French Military Biographies

Among the many subjects covered by the Chicksands Collection is Military Biography and this volume is one of the more splendid in the French section.

Gaston de Raimes (1859-1917) wrote a number of military histories, his most famous being the 3-volume set of Soldats de France: Actions Heroiques and a single volumes of Les Marins de France. Soldats de France is illustrated by Henri Pille.

Charles Henri Pille (1844-1897), French painter and illustrator, was especially known for his line drawings and contributed to a number of volumes published during the late 19^th century. The first volume of Soldats, Generaux de la republique, demonstrates the wonderful pen and ink drawings of Pille and the binding is an excellent example of the gilt decorative binding of that time period.

The many generals and commanders in this volume present a wide range of French military persuasions. For instance, Charles-François du Périer Dumouriez (1739-1823), pictured above, shared the victory at Valmy with General Francois Christophe Kellermann. Later, however, Dumouriez deserted from the Revolutionary Army, after failing to prevent the execution of Louis XVI in 1793. He fled to the Austrians and served with various continental armies before settling in Britain. Years after his death, his role as an advisor to the British as they fought Napoleon was revealed.

Vietnam War Artist

Vietnam Sketchbook:

drawings from Delta to DMZ.

by Charles Waterhouse. Rutland Vt.: Charles E. Tuttle, 1968

The work of war artists is more commonly seen in art works but is occasionally compiled in books. Charles Waterhouse served as a Marine during World War II and despite being wounded (resulting in nerve damage to his left hand) he went on to a successful art career. In 1992, he became "USMC Artist in Residence" and was promoted to the rank of Colonel in the Marine Reserves.

The sketches in this volume were completed during March 1967, midway through the Vietnam War. Waterhouse was deployed as a war artist in South Vietnam on three separate tours, documenting the activities of the US Navy and Marine Corps for their individual Combat Art Collections.

Waterhouse went on to produce works documenting Marine activities up to Desert Storm and the Iraq War.

The Rough Riders

The Story of the Rough Riders. Edward Marshall. New York: G.W. Dillingham Co., 1899.

This is a history of the 1^st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry in the Spanish-American War, fought in 1898 in Cuba. Teddy Roosevelt was the most famous Rough Rider and is quite possibly the inspiration for this cover. The illustrator, Richard F. Outcault, began his career as a technical illustrator for Thomas Edison and gained fame as the creator of “Yellow Kid”, the first colour cartoon strip.

Defense of New Guinea

During the Second World War, the conflict in the Pacific Theatre ranged over a wide area of the globe, from northern India and Burma to the Marshall Islands, south to the island of New Guinea.
The Australian Anti-Aircraft Artillery was posted to New Guinea in February 1941 and were joined by American forces after the United States entered the war. On Target with the American and Australian Anti-Aircraft Brigade in New Guinea was published in Sydney Australia by Angus & Robertson, in 1943.

"Written and illustrated by men of the Front Line Forces", it contains factual and historical accounts, photographs, poetry, doggerel, drawings, cartoons and many other works depicting the attitude of the time and the activities of the troops stationed on the island.








While the majority of the contributions centre on
war-time operations, some of the photographs in
particular are considered to be unique in
documenting the ethnography of areas and tribes
within what is now Papua New Guinea.

The Malakand Campaign of 1897

Winston Churchill’s first published work of non-fiction was The Story of the Malakand Field Force: An Episode of Frontier War published in 1898. It details a military campaign on the Northwest Frontier, in an area of what is now Pakiston, close to Afghanistan. Churchill took part as a young 2^nd Lieutenant in the cavalry, but also served as “war correspondent” to The Daily Telegraph during the campaign. His book was pulled together from the columns he submitted.

The Indian border was somewhat fluid at that time – Pashtun tribes were raiding on the plains and the Russians had advanced somewhat, leading to fears of a Cossack attack. Then, in late July of 1897, thousands of native tribesmen laid siege to Malakand, a British outpost. A relief force was assembled under Sir Bindon Blood to punish the aggressors, many of whom had come out of Swat and Bunerwal which had not felt the force of British power and were spoiling for a fight. Among the weapons assigned to Blood’s force were new breech loading weapons. The campaign is also credited with inspiring Churchill’s understanding of trench warfare in WW1 and his support for the development of the tank.

One of the narratives in the Chicksands collection which also details this campaign is A Frontier Campaign: a narrative of the operations of the Malakand and Buner Field Forces, 1897-1898, by the Viscount Fincastle, VC, Lt., 16^th Queen’s Lancers and P.C. Eliott-Lockhart, Lt., Queen’s Own Corps of Guides. [London: Methuen, 1898]

Fincastle was Alexander Edward Murray, 8th Earl of Dunmore; he received the Victoria Cross for a daring rescue in August 1897 in a continuation of the campaign. This volume is illustrated with sketches by other officers accompanying the expedition, namely, Major Biddulph of the 19^th Lancers, Captain Hewett of the Royal West Kent Regiment and Lieutenant Dixon of the 16^th Lancers.

