Details
LAWRENCE EDWARD GRACE OATES (1880-1912)
Frank DEBENHAM and others. A series of nine letters to Caroline and Violet Oates (Captain Oates' mother and sister) from various correspondants, 1913-1963, all concerning Oates.
Including:
William H. KING. Three ALS, Ireland, [circa 1913], together 16pp., 8vo, to "My dear old friend" (?Caroline Oates), the first ("12th Dec", 4pp.) mentioning the account of the last expedition: "As regards the book I am very sorry that Scott should have said anything about dear old Titus but you need have no fears as to their relative merits. My friend will be remembered always as "That very gallant Gentleman" and surely no man could want a finer epitaph.", going on to say that he is attending a lecture on the expedition given by Evans. The second ("7th Feb", 6pp.) thanking her for the picture "It is splendid and his dear old face looks so friendly and kind", and going on to discuss the Irish question in a very sympathetic fashion. The third ("28th April", 6pp.) thanking her for the photograph "it is really excellent tho I can imagine anyone who did not know dear old Titus really well, not appreciating the likeness. Often and often I have seen him look exactly like it. You know at times he had a peculiar look in one of his eyes as if he were sizing you up & seeing what you were good for." mentioning the Irish question again, apparently advocating an army uprising against the government, and categorising Churchill and Lloyd George as anti-monarchists.
King was a friend and fellow officer, and, as Violet Oates notes on the verso of the second letter, gave 'Titus' "the picture of Napoleon that went down to the Antarctic".
Geoffrey HERRINGHAM. 2pp. ALS, December 9. 1913, Muttra, U.P., 4to, to Caroline Oates concerning the publication in the regimental magazine of various letters and memorials concerning Oates, he goes on "I wonder if it would interest you if I told you of the last time I saw Titus. It was in May, 1910, I think, just before the Terra Nova sailed. He took me down very early one morning to see the ship in the India Docks, where she was being loaded. We went down by a working man's train, and he showed me over the whole ship. I was horrified at the smallness of it, and especially at the tiny place where he had to sleep, but he was as cheery as possible, and looking forward to it tremendously, as you very well know. Afterwards he stood me breakfast at Lockhart's.."
Herringham was a brother officer.
Mrs. C.G.HARVEY. 3pp. ALS, April 21st 1913, Port Elizabeth, S.Africa, 4to, to Caroline Oates, a letter of condolence recalling nursing Oates "I had the honour of attending him... after the "No surrender" incident at Aberdeen. He was so good & grateful for any little thing done for him, I fancy I can hear him saying "thats ripping" when I took things in for them".
Oates convalesced in Dr. and Mrs. Harvey home in Port Elizabeth after the "scrap on 6th March 1901" during which Oates' thigh was shattered.
Frank DEBENHAM. 2pp. ALS, June 14 1963, 4to, to Violet Oates, concerning the choice of Sue Limb as a potential biographer of Oates.
Sue Limb and Patrick Cordingley published Captain Oates Soldier and Explorer in 1982. And three others from Sue Limb; E.G.Murdoch (a groom who worked for Oates) and J.H.Dixon (a nurse in S.Africa, describing her last sight of Oates). (9)
Frank DEBENHAM and others. A series of nine letters to Caroline and Violet Oates (Captain Oates' mother and sister) from various correspondants, 1913-1963, all concerning Oates.
Including:
William H. KING. Three ALS, Ireland, [circa 1913], together 16pp., 8vo, to "My dear old friend" (?Caroline Oates), the first ("12th Dec", 4pp.) mentioning the account of the last expedition: "As regards the book I am very sorry that Scott should have said anything about dear old Titus but you need have no fears as to their relative merits. My friend will be remembered always as "That very gallant Gentleman" and surely no man could want a finer epitaph.", going on to say that he is attending a lecture on the expedition given by Evans. The second ("7th Feb", 6pp.) thanking her for the picture "It is splendid and his dear old face looks so friendly and kind", and going on to discuss the Irish question in a very sympathetic fashion. The third ("28th April", 6pp.) thanking her for the photograph "it is really excellent tho I can imagine anyone who did not know dear old Titus really well, not appreciating the likeness. Often and often I have seen him look exactly like it. You know at times he had a peculiar look in one of his eyes as if he were sizing you up & seeing what you were good for." mentioning the Irish question again, apparently advocating an army uprising against the government, and categorising Churchill and Lloyd George as anti-monarchists.
King was a friend and fellow officer, and, as Violet Oates notes on the verso of the second letter, gave 'Titus' "the picture of Napoleon that went down to the Antarctic".
Geoffrey HERRINGHAM. 2pp. ALS, December 9. 1913, Muttra, U.P., 4to, to Caroline Oates concerning the publication in the regimental magazine of various letters and memorials concerning Oates, he goes on "I wonder if it would interest you if I told you of the last time I saw Titus. It was in May, 1910, I think, just before the Terra Nova sailed. He took me down very early one morning to see the ship in the India Docks, where she was being loaded. We went down by a working man's train, and he showed me over the whole ship. I was horrified at the smallness of it, and especially at the tiny place where he had to sleep, but he was as cheery as possible, and looking forward to it tremendously, as you very well know. Afterwards he stood me breakfast at Lockhart's.."
Herringham was a brother officer.
Mrs. C.G.HARVEY. 3pp. ALS, April 21st 1913, Port Elizabeth, S.Africa, 4to, to Caroline Oates, a letter of condolence recalling nursing Oates "I had the honour of attending him... after the "No surrender" incident at Aberdeen. He was so good & grateful for any little thing done for him, I fancy I can hear him saying "thats ripping" when I took things in for them".
Oates convalesced in Dr. and Mrs. Harvey home in Port Elizabeth after the "scrap on 6th March 1901" during which Oates' thigh was shattered.
Frank DEBENHAM. 2pp. ALS, June 14 1963, 4to, to Violet Oates, concerning the choice of Sue Limb as a potential biographer of Oates.
Sue Limb and Patrick Cordingley published Captain Oates Soldier and Explorer in 1982. And three others from Sue Limb; E.G.Murdoch (a groom who worked for Oates) and J.H.Dixon (a nurse in S.Africa, describing her last sight of Oates). (9)