Second Hand A Corner of Armageddon: A Personal Narrative of the Great War, 1914–1918

A Corner of Armageddon: A Personal Narrative of the Great War, 1914-1918. An original, apparently unpublished typescript memoir by Percy Lloyd King, Corporal of Horse in the 2nd Life Guards, recounting his service in France and Flanders from October 1914 to November 1918.

The rank of Corporal of Horse is distinctive to the Household Cavalry and broadly equivalent to sergeant in other British Army regiments. King remained with the 2nd Life Guards throughout the war and provides a detailed and observant NCO's account of the regiment's active service on the Western Front.

King begins with the reconstitution of the 2nd Life Guards after a number of its best men and horses were transferred in August 1914 to the newly formed Composite Regiment of Household Cavalry. The regiment was brought back up to strength with drafts from other cavalry regiments before proceeding overseas in October 1914.

The memoir records the regiment's involvement in the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915, its assistance in the defence of the Hohenzollern Redoubt in January 1916, and periods of readiness during the Somme battles and subsequent campaigns of 1917 and 1918. King also describes the routine but essential work performed by cavalry units on the Western Front, including digging parties, support duties, billets, the care of horses and movements between operational areas.

The volume includes an index and concludes with a concise summary of the 2nd Life Guards' wartime service. It provides a valuable first-hand account of the Household Cavalry's transition from its traditional mounted role to the varied demands of warfare on the Western Front.

Bound in contemporary red cloth over the spine and corners, with blue cloth boards and a leather title label to the front. The title page is warmly inscribed and signed by the author:

"To: Mrs Edward Tregoning of Launceston. In token of the friendship of many years from the Author. P. Ll. King, 23rd September 1919."

A particularly desirable association copy of an original Household Cavalry memoir.

Condition is good overall. The binding remains sound but shows general rubbing, surface marks, discolouration and wear to the cloth, corners and extremities. The typescript pages display age-toning, occasional spotting, handling marks and minor edge wear. There are some manuscript annotations. Please examine the accompanying photographs carefully for condition and contents. The volume has not been independently authenticated and is offered as photographed.