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Manuscripts & Ephemera 1914-1918 Manuscripts & Ephemera 1914-1918   21 Books
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Sappers Solace: 3/2 London Divisional Engineers, Esher. Vol. I, No. 4, April, 1916. 12pp. orig. dec. wraps., photo. portrait (Col. Chesney, Commandant, 3rd Line Groups, RE, Esher), sketch. Printed by Knapp, Drewett & Sons Ltd., Kingston-upon-Thames. Contemp.  #62612
[HLMainPic] Unit magazine containing lists of promotions & appointments, obit. of former officer reported killed in France, news of concerts, gymkhana &c., customary fare of poems & humorous items. Somewhat spotted/dusty, about VG, with attractive front wrap. See illustration on our website.   £35
Small scrap album/autograph book with WW1 content. Cloth covers with sketch & legend 'Autographs', 17x14 cm approx., plain leaves mostly bearing inscriptions & sketches, with a number by WW1 servicemen, also other content & some remain blank. Sp. chipped/worn with loss but internally sound.  #54296
[HLMainPic] WW1 contributions by soldiers include several good coloured sketches (including trench scenes) & cartoons, regimental badges & patriotic messages. See illustrations on our website.   £50
Photographs & Sketches of The Post Office Rifles in France & Calendar for 1916. Wall-hanging calendar, 320x255mm approx., consisting of 16 leaves: (1) Cover with decorative title, badge, coloured borders; (2) Photo. portraits of Colonel-in-Chief, CO, Adjt., QM & RSM; (3) 1st Bn. on Parade at Abbots Langley Before Leaving for France, March 1915; (4-15) Monthly calendars with many appealing & mostly humorous sketches by Sgt. F.H. Turner; (16) Caricatures of CO & Lt. Peel. Art paper throughout, 7 photos. & 20 sketches in all, with red/green ribbon tie at top for hanging The Regt. Contemp.  #61033
[HLMainPic] Appealing contemp. 8th London Regt. regimental souvenir & doubtless a rare survival. Little dusty & chipped, generally VG. See illustrations on our website.   £125
No. 593556 Rfn. Henry Nicholls, 18th Bn. London Regiment (The Lonon Irish Rifles). Sundry service papers including Discharge Certificate; Character Certificate; Notification of Award of Pension &c., together with printed leaflets: Soldiers Pensions 1917 & Disabled Sailors & Soldiers (a Ministry of Pensions publication, dated 1917) & one or two minor documents.  #61180
[HLMainPic] Henry Nicholls enlisted at Bethnal Green in June 1916, served in France/Flanders from November 1916 to June 1917 when he was wounded (GSW, left forearm). He was discharged as no longer fit for military service in June 1918. See illustration on our website.   £45
1/6th Battn. London Regiment: Battalion Christmas Card 1917. Attractive card with regimental crest to front & insert (held in with red & green cord tie) depicting the battalion's battles & engagements from March 1915-August 1917, with appealing sketches. VG with inscrip. from Fred Hobbs to Mother & loosely inserted photo. of two soldiers of the battalion, one presumably Hobbs. See illustrations on our website.  #61819
[HLMainPic]   £30
56th Infantry Brigade (19th Division): Presentation of King's Colour to 9th (S) Bn. The Cheshire Regt., 8th (S) Bn. The Prince of Wales's (North Staffordshire) Regiment by HRH The Prince of Wales. Dec. card wraps., 16pp. Aldershot: G&P. nd (c.1919).  #61834
[HLMainPic] Attractive souvenir of the presentation includes short history of the brigade's service in France, also that of each bn. & rolls of officers & WOs on 11/11/18 of the 9th Cheshires, 1/4th KSLI & 8th North Staffs. See illustration on our website.   £25
Gough Family: The Great War letters of the four sons of Colonel George Hugh Gough, second son of the 2nd Viscount Gough, a regular soldier who died on active service in South Africa in 1900, written to his wife & their mother, Hilda Gough. Bound volume of typescript copies, [282]pp., 8vo (210x178mm). Full black crushed morocco by Bumpus Ltd., raised bands & gilt title to spine. nd (c.1936)  #62498
[HLMainPic] The War Letters of Guy V.H. Gough (a regular officer of the KRRC taken PoW at Ypres on 2/11/1914); Harold S. Gough (KiA near Ypres with the 11th [Service] Bn. KRRC on 17/6/1916 & buried in Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery); Dermot H. Gough (10th Hussars & VIII Corps HQ) & George P. Gough (Irish Guards). The letters are presented chronologically throughout the war from 16th August 1914 to 1st December 1918. These brothers were the sons of Colonel George Hugh Gough CB [1852-1900] & his wife, Hilda Morrison, grandsons of George Stephens Gough, Second Viscount Gough. The brothers: Guy Vincent Hugh Gough [1887-1958] Lieutenant, King's Royal Rifle Corps. Prisoner of War from 2nd November 1914 to 18th November 1918. Later Colonel; George Patrick Gough [1887-1932] Lieutenant, Irish Guards. Wounded in 1914 and later served on the Staff; Harold Stewart Gough, "Boy" [1894-1916] Lieutenant, 11th (Service) Bn. King's Royal Rifle Corps. Killed in Action at Ypres, 17th June 1916; Dermot Humphrey Gough, MC [1896-1919] Lieutenant, 10th Hussars. Died 7th October 1919. The letters are presented chronologically, the first being from Guy, evidently his first from France, through to a final letter from Dermot dated 1st December 1918. There are around 160 letters in all, most extending over several pages, approximate page break down as follows: GVHG: Letters on active service during 1914 campaign until captured (50 pages) & letters from Crefeld and Schwarmstadt PoW Camps (94 pages). Some extracts: 17/9/1914: "…Ever since our advance, things have been