Key Information
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1925-1962 (Creation)
Level of description
Collection
Extent
1 box or 0.01 cubic metres
Scope and content
Copies of papers relating to his career and the strategic significance of seapower, 1915-1962, including official and personal correspondence, 1915-1936, including letters from Adm Sir Arthur Cavenagh Leveson, Commander-in-Chief, China Station, 1923, R Adm Montagu William Warcop Peter Consett, 1923, V Adm Sir Lewis Clinton-Baker, 1926, Lt Gen John Greer Dill, 1929-1936, Adm Sir Herbert William Richmond, 1929, Maj Gen William Henry Bartholomew, 1929, R Adm Ragnar Musgrave Colvin, Chief of Staff, Home Fleet, 1931, Cdre Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1932; manuscript narrative diary, HMS HAREBELL, Fishery Protection, 1925-1926; typescript copies of lectures given at the Imperial Defence College, 1927-1935; manuscript notes on the history of the Peninsular Campaigns, Napoleonic Wars, 1807-1814 [1928]; published articles by Dickens, letters to the press and book reviews, mainly relating to the Royal Navy and the projection of seapower, 1929-1962; manuscript narrative war diary, 1940-1945, with manuscript notes on the Korean War, 1950; official and personal correspondence, 1940-1945, including letters from Rt Hon Maurice Paschal Alers Hankey, 1st Baron Hankey of The Chart, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, 1940, letter from Capt Wilfrid Rupert Patterson, Captain of HMS KING GEORGE V, on the sinking of the German battleship BISMARCK, 1941, letters from Adm Sir Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Bt, 1941-1944, letter from Augustus (Edwin) John, 1943, letter from R Adm John Anthony Vere Morse, 1943, letter from AF Sir John Cronyn Tovey, Commander-in-Chief, the Nore, 1945, also, typescript report by Dickens to the Admiralty on the German attack on the Netherlands, 22 May 1940 and copy of Adm Cunningham's official signal to the Admiralty on the surrender of the Italian Fleet, Malta, 10 Sep 1943; newspaper cuttings and correspondence relating to Bombing and strategy. The fallacy of total war (Sampson Low, Marston and Company, London, 1947), including letters of congratulation from Adm Cunningham, US Adm Richard L Conolly, Maj Gen John Frederick Charles Fuller, and Cdre Guy Willoughby, 1947; personal correspondence, 1947-1962, including letters from AF Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope, 1947-1959, Adm Bruce Austin Fraser, 1st Baron Fraser of North Cape, 1948, Adm Sir (Eric James) Patrick Brind, Commander-in-Chief, Far East Station, 1949, Rt Hon Maurice Paschal Alers Hankey, 1st Baron Hankey of The Chart, 1949, AF Louis (Francis Albert Victor Nicholas) Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, 1954, AF Alfred Ernie Montacute Chatfield, 1st Baron Chatfield of Ditchling, 1959, R Adm George Pirie Thomson, 1959; manuscript notes and annotated typescript draft chapters for projected autobiography [1960].
System of arrangement
The collection is arranged in sections as above.
General Information
Name of creator
Biographical history
Born 1879; educated at Beaumont College, Foster's, Stubbington House, Hampshire; joined training ship HMS BRITANNIA, Dartmouth, Devon, as Naval Cadet, 1894; service on HMS BLAKE, Channel Fleet, 1896-1897, and HMS ECLIPSE, East Indies Station, 1897-1899; Sub Lt, 1899; HMS CLEOPATRA, 1899; Royal Naval College, Greenwich, 1899-1900; served on HMS GRIFFON and HMS DESPERATE, Mediterranean Fleet, 1900-1901; service on HM Torpedo Boats 92, 89 and 96, 1901-1902; Lt, 1902; HMS CRUISER, 1902; served on HMS VENGEANCE, China Station, 1902-1905; HMS BARFLEUR, 1905; served on HMS KING ALFRED, HMS HART and HMS HAWKE, China Station, 1906-1909; HMS CHELMER, Home Fleet, 1910; HMS GARVY, 1911; served on HMS CHELMER and HMS ALBATROSS, Mediterranean Fleet, 1911-1913; Cdr, 1914; commanded HMS HARPY, Mediterranean Fleet, 1913-1915; served in World War One, 1914-1918; service on HMS HARPY, Dardenelles, 1915; Flag Cdr to Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, 1917-1918; Capt, 1919; awarded CMG, 1919; Deputy Director, Plans Division, Admiralty, 1920-1922; commanded HMS CARLISLE, 1922-1924; Capt Auxiliary Patrol, Fishery Protection, HMS HAREBELL, 1925-1926; Directing Staff, Imperial Defence College, 1926-1929; commanded HMS REPULSE, 1929-1931; Naval Aide de Camp to King George V, 1931-1932; R Adm, 1932; Director of Naval Intelligence Division, 1932-1935; awarded CB, 1934; R Adm, 10 Cruiser Sqn, HM King George V Jubilee Review, Spithead, 1935; R Adm commanding Reserve Fleet, 1935-1937; V Adm, 1936; created KCVO, 1937; retired list, 1938; served in World War Two, 1939-1945; Naval Attaché, The Hague, Netherlands, 1940; Principal Liaison Officer with Allied Navies, 1940; Flag Officer, Tunisia, 1943-1945; Flag Officer, Netherlands, 1945-1946; died 1962. Publications: Bombing and strategy. The fallacy of total war (Sampson Low, Marston and Company, London, 1947); The dress of the British sailor (National Maritime Museum, London, 1957).
