Francis Edward Pollard, MA (Frank)

Francis Edward Pollard was born on the 12^th September 1872, in Holmesdale Road, Reigate, Surrey. He appears to have been named after the noted photographer Francis Frith, whose employment his father left to go to Manchester, and with whom his father clearly enjoyed a warm friendship. This move happened soon after Francis's birth—he spent his childhood at Sale, Cheshire, under the special care of his sister Sophie.¹

Baby Frank Pollard

Frank Pollard, 1874

In 1881 he was a scholar, living with his family and a general servant at 9 Holmefield, Sale, Cheshire. By 1882 the family had moved to Eccles. After education at local schools, he attended the Quaker school at Ackworth from 1883 to 1887, where at 14 years 9 months he was first in the list (i.e. head of the school). In 1885—described by his brother Bedford as "a little scholar" —he accompanied Bedford at his wedding at York. From 1887 to 1889 he was at Bootham school, where he was in the cricket and football first XIs. A schoolfellow recollected of him that he was

    . . . the licensed jester in Benjamin Le Tall's classes at Bootham. He might interrupt and say anything. Anyone else was served ten columns.

Frank Pollard at Bootham (seated on floor, R)

He took a London Matric. (First Division) in 1889, and won the Bootham leaving scholarship for that year.²

After one year at the Flounders Institute, where he took the London Intermediate Examination in Arts (First Division), he returned to Bootham as a junior master; he was there from 1890 to 1894. He appears in the 1891 census as an assistant school master, living at the Friends' Boys School, 49 & 51 Bootham, York. In May 1892 he made a maiden speech at the Friends' Discussion Society, on the subject of Women Suffrage, which at that date he opposed (the vote went in favour). In June that year he played Malvolio in Twelfth Night—not the last occasion on which theatrical talents were called upon. In February 1893 he had to be vaccinated against smallpox, for a score or so cases had been reported in York.³

In 1894, with a Friends' Teacher's Scholarship, he went to Owen's College, Manchester, where he gained a London University BA in October 1895. In July 1896 he gained the Cobden Club Prize in Political Economy, at Owens, and in August a London MA in Mental and Moral Science (Philosophy) (he came fourth in the examination, after falling victim to influenza on the last day). In August 1897 he gained a Victoria University Teacher's diploma—a qualification only recently established (Arthur Rowntree being almost the other Friend schoolmaster who possessed it). He remained as a tutor at Dalton Hall, Victoria Park, till 1899.⁴

In the summer of 1894 he spent two weeks at Fortun, in Norway, near where the Spence Watson family were staying, and in contact with them. Possibly he had come to know them through Arnold Spence Watson, who was also at Dalton Hall; although it's also possible he knew them through Hugh Richardson. He certainly knew his future wife [M1] Mary Spence Watson by 1897. It was apparently at Frank's suggestion that Mary went on the yachting holiday in the Western Isles, with a group of young people including himself, and it was aboard the Griffin that they fell in love. At the end of November 1897 Frank helped to nurse Arnold Spence Watson, during his final days at Dalton Hall.⁵

An 1897 testimonial from the principal at Dalton Hall comments:

. . . I should wish to add that his mind is of an unusually clear order, and that he ranks in this respect high among the best students who have been with us.

This mental lucidity bore fruit on every side. It was for instance a treat to read the Classics with him, so well-weighed, concise, apt, and idiomatic, was his translation. His contribution to any debate did much to dispel any possible fog. And the value of this clearness of mind when he taught was, of course, hardly to be over-estimated.

Indeed, socially—in the games and other recreations, morally—by his example and in other much-valued ways, and intellectually—in such manner as I have described, he was a growing force in the Hall.

During his third Session his name was added to the Hall Staff, not so much because there were, at that time, many specific duties requiring discharge, as because the Committee desired by this act to recognise the position he had won.

I found him an efficient, conscientious, and loyal colleague.

It gives me great satisfaction to have this opportunity of bearing the above testimony, and also to know that my successor has secured F.E. Pollard's services for the Session about to commence, assigning him greatly increased duties.^5A

In January 1899 he presented a paper on 'The Training of the Will', to the Friends' Guild of Teachers, meeting at Birmingham. In March he gave a lecture on '"The Inner Self," a Psychological Study,' at the Manchester Friends' Institute. In the same year he returned to Bootham as a senior master. He was sorry to leave Manchester, but glad to get back into a school again. He was to teach at Bootham for 21 years, altogether. In the early days there he lived at either 51 or 20 Bootham—the 1901 census finds him boarding as a schoolmaster at the Friends' School, 51 Bootham. In 1901, present at the annual gathering of the Ackworth Old Scholars' Association, he proposed turning the Advisory Committee into a regular Executive Committee of the Association; this was agreed to, and he became a member of the new committee. In 1903 he was secretary of the Old York Scholars' Association.⁶

In 1899 he spent a month in Scotland with the Spence Watson family. His and Mary's courtship seems to have been troublesome, with Frank passionately in love, and wanting marriage, but Mary much more reserved about expressing her feelings, and constantly beset by doubts; he may have become diffident about proposing, for when he finally did the consensus of opinion was that he could have successfully carried it off long before. Mary finally said Yes, on the platform of Northallerton station, at the end of August 1903. Frank wrote to Mary's father for permission to marry, and in a letter to Mary the same day (31^st August 1903, which they regarded as their engagement date) wrote: "I feel as happy as seventeen kings, and prouder than any" . . .⁷

In December 1903 Frank visited the workhouse in York, with Mary, who noted the comments of the women residents: "he's proper", "he is a fine young gentleman & will make a splendid husband", &c. In February 1904 Frank suggested that the wedding should take place in Easter, at Ackworth, where his mother lived. In fact it eventually took place on the 3^rd August 1904, at the meeting house in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. After a reception at Bensham Grove, the couple spent a month honeymooning in Arran. They settled at 18 Bootham Crescent, York, moving there on the 3^rd September 1904. Their children were: Robert Spence Watson (1907–1984), Margaret Watson (1909–1986), Caroline Watson (1912–1987), and (I1) Ruth (1914–1982).⁸

By 1903 Frank had become Secretary of the Friends' Guild of Teachers. He taught many subjects at Bootham, but English and History were his chief. One former pupil later recollected that Frank Pollard kept order in class by the use of sarcasm. A letter to Mary, from shortly before their marriage, includes a wonderful picture of a typical working day for him, from the Bootham years:

6.40 was woken up by the bell—had a bath, dressed & shaved in 20 minutes—rather good.

7.0 watched the Lower Senior prepare Cicero, while I corrected some English papers.

7.30—breakfast—porridge & fish—letter from Mary, in which she says she encloses a bill, but doesn't.

8.30 heard Knight give a lesson on Circulating Decimals.

9.15 instructed some youths in Simultaneous Quadratic Equations.

10.0 Cicero's Oration against Catiline—with the Lower Senior.

10.45-11.45 no class—corrected English, prepared Caesar, read the newspaper, ate biscuits & cheese.

11.45 read Caesar with the Upper Senior.

12.30-1.30 Play time. Corrected English, &c: read paper on lawn.

1.30 dinner.

2.0 coffee in the masters room.

