| Description | Correspondence and diary entries written by Rev Norman Campbell, CMS missionary to Uganda and his wife, Irene Campbell, between 1949 and 1972. Comprising extracts of original documents transcribed by their daughter, Sheila Hillman (née Campbell) in 2014. The extracts span the whole of the Campbells' service with the CMS in northern Uganda including personal letters written to each other as they sailed from the UK for the first time, travelling on separate ships; diary entries written by Norman Campbell in the first days after his arrival in Mombasa through the final stage of the journey to his first mission posting at Gulu and letters written from Uganda and in the two years after their return to life in England. |
| Administrative History | Rev John Norman Campbell was born in 1916. He was awarded an MA from Cambridge and married Irene Rose Holden, BA, Cambridge in 1942. Irene was born 21 January 1919. They had six children: Andrew, Diarmid, Alastair, Sheila, Duncan Archibald and Brigit.
The Campbells first sailed for Uganda in 1949. Norman initially went out under a CMS Short Service Agreement for four years work with the Upper Nile Mission stationed at Gulu in northern Uganda; in 1954, he was accepted as a missionary 'in full connexion' with the role of Assistant Education Secretary. In 1958, Norman began work at Canon Lawrence College, Lira (a church teacher training college) followed by a move to Kampala five years later and his appointment as CMS Secretary, Uganda (Regional Headquarters Staff) in January 1963. In 1964, Irene was awarded the Independence Medal for her work at the Onyakedi Home for the Disabled in Lira; she also worked in a school dispensary which served people from the surrounding area.
Prevented from returning to Uganda due to ill-health, by Christmas 1969 Irene was living in England with the children. Norman joined them in early 1970 and started work in a parish in Bristol. He was instituted as Rector of Holy Trinity Church, Stapleton, Bristol in September 1970. Their interest in mission work continued after retiring from overseas service and Norman was actively involved with the CMS Bristol-Uganda link.
Sources: the records; CMS Candidate records (CMS/C/ATm 7); CMS minute books (CMS/G/C1); CMS year books and information supplied by the donor. |