Maurice Webb was born in London on 13th June 1889. He left school at the age of fourteen and entered a small publishing firm. He was a conscientious objector in the first world war and he and Ruth, whom he married in 1915, took up land work. After the war Maurice was secretary to the London Vegetarian Society. He left England to join a publishing firm in Durban in 1921. In 1922 he founded the Durban Literary group and was its Chairman for 15 years. With Roy Campbell and Lewis Reynolds he founded and was editor of "Voorslag". In 1933 he visited the United States of America under a Carnegie Grant to study Adult Education. On his return to South Africa, he wrote extensively on Adult Education and convened the first and only National Conference on Adult Education. He was Chairman of the first Advisory Board of Adams College and was also a member and/or chairman of various other committees including the Council of the University of KwaZulu-Natal College, Social Science Faculty, Non-European Library Service, Social Services Association of South Africa, Natal Welfare Organisations Board, SA Institute of Race Relations, Durban Indo-European Council. He died on 24 January 1966.
MS File list:
Online
MS Scope and Content:
The collection comprises: Files 1-2. The colour of your skin (unpublished MSS) - Files 3-5. Articles by M. Webb, 1921-1933 - Files 6- 7. Letters, 1920-1962 - File 8. Miscellaneous notes, photographs, biography - File 9. 'Voorslag' and other journals - Files 10-12. Miscellaneous journals - File 13. Adult education - File 14. Council of churches. Royal Institute of International Affairs - Files 15-16. Minutes : Group meetings, 1937-38 - Files 17-19. Newspaper cuttings