2.30-3.40 set Senior to write essays on 'How to Bat', 'Chinese Labour', 'Superstitions', 'The Channel Tunnel', 'As Civilization advances, Poetry almost necessarily declines' (a sentence from Macaulay's Essay on Milton), & so on—one to be chosen of course. Also Ancient History—Aeschylus & Sophocles.

4.0 made some afternoon tea: Sturge & Knight came—I criticized the latter's lesson this morning somewhat. Then cricket for an hour & a half. After it (it's rather a close day) I tried using two baths, rushing straight from a hot one & plunging into a cold one—much nicer than sponging oneself & cold streams trickling about one's corpus.

6.30 tea. a balmy evening—watched Sturge & Knight play tennis for a bit, then came in to write to my betrothed.⁹

INTERESTING WEDDING IN NEWCASTLE.   In the presence of a large gathering of relatives and friends, the wedding took place yesterday afternoon at the Friends' Meeting House, Pilgrim Street, Newcastle, of Mr Francis Edward Pollard, of Bootham School, York, son of the late Mr W. Pollard, of Eccles, and Miss May [sic] Spence Watson, daughter of Dr R. Spence Watson, of Bensham Grove, Gateshead. The bridesmaids were Miss Spence Watson, and Miss Yewdell, of Leeds. Mr Sturge, of York, officiated as best man. Amongst those present were Dr Spence Watson, Mrs Spence Watson, Mr T. Pumphrey, Mr J. Wigham Richardson, Mr Lionel Clapham, Mr Henry Armstrong, the Rev Canon Moore Ede, Mr Jefferson Stephens, Mr C.J. Dymond, Mr Percy Corder, the Rev Mr Pollard (brother of the bridegroom), Mr James Watson, Mr David Richardson, Dr Merz, Mr J.W. Edmondson, and Mr Henry Richardson, and many ladies. At the close of the wedding ceremony a short address was delivered by Mr T. Pumphrey, followed by a prayer by Mr Dymond. Canon Moore Ede also gave a brief address. A reception, which was numerously attended, was afterwards held at the residence of the bride's parents. The wedding presents included a beautiful silver dish from the Gateshead Women's Liberal Association, and a breakfast dish from the employees of Dr Spence Watson. Later the happy pair proceeded to Scotland, where the honeymoon is to be spent. Shields Daily News, 1904-08-04

Frank and Mary Pollard, 1904

For three weeks from mid-January 1905 Frank was ill, perhaps in part a response to his nerves having been upset in December, as Mary reported; he was well enough by the 26^th, however, to read a paper to Yorkshire Quarterly Meeting on 'The educational ground work.' In mid-April he accompanied Mary to the Canary Islands, returning after a week there. In October he canvassed in York for Bowes Morrell, the first time he had ever canvassed.¹⁰

During his time at Bootham Frank continued to play cricket for the school First XI^9B. His batting averages were:

His bowling averages were:

In mid-February 1906 Frank was so busy that Mary felt she hardly ever saw him. At least, however, he wasn't playing football at that time, after a knee injury in January. His general health that term was much improved. In 1906 he and Mary visited Grasmere and Ireland. The following year they holidayed in Coxwold and Bridlington. Frank took singing lessons in 1907, and when he sang at the school concert that year he was "tremendously cheered".¹¹

In February 1908 Frank inherited £100 from his sister-in-law Jane H. Pollard. The same month he made an unsuccessful application for the post of Assistant Professor in Education at Leeds. A testimonial by S. Alexander, professor of philosophy at the University of Manchester and former fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford, reads (in part):

It gives me great pleasure to write on behalf of my friend and former pupil Mr F.E. Pollard [ . . . ]. Mr Pollard was one of my first honours pupils here and one of the ablest. [ . . . ] He is a man of quiet but real intellectual force with a capacity of brief and lucid expression; and he has the corresponding gifts of character, quiet force and refinement. He has had a long experience of teaching. He was a tutor at Dalton Hall for a few years, & since then he has been many years at the Bootham School at York. He is in my opinion excellently fitted by capacity and experience in such a post. He would be a most wholesome influence, and I venture warmly to support his claims for consideration by the authorities of the University.¹²

In March 1908 Frank's weight was recorded at 10 st. 13 lbs. He had noted in 1903 that he was 5ft 6in tall, "at least".¹³

In May 1908 Frank inherited a sixth share of his mother's estate (after the bequest of £20 to his brother William Henry). The Pollard family spent their summer holiday of 1908 at Kirk Newton, after a week with Mary's parents at Bensham Grove, Gateshead. In December that year Frank presided as clerk to the monthly meeting for the first time; he had been assistant clerk for two years, and was to remain clerk till October 1910.¹⁴

In 1909 the family holidayed at Bensham and Summerbridge. On the 29^th November that year the family moved to 44 Queen Anne's Road, York.¹⁵

In January 1910 Frank gave an address on 'Inspiration' at Bolton meeting-house. In May that year he was interviewed for the post of Headmaster of Leighton Park school, but was unsuccessful. Mary recorded that "On the whole we are glad . . ." . Arthur Rowntree, headmaster at Bootham, had given him the following testimonial:

Mr F.E. Pollard has been a Master on the Staff here since 1899.

His chief teaching has been in History, Literature, Latin, Mathematics. He has directed the studies of the Student Teachers, and has been responsible for their work in the Theory and Practice of Education; he also supervised their practical teaching. He has been Form-Master to the Upper boys for nearly five years.

It will be seen from the statement of Mr Pollard's academic successes that he is a man of marked ability, and that he holds the Diploma of Education in the Victoria University. He is an exceptionally clear thinker and careful teacher. In connection with his History teaching he has been particularly successful in getting his class to read and think for themselves.

His discipline is entirely satisfactory. He is interested in the pupils in School and out; his influence throughout the School is most helpful.

I have heard a large number of addresses from Mr Pollard on religious, moral and literary subjects. I do not think I have ever heard any that have been more lucid; his addresses, specially directed to boys and given in the School or in the Meeting House, have proved stimulating and invigorating.

I should regret to lose him from my staff, and recognise that he would be a difficult man to replace.¹⁶

The 1910 family holidays were at Heugh Folds in Grasmere, and Beadnell.¹⁷

From the outset, Frank took an active part in York Liberal Party. From 1910 to 1913 he was a York city councillor, sitting with the Progressives on the Health and Education committees, and for a short time on the Musical Entertainments Committee. In November 1913 he was defeated in the election, coming last in the poll; he and Mary were "dreadfully disappointed".¹⁸

In early 1911 Frank and Mary Pollard spent two months touring Italy, Greece, Palestine and Egypt, though the tour was grievously marred by the death of Mary's father in March. Frank had tried to enter into the spirit of the cruise, singing in the concert on board, climbing the Great Pyramid, and nearly winning the "gentlemen's potato race" in the sports competition; he was a great comfort to Mary at this time. In Constantinople he found the cosmopolitan crowd "an education itself for the insular mind." In summer that year they spent two weeks at Dunstansteads and a further three at Bensham. The following year they holidayed at Rayheugh Farm and Dunstansteads, and in 1913 at Bensham, Patterdale, and Bamburgh.¹⁹

