[c. 1960s]
Notes by R.C. Roberts for a lecture entitled “Engineering and the African”. Includes captions for many of the photographs of steamers in section 2 below.

1966 Jan 8 - Feb 17
Letters from R.C. Roberts to R.L. Hill containing reminiscences of his life with the Sudan Government Steamers Section

Steamer Sudan on the Nile at Halfa

View from the deck of a steamer at the Halfa reach, between Aswan and Halfa

The Nile at Shellal

Elfin, the Governor-General's yacht and the launch Katherine moored in front of the Palace at Khartoum, with the gunboat Malik upstream

Gunboat Malik moored in the Blue Nile with the dockyard in the background

S.R.S. Surgam leaving Moghren before the Omdurman bridge was built (1925-28); complete tow attached

S.R.S. Gedid running a ferry service between Khartoum and Omdurman in the days before the Omdurman bridge was built

S.R.S. Gedid, Bordein and Amka in the Blue Nile near the Palace

White Nile post boat, the S.R.S. Gedid in drydock at Khartoum North dockyard

1937 Jan
S.R.S. Rejaf in the Khartoum North dockyard; S.R.S. Gedid in the floating dock

S.R.S. Rejaf afloat and M.V. Nasir on the beach at Khartoum North dockyard

Khartoum North dockyard, the hospital ship Lady Baker on the left and the Lord Kitchener on the right

Post boat moored at Khartoum North dockyard

1940 Feb
Dockyard, Khartoum North

‘B’ type steamer Kaibar at Moghren

S.R.S. Sir Reginald Wingate moored near Moghren

1930s
Twin screw tug Panther conveying two barges from anchorage south of Omdurman bridge to Moghren

Aerial view of the junction of the Blue and White Niles

Aerial views of Omdurman bridge at high river and low river

1930s
Aerial view of Khartoum looking north showing the loco sheds in the foreground

Aerial view of Khartoum, with three bi-planes flying over the Blue Nile

View of Khartoum from the cathedral tower

Omdurman bridge with habub approaching

1930s
R.C. Roberts on the sun deck of the old Omdurman, Tuti island in the background

R.C. Roberts on the bridge of an ‘X’ ship at Khartoum North dockyard

Road-making equipment on quayside bound for Eritrea

1940
House of F.B. Yates, Dockyard Superintendent Engineer, Khartoum North

1934 Jul 1
Juba post boat S.R.S. Gedid at Kosti with six barges

S.R.S. Gedid II southbound post boat arriving at Malakal; 80 ton coffee barge moored at river side

1936 Sep
S.R.S. Gedid with barge pushed up the bank at Simsima khawr

Car on the Cape to Cairo motor run being transported down stream on a post boat

S.R.S. Cairo, a side paddle steamer transporting petrol on the White Nile; bulk tank barge in front of the steamer

Barge loaded with poles for army telegraph in the desert

Barge loaded with bamboos for Jebelein army camp

Village on the White Nile between Kosti and Khartoum

Damage to Kosti bridge

Jebel Aulia dam from the deck of S.R.S. Nuer showing barges stuck on rocks

1936 Sep
The hull of the old Gedid filled with stones and earth at Shambe Meshra

1936 Sep
Shambe Meshra and hospital

White Nile post boat at Shambe showing the barge hit by the tow of the S.R.S. Lord Cromer

Shambe pier before alteration

1937 Aug
M.L. Sobat at Malakal with sudd floating by on the river

View looking forward from the saloon deck of the Anuak

Juba rapids looking downstream

The Rejaf jabal

View of the wash from the stern wheel

Junction of the Sobat and White Nile rivers

An island of sudd floating downstream

Grass in the sudd region

1927
The old Nasir southbound between Renk and Kaka, (3 negs)

Helping cattle up the gangway on to a steamer at Meshra el Req

1936 Jul
S.R.S. Amka, tugs and barges stranded in the Jur river due to drop in level of river

View of the river bank showing the drop in level of water which caused a 14-day delay

S.R.S. Amka ( ‘B’ type steamer)

