Rare 1st Edition - 'On Active Service' by W.W. Lloyd - Published in London, 1890
Regular price
£495.00
Sale
First editions of 'On Active Service' are scarce; this is in good, sound condition, although with typical knocking to the edge and a small tear to the rear end-paper. Also included is a reprint of later publication by Lloyd, 'P & O Pencellings', featuring scenes of life on the famous cruise line.Lloyd died in 1897.
Background: William Whitelock Lloyd was born in Ireland in 1856 and in 1875 received a commission in the Carlow Rifles (Militia) and in 1878 he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 1st Batt. 24th Regiment. The battalion was then stationed in southern Africa where Lloyd joined them; he arrived as the 9th Cape Frontier War was drawing to a close, and he took part in the invasion of Zululand in 1879; on 22 January, whilst the fateful battles of iSandlwana and Rorke's Drift were underway, Lloyd was at Helpmekaar as a subaltern in Captain Upcher's company. He remained at Helpmekaar in the aftermath of the battles, and later took part in the second invasion of Zululand. During this time he painted a great many watercolours featuring incidents from the campaign - some of these were engraved and published in 'On Active Service'. Many of them are well-known, including studies of the 24th Regiment in their shabby field uniform, the death of Lt. Frith of the 17th Lancers, and many of the routines and incidents of campaign life. It also includes incidents from campaign life in India. Included with this lot is a photocopy of the typescript of a letter by Lloyd dated 'Helpmekaar, May 6th 1879'. This includes various private and forthright comments on the campaign, some of them criticising Lord Chelmsford, and the observation regarding iSandlwana that 'Essex of the 75th and Smith Dorrien of the 95th told us the last thing they saw as they rode away was a dense seething mass of blacks both in front and rear of the line and our men smashing and stabbing with butts and bayonets'.Lloyd's original drawings - some of which appear as engravings in 'On Active Service' - were published by the late David Rattray in 'A Soldier Artist in Zululand'.
