Wellcome Foundation Archive

Wellcome Foundation: Company-wide Newsletters and Journals (internal) 1942-1995

Like many companies of a substantial size, the Wellcome Foundation Ltd liked to keep its staff in touch with each other, and with developments in the firm, by means of an in-house publication. Initially a flimsy news-sheet produced under wartime conditions for pinning on company noticeboards, the first of these, Foundation News, grew into a glossy and substantial journal. As the company changed in the 1980s and 1990s it became first Wellcome Journal and Wellcome World, before ceasing production upon the merger with Glaxo in 1995. This series of records contains surviving copies of these publications.

The frequency of issue varied over time. In early days it was produced every few months, later becoming bi-monthly and then, usually, monthly. Sometimes issues for two consecutive months were merged and published as one. Fewer issues were produced in the 1990s.

A great way to unlock the contents of Foundation News and Wellcome Journal 1951-1989 is to use the card index, which has been edited and is now available in the online Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue (though the original cards are still available for consultation). This list subjects covered in the magazines, and details where particular articles can be found.

Together the publications are a great source of information about staff who worked for the Wellcome family of organisations during the period – from the most junior to the most senior. They are also useful for those looking at the development of new products, marketing, the sites the firm operated from, links around the world, and other related issues.

Enquiries about the WF Archive should be addressed to Archives and Manuscripts ( archs+mss@wellcome.ac.uk).