Catalogue of the papers of H. L. Roper

Reference code: GB-0033-SAD
Title: H. L. Roper
Dates of creation: ca. 1923-1955
Extent: 0.5 box
Held by: Durham University Library, Archives and Special Collections
Created by: H. L. Roper
Language: English

Henry Leslie Roper

(b. 1900)


	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

Arrangement

1. Personal Papers

2. Photographic Material

(a) Photographs

(b) Cinefilms

3. Museum Objects

4. Printed Material

Accession details

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 [H.L.R.] 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

[ca. 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.R.

2. Photographic Material

(a) Photographs

Photographs, mostly of Northern Sudan, taken by H.L.R. during his service with the Customs Department. Many are unidentified.

SAD.877/16/1-4

[ca.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.877/16/2

Steamer at Shellal

SAD.877/16/3-4

Korosko, from the river

SAD.877/16/5-27

[n.d. ca.1923 - 1949]
Photographs of the Roper family and house at Port Sudan:

SAD.877/16/5-12

H.L.R.

SAD.877/16/13

H.L.R. 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.R.'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.R., 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

[n.d. ca.1923 - 1940]
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.877/17/13

Villagers with donkey

SAD.877/17/14

Men carrying sacks into village

SAD.877/17/15-16

Repairing thatch

SAD.877/17/17

Tukls

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.877/17/23

View of Sinkat

SAD.877/17/24-26

Flooded khawr , 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.R. 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.R. with Bija tribesmen on hunt

SAD.877/18/14-16

Hadanduwah hunting party

SAD.877/18/17-19

General views of the Red Sea Hills

SAD.887/1/1-10

[n.d. ca.1920s - 1930s]
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]
River scenes:

SAD.887/1/11-14

Unidentified views

SAD.887/1/15-16

Feluccas moored at river's edge

SAD.887/1/17

Unidentified dam

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.887/2/5

Ostrich in Khartoum zoo

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.R. 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.R. is standing to the rear of the group in one photograph

(b) Cinefilms

The following films were taken by H.L.R. 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 have now been remastered on to dupe negatives and fine grain positives, with a copy on VHS for ease of viewing.

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. For viewing copy see 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 (?) For viewing copy see 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

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