Series 4 - Correspondence

Identity area

Reference code

UTA 1797-2-4

Title

Correspondence

Date(s)

  • 1943-1989, predominant 1943-1950 (Creation)

Level of description

Series

Extent and medium

0.20 m of textual records (32 files)

Context area

Name of creator

Archival history

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Content and structure area

Scope and content

While to correspondence in this series covers the years 1943 to 1989, most of it centres on seven seminal years in the life of Ruth Church, beginning with her military service as a base librarian with the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRENS) in 1943, through her post-war employment as head librarian at Canada House in London, her marriage to Robert Spencer in June 1948, and her activities up to his receiving his B.Litt from and being accepted for his doctorate at the University of Oxford in 1950. The scattered post-1950 letters are from Ruth Spencer to her parents, letters received from Professor Robert Finch at the University of Toronto, and miscellaneous letters received from friends and relatives.

Ruth Church’s correspondence documents in considerable detail her life and activities (with a careful eye for what the censors might not like during the War). The letters received from her parents, siblings, and friends (including those in the Armed Forces) and relatives document civilian life in Canada while providing some insights on life elsewhere in the WRENS.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

The arrangement is chronological within each grouping or correspondents.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Open.

Conditions governing reproduction

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    Script of material

      Language and script notes

      Physical characteristics and technical requirements

      Finding aids

      For file listing, see attached PDF finding aid.

      Uploaded finding aid

      Allied materials area

      Existence and location of originals

      Existence and location of copies

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      Notes area

      Alternative identifier(s)

      Reference number

      B2013-0005/020(56)-/021(29)

      Access points

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      Description control area

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      Dates of creation revision deletion

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          Sources

          Accession area