Letter Signed George Robeson, text secretarial, to the Hon. Justin Morrill, Senator, one of the founders of the Republican Party, about experiments with torpedoes.

Two pages, 12mo, bifolium, spotting, small tear on fold and between leaves, but text clear and complete. We are going to have some experiments in torpedoes at the Torpedo Station at Newport, [...] continuing for a couple of days. While the department does not care to make a public exhibition of these experiments, I shall be glad to have them witnessed by gentlemen of official position who will thus have the opportunity of judging for themselves of the value of these weapons of war to the Naval service and the Government in time of necessity. If you can be at Newport at [...] and will notify me at North Hampton N.H. before hand, or Capt. K.R. Breese, the Commandant of the Torpedo Station at Newport on your arrival, every facility will be afforded you to witness the experiments.~600~AMERICAN CIVIL WAR NAVY U.S. TORPEDO~ ~0~OL40~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 12106~24/10/2012~False~J. L. H. Batt [Jack Lynden Batt] (b.1922), of 155th Battery, 172nd Field Regiment, Royal Artillery [POWs; Prisoners of War; Second World War]~Typescript of the unpublished war memoirs of J. L. H. Batt [Jack Lynden Batt], of 155th Battery, 172nd Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, entitled 'Nothing Spectacular 41-45', and describing incidents in North Africa and as a POW in Italy and Germany.~Undated [written in the 1960s?]. Covering events from June 1941 to April 1945.~i + 207pp., 8vo. Perfect bound in green card wraps, with green cloth spine. In good condition: lightly-aged and a little dogeared, in lightly-creased wraps with slight wear to spine. Tipped in onto the last page is an original 'Army Form B. 104-83', signed and stamped with date 16 March 1943, informing Batt's father that he was posted as missing on 27 February 1943 in North Africa. Nine chapters: 'The Western Desert'; 'Italy'; 'Gaschwyz'; 'Leipzig', 'Gaschwyz Again'; 'Boehlen, Leuna, Wiederitsch'; 'Lager Waldfrieden'; 'Russians'; 'Latvians'. A vivid, well written and detailed account, conveying the day-to-day existence of an Allied prisoner-of-war. The first paragraph reads: 'In June 1941 an enlistment order came for me to join the R.A.C. at Bovington, Dorset. I duly reported and spent 5 months there including 3 weeks at Lulworth on a gunnery course. Returning on a Friday after 7 days end of training leave, we were put on a draft, issued with tropical kit and told we were to be ready to leave at 12 on Sunday. However Monday morning we were given 7 days embarkation leave - followed by 5 weeks of false alarms, we had a further 48 hours leave and then we were told we really were going and were given an address.' From Avonmouth Batt's troop ship travels in a convoy to Freetown and the round the Cape to Egypt. There are some nice touches. Of an abandoned German vehicle Batt writes: 'There were some snapshots of the driver, 2 girls and his parents, standing on the steps of a house in Leipzig. There was also a postcard from Leipzig saying why didn't he write, it made them very anxious. I don't suppose he ever wrote again, as in the door was a hole about 4'' and a couple of lumps of flesh.' And in Naples, after his capture: 'first thing after breakfast a girl came into the ward and distributed bags of sweets. I still have the papers they were wrapped in. I did not actually see her face, my bunk being an inner one, but the chap in front of me, from Reading, said she was a gorgeous girl and spoke English.' A description of a close shave in the Western Desert Campaign is characteristic: '[...] all three vehicles were in full view one behind the other, ten yards apart, 200 yards diagonally from my vehicle all facing the head of the column. Curtis got in and said I don't like that, nodding to the three strange vehicles, that's guttural voices. Just then the artillery officer drove over in his 15 cwt, straight in front of the first vehicle , when the man standing in the first vehicle shouted Halt twice. Then Curtis said Good God, it's Jerry, and jumped up and out of the cab, ran round the bonnet and past me and off into the desert. I was rather surprised, but thought if he was in a leaguer bashed up two nights before, he knows what to do. I looked ahead and saw a crowd of our chaps all running level with the truck in front. Then the first two vehicles opened fire, first tracer, then H.E. at the head of the column and up went two trucks at once. Then the third vehicle opened fire just clear of our truck, apparently to stop trucks leaving in that direction. By that time I decided to leave the vehicle, and jumped out, grabbing only my tin hat; I saw Curtis running 15 yards ahead. [...]' On 1 July 1942 he is in a lorry of prisoners: 'We kept along driving westward, past the Half Moon NAAFI without its sign, and big signs saying Are you ready for immediate action if ambushed on the road, and Swat that fly. There were all sorts of abandoned vehicles of ours here and there along the road, half a dozen Salvation Army canteen trucks, the first I'd ever seen, I don't know where they operated. Groups of tar-boilers and road-making plant, portable stone crushers and screens. What we'd lost!' Batt is imprisoned in Italy, first in Camp 73 (Carpi), and then Camp 53. In September 1943 Batt and the other prisoners are moved to Germany: 'Most of the chaps were hardly carrying any kit, young chaps, twice as stalwart as me, walking with no overcoat or blankets, in shorts with only a small haversack. When I commented they all said Travel light. I pointed out that it was much colder in Germany, they said the Red Cross would provide fresh [...] They were all to regret it [...] the station was only 300 yards from the camp, it would not have killed them to take all their kit. [...] A German escorting soldier said that in four days we should be in Germany, saying Germany was Prima. One of many