Series List and Summary Descriptions


Series 1 William Henry Bragg - Early Life, and General Files

The material in this Series was stored by John Jenkin in filing cabinets, with labelled suspension files used for high-level subjects and manila folders within these titled at a more granular level. Many of these folders primarily contain photocopies drawn from a variety of sources, often accompanied by research notes and related correspondence. The suspension files have been discarded for preservation reasons, with the labelled tabs retained with the first item from that file. Inventory item titles have been taken from John Jenkin’s own manila file titles where available, with the broader suspension file tab recorded as the title qualifier, which appears directly beneath each title.

Series 1 consists of contextual material relating to William Henry Bragg and material from his early life, prior to his departure from the United Kingdom for Adelaide.

William Henry Bragg was born in Cumbria, 2nd July 1862 and was educated at Market Harborough Grammar School, King William's College on the Isle of Man, and Trinity College, Cambridge. He departed for Australia on the 14th January 1886 after being appointed to the University of Adelaide.

Material in this Series includes background information on William Henry Bragg's extended family, and particularly his youngest son Robert Charles Bragg, who was killed at Gallipoli during the First World War. It also includes contextual information, gathered by John Jenkin, on the ships William Henry Bragg travelled on to and from Australia, places he lived in Adelaide and his Church affiliations, as well as biographical information and William Henry Bragg’s own personal reminiscences.

The remainder of the material follows the early part of William Henry Bragg's life prior to his departure for Australia, largely relating to his education. Primary material includes marriage, birth and death certificates, school lists and exam papers. Secondary material includes contextual documents on places affiliated with William Henry Bragg, research notes and John Jenkin correspondence.

Date Range: 1830 - 2006   Quantity: 71 cm, 55 files
Provenance: Jenkin, John

 

Series 2 William Henry Bragg - Life and Work in Adelaide

The material in this Series was stored by John Jenkin in filing cabinets, with labelled suspension files used for high-level subjects and manila folders within these titled at a more granular level. Many of these folders primarily contain photocopies drawn from a variety of sources, often accompanied by research notes and related correspondence. The suspension files have been discarded for preservation reasons, with the labelled tabs retained with the first item from that file. Inventory item titles have been taken from John Jenkin’s own manila file titles where available, with the broader suspension file tab recorded as the title qualifier, which appears directly beneath each title.

Series 2 consists of material relating to William Henry Bragg's time in Australia, his employment at the University of Adelaide and his early research into radioactivity and the nature of X-rays.

William Henry Bragg moved to South Australia in 1886 and took up a position as Professor of Mathematics and Experimental Physics at the University of Adelaide. At Adelaide he spent many years teaching and involving himself in University life before beginning his own research. In 1907 his work on radioactivity gained him a Fellowship of the Royal Society and in 1908 he left Adelaide to become Professor of Mathematics and Physics at the University of Leeds.

This Series can loosely be divided into three main subjects:

1. University Life
2. Staff and Students
3. Early Research

1. Consists of material collected by John Jenkin relating to William Henry Bragg and the University of Adelaide. It includes contextual information on the University of Adelaide and documents relating to William Henry Bragg's appointment. It also includes material relating to Bragg's teaching and involvement with University activities and events including the design and acoustics of Elder Hall and Conservatorium, the Royal Visit to Adelaide in 1901 and his participation in a number of sports. Other material includes documents relating to William Henry Bragg's involvement with the School of Mines, later the University of South Australia, and research notes on his public lectures.

2. Consists of material relating to William Henry Bragg's staff and colleagues, including Arthur Lionel Rogers, Robert Chapman, John Percival Vissing Madsen, Douglas Mawson, and Kerr Grant. Also includes material relating to William Henry Bragg's students, in alphabetised folders, the most notable of whom are Clinton Coleridge Farr, George Eric Macdonnell Jauncey and Richard Daniel Kleeman.

