Exploring the Empire: My Work Placement at the British Empire & Commonwealth Collection

By Justine Aleria, University of Bristol Department of Anthropology and Archaeology work placement (2024)

Justine Aleria in the BECC office

As an Anthropology and Archaeology student at the University of Bristol, an interest in histories of empire and colonialism comes with the territory. So when I offered as part of my degree the opportunity to undertake a work placement at the British Empire & Commonwealth Collection (BECC) based at Bristol Archives, I felt I was being given the opportunity of a lifetime. I would therefore like to share this experience with you.  

BECC collections

During my placement I worked with the Winthrop collection (1897-1977), which includes photograph albums. These document Brigadier Hugh Erskine Winthrop’s early military career in Mesopotamia and the Indian subcontinent between 1915 and 1923, and as aide-de-camp to the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab (BECC ref: 2001/243/1/1).  

Friends of Winthrop, three men and two women, posing for a photograph on the SS Mongolia on the way to the Royal Military College Wellington, India. BECC. 1915. Ref: 2001/243/1/1/2/2.

View of the shoreline of the Suez Canal from the SS Mongolia, probably en route to the Royal Military College Wellington. BECC. 1915. Ref: 2001/243/1/1/2/3.

I also catalogued two albums and photographic slides from the Blake collection. These document the lives and adventures of Ken and Edith Blake in the Solomon Islands between 1976 and 1979, two British teachers who witnessed the nation’s 1978 independence.  

Reflections on archiving

To hold a 100-year-old book containing an individual’s personal memories, and to use a magnifying glass to view sepia photographs, are both thrilling experiences. Trust me, I get excited on archaeological excavations when digging up seemingly unremarkable pottery sherds! What I have found to be truly delightful whilst working at BECC is the historical research which is required to contextualise the archive in terms of time and place.  

Personal archives are interesting collections. I felt as if I grew to know Winthrop and the Blakes quite well through thorough undertaking research. I noticed that Winthrop himself seemed rather shy, his eyes wide like a deer in the headlights every time he is captured on camera. He was so young, as a soldier and then as a personal assistant to one of British India’s highest officials. You can recognise in his photographs the grandiose escapades of a British colonial amidst the beautiful nature and rich Asian culture. He was always in awe of his environment, wanting to capture everything. The Blakes, meanwhile, loved photographing their friends and other locals in small gatherings and excursions. They had an eye for the everyday – flora, fauna, domestic scenes – despite the major events to which they were invited. This was well conveyed even though their photography was amateur. It was somewhat heartening developing such insight into and connections with these long-vanished individuals. 

Archives are inherently political, and I was well-aware of the ethics of my task and BECC’s decolonial objectives. Administrative and official archives were the instruments of imperial governance over subjects. However, BECC’s personal archive collections, informal as they are, often show other, perhaps lesser-known facets of life in the colonial era. BECC is fascinating as it depicts the empire and its subjects from the perspective of the imperial individual. The collections inform us about how British citizens and (formerly) colonised peoples interacted, and reveals much about the lived realities of empire that are not so clearly depicted in formal, administrative records.  

Yet another interesting characteristic of BECC is how it can help us to analyse how colonised peoples were represented. It is a very useful critical thinking tool. In fact, researching the Winthrop collection was especially useful for my undergraduate dissertation which examined the colonial history of cultural heritage in Mesopotamia (Iraq and Syria).  

I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to handle the BECC archives and artefacts, to have been entrusted with such memorabilia from peoples’ past, one story in the complex, contested history that has shaped today’s world. I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to use these collections to think critically about decolonial discussions in the present day, so that we may never forget, always remember, and keep thinking of new ways to move forward while addressing our past.  

I am very grateful to BECC Senior Archivists Jayne Pucknell and Ellie Pridgeon, Documentation Assistant Frances Davies, and to my fellow placement student Annabell Werner, who is undertaking the MA in Curating at UWE. They all shared their expertise, supported me, and created a lovely environment in which to work. If this sounds like it is for you, get volunteering! The experience was unforgettable, and I am excited for what is in the pipeline at BECC.  

You can find out more about the BECC collections by searching our online catalogue.  

Please contact us if you would like to view any BECC material.