This class contains press cuttings and other printed material relating primarily to Carpenter's seventieth and eightieth birthdays, celebrated on 29 August 1914 and 1924 respectively. In 1914, a committee which included Sir W.P. Byles, MP, Havelock Ellis, and Henry S. Salt amongst others (with Charles Sixsmith as secretary), prepared an address of congratulation for Carpenter, signed by various socialists, Labour leaders, eminent literary and theatrical figures and personal friends. This class includes: invitations from Sixsmith to potential signatories, together with samples of the printed address at various stages in its preparation (2/6/1-2); loose drafts of the printed address (2/6/3-5); 2 printed copies of Carpenter's reply to the address, which included an exposition of his views on the War (2/6/6-7); and a bundle of press cuttings relating to his birthday, the committee, and his reply (2/6/8-12).
Carpenter's eightieth birthday fell during Labour's first period in government under Ramsay MacDonald. He received a birthday message from all the members of the Cabinet, together with Will Thorne, George Lansbury and Augustine Birrell. Included here are cuttings and periodicals, comprising: congratulatory messages and reports on his birthday; reports on the Cabinet message and Carpenter's reply; outlines of his work and career; and interviews with Carpenter himself.
Eng 2/6/27 is a cutting relating to Carpenter's eighty-fourth birthday in 1928.