Guide to the Papers of Pauline Armstrong, 1898-2004

Summary

Collection number:

MS 9878

Creator:

Armstrong, Pauline, 1928-2001 and Bruce Armstrong, Mr

Extent:

5.25 metres and (25 boxes + 5 cartons + 77 sound/av carriers)

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Pauline Armstrong, National Library of Australia, MS 9878, [series and/or file number]'.

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Part available for research; part requires permission for research. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:

The collection largely consists of material collected by Pauline Armstrong whilst researching and writing her PhD thesis, 'A critical biography of Frank Hardy' (1997), and preparing the thesis for publication, as Frank Hardy and the making of Power Without Glory (2000). A smaller portion of the collection relates to Armstrong's Masters thesis, 'A history of the Save Our Sons movement of Victoria, 1965-1973' (1991). The material in the collection includes correspondence, research material, photographs and other graphic material, audio-visual material, transcriptions, drafts and proofs.

Biographical Note:

Pauline Armstrong was born on 4 September 1928 in Camberwell, Victoria, into an immigrant Irish Catholic family. She attended St Dominic's parish school in Camberwell, winning a Diocesan scholarship. Her further education included: secretarial school from age 14; a BA at Deakin University in Literature, Philosophy and Professional Writing; a MA at Monash University in Australian Studies; and a PhD at the University of Melbourne.

Armstrong's family was politically active. In particular, her grandmother and mother protested against Billy Hughes' attempts to introduce conscription during World War I and were disenchanted Labor Party members, later joining the Communist Party. Armstrong herself was introduced to the Eureka Youth League of the Communist Party by her uncle, Paul Mortier, whose disillusionment with the Party and suicide were the focus of Frank Hardy's novel, But the dead are many (1975). Armstrong joined the Communist Party in 1947 and worked as a legal secretary from 1949 for lawyer Cedric Ralph, who represented the Communist Party at the royal commission into its activities in 1949-50. In other arenas she was active in campaigns for improved local services, and passionately involved in the Save Our Sons movement during the Vietnam War. Armstrong's son, Karl, was jailed twice during the Vietnam War for refusing to register for the draft.

Armstrong published a book based on her PhD thesis in 2000: Frank Hardy and the making of Power without Glory. She also wrote newspaper feature articles, short stories and journal contributions. She collaborated with Rebecca Maclean on Maclean's documentary Save Our Sons, which was based on Armstrong's MA thesis on the history of the Save Our Sons movement in Victoria.

Armstrong died on 21 Oct 2001, survived by husband, Bruce, and four of her six children.

Bibliographic Reference(s)

• Avenell, Dianne. 'Dr Pauline Armstong', Herald-Sun, November 14, 2001, p. 79.
• Griffin, James. 'Passionate advocate exposed author's dark secrets', Sydney Morning Herald, November 21, 2001, p. 35.

National Foundation for Australian Women website

Provenance:

The papers of Pauline Armstrong were purchased by the Library from her husband, Bruce Armstrong, in 2004.

Arrangement:

The collection was created and maintained from its inception by Pauline Armstrong and Bruce Armstrong, who acted as his wife's secretary during her studies. Whilst some slight re-ordering of material has been imposed by the Library, wherever possible the collection has been left in its original order and the original files and file titles have been retained. Bruce Armstrong's lists and explanatory notes have been incorporated into the collection.

Container List:

Series	File/Item	Box
1	1-2	1
2	1	1
3	1	1
3	2-3	2
4	1-7	2
4	8-23	3
4	24-26	4
5	1-5	4
5	6-13	5
5	14-23	6
6	1-4	6
7	1-4	7
8	1-5	7A
8	6-11	8
8	12-13	9
9	1-3	9
10	1-3	9
10	4-8	10
10	A-V material	11
11	1-20	12
11	21-46	13
11	47-62	14
11	63-72	15
12	1-15	16
12	16-22	17
12	23-29	18
12	30-50	19
12	51-60	20
12	61-78	21
13	1-3	22
13	4-6	23
13	7-10	24
14	1-5	25
14	6-9	26
14	10-11	27
15	1-6	28
15	7-20	29
15	21-33	30
16	1-2	30

Indexed terms

Names:

Bruce Armstrong, Mr

Conditions Governing Access:

Access conditions may apply to this collection, please refer to the collection's catalogue record for further information (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn3117619).

Conditions Governing Use:

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Pauline Armstrong, National Library of Australia, MS 9878, [series and/or file number]'.

Location of this collection:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Contact:

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