3. Consists of material relating to William Henry Bragg's early research on radioactivity as well as the nature of X-rays. Also includes material relating to Richard Threlfall, Ernest Rutherford, Frederick Soddy and William Sutherland, all of whom were influential in William Henry Bragg's research. This material includes contemporary correspondence, articles and newspaper cuttings as well as retrospective articles and John Jenkin correspondence and research notes.

Date Range: 1872 - 2010   Quantity: 229 cm, 170 files
Provenance: Jenkin, John

 

Series 3 William Henry Bragg - Later Life

The material in this Series was stored by John Jenkin in filing cabinets, with labelled suspension files used for high-level subjects and manila folders within these titled at a more granular level. Many of these folders primarily contain photocopies drawn from a variety of sources, often accompanied by research notes and related correspondence. The suspension files have been discarded for preservation reasons, with the labelled tabs retained with the first item from that file. Inventory item titles have been taken from John Jenkin’s own manila file titles where available, with the broader suspension file tab recorded as the title qualifier, which appears directly beneath each title.

Series 3 consists of material relating to William Henry Bragg's later life following his return to the United Kingdom from South Australia.

William Henry Bragg returned to the UK in 1909, taking up a position as Professor of Mathematics and Physics at the University of Leeds. He continued his own research and in 1915 was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics, along with his son William Lawrence Bragg, for his work on X-ray Crystallography. He continued to be a prominent figure within the scientific community until his death in March 1942.

This Series can loosely be divided into three main subjects:

1. Research
2. WWI
3. Nobel Prize and Later

1. Consists of material collected by John Jenkin relating to William Henry Bragg and the University of Leeds. Includes contextual material relating to Bragg's appointment and his residences in Leeds. Also includes material relating to his research, largely on X-ray Crystallography, for which he would win a Nobel Prize, as well as material relating to his contempories Norman Campbell, Henry Gwyn Jeffreys Moseley and George Howard Darwin.

2. Consists of material relating to William Henry Bragg during the First World War, particularly in relation to his work attempting to detect German submarines by listening underwater for the sound of their engines. Also includes both contemporary and retrospective articles on science and scientists during the war.

3. Consists of material relating to awards given to William Henry Bragg, including the 1915 Nobel Prize for Physics and Order of Merit in 1931. It also includes material relating to his later life, his work at University College London and his election to the Royal Society.

Date Range: 1903 - 2010   Quantity: 77 cm, 53 files
Provenance: Jenkin, John

 

Series 4 William Lawrence Bragg

The material in this Series was stored by John Jenkin in filing cabinets, with labelled suspension files used for high-level subjects and manila folders within these titled at a more granular level. Many of these folders primarily contain photocopies drawn from a variety of sources, often accompanied by research notes and related correspondence. The suspension files have been discarded for preservation reasons, with the labelled tabs retained with the first item from that file. Inventory item titles have been taken from John Jenkin’s own manila file titles where available, with the broader suspension file tab recorded as the title qualifier, which appears directly beneath each title.

Series 4 consists of material relating to William Lawrence Bragg (widely referred to as Lawrence Bragg) son of William Henry Bragg, with whom he shared the 1915 Nobel Prize for Physics.

Material in this Series follows the life of Lawrence Bragg, born 31 March 1890, from his upbringing in Adelaide, to his service during the First World War and his later career. It includes biographical information collected on Lawrence Bragg, including his own personal reminiscences regarding his research on X-ray Crystallography, and information on his education at St. Dominic's Priory College, Queens School, St. Peter's College, the University of Adelaide and the University of Cambridge, as well as his marriage to Alice Hopkinson.

It also includes material relating to his professional career and research on X-ray Crystallography for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1915 as well as material relating to the First World War and his work on Sound Ranging, including correspondence sent from Lawrence Bragg to his family and articles on War Neurosis and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Also included is material relating to Lawrence Bragg's later life as Professor at the University of Manchester, Cavendish Professor at the University of Cambridge and Director of The Royal Insititution of Great Britain.

