MS 433 01

Reference code

MS 433 01

Title

Wilfred Gilbert Thesiger: Papers and correspondence

Level

Series

Administrative / Biographical history

Wilfred Gilbert Thesiger, Wilfred Phillip Thesiger’s father, was the third son of the 2nd Baron Chelmsford. He was Vice-Consul to Taranto between 1897 and 1900, before fighting with the Imperial Yeomanry in the Second Boer War between 1900 and 1901. He was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in 1900 and promoted to the rank of Captain. He resigned his commission in October 1901 and entered the diplomatic service where he held the following offices:

1901-1906: Vice-Consul to Belgrade
1905-1908: Consul to St. Petersburg
1908-1909: Consul to Boma, Congo
1909-1919: Consul-General and Minister Plenipotentiary to Addis Ababa.

Date

1895-1920

Extent & medium

13 boxes; 8 volumes and 1 file

Content description

These papers cover the work of Wilfred G. Thesiger as a diplomat. They reflect the nature of his role and provide an insight into the places he was stationed during his career through his letters home and dispatches to the Foreign Office.

Arrangement

The papers have been arranged into two series reflecting the nature of the material:

01: Correspondence
02: Abyssinia Dispatches to the Foreign Office