MS 433 02 01

Reference code

MS 433 02 01

Title

Wilfred P. Thesiger's letters from St. Aubyn’s House and Eton College

Level

Sub-series

Date

1920-1928

Extent & medium

1 box containing 9 files

Content description

This collection of letters was sent by Thesiger, primarily to his mother, from his prep school in Rottingdean, Sussex, and afterward from Eton College. Wilfred Thesiger started at St. Aubyn’s in September 1919 and he would later admit to the feelings of isolation and his brutal experiences at the hands of the Headmaster Lang. However the letters, which are generally short, never commented on the beating and were generally of a more upbeat and amusing tone. In 1923 Thesiger left St. Aubyn’s for Eton College.

At Eton the letters became less frequent and the letters would often express a sense of longing to return to Abyssinia, frequently asking for books about the culture there.