Guide to the Papers of Ernest and Virtie Crome, 1784-1987
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Collection context
Summary
- Collection number:
- MS 1925
- Creator:
- Crome, E. A. (Ernest Alfred)
- Extent:
- (166 boxes + 30 small folio boxes + 16 medium folio boxes + 22 large folio boxes + 1 large volume + 90 albums + 45 elephant folio items)
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
- Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Ernest and Virtie Crome, National Library of Australia, MS 1925, [series/file/item number]'.
- Availability:
- Available
- Access conditions:
- Available for research. Not for loan.
Background
- Content Summary:
-
The papers reflect Ernest Crome's long passion for aviation history and airmails. The collection comprises material collected by Crome, whether given to him directly by aviators or their families, or acquired commercially.
The main groups of aviation manuscripts consist of aircraft logs (1928–40), papers and memorabilia of early Australian aviators, and papers relating to Australian National Airways, Imperial Airways Ltd and other early airlines. Among the most important items are notes exchanged between the crew on the first trans-Pacific flight in 1928, the log kept by Charles Ulm on the flight of the Southern Cross from Richmond to Wyndham in 1929 (ending with a forced landing at 'Coffee Royal'), and the log of the Southern Cross on the first east–west crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in 1930. There are several logs of the Southern Cross (1928–34) and Faith in Australia (1933–34). Among the aviators whose flights are documented in the logs are G U Allan, Nancy Bird, Charles Kingsford Smith, Tommy Pethybridge, P G Taylor and Charles Ulm.
The personal documents of aviators mainly relate to Ross Smith, Charles Kingsford Smith, Charles Ulm and W H Shiers. They include letters, telegrams, licences, passports, certificates, receipts, newspaper cuttings, maps, badges and other memorabilia. There are also screenplays of the films Smithy and The Old Bus, together with biographical notes, articles and papers relating to memorials to early aviators. 'The Smithy Book', compiled by Crome over a period of 30 years, contains comments by many of the aviators and others who knew Kingsford Smith.
The aviation industry is also documented in the form of extensive ephemera including commemorative booklets, brochures, leaflets, circulars, airline magazines, receipt books, tickets, and baggage tags and stickers.
The most extraordinary component of the Crome Collection is the aero-philatelic items. They total 30 000 items and comprise flight covers, postcards, photographs, menus, vignettes and leaflets. There are about 1000 Australian and Papua New Guinea covers, dating from 1914 to 1969. They document inter alia the first Australian airmail (1914), the first England–Australia airmail (1919), the first regular service in Australia (1921), the first Australia–Papua airmail (1922), the first England–Australia round trip (1926), the first England–Australia solo flight (1928), the first flight around Australia by a woman (1932) and the first official Australia–New Zealand airmail (1934).
In addition to the Australian covers, the collection contains flight covers from New Zealand, Britain, Canada, Europe, the United States and other parts of the world. They include zeppelin flights, flights over the North Pole, rocket flights and space flights.
While aviation was Crome's most extensive collecting interest, the papers also reflect other other activities and interests. These included the armed forces (including war-time propaganda and publications), art, literature, theatre, music (especially the violin), and Rotary. The personal papers in the collection include correspondence, diaries and travel journals, family papers (also relating to Virtie Crome) and photographs. Source
Graeme Powell, History of the National Library Collections (unpublished).
- Biographical Note:
-
Ernest Alfred Crome (1902–1987) was born in Sydney and educated at Enmore Public School. In 1915 he was appointed office boy in the Newtown and Enmore No. 1 Starr-Bowkett Society, beginning an association with the Starr-Bowkett building societies that was to last for 56 years. He served on vessels of the Union Steamship Company in 1918 and from 1918 to 1922 he was a shipping clerk and wool sampler with Goldsborough Mort Company. He returned to the Newtown and Enmore Building Cooperative Society, where he was employed as a cashier and clerk until 1942. From 1943 to 1945 he was on the staff of the De Haviland Aircraft Company, working on its Mosquito Project. After the War, he was employed by various firms before returning to the Newtown, Marrickville and General Cooperative Building Societies. He retired as secretary in 1971.