In April 1912 Frank reported to Yorkshire QM on behalf of the Committee on Peace Methods and Organisation.²⁰

Frank's views on women's suffrage were evidently changing, doubtless under Mary's influence: at York city council, in October 1912, he moved the (successful) resolution in favour of the (women's) Franchise Bill; and in June 1913 he noted sympathetically his attendance at a large and fine meeting of the Friends' Women Suffrage League.²¹

On the 1^st February 1914 he registered with the Teachers' Registration Council.²²

The family spent two weeks at Sleights at the end of April 1914. On the 10^th July 1914 they moved house, to 8 Clifton Dale, York. They had a succession of maids there, as well as a washerwoman and a gardener once a week, and after November a nurse for their youngest child, Ruth. Their summer holiday that year was again at Bensham, apart from a week Frank spent at Patterdale with his sister-in-law Jeannie. The holiday was inevitably overshadowed by the outbreak of the Great War. In a letter from Bensham, dated the 30^th August 1914, Frank wrote:

But the world is in the grip of tragedy: & if the crimes & follies of humanity lead (a dim hope!) to some compensating good, don't let us pretend they are anything else but crimes and follies all the same. [ . . . ] One lesson I take to be very clear: we have all professed to be workers for peace—but many have considered that the only sensible way to secure it was to help to make their respective countries as powerful militarily—with armaments & allies—as possible. That method is now damned for ever more! So much so that we even pretend we are fighting against it! But how will months of mutual carnage help us to begin the other method which alone can save mankind? Let those who see a gleam of light keep their eyes on it & point the way. I confess I find it hard to find.²³

By July 1915 Frank was Secretary (or Chair) of the Yorkshire Federation of the Union of Democratic Control, which position he held for some time. The family holidayed at Heugh Folds and Bensham that year. During 1915 Frank was released by Bootham to spend half his time working for the Northern Friends Peace Board, and from then on, for the duration of the war, he spent much time lecturing, around the north, north-east, and Scotland. He seems chiefly to have been delivering a series of four lectures on The Individual, the State, and Humanity, the individual lectures being on 'The Individual and the State,' The Community of Nations,' 'The Need of Internationalism,' and 'The Organisation of the World.' He spoke at London Yearly Meeting in May 1916. He and Mary also did work for the No Conscription Fellowship during the war. He was so busy at this time that Mary took to making particular note in her diary of the weekends he was at home, rather than the contrary. In March 1917 he was appointed convenor of the Commission on 'National Implications,' for the projected Peace Conference of All Friends. In October that year he wrote to the Yorkshire Post, on the position of the Society of Friends on conciliation, and in condemnation of retaliation. In March 1918 he spoke at Sunderland meeting house, on the Quaker peace testimony. In 1919 he again spoke at London Yearly Meeting; and in the same year he co-authored a memorandum to the Government on the blockade of Russia, urging the withdrawal of troops. It was said that "His work for peace was outstanding."²⁴

Frank applied for the post as full-time secretary to the National Peace Council in November 1919, by which time he had already determined to leave Bootham; he was the successful candidate from a field of 30-40, and was offered the post in December. His acceptance meant that he gave up teaching just before he would have become eligible for a pension. In recognition of this, and of his good work, in 1920 he was personally given £500 by Joseph Rowntree. Around the Christmas and New Year of 1919-20 Frank was sufficiently ill that at one point diphtheria was suspected. He took his last class at Bootham on the 15^th March 1920. It was said of him that "Pollard's clear incisive mind, his ready wit and his keenness in pursuit of essentials in teaching made him a congenial colleague though he did not suffer fools gladly and boys sometimes felt him slightly cold and hard." On the 7^th April he went to London to start work, staying as a paying guest with his sister Sophie Sparkes in Wembley. A week later he purchased White Knights House in Reading, which he had viewed in March, for £1250, with a ground rent of £10 p.a. In May he spoke at London Yearly Meeting, on protesting about war. In June he organized a successful National Peace Congress in Glasgow. At the All Friends Conference at Devonshire House in August, he spoke on War and Liberty, and introduced the discussion on the League of Nations. On the 11^th October he gave a talk, at Devonshire House, on 'The Class War and How to Avoid It' . In mid-October 1920 the family finally came back together, taking up residence at Whiteknights House, Eastern Avenue, Reading. Around this time he joined the Friends Peace Committee, of which he was a member till his death, Vice-Chairman by 1926, Acting Chairman by 1928, and Chairman from 1931–41.²⁵

In November 1920 he was the convener of a committee appointed by Meeting for Sufferings to consider relief service in Ireland. In 1921 he was President of the Friends' Guild of Teachers. In April 1921 he attended Irish Yearly Meeting in Dublin, "in the Sinn-Fein-Black & Tan days, when cars of British troops, netted in to keep bombs off, drove about the streets, the men with their rifles pointed & ready" . . . In May he spoke at London Yearly Meeting, on peace and disarmament. In June the census finds him in the twelve-roomed Whiteknights House, 29 Eastern Avenue, Reading, living with all his family except his son, as well as a German domestic servant (Marie Dietz) and an Austrian schoolboy (Anton Niessner); he gave his occupation as secretary to the National Peace Council, working at 75 Avenue Chambers, [London] W.C.1. Later that year he visited Washington DC (arriving at Ellis Island on Cunard's Albania on the 5^th December) to observe the disarmament conference on behalf of the Society of Friends; in January 1922, he had three articles on the subject in The Friend, of which two were front-page features. He also took in a busy speaking schedule during December, in Swarthmore, Philadelphia, and Baltimore; he reported to Yorkshire Quarterly Meeting in January 1922, and presented the report of the Peace Committee to Yearly Meeting in May.²⁶

In the course of 1921 Frank left his job, for reasons not entirely clear. His daughter Ruth wrote that "It was found that he was unsuitable", his son Robert that "It may be doubted if Francis Pollard's proper field was that of an organising secretary. His forte was rather exposition, teaching, and critical analysis." His son-in-law Sidney Beck said that "it was probably a mistake for him to get involved in that administration of a new peace organisation, which was still struggling to establish itself, and with all the intense changes after the 1914–18 war there were bound to be conflicts of interests, and ideas—and my understanding is that he became involved with a dispute with at least some members of the committee—may have been one in particular who felt the National Peace Council should be going in quite a different direction [ . . . ]—and after about twelve months, matters came to a head, and they accepted Frank Pollard's resignation". A recent researcher, Martin Ceadel, reached a simpler conclusion: by the autumn of 1921 financial difficulties compelled the NPC to consider closing down, but "In the event it decided merely to release Pollard, whose salary it could no longer afford, and carry on with a part-time secretaryship" . . . .²⁷ This is not altogether borne out by the evidence of Mary Pollard's diary. On 5 October she recorded:

After Committee Meeting of Council, M^r. Baillie-Weaver told F. they had decided he was not the right man for the post, tho' they recognized his undoubted abilities. It has come as a great shock to us both, & I think they are making a great mistake. He has had a very hard task with subs. so hard to get, & has done splendid work on the "Peace with Ireland Council" & now the Disarmament Campaign, & the last Annual Meeting at B'ham was such a success. He has not been helped by the Council as he shd have been, & they evidently do not realize all he has done. Miss Huntsman v. angry & threatens to resign. It is a bitter, humiliating thing for poor Frank, & I am very angry about it. It is a shame.²⁸

She records that on 27 October he was given three months' notice; at some point it appears they even passed a motion of no confidence in him:

Poor Frank, he is so brave & wont say a word against anyone, tho' it is so humiliating for him, & he specially feels the attitude of the 3 Friends who were on the special Com^tee Bertram Pickard, Edward Backhouse & Harrison Barrow. He is to go to the office till a new man is appointed & to get his salary anyway for 3 mos.²⁹

In July 1922 he made an unsuccessful application for a post as Secretary to the Education Committee of the City of York. A testimonial by John W. Graham, principal of Dalton Hall, Manchester University, reads:

Gentlemen, My friend Mr. F.E. Pollard tells me that he is applying for the post of Secretary to your body.