1936 Jul
Joe Eva wading across the River Jur

1936 Aug
View from the tug Welcome towing four barges with S.R.S. Amka astern, Jur narrows

Two tugs towing a barge in the Jur narrows

1936 Aug
The tug Welcome with four barges navigating a Z bend in the Jur narrows; S.R.S. Amka astern

Floating sudd in the Jur narrows

1936 Aug
Tug Welcome and S.R.S. Amka entering the top end of the Jur narrows

1936 Aug
Tug Welcome and barge no. 201 in the Jur narrows

Elephant in the grass, Jur narrows

Tug Welcome, barges and S.R.S. Amka in the Jur narrows

Tug, four barges and ‘B’ type steamer passing through the Jur narrows

Tug Dinder towing third class steamer and post barge through the narrows

1938
Tug, steamer and barges in the narrows; Dinka standing in dug-out canoe to right of picture

1938
Tugs Witch, Welcome and Warden each towing two barges

Tug Dinder, three barges and ‘B’ type steamer

1939
Tug Dinder on its side, Joe Eva and crew members standing on hull

Steamer in the Jur narrows showing the only tree and small island between the river mouth and Lake Umbardi

Dinka hauling a crocodile out of the river

Steamer aground, Jur River

Dinka fishing in the Jur narrows

Unloading a girder at Wau

Unloading petrol at Wau

1937 Aug
S.R.S. Anuak with ten barges, bound for Gambeila

Barge at Gambeila, jabal in background, petrol drums on the river bank

View over Gambeila from the Sugar Loaf hill

River Baro at Gambeila, looking downstream (enclosed in Christmas card from J.K. Maurice)

S.R.S. Anuak at Gambeila

1937 Aug
Barges of the S.R.S. Anuak after discharging 4,800 petrol drums at Gambeila

Barges of S.R.S. Anuak at Gambeila showing the Sugar Loaf hill in the background and to the right the headquarters of the Italian District Commissioner

1937 Aug 22
Unloading petrol drums from the S.R.S. Anuak , at Gambeila

1937 Sep
S.R.S. Anuak loading grain at Shabasha, White Nile Province on return from a petrol delivery to Gambeila

1937 Oct
Barge of the S.R.S. Anuak aground on the riverbank at Jokau as a result of the telegraph chain breaking

Village on the left bank of the River Baro between Gambeila and Jokau

1938 Mar
S.R.S. Amka at the Zeraf quarry landing

Rudder bent in two places on the Zeraf stone service after hitting the bank

Sail made out of an awning to balance a side wind

Loading stone on to barges

Barge filled with stone

Overloaded barge

Egyptian workers at the Zeraf stone quarry

1935 Nov 2
S.R.S. Lord Kitchener on her side in the White Nile after hitting the Abu Hagar rock near Geteina; showing the sun deck and the tug Panther

Steamer on her side showing the engine room

Preparing to lift the funnel off

Filling the barge with water; R.C. Roberts in background

Conveying the funnel from steamer to barge

Lifting the top deck of the steamer with bulk petrol barge no. 300

Lifting the vertical girders into position; Jock Morrison in the foreground

Everything ready for turning

Commencing to right the steamer

In the upright position; S.R.S. Anuak in the background

After the forward had been pumped out and the steamer pushed through the mud to the beach

Steamer refloated

Digging a hole in the river bed for shore anchorage (known as a ‘Dead man’)

