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Fall of Singapore: Remarkable autographed letter dated Feb.25th…
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Auction Location:
Melbourne
Date:
6-Nov-2008
Lot No.
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Description:
Fall of Singapore: Remarkable autographed letter dated Feb.25th 1942, signed by Captain Lord Claud Hamilton (former Equerry to King George V, then Comptroller of Queen Mary's Household), to 'Dear Brett' on Marlborough house letterhead, discussing in detail the fall of Singapore (which had just occurred), 6pp -' Singapore is a disaster of the first degree. I cannot understand it - that 70,000 troops should surrender within two weeks passes one's comprehension. Sitting here in peace and comfort makes me hesitate to criticise but it certainly makes one wonder if the troops put up any real resistance, the papers talk about the terrific enemy shell fire - that must be balls as the Japs could not have got up any real big guns, perhaps a certain number of field guns but with only a limited amount of ammunition. We must have had stocks of food and surely we could have defended the water supply; failing that I believe it rains every day '. Elsewhere in the letter he discusses the abdication: -' It is certainly a remarkable coincidence and equally strange is that, so i'm told James II, the only other British King Abdicator also did his bunk on December 10th '.
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Category:
Militaria & Weapons: Ephemera