[Sir Frederick Lugard [Lord Lugard], Governor of Hong Kong and first Governor-General of Nigeria.] Three Autograph Letters Signed to colonial civil servant Simon Nicholson, and one to Nicholson's wife Molly.

The recipient Simon Nicholson was a colonial civil servant and a neighbour of Lugard at Tallboys in Abinger Hammer. He and his wife Molly were a cultured couple, and were friends of Edith Wharton and Bernard Berenson. The four letters are in good condition, lightly aged and worn, and each is 2pp, 12mo. Each folded once. The first three are signed 'Lugard' and the last, to Molly Nicholson, 'Fred Lugard'. In the first letter (23 September 1940), after expressing pleasure at seeing Nicholson again and having 'a talk', he begs him 'not to postpone your week-end here. Molly needs it – badly – She did not say so – quite the contrary but I did not need to be told.' He asks him to come the following Saturday, adding: 'You can bring papers & have the drawing-room to yourself.' He asks to be informed 'as much in advance as is convenient as I may have Reg Brackenbury & his wife any week-end'. Lugard's brother 'was disappointed that you forgot to hand me some papers you had for him'. The second letter (21 March 1941) concerns arrangements for a meeting, with Lugard stating that 'it is a monstrous long time since I have seen you'. He also expresses regret that Nicholson is 'selling Tallboys'. The third letter (9 May 1941) begins: 'My brother & I are both delighted to hear that you are coming back to Tallboys, & selfishly hope that you will continue to fail in your attempts to sell it. If Little Parkhurst can be of any use to you in the transition don't fail to make use of it.' He has 'been much engrossed with Abyssinia of late', and looks forward to talking to Nicholson about it. In a postscript he names two individuals who 'are coming “to talk over old times”'. In the final letter, to Molly (22 January 1943), he regrets that it is so long since he has seen her and her husband, 'for though so comparatively close the lack of petrol has as you say placed a gulf between us. Simon wrote me a most welcome letter from his office & I enclose this little note to you in my reply.' He find the 'news from Russia […] very cheering - & wonderful', and does not suppose it will be 'very long now before our turn comes to face the Nazis in Europe'. He ends in the hope that 'some obliging friend' will give the Nicholsons 'a lift over'.