Khartoum station looking west down Victoria Avenue

Khartoum old tramway

Khartoum tramway with view of grade 3 houses from the railway embankment

View of the Royal Hotel in Sirdar Avenue, Khartoum with tram in operation

1930's
Khartoum North end of the Blue Nile bridge with the old steam tram

Loco no. 201

Loco no. 210

Loco n.o 250

1930's
A 2-6-2 loco in Khartoum Central station

1930's
A 4-4-0 tank at Khartoum locosheds

1930's
Loco “Ackerbumper” in Khartoum North

Port Sudan express in the Red Sea Hills

Unidentified locos and rolling stock

1937 Mar
Loco no. 81 built by the American Locomotive Company

Two 3' 6" guage E.S.R. wagons travelling from Malakal to Zeraf

Loading a tank engine at Malakal, bound for Zeraf stone quarry landing

Conveying trucks to the Zeraf stone quarry landing

Tank engine unloading

Loading stone at Zeraf quarry basin

1938 Dec
Actors - Richardson, Korda, Clements and Miss Corbett on motor launch

Clements (actor) and Borradale the Chief camerman on an island in the Nile

Clements taking Richardson downstream on a canoe

Borradale, Korda and Evans filming a river scene

Battlefield scenes

S.R.S. Zafir with packing cases on foredeck of barge

Site on the White Nile before the start of construction work

Dam site looking west

1934 Jun
Construction work from the east bank

Work on the locks, looking north

1934 Jul 2
East view of construction site showing the floor of the dam wall

1934 Jul 2
North view of construction site showing the north-west end of the lock

General views of Khartoum (G.N.M. 281 and G.S. 97)

Habub over Khartoum (G.N.M. 153 and K.B.)

Aerial views of Khartoum (K.B.)

Blue Nile bridge (K.B.)

White Nile bridge, Khartoum (G.S. 198)

Khartoum railway station (G.S. 1 and G.N.M. 233)

Tramway station, Khartoum Central (Victoria Stationery and Bookstores)

Riverfront, Khartoum (G.S. 22)

Dockyard, Khartoum North (G.S. 26)

Kitchener statue and War Office (G.N.M. 199 and 334)

British barracks, Khartoum (G.S. 189)

The Khalifa's house, Omdurman

The Mahdi's tomb, Omdurman (after the bombardment)

Passenger train (G.S. 140)

Junction of the Blue and White Niles (G.N.M. 163)

Gordon's steamer, the Bordein in the Blue Nile near the dockyard (K.B.)

S.G.S. Gedid (G.N.M. 446 and Sudan Railways, Atbara)

S.G.S. Ibis on the Halfa reach (K.B.)

Sudan Government steamer on Shellal-Halfa reach

Sundeck of S.R.S. Amka

S.R.S. Amka in Khartoum North

Steamers locked up in the sudd (G.N.M. 122)

Kosti bridge (G.S. 186)

S.R.S. Amka at the quarry landing, Zeraf river (K.B.)

The sudd

Forest of Doleib, Bahr al-Ghazal

Korosko, Shellal-Halfa reach

Hadanduwah, Red Sea Province (K.B.)

Temple of Abu Simbel

`Ali Sadiq Pasha, general manager of the Sudan railway, 1876, director of the Finance Department of the Sudan Government, 1877 (copy from al-Shatir Busayli 'Abd al-Jalil, Ta'rikh al-muwasalat fi Sudan wadi al-Nil, 1, Cairo [1950])

1940 Feb
Khartoum polo club including Mr. and Mrs. Norris, R.C. Roberts and wife (in centre wearing topis), Mr. Allison, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Richards and Mr. Coleman

1937 Jun
Group of children

1911
Stanley Adams flying between Bowness Bay and Waterhead on Windermere Lake, autumn 1911, as seen by Roberts, then a schoolboy. The aeroplane was destroyed by the fall of a hangar roof in a gale later that winter

1932 May
R.C. Roberts boarding the “City of Arundel” on the first Cape to Croydon flight at Khartoum, proceeding on leave from Khartoum North dockyard

1932 May
Aeroplane “City of Arundel” leaving Khartoum on the first Cape to Croydon flight

[c. 1932 ]
Postcard of “Heracles” Imperial Airways airliner, the type of aeroplane used between Paris and Croydon, 8 May 1932

1932 May
Magazine photograph of “Scippeo”, a 4-engine Kent Short flying boat over the Mediterranean

1932 May 8
Group of passengers in front of the “City of Arundel” at Croydon, including Mrs Dupuis, wife of C.G. Dupuis (Governor of Darfur), Roberts (Sudan Railways and Steamers, Khartoum North), Andrew Smith (Agriculture and Forests) and Captain Olley

1934
Captain Gordon P. Olley, A million miles in the air: personal experiences, impressions, and travel stories of travel by air (London : Hodder & Stroughton Limited). Olley was fellow passenger to Roberts on the first Cape to Croydon passenger flight. The following photographs are pasted into the volume:

[1941]
Working time table of trains and steamers from November 1st, 1941, until further notice

[1940]
Programme for a horse show & gymnkhana to be held on 9 February 1940 on the Gordon College Grounds in aid of the British Red Cross Fund, with entry form