incidents is described in typical style: 'One afternoon Bomb Happy [a sympathetic guard] took me to the Kammer. At the counter were two German soldiers, the senior being very short. Two officers came through the room to get to the stairs. They paused at the counter, the little chap sprang to attention with his arm at the Hitler salute. The officer had a short chat, how was he? - fairly well Herr Leutnant, how was his rheumatism? - better some days than others Herr Leutnant, how was his wife? Very well Herr Leutnant. The whole time the little chap was straining at his Hitler salute, the Leutnant said relax, but the little chap didn't. Finally the Leutnant said Goodnight and turned to go. The little chap replied Gute Nacht Herr Leutnant with his arm still upraised. The two officers passed through the glass door at the head of the stairs, the door began to close, in a flash the little man was leaning back in his chair with his feet on the counter almost where his hands had been a moment before. He caught my astonished glance and said He's gone - he won't come back.' The diary concludes, 12 April 1945: 'During the evening Harry Wray came to see me about the news. I hadn't seen the paper all the week, there was nothing authentic, only hearsay. Well, that was that. The tanks had been to Altenburg, supposed to have been at Groisch and Pegau. The evening train had gone along the Zwenkau line. We had heard gunfire all day, it had gone round to the sound east. Einsatz hadn't gone out, the two columns that had been sent on our job had returned, it was difficult to find them occupation. We must hang on.' In manuscript at foot of last page, 'Now read The last Month.'~1500~AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT J. L. H. BATT JACK LYNDEN BATT 155TH BATTERY 172ND FIELD REGIMENT ROYAL ARTILLERY WESTERN DESERT CAMPAIGN WORLD WAR II POW PRISONERS OF WAR STALAG MILITARY HISTORY NORTH AFRICA~~0~Box 40~~~0~~ 12107~24/10/2012~False~John Heath and J. L. H. Batt [Jack Lynden Batt], both of 155th Battery, 172nd Field Regiment, Royal Artillery [Lager 31, Stalag IV-G; POWs; Prisoners of War; Second World War]~Typed transcript by J. L. H. Batt of the unpublished diaries of John Heath of 155th Battery, 172nd Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, describing Second World War 'happenings' in North Africa and in POW camps in Italy and Germany, With preface by Batt.~Modern transcript. Account of events between 5 January 1943 and 12 May 1945.~ii + 177pp., 8vo. Each page on a separate leaf. Original typescript, not a carbon. In very good condition, in green card folder. The first paragraph of Batt's two-page preface reads: 'This transcript has been copied from original personal diaries of JOHN HEATH with whom I served in 155 Battery, 172 Field Regiment R.A.; an artillery unit of 25 pounder guns stationed at Mersham, Nr. Ashford in Kent. John and I were together through most of the happenings in North Africa, Italy and Germany described in these diaries until May 1945 when we got split up as the war in Europe was coming to an end. However my home run via Belgium was similar but perhaps a day or so later than some of my comrades.' Batt considers that 'the detail in the diary will be of interest mainly to those who were actually in the Camps in Italy and Germany and perhaps to anyone who was a P.O.W. in Europe.' While 'readers may find the steady reference to food somewhat repetitive', Batt wishes 'to pay great tribute to our Red Cross parcels as without them life would have been very hard indeed'. 'Most of this food was tinned and the menus quoted should be kept in perspective, for example, egg and bacon consisted of tinned bacon and powdered egg. Cakes (so called) were made from ground up biscuit to make the biscuits go further. We had no acccess to flour or vegetables and most of the potatoes we obtained by stealing them. [...] I was sent 1,000 cigarettes a month by standing order to Germany over a period of 18 months but I received only two parcels all the time I was in Leipzig.' Batt describes his and Heath's place of captivity, Lager 31 at the small town of Gaschwitz: 'We were all employed by the German State Railways who paid us 75 pfennig an hour although most of this was taken back for board and lodging, we collected a balance of between 20 - 40 Reich Marks a month to spend.' He ends by thanking Heath for making his diaries available: 'Undoubtedly these were written often under trying conditions and the keeping of such diaries was not encouraged by the Germans.' In Heath's own half-page preface he states that he is beginning his diary on Easter Sunday, 25 April 1943, his 'whereabouts at the time' being 'the P.O.W. Camp at Capua in Italy, and it is owing to my position, and the amount of spare time I find on hand that has enabled me to take on this task. | I am afraid I shall have to rely on my memory for most of the details, for up to the time of my capture I had kept no written record, owing to the doing of same being against army orders.' In the absence of a gripping narrative, the diary contains some interesting detail, and conveys the tedium of the POW's existence, with dull work and a preoccupation for the weather and food. The first chapter, 'The Journey Begins', 'opens on the 5th January 1943, on which day I started my great journey of over a thousand miles, as a gunner in the 155th Battery; 172nd Field Regiment of the Royal Artillery.' The five pages 19-23 carry a long list of the 'Foremost Dates in my P.O.W. Life', from 26 February 1943 ('Battery surrendered at 6.00 p.m.') to 31 December 1943 ('Extra ration of bread issued and beer for the New Year.') Places of imprisonment mentioned are Ferryville, Bizerta and Camp 66 at Capua, Camp 53 (?), Stalag IV B, Gerschwitz.~850~AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT JOHN HEATH JACK LYNDEN J. L. H. BATT 155 BATERY 172 FIELD REGIMENT ROYAL ARTILLERY POW CAMP PRISONERS OF WAR LAGER 31 STALAG IV-G 4G SECOND WORLD WAR II~~0~Box 40~~~0~~