Alexander Raban Waugh (1898-1981) was the son of Arthur Waugh (1866-1943) and Catherine Charlotte (née Raban) (1870-1954), and elder brother of Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966). Alec attended Sherborne School (School House) from September 1911 until he was asked to leave a year early in July 1915.
Between January and March 1916, Alec wrote his first novel, The Loom of Youth, which he later described as his ‘love letter to Sherborne.’ However, when the novel was published by Grant Richards on 19 July 1917 it caused a great controversy at Sherborne School, with the result that Alec’s name was officially removed from the roll of the Old Shirburnian Society and his father resigned from the Society in protest. This resulted in Evelyn Waugh being sent to Lancing College rather than Sherborne School as intended. Alec and his father were, however, finally reinstated into the Old Shirburnian Society in 1933, largely due to efforts of Cecil Day-Lewis and V.C. Clinton-Baddeley.
In 1965, Alec Waugh presented Sherborne School with the manuscript of The Loom of Youth together with a volume of press cuttings of reviews of the novel, and in April 1966 he gave the School an album of private correspondence dealing with the publication of the novel.
For further information about Sherborne School’s Alexander Raban Waugh Archive please contact the School Archivist.
Online Resources:
- A Love Letter to Sherborne: Alec Waugh’s The Loom of Youth
- Alexander Raban Waugh Archive held at Sherborne School (pdf)
- The Alec Waugh & Arthur Waugh Library held at Sherborne School (pdf)
- The manuscript of The Loom of Youth
- Characters in The Loom of Youth
- Correspondence concerning The Loom of Youth
- First Royalty Statement for The Loom of Youth, 31 December 1917
- Reviews of The Loom of Youth and Resentment Poems (pdf)
- Alec Waugh’s Sherborne Photograph Album
- Alec Waugh’s cricket scores, May-July 1915
- The School House bell mentioned in The Loom of Youth (Flickr)
- Campaign and Victory medals awarded to Alec Waugh (Flickr)
- Alec Waugh’s postcard from Mainz Prisoner of War camp, 6 April 1918 (pdf)
- Evelyn Waugh’s six-month stationing at Sherborne during the Second World War NEW!
Links:
- Alec Waugh Collection, Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin
- Alec Waugh Collection, Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, Boston University
- Alec Waugh Papers, 1957-1964, Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University Libraries
- Alec Waugh’s correspondence with Arnold Lunn, Special Collections, Lauinger Library, Georgetown University
- Alec Waugh’s correspondence with Gilbert Cannan, Churchill Archives Centre, Cambridge University
- Alec Waugh’s correspondence with Francis Meynell, Churchill Archive Centre, Cambridge University
- Alec Waugh’s correspondence with Cecil Roberts, Churchill Archives Centre, Cambridge University
- Alec Waugh, Discover War Poets, English Association
- Alec Waugh selects his Desert Island Discs, 6 September 1975
- Evelyn Waugh Collection, Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin
- Evelyn Waugh Collection, British Library
- The Evelyn Waugh Society
- Robert Graves Correspondence online database
- Grant Richards, publisher, letters received 1904-1922, Lilly Library, Indiana University
- Grant Richards Papers, publisher, Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois
- Grant Richards by Lise Jaillant, Modernist Archives Publishing Project (MAPP)
- Location Register of English Literary Manuscripts & Letters
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