Description
Object description
Original ms wartime journal 'My Journal, 1941 – 1952' (176pp), together with a bound scanned copy of the journal (176pp), with sporadic entries, often retrospective, together with a published biography 'Landed: The WWII Journal and Family History of William Douglas Land' (240pp, written in 2016 by his daughter, Janet Land) containing a ts transcription of the journal, and illustrated throughout with annotated photographs, documents, maps of his movements, and other images, the journal starting in June 1941 with a retrospective review of world events and his family from 1934 to 1941, and separate entries throughout of world events, family news and his own experiences, with details of leaving Felsted School, Essex (1936 – 1940), plans put on hold by the war, enlisting in The Royal Scots (Royal Regiment) (February 1941), being called up to Aldershot (June 1941), embarking in HMS STRATHALLAN (August – September 1941), the journey from Scotland to Bombay, India, via Cape Town, South Africa, attending Officer Training School (OTS) Mhow (September 1941), leave at Jhansi, staying over Christmas with his Uncle, Brigadier Frank Moore, and Aunt May, attending the Fighting Vehicle School, Ahmadnugar, (February to May 1942), promotion to Lieutenant and posting to 6th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers, moving to No 2 Indian Army Corps Training Centre (IACTC) Lucknow, leave in Naini Tal (July 1942), being called out for internal security during the Bihar Riots caused by the Quit India Movement (August - September 1942), shooting a man in the leg as he was breaking a railway line, the brutal quelling of the riots, moving to Kandy, Ceylon, to act as ADC to his uncle, the now Major General Frank Moore, GOC 34th Indian Infantry Division (September 1942), spending Christmas in Ceylon, on leave staying with Sir Thomas Villiers in Haputale (March 1942), leaving Ceylon with Moore for Calcutta, India, continuing as ADC (June 1943), Moore commanding 14th Division for just three weeks and then GOC 39th Indian Light Division, a training division preparing for active service in Burma (June 1943), moving to Saharanpur (August 1943), leave at Naukachiatal, moving to Indian Army Corps Armoured Car School (IACACS) (May – July 1944), on a Driver & Maintenance and wireless course in Ahmadnugar (July – August 1944), on leave at Naini Tal (October 1944), having to fight to avoid staying as an instructor at Nowgong and wanting to be posted to a fighting unit, the journey in HMS TAKLIWA from Bombay to Taranto, Italy (February 1945), moving to Ancona, re-joining his regiment, 6th DOC Own Lancers, the Reconnaissance Regiment of the 8th Indian Division, posting to 'C' Squadron, taking part in the Battle of the Senio River and the race for Venice (April 1944), his "first real sight of 'the war'", his Humber armoured car being hit and crashing, taking over the Rifle Troop, the end of the war in Italy and his journey to Liverpool from Naples (May 1945), visiting family in Dublin, flying back to India, re-joining unit at Ferozopore, being made Regimental Signals Officer (September 1945), being made a Captain and 2nd in Command of 'A' Squadron (JAT), posting to Armoured Car School at Ferozepore (January – August 1946), the disbandment of ACS and moving to Indian Army Corps Training College Centre in Babina (August – December 1946), his release and return to UK in THE CAMERONIA (January 1947), starting work at accountancy firm Finnie Ross Welch and Co, London (August 1947), work and social life, his brother Denis getting married, thoughts about his future, falling in love with Ann Hughes (1948 -1949) but it coming to nothing, Frank and May struggling to settle down after moving from India, becoming a Chartered Accountant (May 1951), going to make his fortune in Canada (August 1952), where Denis was living, where the journal ends. The biography carries on with details of Land's early life, his family's history, his life in Canada, marrying his sister-in-law's cousin, Betty Forbes (1954), and their life up to Bill Land's death at the hands of mentally disturbed gunman (8 November 1983), with obituaries and memories of Land, and the biography ending with histories of the Land and Moore families, particularly Bill's father, Tom Alexander Clarke Land, and his First World War service with 1/9th (Glasgow Highland) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry, his uncle Major General Francis ('Frank') Malcolm Moore, and brother Denis Malcolm Land's Second World War service in the Royal Navy, in HMS HOWE, together with family trees and details of other branches of the family.
