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CAPTAIN JAMES MARTYN EAVES : 1914 - 1921 HUGE ARCHIVE OF ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARIES [5] AND LETTERS [196] DETAILING THE WORLD WAR I SERVICE, LIFE AND TIMES HANDWRITTEN BY A CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL ARMY SERVICE CORPS AND LATER DEPUTY OF THE QUARTER MASTER GENERAL

Folio - over 12" - 15" tall. On offer is a sensational, archive of handwritten diaries, essays, ephemera and letters relating to the service in World War I of Captain James Martyn Eaves, [R.]A.S.C. [(Royal) Army Service Corps] and later the D.A.Q.M.G. [Deputy Assistant Quarter Master General] of the 19th [Western] Division covering just prior to his service and that service from 1914 - 1921 at the Western Front and in post-war Occupation Europe. This is an absolutely remarkable archive of depth and breadth. Captain Eaves has left an amazing achievement of primary content regarding 'The Great War'. The diaries are contained in five [5] large folio sized softcover notebooks, in a lovely hand, making for hundreds of thousands of words. Eaves, impeccably precise and detail oriented uses the books fully using one end for the diary entries and then he has turned the book over and used the other end for letter copies, essays, news clippings, service notes, lists, orders of the day etc., much like a scrapbook. Beginning with the first book dated August 5th through September 29th 1914. With great charm Eaves creates his own title page: "A WAR DIARY Begun at Plymouth at the opening of THE GERMAN WAR August 5 1914 God Save the King Delenda est Carthago". Along with the super daily commentary on the War news of this clearly intellectual man are a number of writings: essays, observations, ruminations, stories and copies of letters. Eaves will write an essay regarding 'The Restaurant Girl' who while acknowledging class differences extols her virtues of good work ethic and attractiveness. He discusses 'Cynicism' and cynics. He mind ranges far and wide and he is a rather deep thinker. The folio book also has some ephemera littered throughout. Interestingly Eaves had written notes or the beginning of an essay on a piece of personal stationary of Mr. Irving H. Wheatcroft a noted Canadian railroad builder. The second diary which runs from embarkation July 1915 through February 1916 has a group photo of the diarist and his unit tipped-in and several retained Special Orders of the Day, King's Christmas Message 1915, hand-drawn plan of "Disposal of Billets at the Wattez Farm, 156 Co. ASC Scale 1 inch=25 yds." etc., pasted-in at rear. The third book dates from March 1916 through February 1918. The fourth book is dated February 1918 through May 1919. The fifth and final diary [June 1919-Sept. 1922] also has several ephemeral pieces pasted-in at end and some clippings relating to the employment of ex-officers, a sad report of a different Lieutenant-Colonel relegated in his old job to beat Constable and considered a waste of valuable proven talent. Included is Eaves' own advertisement that he placed when looking for a position. Together with 196 letters from France, all but a handful in the original censor stamped envelopes; also some 25 letters written 1914-15 by Capt. Eaves in training and about 60 letters sent to him in France by his fiancé, 1915-17. A substantial volume of diaries together with letters written during Eaves' first year and a half on the Western Front, make for a rare collection, the whole providing a very complete record of his life as an ASC officer, initially with 156 Company attached to 57th Brigade, later on with 19th Div. ASC HQ and various divisional and Corps staff jobs, latterly DAQMG of his division. Daily entries are typically contain news of the day, much on his brother officers as well as concerns about his health [Eaves seems to have often been rather unwell but stuck to his job throughout the war]. Collectors and historians of the time and era will find a treasure trove of intimate detail of the unrelenting daily work of this supply and staff officer. Besides the work of the War we find that during July 1916 he and other officers frequently went to Amiens for shopping trips and sumptuous luncheons, but at other times he was working at midnight. His experiences attached to various units in the 19th Division whilst a "staff learner" in the spring of 1917 provides an insight into this experience which included attachment to various units to get an understanding of the work of each. Eaves' letters add another dimension to the diaries, including descriptions of conditions at the front, observing infantry attacks on the Somme etc. Here are some snippets that assuredly give an idea of the value of this record of life in an essential role in support of the fighting troops at the front. Diary 17/7/15: "Entrained at Tidworth 12 am weather fine. Some altercation with Railway Transport Officer: smoothed over by Daubeny. To Southampton 1.0 taken onto shed at once. Embarked horses on big transport up big runway on steep slope. Selves to go on Marguerite apparently. Tried for boat with horses but no go. Went into S'hamton and bought apples etc. Monotonous work waiting was very fed up. Embarked 7.30 on Marguerite paddle steamer 1802 souls aboard. Passed Netley and had awful supper in fly infested saloon. To bed in stateroom with subs. Glad to get waterproof boots off. Slept well half dressed. Annoyed at being separated from horses." Next day 156 Co. landed at Havre and was reunited with its horses. 