Mr. Pollard was formerly a student under my care at Dalton Hall, University of Manchester, and afterwards as Tutor, one of my colleagues. I have known him well and intimately, in many private and public connections, all his life.

He is a man of quite outstanding intellectual ability and force of character. His mind is both broad in outlook and in power of generalisation, and accurate in detail. He never blurs a fine distinction. He is clear and prompt when a decision is necessary, but too open minded to be hasty or dogmatic.

He has a great gift for forcible and incisive public speech, and is often chosen to make important utterances on behalf of the Society of Friends.

He would be a moral as well as an educational force in the City schools, and would discharge with a deep sense of duty all his professional service.

You are aware that he had a long and much valued experience in teaching. His culture, however, has never been limited by his professional labours, but is wide and far reaching, and his judgment on educational issues is correspondingly valuable.

As a colleague I always found him loyal and easy to work with.³⁰

Although short-listed for the wardenship of Dalton Hall, he never got over the disappointment of not getting it—the last straw in a number of disappointments. He did not again take salaried employment; this imposed, especially in later years, a certain simplicity of life, but it also gave him time to serve Friends. The family lived largely on Mary's unearned income, though financial assistance came from various sources, including Mary's sister Bertha Morrell. Frank did occasional supply teaching at Leighton Park and Sidcot schools (Sidcot in spring 1923 and spring 1924), some lecturing for the WEA (including, in October 1928, a course which met in the library of Eton College) and the Educational Settlements Association, as well as a good deal of private tutoring in and around Reading (including, from November 1934 to July 1935, a nephew of the King of Egypt, Ismail Hassan, who had to pass Matric. before he could take the title of Prince!; he received a total of 18 guineas for this service).³¹

From 1921 to 1947 he was a member of the executive of the Friends Education Council.³²

In May 1923 Frank spoke at London Yearly Meeting. That summer the family moved to 9 Denmark Road, Reading, which they were later to purchase (March 1928) for £1300. This year they holidayed in Switzerland. Around this time Frank acted as a member of the 'Copec' Conference Commission on Education, and in 1923 had a large hand in framing the report published under the title Can Religion Be Taught?, later reprinted in Up to Eighteen. 25 years later this was still seen as "a vital document, with a forward outlook". . . .³³

During January and February 1924 The Friend ran a series of Frank's articles as 'Adult School Lesson Notes;' and in September a front-page review article by him. He had front page articles in The Friend again, in January and April 1925. From May 1924 Frank taught for a term at Sidcot. In 1925 he had the job of marking 400 London General Schools English History papers. In July he went out to Switzerland to collect his daughter Caro, who had been there since January for her health. The family holidayed at Heugh Folds that year.³⁴

In February 1926 he had a front page article on 'Economics and War' in World Outlook, a supplement to The Friend. That month he had mumps, but employed his time productively, working on the editing of the History of Bootham School 1823–1923, which was published that year. In April he had a front page article in The Friend, on 'England and the World' , and in June he had a front page review. In May he spoke at Yearly Meeting in Manchester, in the report of the Peace Committee. The family took three weeks at St Davids, Pembrokeshire, in August 1926. In the autumn he had a series of articles in The Friend, on 'The Races of Mankind, and '"The Clash of Colour."' In October he had a front page article on 'Community and the State.' The family took three weeks at St Davids, Pembrokeshire, in 1926.³⁵

In April 1927 he had a front page review article in The Friend. The magazine also ran a six-part article on 'Ideas of Value', from the end of May to the beginning of July. In the summer of 1927 the family spent three weeks at Wheelbirks, Stocksfield, Northumberland. Almost immediately afterwards Frank left for a fortnight in Geneva, preparation for upcoming lecturing on international issues, during which he attended several sessions of the Assembly of the League of Nations ("something that resembles or foreshadows a World Parliament"), and heard the French prime minister Aristide Briand and others speak. During September The Friend carried his article 'The League of Nations,' in four parts: Arbitration, Disarmament, The World's Workers, and Towards a World Commonwealth.³⁶

He had front page articles in The Friend in February, March and May 1928. That year he published his Merttens lecture War and Human Values, his most important work on peace. This had been delivered at London Yearly Meeting on Saturday evening, the 26^th May; the lecture "impressed Friends by its depth and lucidity." When the second edition was published, in 1953, the reviewer wrote that "Francis E. Pollard was one of the best of modern Quaker writers, with a style that had delightful echoes of the eighteenth century and of the Roman orators, strong, terse and beautifully shaped." The book itself was described as "a gem among the pebbles of peace literature—so nearly flawless as to seem to present an absolutely unchallengeable case." "One hopes that very many Friends and pacifists will turn again to it as one of the really first-rate utterances of twentieth-century Quakerism, and also as the authentic voice—one can hear his voice in its cadences—of a much beloved Friend." In the autumn he published 'The Universal Appeal of Christ,' in two sets of three articles in The Friend. By this time he was often reviewing books for The Friend—between 1924 and 1949 he published no fewer than 124 reviews there (from eight to thirteen a year from 1926 to 1932, though none at all from 1936 to 1938).³⁷

In May 1929 he spoke for the Liberal candidate in the general election, the first time he had done so since 1914. Later that month he spoke at London Yearly Meeting. The occasion of his and Mary's silver wedding that year prompted a month's holiday on Arran for the family, in September. By December that year he was running a university extension course at Freshwater in the Isle of Wight, which required overnight visits every time he went; these continued until at least February 1930.³⁸

In January 1930 Frank had a review article on the front page of The Friend. At London Yearly Meeting in May he spoke on disarmament, on membership, and on Tagore and Gandhi. In August-September the family holidayed on a houseboat on the River Yealm, in Devon. In September Frank left for Birmingham, for ten months' residential Woodbrooke Fellowship, during which he returned for occasional weekends only. In October and November The Friend published his article 'An Educated Electorate', in two parts.³⁹

At London Yearly Meeting in May 1931 Frank spoke on reparations, as well as giving a public address on 'A Reasonable Religion.' The Pollard family spent a fortnight in the summer of 1931 in Saint Germain des Vaux, Normandy. During August and September The Friend serialised Frank's 'New Developments of the League of Nations.' Shortly after that, Frank went to Barchem, in the Netherlands, for a week—a Quaker establishment on the lines of Woodbrooke, at which he delivered two lectures. At the beginning of October he had a front page article in The Friend, on 'Reparations and the Economic Crisis.' That month Frank refused to vote, in the election for the National Government. In November he spoke at Meeting for Sufferings, on birthright membership. At the same time as Mary, he made his will in December 1931, leaving all his real and personal estate in trust to his wife, his son, and his brother-in-law John Bowes Morrell, and subsequent to her death to his children equally.⁴⁰

