A remarkable original collection of 20 autograph cards assembled in the 1920s and 1930s by Scottish collector Cyril A. Munro, comprising signatures of some of the most significant British and Allied military, naval and scientific figures of the Victorian, Boer War and First World War eras.

The collection is particularly strong in senior Great War commanders and naval leaders, representing a coherent and historically significant group rather than a random accumulation of autographs.

Included are signatures of:

Sir Reginald Tyrwhitt (1870-1951) – Royal Navy admiral who commanded the Harwich Force and played a major role in early North Sea operations during the First World War.

Maurice Sarrail (1856-1929) – French general best known for commanding Allied forces on the Salonika (Macedonian) Front during the First World War.

Sir Frederick Maurice (1871-1951) – British general, military writer and founder of the British Legion who became famous for the 1918 “Maurice Affair”.

Gordon Campbell VC (1886-1953) – Royal Navy officer awarded the Victoria Cross for command of Q-ships used against German U-boats.

Sir Percy Scott (1853-1924) – Influential Royal Navy admiral and pioneering reformer of modern naval gunnery.

Sir Eustace Tennyson d’Eyncourt (1868-1951) – Director of Naval Construction responsible for many British warship designs and early tank development.

Viscount Plumer (1857-1932) – Field Marshal noted for commanding the British Second Army and the successful Battle of Messines in 1917.

Sir Hubert Gough (1870-1963) – Controversial British general who commanded the Fifth Army during the First World War.

Sir George Stuart White VC (1835-1912) – British Army officer celebrated for the defence of Ladysmith during the Boer War.

Lord Horne (1861-1929) – British field commander who led the First Army and became the only artillery officer to command a British army in the Great War.

Lord Milne (1866-1948) – Field Marshal who commanded British forces on the Macedonian Front and later served as Chief of the Imperial General Staff.

Sir Henry Jackson (1855-1929) – Admiral and wireless communications pioneer who became First Sea Lord during the First World War.

Sir William Robertson (1860-1933) – The only British soldier ever to rise from private soldier to field marshal, serving as Chief of the Imperial General Staff.

Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien (1858-1930) – Distinguished British general remembered for his leadership at Mons and Le Cateau in 1914.

Sir Henry Oliver (1865-1965) – Royal Navy admiral, navigator and intelligence chief who later became Admiral of the Fleet.

Sir Charles Madden (1862-1935) – Admiral of the Fleet, former chief of staff to Jellicoe, and First Sea Lord from 1927 to 1930.

Sir Alfred Yarrow (1842-1932) – Famous shipbuilder and founder of Yarrow Shipbuilders, one of Britain’s leading naval construction firms.

Sir Edward Seymour (1840-1929) – Admiral of the Fleet who led the international Seymour Expedition during the Boxer Rebellion in China.

Sir Henry Wilson (1864-1922) – Field Marshal, military strategist and former Chief of the Imperial General Staff who was assassinated in London.

Sir David Bruce (1855-1931) – Scottish physician and microbiologist who discovered the causes of brucellosis and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness).

The collection includes a particularly desirable concentration of First World War military and naval leadership, including Plumer, Robertson, Smith-Dorrien, Gough, Milne, Wilson, Tyrwhitt and Madden, together with notable figures such as Gordon Campbell VC, pioneering naval architect Sir Eustace Tennyson d’Eyncourt, shipbuilder Sir Alfred Yarrow and tropical medicine pioneer Sir David Bruce.

Many cards bear acquisition dates, collector annotations and biographical notes by Cyril Munro. Several retain contemporary newspaper portrait or biographical cuttings directly relating to the signatory concerned, while others preserve postal markings, covering notes or correspondence fragments documenting their acquisition. These elements provide excellent provenance and insight into the formation of the collection.

All cards are ex-album mounted and show varying degrees of album residue, adhesive remains, surface disturbance, paper remnants, annotation and age wear to the reverse. Some cards have attached contemporary biographical cuttings or collector notes. Autographs remain generally clear and attractive. 

An exceptional opportunity to acquire a ready-made collection of original autographs of key leading British and Allied military personalities assembled during the inter-war period.

Provenance: 

One of c.2,500+ items once from the collection or dealer stock of Winifred A Myers (Autographs) Ltd, St Martins Lane, London, evidenced by the quantity of Myers pre-printed envelopes and paper folders and the general ‘presentation’ of the items, many having Myers identification notes in pencil. 

Winifred Alice Myers (1909 – 1985) served as ABA (Antiquarian Booksellers Assoc) president, 1950-1952. See the ABA website for an extended article on Myers. Myers left her business, in 1985, to Ruth Shepherd, who traded from home until 2004.