YMCA Unofficial Papers: First World War postcards collected by John Pritchard Brewer

File of 39 photographic postcards primarily depicting military camp work in Sussex during the First World War. The postcards were collected by John 'Jack' Pritchard Brewer in his role working for the YMCA in providing support for the troops. In one image, Jack is depicted wielding a mallet next to a YMCA tent.

The majority of postcards are blank, although some carry brief captions. Some postcards have been used and include a card written to Jack by one of his younger brothers, Keith; and a card addressed to Miss Pinker [Kathleen 'Kay' Pinker, Jack's future wife] dated 1916.

The postcards include a number of scenes of army camps in Sussex during the First World War, including scenes of the camps at Seaford. The two camps at Seaford, North Camp and South Camp (also known as Chyngton Camp) were built between 1914 and 1915 as an accommodation and training base for volunteers. These men formed part of Kitchener's Third New Army, created as a response to the outbreak of the First World War. They mostly comprised units of men that represented their hometown.

John 'Jack' Pritchard Brewer was born in August 1891. He was the second child of Clement Brewer (1860-1940) and Mary Pritchard (1860-1920). Siblings included Basil (b 1890), Mollie (b 1894), Kenneth (b 1895), Keith (b 1898), Gordon (b 1900) and Geoff (b 1901).

Jack started his working life in the grocery trade and during the First World War he assisted the YMCA with their work providing for the soldiers. He was a Quaker, pacifist and conscientious objector who was involved with the YMCA in various army camps along the Sussex coast. These included camps at Eastbourne, Seaford and Patcham.

Jack was heavily involved in the Brewer family's decorator merchants business: C. Brewer and Sons, Eastbourne. He had joined the company in 1910 and ran a new store the family acquired in Redhill, Surrey. He later became responsible for Brewer's Head Office in Eastbourne and was, for a time, President of The Wallpaper Merchants Association.

During the 1930s he worked with Quaker organisations to support Jewish refugees escaping from mainland Europe, welcoming many into his home when they were en route to the USA.

Jack Brewer married Kathleen 'Kay' Marion Pinker (1893-1963) in Reading in 1918. The couple had four children: Ruth Monica (1921-2004), John (b 1923), Stephen (b 1927) and Michael (b 1931). Following Kay's death, Jack married Elizabeth 'Betty' Redcliffe James (b 1913) in Eastbourne in 1967.

Jack Brewer died in Eastbourne on 6 June 1971.

Sources: Free Births, Marriages and Deaths website accessed 16 October 2018 via freebmd.org.uk; 'Brewers 1904-2004: The first hundred years of a family business' online publication accessed 16 October 2018 via https://issuu.com/brewerspaints/docs/bwr_100_bk_final-lr/190

Open, access to all registered researchers.

Transferred to the Cadbury Research Library in 2002.

Please see full catalogue for more information.

Papers arranged and described by Mark Eccleston, October 2018, in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description (ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; and in-house cataloguing guidelines.

Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Director of Special Collections (email: special-collections@contacts.bham.ac.uk). Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Special Collections will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material

Papers were inherited by Jack Brewer's youngest son, Michael. They were transferred to YMCA England in 2001.

The official archive of YMCA England and Wales was deposited in 1998.

The records of Central (London) YMCA were deposited in 2006 (GB 0150 CYMCA)

Special Collections is receiving a growing number of collections from private sources relating to the YMCA. These collections, which may include diaries, family letters and photographs, complement the official archive and have been organised into a sequence of YMCA Unofficial Papers. Collection descriptions of many of these are available on our online archive catalogue and many are fully catalogued.

The following collections are currently uncatalogued:
YMCA/ACC20: Papers of Geoffrey Palmer
YMCA/ACC59: Records of Pinder House YMCA

Brief collections descriptions (which will be enhanced at a later date) are available for:
YMCA/ACC53: Photographs of First World War Graves
YMCA/ACC56: Crucifix made of bullet casings
YMCA/ACC58: Family papers relating to Sir Arthur Keysall Yapp and the YMCA
YMCA/ACC64: Knox family papers
YMCA/ACC66: Springfield College

