The Little Doctor

The manuscript of Guy Scholefield’s engaging memoir, with fascinating vignettes about life in New Zealand early in the 20th century and England during World War One, has been in the archives of the Alexander Turnbull Library since 1961. Ian F. Grant came across it when researching his 2018 newspaper history, Lasting Impressions. As Grant’s Introduction to The Little Doctor notes, Scholefield made “a significant contribution to preserving and recording a wide swathe of early New Zealand history”.

 Guy Hardy Scholefield, 1877-1963, is listed in the Te Ara Dictionary of New Zealand Biography – the successor to his pioneering publication – as journalist, historian, archivist, librarian and editor. Scholefield’s distinguished career included periods on the literary staffs of leading newspapers, war correspondent duties during World War One, and two decades as Parliamentary Librarian at the General Assembly Library and Dominion Archivist. He was the author of a number of books including the first Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, Notable New Zealand Statesmen and Newspapers in New Zealand.