| Description | File of correspondence between Robin Bidwell and his younger sister Dafne, addressed as 'Dear Dimp', written between 19 May 1956 and 27 September (1958?) while he was an officer in the Western Aden Protectorate and she was working with the British intelligence services in Singapore. There are eight letters, six typed and two handwritten, with the final one written on 'Western Aden Protectorate' headed notepaper. The correspondence includes references to family matters, such as Dafne's engagement to Peter Jones in 1956, but most of the letters comprise vivid descriptions of Bidwell's activities in Aden, including celebrations for Eid, his appointment as adviser to the Audhali Sultan, dealing with local Bedouin and tribal leaders, armed skirmishes with militia, meetings with Sharif Hussein bin Ahmad Al-Habieli, the Sultan of Beihan, placements in Ahwar and Zara, visits from the Governor of Aden and from Duncan Sandys, then UK Minister for Defence, and journalist Randolph Churchill. |