The 17 volumes cover both World Wars and comprise letters home from the front, accounts of particular events by individual family members, photographs and postcards as well as newspaper clippings and telegrams. They provide a unique perspective on the war years both from those who fought abroad and those who remained at home in Canterbury.

The papers of John Bickersteth are photocopies of correspondence and reports to Maurice Hankey on Canadian affairs (1932 - 1940).