A second volume on the Malakand Expedition, also in the Chicksands Collection, is Sketches on service during the Indian frontier campaigns of 1897, by Major E. A. P. Hobday, R.A., 1^st Brigade Malakand Field Force. [London: James Bowden, 1898]

Edmund Arthur Ponsonby Hobday, Royal Artillery, was the Quarter-Master of the Malakand Field Force. A skilled draughtsman/artist, he wrote and profusely illustrated this volume. He later went on to illustrate a number of other published memoirs by fellow officers, including Service and sport on the Tropical Nile by C.A. Sykes, [London: John Murray, 1903], another volume in the Chicksands Collection.

Scenes from Hobday's description of the campaign

War in Mysore

Chicksands covers a wide variety of historical material, and is especially strong concerning subjects like the American Civil War. Another area that continues to grow as boxes are opened is that of works on the Indian Subcontinent.

Not surprisingly, many of the works are about the Sepoy Rebellion, but there are also volumes on lesser known conflicts such as the Anglo-Mysore Wars. I came across the following book concerning the Third Anglo-Mysore war:

This narrative focuses on the culmination of the war: the siege of Seringapatam in 1792 that resulted in a treaty between the British East India Company, Mysore, and their respective allies. It features some very detailed plates and illustrations:


as well as exceptional maps and orders of battle. The book is in very good condition considering its age, and was probably rebound in the 1930s (thanks Jan!).

In addition to Dirom's narrative, I also discovered a personal account of British Officer David Price who participated in these conflicts:


Price dedicates this work to his good friend - another officer named 'Moor'. While searching for more information about these books, I found that both have been digitized by other libraries. This digitization allowed me to search for Price in Dirom's narrative, but he received no mention. However, his friend 'Moor' is mentioned once for an act of bravery in command and subsequent serious (but not fatal) wounding.

These digital copies of antiquarian works are most helpful in that one often gains the ability to search them for such specific information. On the other hand, one may lose something in the process...

Here you can see a comparison of one of the highly detailed maps that has been so well preserved in our Chicksands copy of the 1794 narrative:


While the digitized version unfortunately could not account for the fold-out pages:


It goes to show just how important these original (not just digitized!) copies are to preserve and make available for researchers.

A Short History of the Jewish People: 1600 B.C.-A.D. 1935

I came across this work and found it to be especially somber - not because of its content alone, but because of its date of publication - 1936. Cecil Roth, an Oxford-educated historian, completed this work during an era of rampant anti-Semitism in Europe, but prior to the most violent events of the Holocaust.

From the Oxford Chabad Society:

"As early as 1933, Roth penned a letter of protest to the London Times against Hitler's declaration to boycott Jewish establishments. Roth wrote numerous articles and also developed books such as 'Jewish Contribution to Civilization' that was written specifically because it had the potential to show the Germans and the world how the Jews have contributed greatly to society, and possibly have the side effect of mitigating mal treatment against the Jews."

While Roth noted the pogroms against European Jewish communities in 'A Short History', he was obviously unaware of the terror that would erupt so soon after his work was published. Nevertheless, he concluded his work speaking of "dangers [to the Jewish people] which, in any other case, might prove fatal" but believed that "[the Jewish people] can look the gravest dangers and difficulties of the moment in the face, in the calm confidence that each has been encountered, and surmounted, at least once before."

It is both ominous and tragic.

The First Five Hundred

Another gem in the Chicksands Collection is this regimental history, published in New York in 1921:

The first Five Hundred; being a historical sketch of the military operations of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment in Gallipoli and on the Western Front during the Great War (1914-1918) together with the individual military records and photographs where obtainable of the men of the first contingent, known as "The First Five Hundred", or "The Blue Puttees", by Richard Cramm

The Royal Newfoundland Regiment was established in 1795 and, as a loyal Colonial unit, responded quickly when the British declared war on August 4, 1914. By the end of September, nearly 1000 volunteers had signed up; however, only half of these passed the medical examination, much more stringent in 1914 than later in the war. The First Five Hundred volunteers were composed of fishermen, loggers, clerks and more than 50% were from the city of St. John's cadet brigades. Officers came from the upper class and equipment and uniforms from various organizations, including the "Blue Puttees" which gave rise to the regimental nickname. By the end of the war, 6,241 Newfoundlanders had served in the regiment.
This book, ornately illustrated with photographs and maps, tells not only the story of the Regiment but also of each individual, one through five hundred. The Royal Newfoundland Regiment was the only North American unit that took part in the Gallipoli campaign in 1915. From there, the Regiment travelled to the Western Front, where the Battle of Beaumont Hamel (July 1, 1916) resulted in 733 members of the regiment either killed or wounded.


