Hammer

£700

Lt. Gerald Archibald Arbuthnot (1872–1916) A collection of approx. 200 letters and photographs, ranging from 1878-1916

The only son of Major General William Arbuthnot (1838-1893) and his second wife Selina Moncreiffe (1851-1877), Gerald served in the Navy as a young man, before becoming the MP for Burnley in 1910. During the First World War, Gerald rose to the rank of second lieutenant whilst serving in the Grenadier Guards, however he was later killed in action during the Battle of the Somme.

A large proportion of the early letters are to his father, aunt Frances Gertrude Arbuthnot (1896-1938) and aunt Frances Rose Muir Mackenzie (née Moncreiffe 1850-1923) many of which were written whilst aboard the HMS Temeraire in his youth. Later letters are to his wife, daughter Cynthia, and other family members.


Gerald’s fate during WW1 is revealed in a series of letters within the collection. On September 18th 1916, Gerald writes his last letter to his wife Dulcie (née Mary Johanna Antoinette Dulcie Oppenheim) describing his movements:

"We shall move about a bit the next 2 or 3 days. Don't get worried if you don't hear from me. We have heaps of officers killed and wounded...Asquith's son is killed and his nephew one of the Tennants. The latter was killed close to me and I helped bury him. I can't describe the horrible things I have seen- in the 24 hrs of it I had, this of course I missed, the most important part. Still I saw quite enough...Our men were splendid of course, many a good chap has gone. Now the rain is coming down in sheets I expect it will stop all of action for the moment. Mercifully I have a comfy tent! Give my love to Kenneth and May. Dear old Egton- how nice it would be to find oneself in that comfortable smoking room in all the cheerful surroundings that I associate with them both. I owe some of the best times I've ever had to old Ken. Yours Lovingly, Gerald...I'm awfully well"

However, tragically, in a letter dated October 2nd 1916 written to Gerald’s Wife by his comrade Alex F. Irvine, he describes how Gerald meets his death just six days later:

"...his last few hours were spent as he and I were the only two officers in the No. 1 Coy that day. In the night of the 24th we left our billets in Bernafay Wood to Guillemont station, where we picked up our guides. We then struck north leaving Ginchy on our right and came into our trenches about 1000 yards south of Les Bouefs, our objective for the next day. That night we spent in the trench. The next day till 12:35 the weather was fine and warm which was as well as there was no company headquarters of any sort and we had to sleep out with the men. Your husband had a narrow escape that morning as a bomb which had been buried detonated when struck with the spade. He escaped but the two men were each wounded. At 12:35 as arranged the assault took place and we both left the trench together, he going off to the right and I to the left a little way. We shouted good luck to each other as we parted, and that was the last time we spoke. I came very close to him again a minute or so later and it was there I was hit after which I can tell you nothing more. Both my orderlies had instructions that if I fell they were at once to report to him and I expect they did, so he carried on the company till he fell. I am afraid I can give you no more details. We were a good deal together for the last four days and we always hit it off very pleasantly together. All our plans came to nothing but the Battln. did very well, and I expect No.1 Coy with it. The senior NCO Sgt. Hant was also killed..."

Amongst the condolences letters sent to Dulcie there is one from Gerald's uncle John James Hugh Henry [Murray later Stewart-Murray] (1840-1917), 7th Duke of Atholl, who describes his shock having received a letter from Gerald just "twice within the last few weeks", however he goes on to declare that "we must all die some time sooner or later and I cannot help thinking that if Gerald had had a choice he would have thought that there could be no death preferable to that he has met with"

The collection also includes a 1914 Princess Mary Christmas present bullet pencil, as well as a number of photographs of Gerald during his time in the Navy, and even a typed letter from the suffragette Christabel Pankhurst received during his short time as an MP.

Gerald was also recently brought back into the public eye. In 2018, Dr Kathryn Rix from the History of Parliament Trust discovered that Gerald, although having been one of only 24 members and former members of Parliament to have been killed in action, was missing from the Parliament's World War One memorial known as the Recording Angel. His name was finally added just weeks before the Armistice Day centenary.

Provenance: From the estate of Lt. Gerald Arbuthnot thence by descent through the family