The large leather bound original volume contains photographs and handwritten descriptions relating to the radar research and development at the Bernard Price Institute.

The radar development for the detection and location of aircraft and ships by radar, had been started by Britain some years before the outbreak of World War II. In 1939 General Jan Smuts appointed South African scientists, under the leadership of Dr. B.F.J. Schonland, then Director of the Bernard Price Institute of Geophysical Research and Professor of Geophysics at the University of the Witwatersrand, to gather information for the research programme.

The institute committed itself entirely to war work and became the headquarters for what became known as the Special Signals Services which was tasked with preparing to train people in the use of British radar. Britain shared secret information on radar technology with its Dominions, and in South Africa’s case, this transfer of information occurred primarily through Schonland being briefed directly by Dr Ernest Marsden. Ever the scientist, Schonland, rather than serve purely in a training capacity, set up a research and development team, and based on the information he received from Britain, the team developed a South African version of radar within a few months using components scavenged from radio shops. The South African radar’s functionality was first demonstrated in mid December 1939.

The album was comiled by Dr G.R. Bozzoli, together with members of the radar team, at the request of the committee formed to dissolve the team at the end of WWII. Members of the team included Basil Schonland, Bernard Price and Humphry Raikes (former Vice Chancellor of Wits).

The collection contains photocopies of some chapters from the book "Something to be told: A first history of St Alban's College, Pretoria".
There are also records about the predecessor of St Alban's College, being the St Birinus School, with photographs of staff and students.

Hydrographer, traveller and Captain in the Compagnie des Indes

'Efterretninger om seilatsen fra Frankerig til Indien' 1773. 147p. Ms vol.
A translation into Danish by Barthole Johan Lodde of the original pilot's guide, Memoire sur la navigation de France aux Indes, Paris 1765.
At the back of the leather-bound volume is a log-book (pp45-84) in Danish covering 30 July to 4 Oct.1786 and navigational notes, including a comment on Robben Island.

One of the original prospectors for gold on the Witwatersrand

Included are 8 ALS to Anna Swanepoel who afterwards became his wife; 2 Hg poems addressed to 'my dearly beloved Annie', and 6 other items relating to the family Bantjes. The letter-books cover the years 1887-1910 and contain copies of letters in Dutch and English relating to the flotation of mining syndicates and to Bantjes' work as Commandant of the Special Police in Johannesburg, 1900-1901. Also photograph of one of the first wagons to arrive on the Rand.

Professor of the History of Philosophy, University of Paris

'La signification du discours de la méthode': an address to the Descartes Tercentenary Celebration held by the Philosophical Society at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 1937.

Accompanied by a translation into English by Dr. E.M. Papenfus and correspondence.

Catholic missionary

Bantu origins: the people and their language (238p. Ts vol.), published Cape Town, Struik, 1963 and The Zulu people as they were before the white man came (480p.2 Ts vols.) published Pietermaritzburg, Shuter, 1949.

Pioneer in Afrikaans literature

'Terug in lewe' deur Ben Busy [pseud.] An unpublished novel.

Journalist, newspaper editor and author

'Memoir of the life of William Howard Schröder, artist', 1894.
Ms and Ts drafts with galley proof of the 'Memoir' as printed in the Schröder Art Memento, 1894.

Professional soldier

Describes a game hunting expedition from Grahamstown to the Orange Free State, travelling via the Fish River, King William's Town, Frankfort, Queenstown, Burgersdorp, Reddersburg, Bloemfontein, Modder River, Winburg and Thaba Nchu. When an uprising broke out, Briggs joined a Boer commando under Louis Wessels which routed the attackers. Includes comments on meetings with Chiefs Sandile and Moroka and President Brand.

Published in Sotho war diaries 1864-1965, edited by K. Schoeman (Cape Town, Human & Rousseau, 1985).

Lady Anna D'Urban and Henrietta Margaretha D'Urban, wife and daughter of Sir Benjamin D'Urban, Governor of the Cape 1834-1838

Poetry, prose, epigrams, acrostics, music, scraps, silhouettes, playing cards, original paintings and sketches. The pictorial items relate to Antigua and British Guiana 1823-1829 and the Cape of Good Hope 1834-1840. There are holograph lines written by Sir Benjamin and Lady Anna D'Urban.

The Cape scenes include sketches by Sir J.E. Alexander, C.D. Bell, F.A. Campbell, J.S. Davison and A. Wylde and there are some flower paintings by M.A. Andrews, M. Schmid and some reputed to be by A. Roupell, author of Specimens of the flora of South Africa by A Lady, London, Nicol, 1849. Other pictorial material includes items on Gibraltar and Sardinia by C.W. Furlonge, a sporting scene by G. Hall, views of the bathing house on St. Vincent and India, together with European paintings by W.H. Piers.