going well; capturing 500 prisoners per day and full of confidence. Last Monday we sallied out to capture some more, but got held up and we have been fighting ever since, or rather sitting quite still and being shelled by enormous shells. Horrible – one shell burst into a barn and killed 15 and wounded 45 men – it was ghastly – Hugo --, He got wounded below the arm (left) on Monday morn; lay under fire for 4 hours, was brought in that night to a barn in the firing line, where he was only slightly dressed and not brought down till Tuesday night. On Wednesday morn, they examined him and discovered that 'Grangrene' [sic] had set in, so they had to amputate half way between elbow and shoulder… It is bad business. But a day never goes by without hearing that at least one of one's best friends have been killed… We are very cheery indeed, wonderful and the men are glorious – cheery and longing to have a go at the Germans…" 18/4/1915: "…Your letters pour in very regularly and are wonderful in the amount of news and gossip… We have been quite stirred out of our lethargy lately. Three Officers tried to escape, one was captured and the other two managed to get back undetected into barracks. The next day we were told that unless these two officers either gave themselves up or were given up, all smoking would be stopped. We are still not smoking…" GPG: Letters on active service during 1914 campaign until wounded on 26/12/1914 (16 pages).There follows a break in active service then: Letters serving with HQ VIII Corps during 1918 (8 pages). Extract: 9/12/1914: "…Such a stirring half hour this morning, Hubert [Gough] first of all arrived in the village, in great form continually repeating 'No quarter, George, kill them all, wounded or prisoner', then Johnny [Gough] came up, also in very good form and hopeful about a general advance, then Douglas Haig who was introduced to Eric and I said suitable words about the Gough Clan. It has stirred one up to tremendous enthusiasm, and Hubert was going to show D. Haig the right place to go!! I gave a stirring lecture to my Company, explaining I would shoot anyone who left the trenches or failed to advance and hope they were suitably impressed…" HSG: Letters on active service from 25/7/1915-29/5/1916 (KiA 17/6/1916) (65 pages). Extract: 12/10/1915: "We came back to billets last night after a strenuous and fairly eventful week in the Trenches… We were shelled out of our mere [mire?] early in the week and since then have lived a more or less hand to mount existence in the open… We were shelled intermittently day and night all through the week and on this occasion did not get off so lightly in the matter of casualties. I am sorry to say that my platoon was the worst sufferer in this respect. My servant was slightly wounded but he has now returned to duty. He showed great courage and enterprise at a rather difficult period and has really earned a good parcel. As a servant he had improved enormously during the last fortnight…" DHG: Letters on active service with 10th Hussars from 7/2/1916-1/12/1918 (34 pages). Extract: 8/4/1918: "…Well, I have had the hardest time for the last 18 days I have ever had in my life. It was awful but I am thankful to say once more I have been saved. I have lost every bit of my kit bit… I expect we shall have some more fighting… Our men were simply wonderful. We had 10 officer casualties, one killed and the rest wounded. Our Colonel was wounded – he is the 8th during this war we have had…" Duplicated typescript, page size 160x200mm, overall size 172x208mm x 50mm thick, bound in full green crushed morocco, aeg, with raised bands and gilt title to spine: THE WAR LETTERS OF G.V.H.G. – G.P.G. – H.D.G. – D.H.G. 1914-1918 by Bumpus Ltd. at their Oxford Street address, with ink ms. inscription to blank leaf, presumably by their mother: "Translated from the Warfare of the World into the Peace of God. Harold Stewart Killed at Ypres June 16 1916. Dermot Humphrey Gough Died at Badminton after 3 years active service Oct. 6th 1919. George Patrick Gough Died July 12 1936." See illustrations on our website.   £1250
The Palestine News. The Weekly Newspaper of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force of the British Army in Occupied Enemy Territory. First Year, No. 42, Thursday, 19th December, 1918. 16pp., tabloid format (40x30cm). Published Every Thursday at GHQ, First Echelon, Palestine.  #62666
[HLMainPic] Includes local (military & civil) & world news, announcement of the forthcoming "Record of the EEF." Worn & fragile but scarce survival.   £35
Roll of Honour & Casualties & List of Officers who have served with 75th Brigade Royal Field Artillery, Guards Division, 24th August [to] 11th November 1918. 1st Ed., orig. dec. wraps., [15]pp. No imprint/date. (contemp.).  #63220
[HLMainPic] Roll of Hon. stating date & place of death, name, rank, no. & Battery, roll of those wounded (with similar details), rolls of officers & their appointments, &c. Attractive blue & gilt wraps. with RA & Guards Div. devices, little wear, generally VG with pencil inscrip. "In gratitude James Kirkland Lt. Col." See illustration on our website.   £75
Roll of Honour Eleventh Brigade Royal Field Artillery 1914-1918. 1st Ed., small format, dec. card wraps. with silk ribbon tie, [4]pp. No imprint/date (c.1919)  #63223
[HLMainPic] Despite title actually contains a nominal roll of officers who served in the brigade during the war, noting those killed, wounded, &c., followed by casualty statistics for all ranks. See illustration on our website.   £40

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