Date Range: 1883 - 2010   Quantity: 133 cm, 70 files
Provenance: Jenkin, John

 

Series 5 General Research Files, Publications and Related Material

The material in this Series was stored by John Jenkin in filing cabinets, with labelled suspension files used for high-level subjects and manila folders within these titled at a more granular level. Many of these folders primarily contain photocopies drawn from a variety of sources, often accompanied by research notes and related correspondence. The suspension files have been discarded for preservation reasons, with the labelled tabs retained with the first item from that file. Inventory item titles have been taken from John Jenkin’s own manila file titles where available, with the broader suspension file tab recorded as the title qualifier, which appears directly beneath each title.

Series 5 consists of general research relating to William Henry and William Lawrence Bragg, and material relating to John Jenkin's publications, including his book entitled "William and Lawrence Bragg, Father and Son: the most extraordinary collaboration in science".

It includes research material collected by John Jenkin from the Royal Institution, London, where the majority of the Bragg Papers are held. Material includes catalogue of the papers held at the Royal Institution and photocopied correspondence sent from William Henry Bragg to his wife Gwendoline Bragg (née Todd).

It also includes research material collected by Margaret Gibbs, employed by John Jenkin, following funding from the Australian Research Grant Scheme, to search South Australian newspapers (particularly the Register) for Bragg and related references.

Also included are autobiographical notes written by William Henry and William Lawrence Bragg, given to John Jenkin by the Bragg family, and extensive autobiographical notes written by Alice Bragg (née Hopkinson), William Lawrence Bragg's wife.

Date Range: 1855 - 2010   Quantity: 100 cm, 92 files
Provenance: Jenkin, John

 

Series 6 Photographs, and Related Material

The photographs in this Series were collected by John Jenkin as part of his research into the life and work of William Henry and William Lawrence Bragg. They were catalogued separately by John Jenkin and his list is included as the first inventory item.

Photographs were stored in envelopes housed in cut-away file boxes. Titles for inventory items have been drawn from John Jenkin’s own titles as they are inscribed on each envelope, with the box label recorded as the title qualifier, which appears directly beneath each title. Items are largely copies or reproductions produced by John Jenkin, from hard copies provided by archival institutions as well as Bragg family members. There are also negatives for a number of the photographs.

The material has been arranged by John Jenkin in rough chronological order following the life of William Henry and William Lawrence Bragg and includes photographs of the Bragg family, from the University of Adelaide, and relating to X-ray Crystallography.

This Series also includes: maps of Gallipoli, where Robert Charles Bragg, William Henry Bragg's youngest son, was killed during the First World War; Bragg family trees; and a collection of stamps related to William Henry Bragg.

Date Range: c. 1789 - 2010   Quantity: 68.5 cm, 128 files
Provenance: Jenkin, John

 

Series 7 Microfilm and Audiovisual Material

The material in this Series was collected by John Jenkin as part of his research into the life and work of William Henry and William Lawrence Bragg.

File titles are mostly John Jenkin's as they were inscribed on the items. This Series includes microfilm, photographic slides, audiotape, videotape, CDs and DVDs.

Primary material includes lectures given by William Henry and William Lawrence Bragg as well as photographic slides and microfilmed newspaper cuttings and correspondence.

Also includes retrospective material, including material related to the BBC TV film entitled "Fifty Years a Winner" celebrating the 50th anniversary of William Lawrence Bragg's 1915 Nobel Prize for Physics; and material relating to a film directed by Richard Jasek entitled "Driven to Diffraction: The Story of William and Lawrence Bragg".

Date Range: 1887 - 2010   Quantity: 46.5 cm, 25 files
Provenance: Jenkin, John

 


Published by the The University of Melbourne eScholarship Research Centre on AustehcWeb, September 2010
Listed by Melissa Downing and Michael Jones
HTML edition
Updated 3 August 2020

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