2nd Lieut. Charles Douglas Lucas Hill, 9th (S) Bn. Royal Sussex Regt., formerly 28th London Regt. (Artists' Rifles): Killed in Action 14th February 1916.
Hard covered "Partridge & Cooper's" pocket diary during service in France with the 9th Sussex from 31/10/15 to 31/12/1915, 157x100mm, with short but interesting daily entries (see extracts below). 2/Lt. Hill was Killed in Action 14/2/1916 when he & his entire platoon were buried alive by the explosion of a German mine. He is buried in Menin Road South Cemetery, near Ypres.
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Hill landed in France on 31/10/15 & joined 9th Sussex the following day (the battalion had arrived in France just two months before, on 1/9/15). He was posted to command No. 15 Platoon, "D" Coy. (Lt. Robertson) & spent the winter in the trenches of the Ypres Salient apart from a one week bombing course (14-20/11/15) & machine gun course (20-25/12/15). Experiences in & out of the line typical of the period. Some extracts: 1/11/15: "Left Hazebrouck for Poperinghe but break journey at Godeswaersvelde & from there proceeded by motor bus to Reninghelst to find Regt. up in trenches. Report to Adjutant but sent back to spend the night at Dickebusche"; 6/11/15: "Start away at 2.45 pm for the trenches. Arrive at trenches about 7.30 pm. We relieve the R. West Kents"; 7/11/15: "Spend quiet day in trenches. Not much doing. Trenches in very bad state & need a great deal of attention. Slept with Shaw in his dugout, but very uncomfortable"; 11/11/15: "Try & improve my portion of trench. Get some of superfluous water away. Bosche sends a few whizz bangs over. A very wet night, & turn in wet. Dugout starts to leak"; 16/12/15: "Orderly dog. Inspect & mount guards at nine, billets & turn out guard at 12. Complaints round at 12.45. Staff parade 9. Turned out guard at 10.30. Lecture on trench tactics given by Major"; 17/12/15: "Parade at 9.00. Give lecture on trench orders. Practice gas helmet drill. Bomb competition in afternoon. 13 & 14 [platoons] win first round. Raining"; 18/12/15: "Parade at 9.30. Finish bomb throwing competition. 13 defeat 14 very close finish. Soccer match between B & D, B win by 3-0. Knight & Matthews come over & stop for tea." Useful but brief diary, mentioning a dozen or so other officers of the battalion, together with photocopies of Hill's personal file & WD extracts. See illustrations on our website.
£275
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AUSTIN (Brig.Gen. H.H., CB, CMG, DSO)
Old Stick-Leg: Extracts from the Diaries of Major Thomas Austin.
1st Ed., 206pp., portrait frontis., 5 plates, map. Bles.
1926
#65019
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35th Regt. 1813 & served at the Siege of Antwerp where he lost a leg. Orig. plum cloth, gilt, little rubbed & worn, VG. See illustration on our website.
£25
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BIDDER (Major H.F., DSO ["Orex"])
Three Chevrons.
1st Ed., ix+241pp. Bodley Head (On Active Service series).
1919
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Letters of a regular officer, 2nd Sussex, Western Front 1914-16 & 1917 as Bde. MG Officer, commander of an MG Coy., an infantry bn. & on the staff. The 'chevrons' of the title refer to the service chevrons worn on the right sleeve for each year of overseas service, blue for 1914-15 & red for each subsequent year. Orig. dec. cloth, VG & very scarce volume in the 'On Active Service' series. See illustration on our website.
£95
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FAZAN (Col. E.A.C., MC, TD)
Cinque Ports Battalion: The Story of the 5th Bn. The Royal Sussex (TA) formerly 1st Cinque Ports Rifle Volunteer Corps.
1st Ed., xv+176pp., illus. VG n dw. For the Regt.
1971
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Including WW1 France & Italy, WW2 Dunkirk, Middle East & PAIFORCE. VG in dw, nice copy. See illustration on our website.
£25
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LYTTON (Major Hon. Neville)
The Press & the General Staff.
1st Ed., xvii+232pp., 12 plates. Collins.
1920
#63354
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11th Sussex & Brigade staff until called to GHQ to set up a foreign press mission after the Somme, with author's appealing Western Front sketches. Relates numerous outspoken views & opinions. "His account of the representatives of the Press on the Western Front & the regulations under which they worked is always readable, & sometimes, as in the story of an interview given by Lord Haig & its repercussions in political quarters at home, of importance." - Falls. Orig. black cloth, gilt, rather worn but sound & complete. See illustration on our website.
£25
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POWELL-EDWARDS (Lt.-Col. H.I.)
The Sussex Yeomanry & 16th (Sussex Yeo.) Bn. Royal Sussex Regt. 1914-1919.
2nd Ed., 398pp., 45 photos., 7 fldg. maps, sketches in text. Fine in dw. Melrose.
1921
#63528
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Gallipoli, Egypt, Palestine & Western Front. Detailed officers' services. Nominal roll noting casualties, awards &c. Orig. dec. red cloth, gilt, fine copy in near fine dw & scarce thus. See illustrations on our website.
£90
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SILVESTER (Rev. J.) Comp.
A "Royal Sussex" Hero: Memorials of Lieutenant Anson Lloyd Silvester [1888-1914] With extracts from his Journals & Letters.
Ed. by J.S., Preface by Rev. W.J. de Kilpeck. 1st Ed., viii+137pp., 5 portraits, plate. Chas. C. Thynne.
1920
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Silvester was a cleric's son Ed. at Dean Close, Ascham College, Clacton, Trent College then Jesus College, Oxford, 1908-12 where he was a member of the Oxford Univ. OTC, becoming a Cadet Sergeant. Whilst studying for a Consular Service appointment, in 1913 he obtained a Special Reserve commission in the Royal Sussex Regiment. Mobilised in 1914, he left for the front on 27th Sept., joined the 2nd Bn. on the Aisne & fought with it through First Ypres & was KiA during a counter-attack near Cuinchy on 31st Dec. 1914. Contains a memoir, extracts from letters & various contributions from men of his Regiment adding detail on his active service experience. Orig. blue cloth, gilt, VG. See illustration on our website..
£220
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