Description
Object description
Four wallets of film negatives relating to the daily life of the family of Harold Bartlett during his appointment at RAF Seletar, Singapore as an Architectural and Civil Engineering Assistant in the Directorate of Works of the Air Ministry between 1937 and 1942. The Bartlett family consisted of Harold Bartlett, his wife Miriam and their children Derek, Sylvia, Jacquelyn. The collection is a study of a European's life in Singapore prior to the Japanese invasion.
Book 1A: 1937-1939 Family portraits and various family events. Also includes various homes and accommodation for the family; the Botanical Gardens and the Swimming Club at Singapore; life with a Chinese house servant / amah (Ah Thai); Chinese female labourers at work at a construction site; scenes in and around various local sites predominantly Singapore (sea front, Raffles Museum, government buildings, Padang, mosque at Jahore Baru, the Chinese commercial districts etc); the Monument to Sir Stamford Raffles; Pasir Pajang beach, the Sultan of Jahore's palace; Children's party at Christmas 1938; Singapore airport in 1937.
Book 2B: 1939-1940 Family portraits and various family events. Also includes events such as celebrations during the Hindu festival 'Thaipusam' and market stalls outside the Hindu temple during the festival; lavish open air child's birthday party; scenes in and around various local sites predominantly Singapore (sea front, Raffles Museum, government buildings, Padang, mosque at Jahore Baru, the Chinese commercial districts etc); a Chinese funeral, animals at the Sultan of Jahore's zoo, Singapore railway station; sampans on Singapore river, a Malay village at Bedok.
Book 2C: 1939-1940 Family portraits and various family events. Also includes scenes in and around various local sites predominantly Singapore (sea front, Raffles Museum, government buildings, Padang, mosque at Jahore Baru, the Chinese commercial districts etc); a Malay village at Bedok; the children enjoying visits to the Swimming Club beach and to the sports clubs. The beach at Mersing, at Jahore east; the children inspecting the rubber tapping cups at a plantation near Singapore; the contruction of the RAF officers' swimming baths at RAF Seletar; city skyline views taken from the roof of the Union Building.
Book 3D: 1940-1945 Family portraits and various family events. Also includes various homes and accommodation for the family; the children at King's School, and undergoing school sports such as a netball demonstration; RAF servicemen (Bartlett's colleagues) resting under mosquito nets and playing with a pet monkey on SS ORCADES during journey from Java to Colombo. Back in the UK, a children's VE Day street party at Woodlands Road, Bexleyheath, May 1945.
Physical description
Four green negative wallets each with a label on the spine describing the content and a modern label on the inside 'Harold and Miriam Bartlett and Family. Singapore and WWII. Photographs 1937-1942-1945. Imperial War Museum. Book 1 contains 95 negs, book 2 - part 1 86 negs, book 2 - part 2 71 negs and book 3 62 negs. The collection is accompanied by modern word processed captions and a CD containing 316 reference scans of negatives from the collection all under 1Mb.