ILLUSTRATED AUTOGRAPH LETTER BY DICKEN’S GRANDSON DICKENS (Sir Gerald Charles, 1879-1962, Admiral, Grandson of Charles Dickens)

Charming Illustrated Autograph Letter Signed to Doctor ALLCHIN (William Henry, 1846–1912, Physician and lecturer on comparative anatomy, physiology, pathology and medicine at Westminster Hospital) apologising for his “tardy answer to your very kind letter. I was to have started Friday but at the last minute the date of sailing was put off... I thought it most likely that you would have been busy or out of town... otherwise I would have acknowledged your letter personally. It was very kind of you remembering me & I was very much touched. We get into Gib. tomorrow & Malta Monday or Tuesday where I join my ship. It is good to be afloat again after these months of Shore. I am very well & very jolly. Hope you will read in the paper soon that H.M.S. Griffon has been ordered to China - am afraid it’s unlikely. The mate would hardly appreciate it if it came to pass. It’s getting hot at last...” after his signature he has drawn a little picture of an officer pursuing a Chinaman - holding on to his pigtail titled “The Only Way of settling the China Question - send ot The Griffon”, 4 sides 8vo., “P & O SS Sumatra, off C. Trafalgar”, 13th July no year but

Dickens joined the naval college HMS Britannia at Dartmouth in Devon in 1894 as a Naval Cadet, following preparatory education at Stubbington House School. Dickens served on HMS Blake with the Channel Fleet, 1896–1897, and HMS Eclipse in the East Indies Station, 1897–1899. He was promoted Sub-Lieutenant in 1899, and in that year he served aboard HMS Cleopatra before transferring to the Royal Naval College, Greenwich where he was based from 1899 to 1900. He went on to serve on HMS Griffon and HMS Desperate with the Mediterranean Fleet from 1900 to 1901.

Item Date:  1900

Stock No:  43790      £245

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