21/7/15: "Rose 7.30 breakfast of poached eggs, Many callers at bivouac. ADMS and horse doctor and later on Twyford and Daubeny. Compliment on horses. Sent Knowles as Brigade Orderly. Rode in aft. to Refilling Point and on to Brig. HQ to arrange re supply and baggage wagons... Interpreter arrives, Revel. Not much use on horseback. Had good supper off errant cock by Lynes at Le Ferme Haute in even. All walked to hill top to see flashes of guns..." 22/7/15: "To Brig. HQ early... Jack wishes me to stay for Captain's Conference so lunched. Rotten lunch of bully beef... Conference not very interesting... Stayed for tea, also vile..." 2/8/15: "Hellish uncomfortable in bivouac. Wind, dust, sun and flapping. Up late. Chased every half hour for returns by O.R. [Orderly Room]. Conference at Train HQ... Shall go up with Convoy. After wretched morning and lunch changed... to billets in upper Meurillon. Nice Belgian farmer. Gives room for office... Farewell supply field!..." 3/8/15: "...Went down at 2 to Train HQ to meet OC Meerut Division. Sent up in car to Neuf Berquin... Inspected church at N.B. Terribly shelled. Machine guns in tower which simply riddled. Statue headless also tomb exposed... Cottages of village scarred with shrapnel... Got billets and met Capt. Campbell of Indian Army. Good tea and chat... In car again and to Estaires... Signs of German occupation everywhere..." 25/9/15 [Battle of Loos]: "Attack starts. Rumour at 8 La Bassee taken. Indians gone clear thru' line. Got all ready. No orders therefore no real ground gained yet... rain. At 2 to refilling point. News not so good 58th [Bde., 19th Div.] driven back leaving wounded on field. 9th Division done well at Hulluch s. of La Bassee... Rows of wounded coming down from action... No orders so no advance for our Brigade... More casualties than supposed. 57th at Gorre. Sent off supply sections at 3. Rather depressing on whole with dripping rain..." 26/9/15: "...Meerut reported fallen back. Col. Shepperd of Wilts reported killed... In aft. after good steak lunch worked on road... Bombardment starts again. Furious battle by La Bassee... No move by Brigade so far. Ambulances choking roads I hear, also artillery. Pathetic scene at Barge Ambulances..." 2/10/15: "Conference at 10 am of OCs. Walked down. Only discussion of marks upon wagons. Nonsense. walked back, disgusted..." 26/6/16 [Somme front, Eaves now Adjt., 19th Div. ASC]: "'W' Day. Hot in office in morning... In even. orders to move at once, 3 hours notice. Pulled out in stream of rain with Jocelyn and convoy. Bad road discipline otherwise good march. Had to strafe Underwood. Guns on horizon very fine sight. Arrived D.18 at 4.15 very tired. Got tents up. No sleep." 27/6/16: "Colonel over at 8 says 'good work.' Settled down in tents, men in bivouacs... Went up at 5 to see bombardment, very interesting and fine sight. German trenches clearly visible... Terrific bombardment..." 1/7/16 [letter]: "...my head is aching from cannonade, a dirty pall of smoke hangs over the country past the ridge and the lorries back from there are running very slowly and gently because of their contents... Strenuous days for an Adj..." 3/7/16 [letter]: "...A message to say they expected a gas attack on the front tonight... so I have at once posted sentries, and every man including the Adj. is sleeping with his gas helmet by his pillow... I've seen some real war... up on the ridge with the Col. yesterday and watched the -th Brigade attacking in a storm of shells, saw the men running down the slope amid the vicious shrapnel and gas shells that sent up clouds of dense black and greenish yellow smoke. To the right on the top of a hill was the skeleton of the village of O[villers], the stump of the church tower white and hideously jagged, every tree of the forest that surrounded it stripped by fire and shell of foliage... Major Wedgewood is killed. I lunched with him three days ago - the head of the Josiah Wedgewood pottery people... None of the dead are recovered in that hell pit yet and the rain beats steadily down on their stiffening bodies..." 4/7/16: "...Division congratulated for work by Army Commander. 6th Wilts come out of trenches. Ovillers still holds out..." 8/7/16: "...Rode into Albert with Gosselin [interpreter] a.m. in great heat to find dump for 3 Brigades..." 1/8/16: "Frightful heat. Much ado about move and Operation Orders a.m... Packed up at noon... Moving to Bailleul I hear now..." 3/8/16: "Trekked early from Paulainville poor night on floor... Misty at 1st halt... held up by 56th Bde. in village and subsequently 2 hours halt... squeezed past... Major of 56th very hostile. Marched like hell for an hour getting well ahead into Flixecourt behind 58th Bde... good billet had bath and shaved etc. Very tired. Good to be in billet again

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