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FREDERICK J. CHIVERS A.B : 1919 - 1920 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY HANDWRITTEN BY AN ABLE BODIED SEAMAN ON AN HISTORIC CRUISE ABOARD THE FLAGSHIP OF THE MEDITERRANEAN SPEEDING TO DANGER TO ASSIST IN THE RUSSIAN CIVIL WAR AND THE EVACUATION OF SMYRNA DURING THE GRECO TURKISH WAR

12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. On offer is a fascinating, significant, original manuscript relic of post World War I politics, strife and continuing aggression and wars being a 140+ page diary handwritten by Frederick J. Chivers A.B of Coventry England, who served on the famed HMS IRON DUKE during the period of 1919 to 1920 as inscribed in his own hand on the ffep. [We note finding a 1914 Navy Gazette listing for a Frederick J. Chivers RMLI (Royal Marines Light Infantry). If the same man we wonder at his diary notation of A.B or Able Seaman. Did he change duties after WWI? We believe Chivers was also a DSM (Distinguished Service Medal) recipient.] The storied, formidable, HMS IRON DUKE, Flagship of the Fleet at the Battle of Jutland in World War I and during the period this diary covers the Iron Duke was still operating in historic times and in a leading role. Flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet the ship is bound for Gibraltar, then Malta and eventually through the Aegean to the Black Sea, through the Dardanelles in the thick of the Russian Civil War and the Greco Turkish War. Chivers writes page after page of significant reportage from a man on the deck and close to command observing Admirals and aware of the significance of orders and not merely a keen observer but also some analysis of the actions of which there are many. He records the IRON DUKE'S part in the Allied Intervention in the Russian Civil War, skirmishes with the Bolsheviks, the sinking of a Russian destroyer, the destruction of Russian submarines, interactions with various Admirals and other Royal Navy ships, Russian volunteer armies etc and references to her role in the Greco-Turkish war which saw the ship take part in the evacuation of Smyrna. Chivers also details much of the Fleet actions and the Iron Duke's interactions, meetings with other of His Majesty's Ship and ships of other nations. Also included is the photograph of the crew of HMS Iron Duke though it has seen better days. We can only speculate which of the crew was the author of this remarkable personal account of these significant events. The approximately 6.75" x 4.25" book has hinges that have rusted and split the spine from inside but all the pages are present, a few have light pencil scribble but nothing that would affect reading. Overall Fair+.. Manuscript. Book Condition: Fair+

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