Full catalogues of the following collections of unofficial YMCA papers are available for:
YMCA/ACC1: Papers of William Edwyn Shipton
YMCA/ACC2: Papers of Gipsy Smith
YMCA/ACC3: Papers of Eckard Geisler Collection
YMCA/ACC4: Papers relating to the history of YMCA
YMCA/ACC5: Papers of W. J. Lambert
YMCA/ACC6: Freedom of the City of London granted to Sir George Williams
YMCA/ACC7: Papers of Marion Huggan
YMCA/ACC8: Papers of Frederick Powell
YMCA/ACC9: Personal papers and collection of Mrs Joan Marsham
YMCA/ACC10: Papers of Edward Bursill
YMCA/ACC11: Papers of Thomas Winter
YMCA/ACC12: Records of the YMCA
YMCA/ACC13: Papers of Barbara Vessey
YMCA/ACC14: Papers of George Turner
YMCA/ACC15: Papers of A. P. Braddock
YMCA/ACC16: Tranter Collection
YMCA/ACC17: Papers of Sam Johnston
YMCA/ACC18: Papers of Miss Kate Macpherson
YMCA/ACC19: Papers of James C. B. Thomson
YMCA/ACC21: Records of Newcastle-on-Tyne YMCA
YMCA/ACC22: Album of First World War photographs
YMCA/ACC23: Papers of Gilbert Gilkes
YMCA/ACC24: Papers of J. W. Talby
YMCA/ACC25: Papers of Mr and Mrs H. E. Thomas
YMCA/ACC26: First World War letter
YMCA/ACC27: Papers of George Durrans
YMCA/ACC28: Records of Fulham YMCA
YMCA/ACC29: Photographs of Birmingham YMCA
YMCA/ACC30: Photograph of Jessie Strathearn
YMCA/ACC31: Records of Derry Young Men's Christian Literary Association
YMCA/ACC32: Records of Leamington YMCA
YMCA/ACC33: Records of the Fellowship of YMCA International Campers
YMCA/ACC34: Papers of R. Davison White
YMCA/ACC35: YMCA Fovant Camp programmes
YMCA/ACC36: Papers of Jean Cook
YMCA/ACC37: Papers of Malcolm Tremlett
YMCA/ACC38: First World War YMCA Christmas card
YMCA/ACC39: Album presented to Eric Bidlake
YMCA/ACC40: Publications of the German YMCA in London
YMCA/ACC41: Papers of David Myles
YMCA/ACC42: Leaflets of St Albans YMCA and YWCA
YMCA/ACC43: Papers of James Greenwood
YMCA/ACC44: YMCA medal awarded to Arthur Moulson
YMCA/ACC45: Papers of Reverend Graham Clarke
YMCA/ACC46: Records of Halifax YMCA Amateur Operatic and Pantomime Society
YMCA/ACC47: Diaries and notebooks of Rev R. N. Lyons
YMCA/ACC48: Records of Northampton YMCA Rambling and Cycling Clubs
YMCA/ACC49: Records of Halifax YMCA Amateur Operatic and Pantomime Society
YMCA/ACC50: Photograph of YMCA Voluntary Workers 1914-1919
YMCA/ACC51: Papers of (Benjamin) Gordon Williams
YMCA/ACC52: Exeter Hall
YMCA/ACC54: Records of Liverpool YMCA
YMCA/ACC55: Papers of Ivo Humphries Godfrey
YMCA/ACC57: Croydon YMCA Trust Deed
YMCA/ACC60: YMCA Ninth International Conference
YMCA/ACC61: Papers of the YMCA Women's Auxiliary
YMCA/ACC62: Lecture in aid of the YMCA by Rev John Oates
YMCA/ACC63: Papers of Mary Kathleen ('Molly') Jones
YMCA/ACC65: Papers of Harold Stapleton
YMCA/ACC67: Papers relating to Glasgow YMCA
YMCA/ACC68: Papers relating to Central YMCA Cricket Club
YMCA/ACC69: Papers of J. Hastings Eastwood
YMCA/ACC70: Papers of the Swansea YMCA Players
YMCA/ACC71: Papers of J. Clark Ready relating to the Nigerian YMCA
YMCA/ACC72: Scrapbooks and photographs relating to YMCA activities during the 20th century
YMCA/ACC73: Dissertation on the development of the YMCA in England by R. S. Boyce
YMCA/ACC74: Memoir of William George Cadenhead
YMCA/ACC75: First World War correspondence of J. E. Richards
YMCA/ACC76: Memoir of Grace Torrington
YMCA/ACC77: First World War postcards collected by John Pritchard Brewer
YMCA/ACC78: Papers of Sydney L. Vinson relating to the First and Second World Wars
YMCA/ACC79: Papers of Minnie H. Evelyn-Smith
YMCA/ACC80: Papers relating to Abel Simner and Winifred Ava-Simner
YMCA/ACC81: First World War correspondence of Albert Entwistle
YMCA/ACC82: Papers of Jack Houghton
YMCA/ACC83: Photographs of European Voluntary Workers based at the YMCA Hostel in Moota, Cumberland
YMCA/ACC84: Dissertation on the contribution of the YMCA in the development of basketball
YMCA/ACC85: Memoir of Harold M. Gould, YMCA Secretary
YMCA/ACC86: Papers of Miss Tuckwell of Croydon
YMCA/ACC87: Visitors book for 'Soundeville' rest camp in Equihen, France
YMCA/ACC88: Papers relating to the Centennial Conference of the YMCA
YMCA/ACC89: First World War correspondence sent to Reverend and Mrs Proctor of Salisbury
YMCA/ACC90: 'The History of the YMCA, 1844-1983'
YMCA/ACC91: Papers of Mrs M. L. Coles of the YMCA National Women's Auxiliary
YMCA/ACC92: 'History of Mildmay: the National YMCA training headquarters' by Rowland Lyne
YMCA/ACC93: YMCA car badge belonging to Major Richard J. P. Lane
YMCA/ACC94: YMCA 'Order of the Red Triangle' badge
YMCA/ACC95: Miscellaneous YMCA sports medals
YMCA/ACC96: YMCA materials relating to The Order of The Red Triangle
YMCA/ACC97: Photographs relating to the European Voluntary Workers scheme
YMCA/ACC98: Notes relating to William Hind Smith
YMCA/ACC99: New Testament titled 'Active Service Testament'
YMCA/ACC100: YMCA medals awarded to Lilian West Maidment
YMCA/ACC101: Papers relating to Bernard Wheelwright
YMCA/ACC102: Sketches relating to the YMCA during the First World War
YMCA/ACC103: Material relating to YMCA's 175th anniversary
YMCA/ACC104: Papers of Reverend Arnold Dauncey
YMCA/ACC105: Papers of A. G. Maundrell
YMCA/ACC106: Papers relating to Anglo-German YMCA Youth Camp at Burford
YMCA/ACC107: Papers of John Bainbridge