Iris Strange Collection

The collection relates mainly to the campaign in Britain to secure pensions for war widows and comprises a significant amount of personal and official correspondence between Iris Strange and war widows. Subjects include the experiences and legal and financial positions of women widowed in the First and Second World Wars. The collection includes, correspondence relating to the War Widows Association', 1971-1973; the War Widows' Guild of Australia publications, 1973-1990; the Widows/Widowers Caring Service Newsletter, Capetown, 1982-1991; correspondence between Iris Strange and Bob Strange; other correspondence; various other service organisation journals; press cuttings, newsletters, photographs, and personal mementoes of Iris Strange.

Iris Strange was a war widow whose husband was taken prisoner after the fall of Singapore in 1942 and died in captivity. Strange became heavily involved in the campaign to secure pensions for war widows, and became the Secretary of the War Widows' Association when it was set up in 1971. She died in July 1992.

Reference: Janis Lomas, So I Married Again: Letters from British Widows of the First and Second World Wars in History Workshop Journal Issue 38. (Oxford, 1994).

The press cuttings and printed items are arranged chronolocically, the correspondence is arranged by subject and correspondents. The papers relating to various organisations are arranged separately.

Open. Special Collections viewing is by prior appointment, requiring 24 hours notice on a 2 hourly basis between the hours of 9.00-1.00pm and 2.00-5.00pm, Monday to Friday..

Iris Strange bequeathed her collection to Staffordshire University after her death in 1992. The papers have been available for consultation from 1993.

A printed box list is available in Special Collections

An authority record exists for Iris Strange (GB 152 AAR1869).

There are no restrictions on the use of this archive, apart from the requirements of copyright law.