Series - Papers

The present collection of S. Lester papers covers essentially the period 1929-1946, but also includes some post-retirement material running up to 1959. This paper collection contains some pages from the diary, found once the diary was bound, private and official correspondence, reports, many press cuttings relating particularly to the Danzig period when S. Lester was targeted by the Nazi press, as well as some information on the post retirement period, photos and family letters. Finally the collection also contains some obituaries, lectures on S. Lester, publications or references to such publications, relating directly or indirectly to him, and other reference material, such as lists of people and books, etc.

It is of some interest that the more sensitive of Lester papers, together with three confidential League files on Danzig, were buried in his Geneva garden during the war years: he feared that they might cause trouble for certain anti-Nazi persons should the Germans come over the nearby Swiss frontiers as expected in 1941-1942. All the papers were retrieved.

The Lester papers relative to the years preceding 1929 - there was no diary - remain in Ireland with the Gageby family. They are to be donated to the Archives of the National University of Dublin, together with other S. Lester papers.