In February 1932 he joined the local Archaeological Society. That month he spoke at Meeting for Sufferings, on Japan. On the evening of the 18^th May Frank Pollard gave the Swarthmore Lecture at Friends House, before more than 1000 people, on 'Education and the Spirit of Man'; it was well received. That year, too, he published Religion, Morals and the Intellect, which was a plea for the pre-eminence of reason in the religious life as well as other matters. For recreation that summer, Frank and Mary Pollard went with Ruth on a cycling tour of Shropshire. In December—apparently in recognition of the cost to the Pollard household of his voluntary labours—Frank received an unsolicited gift of £90 from friends, as well as £50 from "a friend whom you do not know".⁴¹

In 1932 he had his appendix out at the cottage hospital, the operation being performed by his doctor.⁴²

In 1933 he wrote a "cautious" introduction to J. W. Graham, ed.: Psychical Experiences of Quaker Ministers. That year he was Clerk to the Betting and Gambling Committee of Meeting for Sufferings. In May he chaired the Swarthmore lecture, introduced the subject of Education, and spoke on disarmament, at London Yearly Meeting. He spoke on rearmament at Meeting for Sufferings in December, and to a joint conference on peace at Haywards Heath.⁴³

In 1933 he was paid a total of 27/6 for his contributions to The Friend.⁴⁴

In February 1934 he made a codicil to his will, confirming that he left all his personal chattels to his wife. In April 1934 Frank fought a bye-election to the town council, in Redlands ward, as an Independent Progressive; he lost, 768 votes to 493, to a brewery director, Captain Simonds. In May he opened the discussion on Friends' Peace Testimony, at London Yearly Meeting. In June he spoke on temperance, at Meeting for Sufferings; in July he took the chair for the Merttens Peace Lecture, at Friends House. The family holiday that year was at Sedbergh. In September Frank spoke at Meeting for Sufferings on the Disarmament Appeal, and in November on Traffic in Arms. In November he played Milton in a locally produced play Paradise Regained, at the Reading Institute. In December he spoke at Meeting for Sufferings, on the Peace Committee constitution.⁴⁵

In January and February 1935 he spoke at Meeting for Sufferings, on the King's Semi-Jubilee and the Saar, respectively. On the 27^th March 1935 the family moved to 22 Cintra Avenue, Reading (tel. Reading 81564), having sold 9 Denmark Hill for £1000. In May Frank contributed an article to The Friend on '25 Years of the Peace Movement. A Jubilee Survey.' That month he took the chair for the Christian Disarmament Conference, at Swanwick; he took an active part at Yearly Meeting, as usual. The family holidayed that year at St Marryen, Padstow, Cornwall.⁴⁶

22 Cintra Avenue, Reading,

photographed by the maid, Florence Webb, in 1935

In March 1936 Frank spoke at Meeting for Sufferings, on the armaments increase. He was chair for some years of the Reading Refugee Committee, chair of the Reading branch of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, chair of the Education Committee of the Reading League of Nations Union, and actively associated with the Proportional Representation Society, and later with the United Nations Association; he was also a member of the Cobden Club and the Free Trade Union. He was an admirer of the 19^th century Liberal leaders, of Fox, Arnold, Marcus Aurelius, and Erasmus.⁴⁷

In March 1937 he spoke at Meeting for Sufferings, on the power of prayer. In May he spoke there again, as well as at Yearly Meeting in Bristol (on the reorganisation of the Peace Committee in relation to the Northern Friends Peace Board, and on preparation for ministry). In June 1937, as Chair of the Friends Peace Committee, he signed a public statement in condemnation of the bombing of Guernica. That year he holidayed with the family in Ireland. In August-September he attended the All-Friends Conference at Swarthmore and Haverford Colleges, near Philadelphia, where he chaired the commission on The Individual Christian and the State; he also visited Rhode Island. He had arrived at New York on the liner Georgic on 29^th August 1937, and returned to England on the Aquitania. On New Year's Eve The Friend printed his 'The Community Path to Real Security.'⁴⁸

In 1936 Frank was paid a total of 2 guineas for his contributions to The Friend; in 1937 it was 12/6; in 1938 £3-10-6; in 1939 17/6; and in 1940 1 guinea.⁴⁹

At the end of December 1937 Frank affirmed as a JP; he remained a magistrate until compulsory retirement at the age of 75. He was a member of the local Justices' Club, of Reading Christian Council, the Magistrates' Association, and the Howard League for Penal Reform.⁵⁰

In May 1938 Frank spoke at the Peace Committee weekend at Digwell Park, and spoke on Peace at London Yearly Meeting. He spoke to Meeting for Sufferings, on behalf of the Peace Committee, in July. After a short spring holiday in Holland that year, he and Mary took their summer holiday in Lyme Regis. At the beginning of November he chaired a public meeting on Peace and Justice, at Friends House; speakers included Fenner Brockway. Later that month he spoke at the special Yearly Meeting on Peace. In May 1939 he spoke on the refugee problem at Meeting for Sufferings, and opened the Yearly Meeting session on the Peace Committee, as well as speaking on conscription, national service, and temperance. In July he spoke at Meeting for Sufferings, on the membership of tribunals (for conscientious objectors); and in September, reading a statement from the Peace Committee. 1939 saw a spring holiday in Cornwall and a summer holiday at Windermere and Heugh Folds; the 1939 Register recorded him as (tutor) retired, staying at Ashfield House, Ponsharden, Falmouth, Cornwall. In December that year Frank gave an address to Western Quarterly Meeting, on 'A Reasonable and Christian Peace.'⁵¹ The Pollards had a German refugee, Wolfgang Weyl [later known as Leonard Weyl], living with them for the whole of 1939, prior to his emigration to the USA; Frank was chairman of the Reading Refugee Committee.⁵²

For many years Frank was chair of the Reading and District Liberal Association, then he resigned early in the war over the Liberal Party's official support of the war. In January 1940 he spoke to Meeting for Sufferings, on the Peace Committee's work. Later that month, with other Friends, he journeyed to America, by way of Geneva, to explore with Friends and leaders of the Peace movement in America possible steps towards international settlement. He spent a month, mainly in the Philadelphia area, but also visiting New York and Washington. In May he spoke at London Yearly Meeting, on Worship and Service. In September he submitted a letter to Meeting for Sufferings, which was warmly endorsed, to be sent to all preparative meetings for reading the following Sunday. He spoke at Meeting for Sufferings in York in December, on Friends and the Present Situation.⁵³

