M.H.G. Bell collection
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Abstract
Folio album containing photographs, printed ephemera, and manuscript texts, documenting the visit to Aden of King George V and Queen Mary of the United Kingdom in late 1911, en route to the coronation Durbar in Delhi, which is also depicted. Include material related to the activities of the British Resident of Aden, Major-General James. A. Bell, including a visit to the ruler of Socotra, Sultan 'Abd Allah ibn 'Isa Afrar al-Mahri, in early 1912.
Biographical and historical note
Little information is available about the compiler of the album, M.H.G. Bell. Several invitation cards to Bell within the album refer to her as the niece of General Bell, the British Resident at Aden. One card refers to her as "Milly."
James Alexander Bell (1856–1926) joined the 44th (East Essex) Regiment of the British Army in 1875, transferring to the Indian Army in 1879. In 1879-1880, he was posted in Afghanistan. He was Political Resident in Aden from 1910 to November 1914. During the visit of King George V to Aden in 1911, he was knighted and received the honor of Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO). He retired from the Army in 1919. [source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brigadier_General_Sir_James_Alexander_Bell.jpg, accessed April 2021].
`Abd Allah ibn `Isa Afrar al-Mahri, the Sultan of Socotra and Qishn, who General Bell visited in 1912, ruled over the Mahra Sultanate from 1907 to approximately 1928. The sultanate encompassed the island of Socotra and the mainland Yemeni region of Mahra (modern day Hadhramaut governate), which at the time of Bell's visit, was part of the British-administered Aden Protectorate. The sultanate was abolished in 1967 and absorbed into the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (or Yemen, Aden), which in turn was unified with the Republic of Yemen (or Yemen, Sana'a) in 1990. [source: "Mahra sultanate," Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahra_Sultanate, accessed on 12 April 2021].
Content Description
The M.H.G. Bell collection consists of a folio album containing photographs, printed ephemera, and manuscript texts, documenting the visit to Aden of King George V and Queen Mary of the United Kingdom in late 1911, en route to the coronation Durbar in Delhi, which is also depicted. Includes photographs of activities of British Resident in Aden, Major-General James A. Bell, the uncle of the compiler of this album, M. (Millicent?) H.G. Bell. Also included are photographs of General Bell's visit to the island of Socotra in February 1912, to meet with the ruling sultan of the island, 'Abd Allah ibn 'Isa Afrar al-Mahri, concerning a British shipwreck there.
The album, with its contents roughly arranged in chronological order, begins with ephemera related to the death of King Edward VII and the coronation of King George V, in June 1911, including tickets and invitations to events surrounding the coronation, and a handwritten card from Queen Alexandra, in response to a letter of condolence on the death of her husband.
The next segment depicts Miss Bell's journey from Britain to Aden, by way of the port of Marseille, on the S.S. Himalaya in October 1911, including postcards and photographs of scenery, including Sicily and southern Italy, and Port Said, at the entrance to the Suez Canal. Miss Bell arrived in Aden on October 22, and the following series of photographs depicts the British Residency, activities and scenery of Aden, and the visit of notables, such as Prince and Princess Alexander of Teck, and the arrival of the Russian Grand Duke Boris on the cruiser "Aurora," a ship that later became famous for its role at the start of the Russian Revolution a few years later. Included are photographs on-board the Aurora, and cards with engraved images of the ship, along with menus and a list of music played during the luncheon.
The next segment of the album depicts preparations for the arrival of King George and Queen Mary, as well as several photographs of their visit to Aden on November 27, and other items, including the program for their visit, the text of the king's speech, a map of the Residency, news clippings, and a printed invitation.
Following this are 12 pages of photographs, postcards, news clippings, printed invitations, and texts of speeches, related to the Delhi Durbar, at which George V and Queen Mary were crowned as Emperor and Empress of India. Miss Bell attended this event with her uncle and aunt, General Bell and Lady Bell, leaving Aden on December 3 and returning on December 28.
The remainder of the album largely documents General Bell's visit, in his role as British Resident, to the island of Socotra in February 1912, in order to meet with Sultan 'Abd Allah ibn 'Isa Afrar al-Mahri, to discuss the recent looting of a British ship, the S.S. Koala, that had run aground on the coast of Socotra. This section includes original photographs of the meeting, as well as reproductions printed in magazines, and a news clipping. Miss Bell accompanied her uncle on this trip, which included a stop at Mukalla, in Hadhramaut.
The final pages of the album include Christmas cards from General and Lady Bell depicting the Residency building in Aden, a congratulatory message from Indian, Arab, and Jewish communities in Aden on the bestowal of the status of Knight Commander of the Victorian Order on General Bell during King George's visit, and a small clipping from 1926 announcing General Bell's death in Sherborne, Dorset.
In addition to the contents of the album, there are several loose documents, including a typescript text, news clippings, and a handwritten itinerary of Miss Bell's trip. The text, presumably written by Lady Bell, describes the events of the royal visit to Aden, the knighting of her husband by the king, and the Delhi Durbar.
Subjects
Conditions governing access
The collection is open for use in the Reading Room of the Archives and Special Collections department of the NYU Abu Dhabi Library.
Conditions governing use
This collection may be protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use materials in the collection in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Preferred citation
Identification of item, date; M.H.G, Bell collection; MC.074; folder number or item identifier; Archives and Special Collections, New York University Abu Dhabi Library.
Immediate source of acquisition
Acquired by purchase, March 2021.
About this Guide
Processing information
Processed by Brad Bauer, April 2021.