CONAN DOYLE’S PATRIOTIC WW1 POEM FOR SALE AT BONHAMS
The signed manuscript of a patriotic poem by the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conon Doyle, is to be sold in Part I of The Roy Davids Collection III: Poetry: Poetical Manuscripts and Portraits of Poets at Bonhams New Bond Street on 10 April. It is estimated at £5,000-8,000.
Written in 1915 – the manuscript is dated 10 October – the poem, entitled ‘Ypres’ was Conan Doyle’s contribution to The Queen's Gift Book, published for Christmas 1915 'In aid of Queen Mary's Convalescent Auxiliary Hospitals For Soldiers And Sailors Who Have Lost Their Limbs In The War'. It was subsequently included in Doyle's The Guards Came Through and Other Poems, 1919.
The work begins:
“Push on, my Lord of Wurtenburg, push on, across the fen!
See where the Town of Ypres calls you!
There's just one ragged British line of Plumer's weary men,
It's time they held you off before, but venture it again!
Come, try your luck, whatever fate befalls you!... “
The Lord of Wurtenburg was in fact William II, King of Württemberg, a German Field Marshal at the Second Battle of Ypres in Spring 1915 where he faced the British troops of V Corps commanded by Field Marshall, Sir Herbert Plumer.
Conan Doyle’s son Kingsley was badly wounded on the first day of the Battle of the Somme in July 1916 and though he survived was subsequently struck down by the Spanish influenza epidemic in 1918.
Poetry: Poetical Manuscripts and Portraits of Poets, is the fruit of 40 years of collecting by the poet and scholar Roy Davids and is the finest collection of poetry ever to come to auction. In Mr David’s own words, “it would now be impossible for the present collection to be even approximately replicated.’
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street and Knightsbridge; and a further three in the UK regions and Scotland. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Connecticut in the USA; and Germany, France, Monaco, Hong Kong and Australia. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments go to www.bonhams.com.