In March 1941 Frank spoke at Meeting for Sufferings in Leicester, on the BBC and Liberty; he spoke at Meeting for Sufferings in York in April, and again in July, on India. In April Frank chaired a conference at Oxford, on what contribution Friends could make to the post-war world. In August he spoke at Yearly Meeting in York, on Planning and Freedom. In July 1942 he attended a conference at St Hilda's College, Oxford, on the Peace Testimony; in September he spoke at Meeting for Sufferings, on Concern for Peace. In November 1942 he had a bad fall in the blackout in Cintra Avenue, giving him a bad shock; it was long before he fully recovered—though he seems to have been well enough to give a talk on the history of Quakerism, at the Friends' Hall, Walthamstow, in early December. He spoke at Meeting for Sufferings in March 1943, then again in July, on Friends Relief Service. In early May 1943 he chaired a huge Liberal meeting in the town hall, addressed by Lord Samuel, Sir William Beveridge, and others.⁵⁴

In 1942 Frank was paid a total of 2 guineas for his contributions to The Friend. In 1943 he received 2 guineas for invigilating. In 1944 he received 4 guineas for invigilating, and £1-16-0 from The Friend. In 1945 he received 2 guineas for invigilating. In 1946 he received 4 guineas for invigilating and 2 guineas for his contributions to The Friend.⁵⁵

He spoke at Meeting for Sufferings in May 1944, and later that month at Yearly Meeting, on Power and Freedom in the Modern World. In July 1944, after high blood pressure was diagnosed in addition to existing heart troubles, Frank was advised to give up a lot of work, and to take great care.⁵⁶

Normal holidays had been problematic during the war, though Mary now had the cottage, to which they were able to escape from time to time. In 1945 the family once again spent a fortnight together at Heugh Folds. In March 1945 Frank spoke at Meeting for Sufferings, on the San Francisco Conference, in April on Friends and Military Conscription, and in November, on Christian Peacemaking Campaign. He spoke at Yearly Meeting in May that year, defending Quaker schools.⁵⁷

In February 1946 he took part in the discussion on Overseas Relief Policy at Meeting for Sufferings. He spoke at Yearly Meeting in May, on A Call for Dedicated Service; and at Meeting for Sufferings in July 1946 and May 1947. From August 1947 Frank was busy with Robert and Beatrice Pollard, in writing the book on Democracy and the Quaker Method, eventually published in 1949.⁵⁸

In March 1948 Frank had heart trouble, and was in bed for at least a month, the family being warned that he was seriously ill. He was, however, able to speak at Meeting for Sufferings at the beginning of April. In November he had a bad heart attack, followed by another, less bad; but by January 1949 he was much improved, and able to resume court and committee work. In March 1949 he received £1-2-0 for invigilating.⁵⁹

He was a pipe smoker, keen on cricket and crossword puzzles. In Reading he had been the very backbone of the local Book Club (the club's minute book records him reading to the group once in 1923, twice in 1924, four times in 1925, twice in 1926, six times in 1927, and three times in 1928). He had a sweet tenor voice, and often used to sing on Sunday nights. Once, at Bootham, he had sung an oratorio so beautifully that the Head cut out his sermon, saying nothing more was needed. A friend recalled that "Perhaps one of my most delightful memories is of him singing 'A Pair of Sparkling Eyes' at a week-end committee at Jordans!" At 74 he made a recording of three songs, accompanied by Mary on the piano; the record survives (side 1, side 2). Frank himself played the piano by ear, but only after Meeting on Sundays. He had a dry sense of humour and privately treasured an excellent collection of funny stories which he would draw on to illustrate his discussion with point, and a fine restraint. He was a very quiet, scholarly person, very formal-looking in his rather severe Edwardian dress—probably a bit awe-inspiring to young children. He was also seen as a most handsome man, of which he appeared oblivious.⁶⁰

In December 1950 Frank received £1-11-3 in royalties. At the beginning of that month he spoke at Meeting for Sufferings, on the subject of Korea. Testimony from Reading Monthly Meeting was to record that "Some of his best work for the Society was done during his long membership of Meeting for Sufferings."⁶¹ For many years prior to his death Frank Pollard had been a valued member of the Anti-Slavery Society.⁶²

In January 1951 Frank Pollard grew a beard; but there is no subsequent reference to this, so presumably he abandoned it.⁶³

In March 1951 the Pollards spent a week with the Beck family in Totland Bay, on the Isle of Wight. Though he was suffering with angina, and developed a bit of a cough while he was there, when he got back he was suddenly taken much worse, and he died at about 9:00 p.m. on the 21^st March 1951, at home at Cintra Avenue. The cause of death was given as 2^nd coronary thrombosis, hypertension, and myocardial degeneration. His body was cremated at 3:30 on the 24^th March, at Reading crematorium.⁶⁴

In April 1951 the Reading Monthly Meeting Extension Committee minuted that:

In the desire that an Extension Committee should be worthy of its name, Frank Pollard constantly turned our thoughts to life beyond the borders of our own Society. His influence was at times uncomfortably bracing to us, his more cautious brethren, but we had cause over and over again to be thankful for his wide experience, his sound judgment and his unfailing courage.⁶⁵

In the same month the Friends' Peace Committee—at its largest meeting for some years—noted that:

Francis Pollard joined the Peace Committee in 1920 and served on it continuously and conscientiously until his death. Despite increasing frailty he had attended eight out of nine Committees held in the last twelve months.

Among many other contributions which he made to our work it may be recorded that from 1932 until 1941 he was Chairman of the Committee; he was one of two Friends who visited American Friends on behalf of the Peace Committee in 1940; he served for many years on the General Purposes Committee and on numerous other sub-Committees and he wrote a number of pamphlets published by the Committee.

His clarity of mind, ability to focus discussion upon concrete proposals and his reconciling influence when different opinions were expressed have been invaluable. He will be best remembered, however, for his sound judgment and warm personality which continually influenced the decisions of the Committee.⁶⁶

In his obituary in The Friend it was said that "His judgement was wise, he had an ability to focus discussions upon points for effective action, and his counsel in reconciling widely different points of view was frequently invaluable. Those who worked with him appreciated his clear, fearless and independent thinking and speaking." In the writer's view, "His work in politics for what he believed to be right never ceased, though it was never spectacular." Though an elder of his meeting, "He did not, perhaps, share the specific mystical experience of some Friends; to him the truth of religion was revealed in moral experience, and his life as well as his teaching showed the first place he gave to morality and ethics". According to the Testimony of Reading meeting, "He was neither mystic nor poet, and yet he had a deep appreciation of both mysticism and poetry which led him to draw apt and moving illustrations from both." "He had also a courage which came from deep within, subduing and transcending the nervousness of a naturally shy and diffident man." The Testimony concluded that "His spirit was beautiful and luminous, and through him we have partaken of the grace of God."⁶⁷

His will was proved at the Principal Registry on the 4^th June 1951. He left £3958 13s. 7d. (£90,186 at 2005 values).⁶⁸

Francis Edward Pollard was the youngest child of [I3] William and [K1] Lucy Pollard.⁶⁹

1 birth certificate; Robert S.W. Pollard: 'Memoir of Francis E. Pollard', in F.E. Pollard (1953) War and Human Values, 2^nd edⁿ; Dictionary of Quaker Biography (Friends' House Library, typescript); 1881 census returns; David M. Blamires: 'Towards a Biography of William Pollard'; Journal of the Friends' Historical Society, Vol. 55 Nos. 3 & 4, pp.112-123; letters from Frank Pollard