This particular copy of the book was acquired by the Ministry of Defense Library (Central and Army) in 1972; however, it was originally a presentation copy to somebody (or some office), and is inscribed "With the compliments of R.A. Squires". Sir Richard Anderson Squires was the controversial Prime Minister of Newfoundland from 1919 to 1923 and again from 1928 to 1932. It is likely this copy was an official presentation made during his first term of office.

Following the Civil War

One of the strengths of the Chicksands Collection is the American Civil War (1861-1865). This title was accessioned by the War Office in 1952. Originally published in 1884, according to the book plate and stamp on the inside of the cover, it has an adventurous past.


The Army and Navy Club of New York was formed in 1871 and it is probable that the Club received the book as a gift of a member. As with many organizations and businesses, the Club went bankrupt in 1933, during the Great Depression, and the assets were disposed to various places. This book apparently went across to the U.S. Army's Recruiting Publicity Bureau, one of many army offices located on Governors Island, a 172-acre island in Upper New York Bay. The Army occupied the island from 1783 to 1966. In 2003 the Federal government transferred the property to the City of New York. Obviously, sometime before the army left, they disbanded the library and this book made its way across the Atlantic to London. Now, it's again in North America, joining the ranks of the well-travelled volumes in the Chicksands Collection.

Fact or Fraud?

Compared to the vast majority of works that make up the Chicksands collection, this book is quite recent. Published in the 1980s, 'The Specialist' by 'Gayle Rivers' (a pseudonym) is supposedly an account of an SAS serviceman's exploits in counter-terrorism. Inside the front cover of this particular book is pasted a photocopied page of several newspaper articles that debunk 'Rivers' as a fraud. Nevertheless, a quick search online reveals the credibility of this work is still debated, and Amazon classifies the work under 'nonfiction' as well as 'biography' subject headings.

Often we may get lost in an exciting narrative, and forget to read critically - here, someone has kindly taken the time to make sure we do not forget our objective eye.

The Plains of Abraham: an eyewitness account

Found in the Chicksands Collection, a small pamphlet with a brown cardboard cover reading:

Lieutenant-Colonel

Alexander Murray

of

Cringletie

--

Ob. 1762

Inside on the first page is a handwritten note:

Presented by Lt. Genl Sir J. Wolfe Murray

The preface states that the letters in the booklet were compiled by an aunt for her nephew, Lt. (now Commander) Philip C.K. Wolfe Murray, R.N.

Her note, quoted, recounts that the letters were “all I have of your great-grandfather’s”. Philip’s older brother, James, had the letters printed privately “for family circulation” but apparently sent a presentation copy to the War Office, where it was accessioned in 1933.

The letters are those of Alexander Murray, Lieutenant-Colonel (1715-1762). The eldest son of Alexander Murray, Sheriff-Deputy of Peebles & MP, Alexander went into the army at an early age and rose steadily through the ranks. He commanded the Grenadiers at the Siege of Louisburg and at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. He enjoyed a close personal relationship with General James Wolfe and indeed, his second son James Wolfe, born in 1759 (d. 1836) was the General’s god-son.

The second James Wolfe Murray (1814-1890) was a Brigadier General and his son, James Wolfe the third (1853-1919) was a Lieutenant General in the Royal Artillery – and responsible for the publication of this booklet.

The letters, written between 1749 and 1761, include a brief note written on the day of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham (September 13^th 1759) and another more detailed account written the following week. Excerpts include:

“At about 8 o’clock, contrary to our expectation, the French Army advanced in a column to try and break our centre, and surrounded our left flank. We advanced very slowly and resolutely to receive them, the men being determined to conquer or die in their ranks rather than be scalped and hacked…” and later

“The 17^th they sent out to capitulate, and on the 18^th I took possession with the Granadiers [sic]”

James the 3^rd added a note saying “My father used to tell me that Alexander Murray was the officer in command of the troops to whom the keys of Quebec were handed over by the French on the formal capitulation”

A rare and little-known gem of Canada’s military history, with only one other copy listed in World Cat as belonging to the National Library of Scotland.

Back and Forth

This volume on John Graves Simcoe, part of 'The Makers of Canada Series' is not particularly unusual, aside from its bookplate.


The bookplate was applied two years after publication, and apparently refers to Howard Ferguson, the Premier of Ontario from 1923 to 1930 who also served as Minister of Education.

What I have not been able to ascertain is what school this book was presented to. Was it a Canadian school, and the book eventually found its way to the U.K. Ministry of Defence? If so, this book has traveled quite a ways to make it back home to Canada.