Journal of HMS Glory from Nov. 1900 to April 1902 kept by F.A. Sommerville
Portsmouth: 1902.
Folio (12 1/2” x 8 ¼”, 315mm x 210mm): 91 leaves, pp. [176] (1 pp. obscured by title-page, 175 pp. log of the H.M.S. Glory) [6] (6pp. blank). With a pictorial title-page and 68 finely drawn ink and watercolor maps, track charts, and illustrations of the ship's mechanical devices tipped in.
Bound in plum morocco with a gilt fillet to the boards. Title and author (spelled “Somerville”) gilt to the front board. On the spine, five panels divided by gilt double fillets. With pink and blue marbled endpapers.
Spine sunned. Boards lightly scuffed and backstrip worn at the head and heel. Binding loose throughout, with the title-leaf detached and leaves 20 and 41 partially detached. Commission of a “Henry Emilius Wood” (manuscript inscription) appointment to Staff Commander in Her Majesty’s Fleet dated November 17th, 1882 laid in. Certificate embossed with a foul anchor surrounded by the inscription 'SIGIL : OFFI : MAG : ADMIR : MAG : BR : &C.' Under the embossing, a red impressed duty stamp worth five shillings. On the verso, an additional impressed duty stamp. Blotting sheet of the artist laid in at the rear. All illustrations signed by Sommerville and initialed by two others.
This journal was penned by Frederick Avenel Sommerville (1883–1962), who joined the Royal Navy in 1897. A publication in The Times “Naval and Military Intelligence” section placed Sommerville second to last in merit classifications of incoming cadets. Despite this humble start, Sommerville was promoted to Midshipman in 1899, and to Sub-Lieutenant on April 15th, 1902 (the day after the journal’s final entry). As a midshipman on the H.M.S. Glory, Sommerville recorded the ship’s route and notes on her upkeep, but slices of life frequently imbue the scene. The passages range in subject; some describe world events — such as hearing of Queen Victoria’s death, celebrating Edward’s ascendancy, and receiving word of former U.S. President, Benjamin Harrison’s death — while others are quite charming in their mundanity. Somerville describes sightseeing in Tokyo, cricket matches, learning about newfangled slang such as "soccer," and the disappointing lack of women at a church sponsored dance.
H.M.S. Glory was built at Birkenhead and laid down on the first of December, 1896. With an armament of four 12” guns, twelve 6” guns, ten 3” guns, six 3” pounder guns, and two maxims with four torpedo tubes, she launched on March 11th, 1899. The Glory initially served in the China Station as flagship from 1900 to 1905, where it was home to the likes of Captain F. S. Inglefield, Commander W. B. Fawckner, and the young Midshipman Sommerville. During this stint, the Glory stopped in Gibraltar and Malta before arriving at Port Said for a navigation of the Suez Canal. Further ports included Aden and Ceylon before sailing off the coast of Hong Kong, Singapore, and parts of China, Japan, and Korea. The Glory returned to the United Kingdom in 1905, following the Anglo-Japanese alliance (these good-natured sentiments evidenced by Sommerville’s personal flag design that combines Japan’s Hinomaru and Saint George’s cross). After a term in the Mediterranean fleet, H.M.S. Glory joined the 8th battle squadron in WWI to escort a Canadian convoy of troops, then joining the North American and West Indies Station as a flagship. In 1920 she was renamed H.M.S. Crescent and used as a depot ship, finally being sold to ship breakers later that same year.
Sommerville rose through the ranks in the years leading up to WWI and was appointed Commander less than two months before King George V declared war on Germany following the invasion of Belgium. Throughout the war, Sommerville worked on trials of submarine detection technology — in that day, a net with a buoy attached — and was lauded for his successes in entangling German U- boats. He ultimately received three medals for his achievements: the 1914–1915 Star, the Victory Medal, and the British War Medal. After being named Captain in 1919, Sommerville made his first voyage with his new title on the H.M.S. Titania to the seas he had once illustrated as a Midshipman. It seems that the life of a Captain precludes such whimsy, as Journal of H.M.S. Glory is one of only two known logs by Sommerville (the other being a joint account of H.M.S. Terrible and H.M.S. Hannibal, spanning 1899 and 1900). Despite their rarity, Sommerville was recognized for his detailed account of the voyage, as H.M.S. Glory appears in the 'log' series; a collection of at least 40 books written by crew members of various Royal Navy ships about their service between 1900 and 1909. Published by Westminster Press for 4 shillings each, the write up of the series at the back of the books say that only 'happy ships' were recorded. Other logs on Westminster's list are familiar to the Glory’s reader, such as H.M.S. Goliath, whose crew Sommerville recalls playing rugby with — a happy ship, indeed. Sommerville went on to Captain H.M.S. vessels Fisgard, Emperor of India, Coventry, Valiant, and Ceres. At the time of his death, Sommerville was a retired Vice Admiral living on Hayling Island, off the southern coast of England.
Little is documented of Henry Emilius Wood's time in the Royal Navy, but his name appears as a Navigating Lieutenant in 1870, and a record of his promotion to Admiral appears in the April 30, 1897 edition of the London Gazette.
Cataloged by G.R. Murdock
Item #GRM0026
Price: $38,000