Together with an original Photograph album (50pp) containing c.265 photographs, including of friends and family, British and Indian colleagues, staff, bearers, servants, officers, VCOs, instructors and others, Indian Army, at OTS Mhow (1942), and Lucknow (May-Sept 1942), Nani Tal (July 1942), Ceylon (September 1942), Armoured Car School, Ferozepore, and Babina Tank School. All photographs are numbered and a typed list (8pp), detailing all people and places photographed, is included in the album
Content description
Original ms wartime journal 'My Journal, 1941 – 1952' (176pp), together with a bound scanned copy of the journal (176pp), with sporadic entries, often retrospective, together with a published biography 'Landed: The WWII Journal and Family History of William Douglas Land' (240pp, written in 2016 by his daughter, Janet Land) containing a ts transcription of the journal, and illustrated throughout with annotated photographs, documents, maps of his movements, and other images, the journal starting in June 1941 with a retrospective review of world events and his family from 1934 to 1941, and separate entries throughout of world events, family news and his own experiences, with details of leaving Felsted School, Essex (1936 – 1940), plans put on hold by the war, enlisting in The Royal Scots (Royal Regiment) (February 1941), being called up to Aldershot (June 1941), embarking in HMS STRATHALLAN (August – September 1941), the journey from Scotland to Bombay, India, via Cape Town, South Africa, attending Officer Training School (OTS) Mhow (September 1941), leave at Jhansi, staying over Christmas with his Uncle, Brigadier Frank Moore, and Aunt May, attending the Fighting Vehicle School, Ahmadnugar, (February to May 1942), promotion to Lieutenant and posting to 6th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers, moving to No 2 Indian Army Corps Training Centre (IACTC) Lucknow, leave in Naini Tal (July 1942), being called out for internal security during the Bihar Riots caused by the Quit India Movement (August - September 1942), shooting a man in the leg as he was breaking a railway line, the brutal quelling of the riots, moving to Kandy, Ceylon, to act as ADC to his uncle, the now Major General Frank Moore, GOC 34th Indian Infantry Division (September 1942), spending Christmas in Ceylon, on leave staying with Sir Thomas Villiers in Haputale (March 1942), leaving Ceylon with Moore for Calcutta, India, continuing as ADC (June 1943), Moore commanding 14th Division for just three weeks and then GOC 39th Indian Light Division, a training division preparing for active service in Burma (June 1943), moving to Saharanpur (August 1943), leave at Naukachiatal, moving to Indian Army Corps Armoured Car School (IACACS) (May – July 1944), on a Driver & Maintenance and wireless course in Ahmadnugar (July – August 1944), on leave at Naini Tal (October 1944), having to fight to avoid staying as an instructor at Nowgong and wanting to be posted to a fighting unit, the journey in HMS TAKLIWA from Bombay to Taranto, Italy (February 1945), moving to Ancona, re-joining his regiment, 6th DOC Own Lancers, the Reconnaissance Regiment of the 8th Indian Division, posting to 'C' Squadron, taking part in the Battle of the Senio River and the race for Venice (April 1944), his "first real sight of 'the war'", his Humber armoured car being hit and crashing, taking over the Rifle Troop, the end of the war in Italy and his journey to Liverpool from Naples (May 1945), visiting family in Dublin, flying back to India, re-joining unit at Ferozopore, being made Regimental Signals Officer (September 1945), being made a Captain and 2nd in Command of 'A' Squadron (JAT), posting to Armoured Car School at Ferozepore (January – August 1946), the disbandment of ACS and moving to Indian Army Corps Training College Centre in Babina (August – December 1946), his release and return to UK in THE CAMERONIA (January 1947), starting work at accountancy firm Finnie Ross Welch and Co, London (August 1947), work and social life, his brother Denis getting married, thoughts about his future, falling in love with Ann Hughes (1948 -1949) but it coming to nothing, Frank and May struggling to settle down after moving from India, becoming a Chartered Accountant (May 1951), going to make his fortune in Canada (August 1952), where Denis was living, where the journal ends. The biography carries on with details of Land's early life, his family's history, his life in Canada, marrying his sister-in-law's cousin, Betty Forbes (1954), and their life up to Bill Land's death at the hands of mentally disturbed gunman (8 November 1983), with obituaries and memories of Land, and the biography ending with histories of the Land and Moore families, particularly Bill's father, Tom Alexander Clarke Land, and his First World War service with 1/9th (Glasgow Highland) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry, his uncle Major General Francis ('Frank') Malcolm Moore, and brother Denis Malcolm Land's Second World War service in the Royal Navy, in HMS HOWE, together with family trees and details of other branches of the family.
Together with an original Photograph album (50pp) containing c.265 photographs, including of friends and family, British and Indian colleagues, staff, bearers, servants, officers, VCOs, instructors and others, Indian Army, at OTS Mhow (1942), and Lucknow (May-Sept 1942), Nani Tal (July 1942), Ceylon (September 1942), Armoured Car School, Ferozepore, and Babina Tank School. All photographs are numbered and a typed list (8pp), detailing all people and places photographed, is included in the album
History note
Cataloguer SJO