(Horses, WWI, South Notts Hussars, Sporting.) An early 20th ...

Estimate

£100 - £150

(Horses, WWI, South Notts Hussars, Sporting.) An early 20th Century photograph album containing 740+ mounted photographs, much content relating to horses and horsemanship, good quantity of photos also depicting WWI period 1914-1916 military camps and cavalry in UK, France, Egypt etc, plus a good quantity of images family holidays, leisure scenes etc, the album appears to relate to Richard & Mary Anne Piggin and family, of Beeston House, Beeston, Nottinghamshire, in 1911 the family established a riding stables on land there that was known locally as the Robinettes, their son Frederic Williams Piggin (1877-1918), his brother Henry Arthur (Harry) Piggin (1880-1961), and sister Elizabeth Piggin, provided riding instruction there, and when war was declared in 1914 both brothers quickly joined the Nottinghamshire Yeomanry (South Notts Hussars), first leaf of album m/s pen & ink captioned at top "Hummanley [Yorkshire] Camp July 1914 1/1 North --id Field Ambulance", several images of military personnel at camp including those captioned "Lieut. H.A. Piggin (Transport Officer)", "Officer's Mess", large group shot soldiers with caption "Sunday morning August 2nd. Peace", image to right of soldiers posing captioned "Monday morning Aug. 3rd. War", image of Liet. H.A. Piggin on horseback captioned "Harry. Ready for work", several other images of Henry Arthur (Harry) Piggin in France during WWI c.1915, where he served as part of the 1st North Midland Field Ambulance, including images bombed out building and windmill, horse mounting ship, troops in snow covered tents, Capt. Thompson, Maj. Morton etc, more images similar of Harry 1914/15 military camps with horses; series of images F.W. Piggin in Egypt with horses etc; 60+ further military images Harry Piggin and others 1915 at Dunstable Camp, mainly army remount service/horse related etc; newspaper cuttings relating to Piggin family as a notable Notts sporting family and awarding of posthumous Military Cross to Lieut. Fred W. Piggin for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty, Salonika campaign, 26th June, 1916, he was later killed when aboard the transport ship Leasowe Castle, torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean, May 27th, 1918, approx. 200 images in total relating to military/WWI period, the remaining images mainly post war c.1920's including hunting, sheep dog trials, with mounted Autograph Letter Signed from Princess Marie of Romania (1875-1938), on Cliveden, Maidenhead headed paper "I shall have much pleasure in adding my name to the list of patrons and patronesses of the military tournament which you spoke about. I hope it will be a great success. I enjoyed those sheep dog trials immensely the other and was much interested in all I saw. It was very kind of you to take such trouble in explaining everything. Marie Princess of Roumania", many others horses and countryside related, family leisure scenes, skiing holiday, wedding, beach scenes, several cuttings relating to Richard Piggin, notable horseman and sportsman, on occasion of his 84th birthday, March 1928, plus others pictorial cuttings of him riding, his obituary and relating to his funeral, South Notts. hunt etc, further images of a country house and parkland circa late 19th/early 20th Century, family holiday Norfolk broads, many other images horse related, presumably Piggin family. Henry (Harry) Arthur Piggin was born in 1880 at Long Eaton Derbyshire. He enlisted in 2nd Battalion, Brabant's Horse on 15 December 1899 in Cape Town and was discharged on 26 February 1902 in Cape Town, having also served as Regimental Quartermaster-Sergeant to Kitchener's Fighting Scouts, into which unit he transferred on 11 May 1901.

During the Great War he served in France during 1915 and was attached to the 1st North Midland Field Ambulance.

His brother, Frederic Williams Piggin, was severely wounded at Wepener during the Boer War and had earned himself a Military Cross before being lost when the Leasowe Castle was torpedoed.

Henry married Kathleen Cooper in September 1926 and became a riding instructor and horse dealer in Repton, Derbyshire. He died on 14 December 1961. Images various sizes, approx. 4.5 x 7cm - 12 x 17cm, some images with contemporary m/s pen & ink captions, oblong contemporary cloth gilt album (25 x 31cm)