2 TNA: RG 11/3506 f107 p9; David Blamires (October 1984) 'William Pollard 1828–1893', Friends' Quarterly; Pollard (1953); Edgar Barron Collinson: List of the Boys and Girls admitted to Ackworth School 1879–1930; Bootham School Register. 1914; J.W. Graham (source reference corrupted); The Friend XXIX Aug:232, The British Friend XLVII Oct:262; Bedford Pollard (1937) Quaker Reminiscences, London: Headley Brothers

3 Pollard (1953); Bootham School Register. 1914; letters from Frank Pollard; RG 12/3886 f100 p1; The Friend XXX Sept:260

4 Pollard (1953); Bootham School Register. 1914; letter to me from Bootham School Archivist; The Friend XXV:795, XXVI:446, XXVII:526; The British Friend XXXVI Jan:23, V Aug:231, 232, VIII Oct:274; testimonial by Theodore Neild, Dalton Hall, in my possession; Leeds Mercury, 1896-07-22; John A. Dell (May 1953), 'Francis E. Pollard', Bootham 25.1:9-10; Proceedings of the Ackworth Old Scholars' Association, Part XV, Eighth Month, 1896; the University of London student register records his MA in 1896 in "Philos. & Econ."; Teachers' Registration Council registers

5 testimonial by Theodore Neild, Dalton Hall, in my possession

6 Pollard (1953); letters from Frank Pollard; letter from Hugh Richardson to Mary Spence Watson 1 June 1897; Francis E. Pollard: diary; diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard (Ms); Bensham Grove visitors' books

7 letters from Frank Pollard; Pollard (1953), op. cit.; letters of Mary Pollard; RG 13/4437 f5 p2; The British Friend VII Feb:34, Mar:76; The Friend XXXVIII:174, 1898-03-18; Bootham 1.3:208; Proceedings of the Ackworth Old Scholars' Association, Part XX, Eighth Month, 1901

8 my own speculation; diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; letters from Frank Pollard

9 letters of Mary Pollard; Dictionary of Quaker Biography; marriage certificate; Pollard (1953); letters from Frank Pollard; inscription in When I Was a Child, by an Old Potter, intro. by Robert Spence Watson. London: Methuen, 1903; The Friend XLIV:546, The British Friend XIII Aug:240; book of newspaper cuttings compiled by Robert Spence Watson, now in Newcastle Central Library; Letters from Lucy Pollard to Mary Spence Watson (Pollard); diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; Mary S.W. Pollard: Journal; source mislaid; The Friend XLVII:64, 1907-01-25; Mary S W Pollard—book of accounts, wedding gifts, &c.; The Friend XLIX:192, 1909-03-19; The British Friend XVIII Apr:112; The Friend LII:374, 1912-05-31, The British Friend XXI June:180; daughter's birth certificate; Ruth Beck: Memoirs; The Times; GRO index

10 letters from Frank Pollard; Pollard (1953), op. cit.; diaries of Sidney & Ruth Beck (principally, but not exclusively, holidays), 1946–84; Newcastle Daily Chronicle, 1905-01-27

11 diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard

12 will and grant of probate of Jane Hallaway Pollard; The Friend XXXIV:828, 1894-12-21, NS I:693, LII Supplement, LIII, LIV School Supplement

13 Mary S.W. Pollard: Reading register, 1897–1908, and sequels, Ms; Diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard

14 will and probate of Lucy Pollard; testimonial by S. Alexander, in my possession

15 diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; letters from Frank Pollard

16-18 Bolton Evening News, 1909-07-01; diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; testimonial by Arthur Rowntree, in my possession

19 diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard

20 Pollard (1953); diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; election address

21 diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; Mary S.W. Pollard: Diary of tour of Greece, Palestine, & Egypt, 1911; Ms; Mary S.W. Pollard: Italian Tour diary (Ms The Friend LXVI:765, 1926-08-27

22 Teachers' Registration Council registers

22 Mary S.W. Pollard cuttings album

24 Mary S.W. Pollard cuttings album; letters from Frank Pollard; Rochdale Observer, 1916-09-30; Labour Leader, 1917-12-13

25 diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; letters from Frank Pollard, F.E. Pollard—bound pamphlets; my copy; Ruth Beck: Memoirs

26 letters from Frank Pollard; diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; Pollard (1953), op. cit.; W. Pearson Thistlethwaite (1979) Yorkshire Quarterly Meeting, (1665–1966); The Friend LVI, LVII, LIX; testimony from Reading Monthly Meeting, in London Yearly Meeting 1951, Reports and Documents 232–4; LSF Acc. 10978; Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette, 1918-03-16; Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, 1917-10-15; RG 15/6012 RD121 SD3 ED21

27 Pollard (1953); Ruth Beck: Memoirs; Sidney Beck: Testimony to the Life of Ruth Beck of Ilkley Meeting, and the two earlier drafts; Pollard (1953), op. cit.; The Friend LX:276 1920-05-07, LX:525, 526, LXVI:74–5 1926-01-22, LXVIII:258 1928-03-30, 109.14:277-8 1951-04-06; diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; letters & journals possessed by Jonathan Dale; testimony from Reading Monthly Meeting in London Yearly Meeting 1951, Reports and Documents:232–4, LSF Acc. 10978; The Times 1920-10-11, 1934-05-24; John A. Dell (May 1953), 'Francis E. Pollard', Bootham 25.1:9-10

28 The Friend LX:732–3 1920-11-19, LXI:330 1921-05-27, LXI:355–6 1921-06-03, LXII:3–4 1922-01-06, LXII:17–9 1922-01-13, LXII:53–5 1922-01-27, LXII:381 1922-06-02, 90:425, 1932-05-20; letter to Benjamin Beck from Bootham School Archivist.; letters from Frank Pollard; Thistlethwaite (1979); diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; UK, Outward Passenger Lists

29 interview with Sidney Beck, begun Easter 1986; Pollard (1953), op. cit.; Ruth Beck: Memoirs; Martin Ceadel: Semi-Detached Idealists: The British Peace Movement and International Relations, 1854–1945: 249; www.ellisisland.org, accessed 2007-06-19

30 testimonial by John W. Graham, in my possession; diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard

31 Diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard

32 Pollard (1953); interview with Sidney Beck, begun Easter 1986; Ruth Beck: Memoirs; letters to me from Sidney & Ruth Beck; letter to me from Bootham School Archivist; letters from Frank Pollard; diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; testimony from Reading Monthly Meeting, in London Yearly Meeting 1951, Reports and Documents 232–4; The Friend 90:425, 1932-05-20; Frank Pollard's cash book

33 Pollard (1953); The Friend 109:307; according to The Friend 90:425, 1932-05-20, he became a member of the Friends' Education Committee just after the opening of the century.

