Lot 522 , Prime Minister Henry Herbert Asquith - hand written account July Crisis 1914 Part of manuscript draft of Memories and Reflections, 1852-1927 by Herbert Henry Asquith

Prime Minister Henry Herbert Asquith - hand written account July Crisis 1914 Part of manuscript draft of Memories and Reflections, 1852-1927 by Herbert Henry Asquith,
written in secretarial hand and with a few pencil corrections by Asquith, covering events from July 8th to July 24th, 1914 mostly related to Amending Bill in connection with the Home Rule Bill. On July 16th it has been decided that Asquith "should advise the King to intervene with the object of securing a pacific accommodation, through a Conference of the representatives of all parties concerned - both British and Irish"; the conference was held at Buckingham Palace 21st and on the 24th Asquith says that "the Conference broke down, and I announced to the House the terms of the Speaker 's rather bald and jejune report. The last meeting this morning was in some way dramatic tho' the actual business consisted merely in settling the words to be publicly used"; he also adds "At 3.15 we had a Cabinet, where there was a lot of vague talk about Ulster, but the real interest was Grey’s statement of the European situation, which is about as bad as it can possibly be. Austria has sent a bullying and humiliating ultimatum to Servia, who cannot possibly comply with it, and demands an answer in 48 hours — failing which she will march. This means almost inevitably that Russia will come on the scene in defence of Servia, and if so it is difficult both for Germany and France to refrain from lending a hand. So that we are within measurable distance of a real Armageddon", 8 pages, folding marks, some browning and staining, 4to, c. 1914, with partial typed transcription. ***According to the note at the beginning of the transcription, the papers were found "in a blitzed house in 1943 by Mr P. Carmody. Page 1 was missing when found". There are some variations between the manuscript draft and the published version.

£150-200

Sold for £380