Captain COLIN GRANT, Royal Army Medical Corps

[Guest]

I print here the lot details for a collection of papers of this soldier which are coming up for sale at Forum Auctions, London on 30th May 2019. I must stress that I have no commercial connections either to the auctioneers or the vendor and that I post these details merely to record that such materials exist and are out there somewhere

 

First World War.- Royal Army Medical Corps.- Grant (Colin, Captain, RAMC, medical practitioner, of Kirkaldy, Fife, invalided from the front after a fall from his horse in 1916, b. 1885) Collection of manuscripts, letters and artefacts relating to his service on the Western Front in the Great War, including: (1). Correspondence Book, carbon paper duplicates of c. 60 reports sent while in command of the 70th Field Ambulance at Erquingham and L'Estrache, the Advance Dressing Station at Brasserie etc., manuscript, 65pp. excluding blanks, original cloth, soiled, sm. 4to, September - October 1915 § (2).Diary, autograph manuscript, 53pp. excluding blanks, a few ff. loose, original cloth field-book, rubbed, 108 x 74mm., August - October 1915, browned; and a group of dispatches written to him in the field and letters after return to England and hospitalization, a group photograph, lecture notes, his medals (the silver Faithful Service and 1914-1918 medal, etc.), regimental badges, his beret, chevrons, and set of trench maps in their holder, v.s., v.d. (sm. qty).

(1). Correspondence Book. "Report for 24 hours... 13 Oct. 1915. At 11.15 last night, two shots from our heavy guns landed at a point almost due south from us. In a few minutes a large fire occurred at the spot, and was followed apparently by an explosion. At 9 am four very heavy enemy shells exploded in the field behind us, near railway avenue. Our batteries kept up a fairly heavy fire... . From 4 - 6 p.m, the Germans dropped numerous shells in this vicinity, some shrapnel balls and fragments landed on the roof of this house."

(2). Diary. "... after inspecting the RAP I went right on to the fire trenches, which just here are within a stone's throw of the Germans. One could hear them talking, and with a periscope could examine their works, but of course no men were to be seen at all. Below ground... one could hear them moving. One German who spoke excellent English, had the cheek to call out 'Tommy lend me staples, my barbed wire comes undone'! Coming down another way, six shots came smack into a brick wall very close to us, but we got out with our wounded without any mishap. In the evening we watched the shelling of an aeroplane by the Germans , but they were hopelessly out of range."

[Coldstreamer]

not the best description re his medals, perhaps one of the worst I've seen

[Guest]

Quite so- but don't be fooled- auctioneers are rarely the experts they claim.  The manuscripts cataloguer for Forum (whom I have known for more than 25 years socially) is pleasant, able but decidedly un-military.

    Most long-term auction addicts rejoice when the cataloguing is poor-It gives the bidder in person an extra small edge.