie Castle at the Roper house in Port Sudan, c.1937
SAD.877/16/21
Mrs. Roper with small child at Port Sudan house, c.1937
SAD.877/16/22
H.L. Roper, Mrs. Roper, Joan and unidentified British man on a picnic, c.1937
SAD877/16/23-27
The Roper house and garden, Port Sudan, c.1937
SAD.877/17/1-18
[c. 1923 - 1940]
Photographs of mostly unidentified views, but probably Red Sea Province:
SAD.877/17/1-11
Village scenes: sacks of cotton or grain ready for transport, with
tukls in background
SAD.877/17/12
Preparing to set out on trek
SAD.877/17/14
Men carrying sacks into village
SAD.877/17/18
SS
Llanstephen Castle arriving at Port Sudan, 18 Oct 1923
SAD.877/17/19-27
1923
Photographs of Sinkat, Red Sea Province:
SAD.877/17/19-20
The Roper bungalow, Jul 1923
SAD.877/17/21
House of the Director of Customs, Jul 1923
SAD.877/17/22
American Mission House and Gellatly Hankey and Co.'s bungalow, Jul 1923
SAD.877/17/27
View from Sinkat looking towards Summit, Jul 1923
SAD.877/18/1-10
[n.d., ca.1920s]
Photographs of brick-built buildings, a number of them probably homes occupied by H.L. Roper in Red Sea Province
SAD.877/18/11-19
[n.d., ca.1920s - 1930s]
Photographs of the Red Sea Hills:
SAD.877/18/11-13
H.L. Roper with Bija tribesmen on hunt
SAD.877/18/17-19
General views of the Red Sea Hills
SAD.887/1/1-10
[n.d. ca.1920s - 1930s]
Photographs of general unidentified views, N. Sudan, including a radio mast (SAD.887/1/8) and a
habub (SAD.887/1/9)
SAD.887/1/11-17
[n.d. ca.1920s - 1930s]
Photographs of river scenes:
SAD.887/1/15-16
Feluccas moored at river's edge
SAD.887/1/18-21
[n.d. ca.1920s - 1930s]
Photographs of camels, goats and donkeys
SAD.887/1/22-23
[n.d. ca.1920s - 1930s]
Photographs of transport:
SAD.887/1/22
Two men standing in front of truck, probably the driver and a policeman, with British woman in passenger seat
SAD.887/1/23
Train at station with passengers on the platform
SAD.887/2/1-7
[n.d. ca.1930s - 1940s]
Photographs of Khartoum:
SAD.887/2/1-4
Sudan football club ground, match in progress
SAD.887/2/6-7
Interior of the Victory shop
SAD.887/2/8-22
[n.d. c.1920s - 1940s]
Photographs of unidentified men and women, mostly British officials and their wives:
SAD.887/2/8
Group of American missionaries in Khartoum, including Frances Turk, second from right
SAD.887/2/9
Portrait photograph of Frances Turk, American missionary
SAD.887/2/10-22
Unidentified men and women, on trek, on picnics, etc., mostly in the Red Sea Hills area
SAD.871/10/1-2
[n.d. ca.1940s]
Group photographs of Customs Department staff, H.L. Roper seated centre
SAD.887/3/1-11
[n.d. c.1930s - 1940s]
Unidentified photographs which are not of the Sudan:
SAD.887/3/1-9
Street scenes and women and children, possibly Egypt or Lebanon
SAD.887/3/10-11
Group watching a man dancing, possibly Kenya. H.L. Roper is standing to the rear of the group in one photograph
(b) Cinefilms
The following films were taken by H.L. Roper in the Northern Sudan during his service with the Customs Department. His intention had been to take a series of "themed" films recording life in the Sudan at that time, but difficulties of obtaining
film during the war, and mounting costs, led him to abandon the project after only two films, one covering the theme of "water" and the other "travel". The original 16mm films were remastered on to dupe negatives and fine grain positives, and a copy
on VHS was made for ease of viewing. Digitised copies are now available
SAD.765/3
[ca.1926 - 1927]
Port Sudan harbour; train leaving station; view from train of desert; Red Sea Hills; village of
tukls ; station; view of Suakin from the sea; boats in Suakin harbour; Suakin buildings and streets; causeway and
Gordon's gate; passengers at station; view from a moving train; Red Sea Hills; British man and woman; loading sacks on to train; engines and rolling stock; Gebeit station; YMCA building; Bija tribesmen raising water from a well; camel herd; street
scene; herd of goats;
shaduf with mud built building in background;
saqiyah ; Bija tribal sports - sack race, hurdles and camel race; flags flying (British and Egyptian) at sports meeting;
mock fighting; shot putt; camel race; high jump.
Video 25
16mm, b& w. Duration: 11 minutes
Digital copy
SAD.765/4
[ca.1930 - 1936]
Italian 3-engined aircraft taking off from Kassala runway; raising water from well; aeroplane taking off; row of cars and lorries laden with sacks of barley for Eritrea (ca.1936); lorry driving on rough road; camels at rest; Bija men loading
camels, Red Sea Hills in background; camels carrying fodder; railway station; girl selling baskets at station; Omdurman street scenes; tram; shops; Khartoum zoo; travelling over dirt road, Red Sea Hills; euphorbia; British man in car at Erkowit (?);
loading cattle on to steamer at Port Sudan (?)
Video 25
16mm, b & w. Duration: 11 minutes
Digital copy
SAD.Video 25
Time-coded VHS video copy of the films above, arranged as follows:
00.30 to 11.43 - SAD.765/3
00.22 to 11.40 - SAD.765/4
3. Museum Objects
SAD.G//S 387/1-4
4 kulbetas, iron axe or throwing knives from the Nuba Mountains or hills south of Roseires. Purchased in the 1930s or 1940s at Wisko in the Southern Funj. Made by local blacksmiths. Commonly carried by Berta tribesmen on the shoulders and flung
parallel to the ground. Incised decoration, geometric patterns and animals (giraffes, figures and one has an elephant)
4. Printed material
Separated printed material now in Durham University Library
Printed material deposited with collection; now integrated into the library's printed collections and catalogued on the Open Public Access Catalogue
