Donald William Alers Hankey (1884-1916) Autograph Letter Signed from Mauritius, 66th Company Royal Garrison Artillery, Curepipe Camp, 29 March 1905

A superb and highly personal autograph letter signed by Donald William Alers Hankey, the celebrated First World War author better known for his essays published under the pseudonym“A Student in Arms”, written from Curepipe Camp, Mauritius, whilst serving as a young officer with the 66th Company, Royal Garrison Artillery. Hankey was later killed in action on the Somme in October 1916, shortly before his thirty-second birthday. Donald William Alers Hankey served in Mauritius before ill health curtailed his early military career, leading him into theological study, social work and ultimately literary fame through A Student in Arms. 

Written to”Alice“, evidently a cherished childhood companion and family friend, the letter is remarkable for its warmth, humour and introspective nature. Hankey thanks her for a photograph and playfully requests another, joking about a tiny existing image which contains “a great deal of you crowded into a very small space”.

The letter then develops into an extended and highly engaging recollection of childhood memories shared by Alice, Hankey and “Ronnie“, including nursery games, mock military ranks, amateur theatricals, practical jokes, “booby traps”, “apple-pie beds”, seaside walks, music-room entertainments and family romps. Particularly charming is the recollection of childhood military parades headed by:

“1st General Ronnie”
“2nd Col. Donald”
“3rd Capt. Alsace”
“4th Major Sarah”

An especially appealing feature is Hankey’s evident literary ability even at the age of twenty. The recurring refrain of“Do you remember?” gives the letter an almost essay-like quality, foreshadowing the thoughtful and humane style that would later bring him fame as a wartime writer.

Most strikingly, the letter moves beyond nostalgia into a surprisingly mature meditation upon adulthood and purpose:

“For now the world is a cold place to wander into, with many anxieties, many doubts, many troubles. How will it all go? Have I made a mistake? Am I doing any good in the world?”

With hindsight, these reflections are particularly poignant. Written eleven years before Hankey’s death on the Somme, they reveal the same moral seriousness, self-examination and concern with duty that later became hallmarks of his published writings. Donald William Alers Hankey ultimately became one of the best-known literary voices to emerge from the Great War.

The letter also discusses Alice’s possible emigration, with Hankey offering practical encouragement whilst expressing concern that she take good advice before undertaking such a significant step.

The closing is especially touching. After pages devoted to childhood recollections and the passage from youth into adulthood, Hankey signs himself:

“I am your loving ‘boy’ & friend”

with noticeable emphasis on the word “boy”, seemingly a deliberate reference to the shared childhood world that forms the emotional heart of the letter.

An unusually personal and revealing early letter from a figure whose reputation rests upon both military service and literature, providing a rare glimpse of the young man behind A Student in Arms before the experiences of the First World War transformed his life and secured his posthumous reputation.

A highly desirable combination of military, literary and autobiographical content from one of the most celebrated soldier-authors of the First World War.

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. 

Donald William Alers Hankey (Oct 1884 – Oct 1916) was an English soldier best known for two volumes of essays about the British volunteer army in World War I both titled A Student in Arms.