war-date

T.E. LAWRENCE a.k.a ‘LAWRENCE OF ARABIA’  ~~  IN A REMARKABLE LETTER REVEALS: ”I DO NOT WRITE. YEARS AND YEARS AGO, IN 1922 TO BE EXACT, I TRIED FOR THE THIRD TIME TO WRITE A BOOK, FAILED AGAIN, AND DECIDED TO PACK UP WRITING FOR GOOD. ONE HAS TO BE BORN TO IT, I FANCY. OLD G.B.S. AND THE REST TURN IT OUT LIKE SAUSAGES. I SWEAT AND SWEAT… ”

LAWRENCE, T(HOMAS) E(DWARD) [Lawrence of Arabia].  (1888-1935). British adventurer, soldier and author.  Wonderful Typed Letter Signed, “Yours sincerely, T.E. Shaw”.  One full page, quarto.  “R.A.F. Mount Batten, Plymouth”, October 30, 1931.  Very fine condition.  To Flight Lieutenant John G. Hawtrey.  Accompanied by two letters from Hawtrey to British poet Sigfried Sassoon describing the circumstance surrounding the creation of these letters. 

NELSON WRITES TO ADMIRAL LORD HOOD  ~~  FROM ABOARD THE AGAMEMNON, ANCHORED IN GENOA MOLE — HOOD HAD BEFRIENDED AND GUIDED THE YOUNG NELSON WHEN THEY BOTH SERVED IN THE CARIBBEAN YEARS BEFORE AND BOTH ACHIEVED DIFFERENT LEVELS OF SUCCESS IN THE CORSICA CAMPAIGN

NELSON, HORATIO, [VISCOUNT].  (1758-1805).  British naval commander.  Good Autograph Letter Signed, “Horatio Nelson”.  Four full pages, quarto.  “Agamemnon, Genoa Mole”,  September 20, 1794.  To Admiral Lord Hood.

CHURCHILL WRITING AT A PIVITAL POINT IN HIS REMARKABLE LIFE’S STORY  ~  GIVING NOTICE TO SIR GEORGE ALLEN, PUBLISHER OF ‘THE PIONEER’, INDIA’S ENGLISH DAILY NEWSPAPER, —  OF HIS ARRIVAL IN SOUTH AFRICA,  TO COVER THE BOER WAR AS A NEWSPAPER CORRESPONDENT – SAYING:  “I WAS PACKED OFF TO S. AFRICA IN SUCH A HURRY TO CHRONICLE THIS WAR” —

NOT KNOWING THAT JUST A MEAR TWO WEEKS LATER, HE WAS TO BE CAPTURED, WHEN HIS ARMOURED TRAIN WAS AMBUSHED BY THE BOERS.  HIS SUBSEQUENT DARING ESCAPE,  MADE HEADLINES THE WORLD OVER, AND SERVED AS THE LAUCHING PAD FOR HIS REMARKABLE POLITICAL CAREER

CHURCHILL, WINSTON, S. (1874-1965). British statesman, and Prime Minister. Simply superb, and irreplaceable Autograph Letter Signed “Winston S. Churchill”,  as newspaper correspondent for the Morning Post to cover the Boer War.  Two pages, octavo on blindstamped “South Africa” stationery.  Cape Town, [South Africa].   October 30, [1899].

COLONEL THEODORE ROOSEVELT  —  DISCHARGES THE “CHIEF TRUMPETER” OF THE ROUGH RIDERS

ROOSEVELT, THEODORE.  (1858-1919) 26^th President of the United States; Vice President under McKinley; Colonel of the Rough Riders at the Battle of San Juan Hill; recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.  Exceedingly-scarce partly-printed Document Signed, twice.  Once as “T. Roosevelt / Col. 1^st U.S.V. cavalry [commanding] Rg 1”, and “T. Roosevelt”  Col/ U.S.V.C.   Two full separate pages, quarto.   ‘Camp Wikoff, Montauk Point, New York.  September 15, 1898’.

GENERAL CURTIS LEMAY ~~  HEADED THE BERLIN AIRLIFT & SOON TO BE HEAD OF THE STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND

LEMAY, CURTIS E. (1906-1990). Lieutenant General United States Air Force. Typed Letter Signed, “Curtis E. LeMay,” on Headquarters Strategic Air Command Offutt Air Force Base Omaha, Nebraska letterhead. One page, quarto. No place. April 10, 1951.

AN OUTSTANDING COLLECTION OF 27 CLOTH INSIGNIA PATCHES FROM THE MAJOR AMERICAN ARMY GROUPS OF WORLD WAR II, WITH SIGNED TRANSMITTAL LETTERS FROM THE COMMANDING GENERALS AND OFFICERS OF THOSE GROUPS   ~~  COLLECTED BY A YOUNG MAN  —  MANY OF WHICH WERE SENT WHILE THE WAR STILL RAGED ON IN THE PACIFIC

A most remarkable group of letters that have attached to them, the shoulder patches of the various army groups that these men lead or represented in World War II. Written by many of America’s highest ranking officers, with many of the letters dated while the war was still raging in the Pacific. 

THE MOST FAMOUS ONE-WORD REPLY OF WORLD WAR II:   “NUTS!”

McAULIFFE, ANTHONY.  (1898-1975).  Brigadier General of the U.S. Army during World War II; commander of the 101st Airborne Division while defending Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, and is celebrated for his one-word reply to the German surrender ultimatum: “Nuts!”  Choice Autograph Sentiment Signed,  “ ‘Nuts’, A.C. McAuliffe, General, U.S. Army (ret.)”, on a 12mo. slip of paper.  [Approx 3 x 4 ½ inches].   In very fine condition.