Crome became fascinated with aviation in 1919, when he witnessed the arrival in Sydney of the Vickers Vimy piloted by Ross and Keith Smith, at the end of the first flight from England to Australia. He began collecting aviation material, particularly flight covers and other aero-philatelic items, and continued to do so all his life. In 1928 he met Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm and his collecting was especially focused on the achievements of these two aviators. Ulm was the patron of the Air Mail Society of New South Wales, which Crome founded in 1932. Crome won medals for his philatelic collection at the Melbourne Centenary Exhibition in 1934, the South Australian Centenary Exhibition in 1936 and the Sydney 150th Anniversary Exhibition in 1938. By the post-War years he had assembled one of the finest collections of its kind in the world.
Crome, who was related to the English painter John Crome (1768–1821), studied painting at the Royal Art Society of New South Wales. Many of his paintings were on aviation themes. His parents were musicians and as a boy he studied the violin. Although he did not pursue a musical career, he had a strong interest in music, especially violin-making, an interest which again was reflected in his collecting. He was the author of Qantas Aeriana (1955) and Footnotes to History and the First Ten Years of the Rotary Club of Newtown 1962–1972 (1972). He was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 1983.
SourceGraeme Powell, History of the National Library Collections (unpublished).
- Provenance:
-
The E A and V I Crome Collection was purchased by the Library in 1966. Ernest Crome made numerous donations to the Library in the next 20 years. Following his death in 1987, the Library received his remaining books, manuscripts and papers.
According to Mr Crome's wishes, the title of the collection reflects the contribution his wife Virtie Ivery Crome (nee Coffill) made to its development.
- Arrangement:
-
The papers were first arranged into six series and listed by Library staff in 1970.
Many additions were received after 1970, generally one to three boxes several times a year. Some additions were incorporated into the existing arrangement, but most were simply added to the end of the collection. Most additions comprised a mix of types of papers and subject areas, and foldered and loose papers with little discernible order.
The 1970 series arrangement has been retained for Series 1 (Aircraft and engine logs). The original series titles have retained for Series 2, 3 and 5; but the series have been partially changed or added to.
The arrangement and description of Series 5, Philately, was worked on in the late 1980s and 1990s by a contract and volunteer staff member. The focus of the project was Australian and Papua New Guinean airmail covers. Material was brought together from existing albums and from other parts of the manuscript collection. An extensive list was made of the Australian and Papua New Guinean airmail covers, most of which has now been transcribed and is available as a separate list.
All other series have been newly created. The collection has therefore been substantially rearranged, while keeping original folders intact unless otherwise indicated.
A substantial number of pictures, objects and printed materials have been transferred to other collection areas within the Library since the collection was received; see the Related Material note for more information.
The original 1970 list is available for reference upon request.
The container list for this collection, giving box locations for specific items, has been prepared as a separate document to this finding aid.
- Custodial History:
-
The E A and V I Crome Collection was purchased by the Library in 1966. Ernest Crome made numerous donations to the Library in the next 20 years. Following his death in 1987, the Library received his remaining books, manuscripts and papers.
According to Mr Crome's wishes, the title of the collection reflects the contribution his wife Virtie Ivery Crome (nee Coffill) made to its development.
Access and use
- Conditions Governing Access:
- Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn742484).
- Conditions Governing Use:
-
Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. Copying for research purposes is permitted for material created by E A and V I Crome. Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is generally permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.
Written permission to publish unpublished manuscript material must be obtained from the copyright holder(s).
- Preferred citation:
- Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Ernest and Virtie Crome, National Library of Australia, MS 1925, [series/file/item number]'.
- Location of this collection:
-
Parkes PlaceCanberra ACT 2600, Australia
- Contact: