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The collection consists of records generated by a number of different sources that have been brought together as a collection. The Social Sciences Research Project (1970-75) includes 29 interviews (and transcripts) with Major General The Hon. G. R. Pearkes and significant associates of Pearkes. They cover Pearkes' military career in both World Wars, his political career, particularly as Minister of Defence, and his role in the office of Lieutenant Governor or B.C. (1960-68). Over a number of years, subsequent to the Pearkes interviews, Dr. Roy commissioned several senior students to interview 185 former military personnel, Canadian and Allied. These were funded by the Department of National Defence. The collection offers personal accounts of action in the Great War and in most theatres of the Second War in which Canadians participated, as well as post war peace-time activities in NATO. When Dr. Roy retired in 1988 he gave a number of guest lecture tapes and some C.B.C. military oral history tapes. In 1982, Dr. Barnett B. Singer, a sessional lecturer, donated one interviews with a holocaust survivor, Mr. William Jacobs of Victoria. In 1983, Dr. David Stafford donated nine research interviews (and transcripts) for a book that he was doing on clandestine operations in World War II. In 1984, Elizabeth Hazlitte, a nurse at Victoria's, Veteran's Hospital, gave her interviews with six Great War veterans which she had completed on an L.I.P. grant. In 1990, Robert Winkenhower gave an interview of Olga Ghosh about the experience of a Jew living in Germany in the 1930's (accessioned 1994). In 1993, Cmdr. Hal Lawrence, a naval historian, donated copies of cassettes, summaries and transcripts of 120 interviews with retired Canadian navy personnel. These interviews were conducted between 1980 and 1990 under contract with DND. In 1993, B. Marshall, through Dr. Reg Roy, donated a cassette of an episode of Lister Sinclair's CBC radio programme called "Ideas". The episode was called "A Sense of War" and contains the experiences of Nursing Sisters in W.W. II. In 1997, Dr. Shawn Cafferky donated 22 tapes and transcripts of interview on Naval aviation also commissioned by D.N.D. Directorate of History and Heritage. Interviews with Lt. Col. John Edmonson, M/Gen. Norman Ross and Mr. Geo. Kidd (Major) were added in 2007. "War Stories: A Life Remembered", an audio recording of Thomas Miller's experiences in the Canadian Army during World War II on 2 compact discs was donated in 2008, as well as an interview with Ross Purse describing conditions in Oeyama Camp in Japan during World War II. Will Pratt's interviews of Japanese-Canadian veterans were added in 2009. An interview with LCol Cyril Neroutsos was added in 2010.

The fonds consists of records relating to Pearkes' military career, 1933-1976; Pearkes' personal and family papers, 1918-1978; and reference material including newsletters, magazines and other publications, 1906-1985. Records include correspondence between Pearkes and the Royal Canadian Legion, citations and birthday congratulations, Information Documents on the George R. Pearkes Children's Foundation, and a file relating to Mrs. Blytha Pearkes' activities with the Wives of Progressive Conservative Members and Senators, including membership lists and correspondence. Fonds also includes publications collected by Pearkes, programmes for official functions, annual reports of the Union Club of British Columbia and a numerous photographs of his life as a soldier and politician.

The fonds consists primarily of drafts and research materials used to write his book "Frontier Theatre: A History of Nineteenth Century Theatrical Entertainment in the Canadian Far West and Alaska", published in 1982. Fonds includes musical scores and librettos, programs, photographs, scrapbook and four unpublished plays: "Murder Pattern," 1936; "Ascend as the Sun"; "Earth Song", by Herman Voaden; and "The Dragon", by Bertram Brooker.