The OSPA Journal - the Overseas Pensioner

This in-house journal (ISSN 2041-2363) is published twice a year, in April and October, and is free to members. As well as news about Overseas Service pension topics, information about meetings and activities of related interest groups, it contains articles, memoirs, book reviews, and research enquiries relating to Colonial Service life and times. Also members’ obituary lists and notices. It was first produced as a Newsletter in May 1961. Since 1999 it has been published with a full colour cover, inside and out. Copies of the journal are deposited in four of the five statutory deposit libraries, namely the Bodleian Library at Oxford University, Cambridge University Library, the National Library of Scotland and the National Library of Wales. They are also sent to libraries at Edinburgh University Library, the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, SOAS, House of Commons Library, House of Lords Library, The British Library.

Non-members may buy copies (postage free): £4.00 Britain and Europe; £5.00 airmail ROW. Copy deadlines for advertisements, announcements, articles and reviews etc. are end of February for the April number and end of August for the October number. Advertisement rates on request to The Editor, c/o OSPA.

Book Reviews

For a full list of all books reviewed in the Overseas Pensioner since August 1964 click here

For a list of books recently reviewed in the Overseas Pensioner click here

I Remember it Well: Fifty years of Colonial Service Personal Reminiscences

edited by David Le Breton

This collection of 70 reminiscences taken from the Overseas Pensioner in previous years was published in 2010. See details on the Home Page.

OSPA Research Project Papers

Between 2001 and 2005 a small research project was run by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at London University, in conjunction with OSPA, looking at aspects of the British Colonial Service since the Second World War. In 2005 three Occasional Papers were published, containing a selection of papers arising from the project:

Number One: Empire and After, edited by Michael Twaddle (ISBN 978 185507 1339)

Number Two: How Green was our Empire? Environment, Development and the Colonial Service, edited by Terry Barringer (ISBN 978 185507 1355)

Number Three: The United Kingdom Overseas Territories; Past, Present & Future, edited by David Killingray and David Taylor (ISBN 978 185507 1363)

There is also: Administering Empire: an annotated checklist of personal memoirs and related studies, compiled by Terry Barringer (ISSN 1742 4992)

Copies of these publications are obtainable from:

Stephanie de Ryckman de Betz

Events & Admin Assistant

School of Advanced Study

University of London

Senate House (Room 265)

Malet Street

London WC1E 7HU

Tel: 020 7862 8844

Email: [email protected]

Price: £5, plus postage £2 UK, £3 overseas

Witness Seminars on Colonial Service Topics

In conjunction with OSPA, the Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICwS) of the School of Advanced Studies (SAS) of London University, has been holding a series of “Witness Seminars” on topics relating to the end of the colonial period and the early stages of independence (the “End of Empire”). These give OSPA members and other interested people an opportunity to share their views and experiences with an academic and non-academic audience. They thus contribute to the overall Colonial Service historical record.

The purpose of the seminars is to encourage discussion and debate among all those attending rather than to listen to formal papers. Each seminar has a distinguished Chairman and a panel of speakers who give informal presentations of up to 10 minutes, followed by a discussion open to everyone present. Four seminars and one conference have now been held – see details below:

1. The Westminster Model and Representative Government in the Era of Decolonization -
held 25 May 2011. For programme, panel speakers and podcast details, click here.

2. Economic Development in the British Commonwealth before and after Independence -
held 29 September 2011. For programme, panel speakers and podcast details, click here.

3. Indirect Rule - Right or Wrong? Held 29 March 2012. For programme, panel speakers and podcast details, click here.

4. Localisation of the Civil Service in Colonial Territories before and immediately after independence - held 25 October 2012. For programme, panel speakers and podcast details, click here.

5. The Legacy of Empire - held 20 May 2013. For programme, panel speakers and podcast details, click here.

The transcripts of each of these Witness Seminars have also been published as further Occasional Papers of the OSPA Research Project, as follows:

Number Four: The 'Westminster Model' and the Representative Government in the Era of Decolonisation (ISBN 978 0 9571941 1 3)

Number Five: Economic Development in the British Commonwealth before and after Independence (ISBN 978 0 9575210 2 5)

Number Six: Indirect Rule - Right or Wrong? (ISBN 978 0 9575210 6 3)

Number Eight: The Legacy of Empire (ISBN 978 0 9575210 7 0)

Copies of these publications are obtainable from:

Stephanie de Ryckman de Betz

Events & Admin Assistant

School of Advanced Study

University of London

Senate House (Room 265)

Malet Street

London WC1E 7HU

Tel: 020 7862 8844

Email: [email protected]

Price: £5, plus postage £2 UK, £3 overseas

We remain most grateful to Professor Philip Murphy, the Director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, for his positive support for these seminars as elements in the Institute’s programme, and for his personal interest. Also for the essential work of the other members of the Institute’s staff for all the preparations and arrangements made.