Diary of Captain A. G. Ritchie: The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), September–October 1914

A clothbound, 33-page numbered typescript diary by Captain Arthur Gerald Ritchie of the 1st Battalion, The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), covering 27 September to 29 October 1914. The opening entry records his journey to France; the diary follows his service during the increasingly entrenched fighting in Flanders, including the action around La Boutillerie and the position known as “Ritchie’s Farm.” The diary ends immediately before Ritchie was wounded on 30 October. The concluding material includes a transcription of a letter written from hospital at Boulogne on 2 November, in which he describes his wound and evacuation. He died of his wounds on 22 November 1914. An affecting first-hand account of a British officer’s final weeks of active service during the 1914 campaign. Condition: Tan cloth boards with scattered spotting, marks and light wear. The typescript leaves show some age toning and occasional spotting; handwritten corrections are visible on some pages. Please consult the photographs.…