Repository
Custodial history
Copies made by the Centre from originals lent by the family in 1984.
Conditions governing access
Open, subject to signature of Reader's undertaking form, and appropriate provision of two forms of identification, to include one photographic ID.
Conditions governing reproduction
Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied from open material for research purposes only.
Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, via the Archives.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Finding aids
This collection level description.
Existence and location of originals
Please note: We require 7 days notice to retrieve this collection as part, or all of it, is held off-campus. Read more ›
Related materials
Publication note
The Imperial War Museum, London, hold originals and copies of papers, 1896-1959, including material relating to Dickens' command of HMS HARPY, Mediterranean, 1914-1915, a memoir of shore appointments, private correspondence and a microfilm copy of a diary, letters and memoirs (Ref: 90/35/2, PP/MCR/93). The papers of AF Louis (Francis Albert Victor Nicholas) Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, in Southampton University Library, include correspondence relating to an article for The Naval Review, 1950-1954 (Ref: MB1/H79). Thirty eight letters by Dickens to V Adm Kenneth Gilbert Balmain Dewar, 1950-1956, are in the Manuscripts Section, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich (Ref: Dew/28). The papers of Capt Caspar Silas Balfour Swinley RN, held at Churchill College, Cambridge University, include correspondence with Dickens.
Note
Decorations: KCVO, CB, CMG
Alternative identifier(s)
Subjects
- Armed forces
- Diaries
- Documents
- Higher science education
- History
- Information sources
- International conflicts
- International relations
- Korean War (1950-1953)
- Literary forms and genres
- Literature
- Memoirs
- Military education
- Military organizations
- Military theory
- Naval history
- Nonfiction
- Organizations
- Primary documents
- Prose
- Ships
- State security
- Vehicles
- War
- War diaries
- World wars (events)
- World War Two (1939-1945)
- Wars (events)
- Pharmaceutic aids
- Specialty uses of chemicals
- Chemical actions and uses
Place access points
People and Organisations
- Baker, Sir Lewis, Clinton-, 1866-1939, Knight, Admiral (Subject)
- Bartholomew, Sir William Henry, 1877-1962, Knight, General (Subject)
- Brind, Sir Eric James Patrick, 1892-1963, Knight, Admiral (Subject)
- Chatfield, Alfred Ernie Montacute, 1873-1967, 1st Baron Chatfield of Ditchling, Admiral of the Fleet (Subject)
- Colvin, Sir Ragnar Musgrave, 1882-1954, Knight, Admiral (Subject)
- Conolly, Richard L, fl 1947, US Admiral (Subject)
- Consett, Montagu William Warcrop Peter, 1871-1945, Rear Admiral (Subject)
- Cunningham, Andrew Browne, 1883-1963, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope, Admiral of the Fleet (Subject)
- Dill, Sir John Greer, 1881-1944, Knight, Field Marshal (Subject)
- Fraser, Bruce Austin, 1888-1981, 1st Baron Fraser of North Cape, Admiral of the Fleet (Subject)
- Fuller, John Frederick Charles, 1878-1966, Major General (Subject)
- Hankey, Maurice Paschal Alers, 1877-1963, 1st Baron Hankey of the Chart, civil servant (Subject)
- John, Augustus Edwin, 1878-1961, artist (Subject)
- Leveson, Sir Arthur Cavenagh, 1868-1929, Knight, Admiral (Subject)
- Morse, Sir John Anthony Vere, 1892-1960, Knight, Vice Admiral (Subject)
- Mountbatten, Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas, 1900-1979, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, Admiral of the Fleet (Subject)
- Patterson, Sir Wilfrid Rupert, 1893-1954, Knight, Admiral (Subject)
- Richmond, Sir Herbert William, 1871-1946, Knight, Admiral (Subject)
- Thomson, Sir George Pirie, 1887-1965, Knight, Rear Admiral (Subject)
- Tovey, John Cronyn, 1885-1971, 1st Baron Tovey of Langton Matravers, Admiral of the Fleet (Subject)
- Willoughby, Guy, 1902-1987, Rear Admiral (Subject)
- Bismarck, German battleship, 1939 (Subject)
- Italian Navy (Subject)
- RN, Royal Navy (Subject)
Genre access points
Rules and/or conventions used
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000.