Letters Home from Yakusu, 1936-1956

Stanley Browne's detailed and vivid letters home to family, describing his life and his medical and missionary work in Yakusu. They also cover every aspect of life in the Congo including the culture and society, nature of the peoples, beliefs and practices, the land and geography, animals and insect life, the local economy and businesses, businesses run by colonial whites, exploitation of native population, local palm oil plantations and mines, etc. Letters are frequent, often lengthy, although they become less so after his marriage in 1940 and after having spent some years there building up the hospital and medical mission. In many ways they form a journal of Browne's life in Yakusu, revealing many aspects of his own character and interspersed with tales of 'mini-adventures' in the course of his work. Letters occasionally include diagrams or maps. There is also information on the activities of his sister Winifred, who joined the mission along with Browne's bride Mali in 1940. Various furloughs in the latter 1940s and 1950s are covered as well as the problems encountered with the BMS in the 1950s.

1936-1956

10 files

Series B.7 was added to Section B in Dec 2006