34 The Friend LXIII:419 1923-06-01, 90:425, 1932-05-20, 109:307; Ruth Beck: Memoirs; letters from Frank Pollard; Mary S.W. Pollard: Ms book on early life of Ruth Pollard (2 vols); diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard

35 The Friend LXIII:20, 39, 60, 79, 104, 122, 196, 341, 801–2, LXV:65–7 1925-01-23, 317–8, 1925-04-17; letters from Frank Pollard; Ruth Pollard: diary; diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard

36 letters from Frank Pollard; The Friend LXVI:101–2 1926-02-05, LXVI:293–4 1926-04-09, LXVI:453 1926-05-21, LXVI:765, 789, 807, 829, 851 1926-08-27 to 1926-09-24, LXVI:967–8 1926-10-29, 109.14; diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard

37 letters from Frank Pollard; The Friend LXVII:331–2 1927-04-22, LXVII:486, 531, 555, 568, 594, 620 1927-05-27 to 1927-07-01, LXVII:804, 822, 842, 861 1927-09-02 to 1927-09-03; diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; Birmingham Daily Gazette, 1928-05-28

38 Pollard (1953); The Friend LXVIII:81–2 1928-02-03, LXVIII:253–4 1928-03-30, LXVIII:393–5 1928-05-11, LXVIII:481, 488, 492, 570 1928-06-22, 109.14, LXVIII:847, 867, 884, 1051, 1083, 1128 1928-09-21 to 1928-10-05 and 1928-11-23 to 1928-12-07, 109.14, 1953-03-06:206–7; letters from Frank Pollard; The Friend 1924–50

39 letters from Frank Pollard; Ruth Pollard: diary; Ruth Beck: Memoirs; diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; The Friend LXIX:486 & 525, 1929-05-31 and 1929-06-07

40 letters from Frank Pollard; Ruth Pollard: diary; letter to me from Bootham School Archivist; diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; The Friend LXX:45–7 1930-01-17, LXX:477, 485, 525 1930-05-30 & 1930-06-06, LXX:982–4, 1008–9 1930-10-31 & 1930-11-07, 90:425 1932-05-20; will

41 Ruth Pollard: diary; letters from Frank Pollard; Pollard (1953), op. cit.; Diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; The Friend LXXI:488 & 502 1931-05-29, LXXI:793, 817, 834, 864 1931-08-28 to 1931-09-18, LXXI:893–4 1931-10-02, LXXI:1029 1931-11-06

42 Pollard (1953); The Friend 90:6 1921-01-01, 90:138 1932-02-12, 90:422–5 1932-05-20, 109.14; diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; The Times; Leeds Mercury and Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer,  1932-05-19

43 Margaret Dale: 'Reminiscences'

44 The Friend 91:164 1933-02-24, 91:411 1933-05-22, 91:479 & 480 1933-06-02, 91:1088 1933-12-08, 91:1132 1933-12-15, 140:55–7 1982-01-15; The Scotsman, 1933-05-25

45 codicil to will; Frank Pollard's cash book

46 Berkshire Chronicle obituary; Ruth Beck: Memoirs; letters from Frank Pollard; diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; The Friend 92:494, 505 & 514 1934-06-01, 92:560 1934-06-15, 92:833 1934-09-14, 92:1039 1934-11-09, 92:1067 1934-11-16, 92:1171 1934-12-14; Nottingham Journal, 1934-07-06

47 letters from Frank Pollard; Visitors Book, Frank & Mary Pollard, 1928–61; Kelly's Directory; diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; The Friend 93:33 1935-01-11, 93:120 1935-02-08, 93:383–4 1935-05-03, 94:443 1935-05-17, 93:522 1935-05-31, 93:942 1935-10-18; BT phone books

48 Pollard (1953); Berkshire Chronicle obituary; Who's Who in Berkshire (London 1936); The Friend 94:226 1936-03-13

49 Friends' World Conference 1937.II. 'The Individual Christian and the State', Report of Commission II. Friends' World Conference Committee, Philadelphia; The Friend 109.14; diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; letters from Frank Pollard; The Friend 95:237 1937-03-12, 95:451 1937-05-14, 95:496, 499 & 502 1937-05-28, 95:870–1, 879–80 1937-09-24; New York, Passenger Lists; Nottingham Journal, 1937-06-03

50 Frank Pollard's cash book

51 diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; Pollard (1953), op. cit.; testimony from Reading Monthly Meeting, in London Yearly Meeting 1951, Reports and Documents 232–4; Reading Mercury, 1939-07-01

52 Pollard (1953); The Friend 98:23 1940-01-12, 98:173–4 1940-03-22, 98:319 1940-05-31, 98:529 1940-09-13, 98:687 1940-12-13, 109.1; diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; letters from Frank Pollard; Ruth Pollard: diary; Frank and Mary Pollard visitors' books

53 diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; The Friend 96:414, 96: 1938-05-27, 96:602–3 1938-08-08, 96:932 1938-10-28, 96:1038 1938-11-25, 97:377–8 1939-05-12, 97:455, 465, 469, 470 1939-06-02, 97:607 1939-07-14, 97:754 1939-09-08, 97:1031 1939-12-22

54 Testimony of Reading meeting to F.E. Pollard; letter from Ernst C.E. Eberstadt, in my possession

55 diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; Ruth Beck: Memoirs; Ruth Beck's Mass-Observation diary (D 4247); The Friend 99:133 1941-03-14, 99:181 1941-04-11, 99:335 1941-07-11, 99:383 1941-08-08, 100:369–71 1942-07-24, 100:492 1942-09-11, 100:706 1942-12-04, 101:187 1943-03-12, 101:458 1943-07-09

56 Frank Pollard's cash book

57 diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; The Friend 102:299 1944-05-12, 102:343 1944-06-02

58 diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; The Friend 103:155 1945-03-09, 103:233 1945-04-13, 103:329 1945-05-25, 103:762 1945-11-09

59 diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; The Friend 104:110 1946-02-08, 104:437 1946-05-31, 104:623 1946-08-02, 105:353 1947-05-09, 107:477–8 1949-06-10 (review), 109.14

60 diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; Ruth Beck: Memoirs; The Friend 106:302 1948-04-09; Frank Pollard's cash book

61 diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; Pollard (1953), op. cit.; my own knowledge; Ruth Beck: Memoirs; interview with Sidney Beck, begun Easter 1986; information from Beatrice Pollard; letters from Margaret J. Dilks and Norah J. Braithwaite, 1951, in my possession; XII Book Club Minute Book, Reading Experience Database; Margaret Dale: 'Reminiscences'

62 Frank Pollard's cash book; The Friend 108:918 1950-12-01; testimony from Reading Monthly Meeting, in London Yearly Meeting 1951, Reports and Documents 232–4

63 letter from Frank Pollard to Caro Hardie, in my possession; letter from C.W.W. Greenidge, in my possession

64 death certificate; will and probate; Pollard (1953); DQB; Berkshire Chronicle obituary; diaries of Mary S.W. Pollard; interview with Sidney Beck, begun Easter 1986; information from Sidney Beck; The Friend 109:265 1951-03-30

65 copy of minute, in my possession

66 attachment to letter from Eric S. Tucker to Mary S.W. Pollard, 1951-04-09, in my possession

67 The Friend 109.14; Testimony of Reading meeting to F.E. Pollard; testimony from Reading Monthly Meeting, in London Yearly Meeting 1951, Reports and Documents 232–4

68 will and probate

69 documents now at West Sussex RO; DQB; marriage certificate

Bibliography

______________

Selected opportunities for further research

The principal source I haven't examined at all is the extensive collection of documents pertaining to the Friends Peace Committee, held at Friends House Library.

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