8121. [Education of Sir Harry Luke] – [Lukach, Harry Charles / Sir Harry Luke] / Ford, Lionel George Bridges Justice [Headmaster at Eton and Repton].

Fantastic Manuscript Letter on “Repton Hall – Stationery” by Lionel George Bridges Justice Ford to his former pupil, Harry Charles Lukach (later Sir Harry Luke) written just after Ford’s Italian Journey with Alington and shortly after he became Headmaster at Repton. The six-page letter is a wonderful example of the relationship of Teacher and Student and Ford writes here to Luke more like to an old friend: “My dear Lukach, I have been trying to make time to answer your nice letter, but the rush of things just at first is so great I think you will have to wai a bit unless I send you a dictated answer. Well ! I am not going to let you wait any longer. I am delighted to hear that Rev. Alington [that is Cyril Argentine Alington] tore up your copy of “M.a.P.” which was far and away the best method of dealing with that class of literary productions”. I wish I had realized that you were in Paris in the holidays, because I passed through the place on my way to and from Italy and I had some solitary hours there which I divided between Notre Dame & guess where ! Rev. Alington was with me in Italy and wore the most outrageous lay costume that I have ever been scandalised by. For all that we had a very nice time. I stood on top of Vesuvius and longed to jump into the hole to see what it was making that noise underneath. I saw Assisi the home of S.Francis & theought of your Sunday private business. I travelled along the North of L. Trasimene and wished for some of my old pupils to explain to me the details of the great battle that took place there. I saw Rome – where – as you are aware there are a good many objects of interest. And Florence ! Oh ! Florence !! The Masterpieces of Raphael & Michael Angelo and the tombs of Clough – Mrs. Browning & Landor would have made your artistic and literary mouth water. You will find Rev. Alington has a good deal of information which he is willing to impact as to Florence. He did not half appreciate the statues as compared with the pictures. Unhappy Man ! I have not told you any news about Eton [crossed out and replaced with ‘Repton’] that must wait till I come down next week. Your affectionate Tutor”.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Repton Hall / Burton on Trent, 1901. Octavo. Six pages on two sheets folded. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

8122. [Education of Sir Harry Luke] – [Lukach, Harry Charles / Sir Harry Luke].

Four beautiful Manuscript Letters Signed / Autographed Letters Signed by Harry Charles Lukach, which he wrote home from Eton College (Windsor), between the years 1898 – 1902. One of the letters on Stationery of Luke’s Tutor, Reverend Lional Ford (later Dean of York), the other three letters on fine Eton Stationery.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. London / Kensington, 1910. Octavo. Two pages manusript letter signed (MLS) on folded A4 sheet. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

8123. [Education of Sir Harry Luke] – [Lukach, Harry Charles / Sir Harry Luke].

Hommage / Greeting – Letter from fellow Etonians to Harry Luke’s “Natal Day”, loosely inserted into its original envelope and addressed to Luke at Trinity College. Written for Luke’s 19th birthday on December 4th, 1903. Four-page manuscript letter, signed by his friends with imaginary signatures of eminent people like Winston Churchill, Sherlock Holmes, Thomas J.Lipton, Edna May, Pio Decimo (Pope Pius X) etc. / Also included an original photograph showing Luke dressed as Priest, playing on the pontification of Pius X in 1903.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. London / Oxford, Trinity College, 1903. Quarto. 4 pages on A4 fold in original envelope with photograph of Luke as priest included. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

8124. [Education of Sir Harry Luke] – [Lukach, Harry Charles / Sir Harry Luke] / Vaughan Esq., E. L. [Edward Littleton, “Totty”].

Manuscript / Autographed Song called “Vaughan”, drafted by E.L. Vaughan Esq. himself on his personal Eton College Stationery: “I’m mastermaster Vaughan…who caters for the Eton College Rifles, the cutest ever born….”

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Windsor, Eton College, no year – c.1900. Octavo. Three pages manuscript draft. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

8125. [Education of Sir Harry Luke] – [Lukach, Harry Charles / Sir Harry Luke] Smallbones, R.T [‘Bones’].

Manuscript Letter Signed / Autographed Letter Signed from ‘Bones’, that was Luke’s friend from Trinity College, Robert Townsend Smallbones, British diplomat and Humanitarian. Very long four – page – letter from a youthful ‘Bones’ to Luke on November 1st, 1907: “My dear old Licky, thank you very much for your charming letter, I am afraid your father was not only justly byt considerably infuriated….requesting you to wire your father your movements. I was unable to deal with it as i was ignorant of you mothers address in Paris….and only hope you were able to brave the storm of parental indignation without too great loss of personal dignity and bodily comfort….I also hope the financial crisis in America and in particular the slump in Westinghouse has not affected the family fortune….We are leaving tomorrow morning…the reason is that my brother is going to Hungary …to shoot stags…I want to read up ssome German literature for which i shall find the books in Velm. I am in extremely bad form..I caught a violent cold & have been reading Mark Twain the whole afternoon….[‘Bones’ then continues to make fun of Luke not being able to win the heart of someone he just met on holiday and he taunts Luke by writing: “….I on the other hand shall kiss her to-morrow morning when saying goodbye. Poor old Licky !] The rest of the letter is about girls ‘Bones’ met and he expresses his hope to see Luke very soon.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. 1907. Quarto. 4 sheets / 4 manuscript pages in ink, signed “Yours ever Bones”. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

8126. [Education of Sir Harry Luke] – [Lukach, Harry Charles / Sir Harry Luke] / [Sassoon, Philip / Sir Philip Albert Gustave David Sassoon, 3rd Baronet].

Manuscript Letter Signed / Autographed Letter Signed from one of Luke’s old classmates at Eton who writes to Luke’s first posting in Sierra Leone in September 1910 and reminisces about the time when everyone at Eton would apply to Philip Sassoon the “amazingly insulting nickname “Jew”: “My dear Harry, very many thanks for your good wishes and the ring, which I hope will serve a talisman puissant enough to avert the evil consequences which seem to have been the invariable commitments of marriage in the case of your other friends ! I don’t think i am really misanthropic, although I admit that things interest me more than people on the whole….curiously enough my wife was at the Orsi’s in Florence a few weeks after you had left, and the house seems still to have been full of the “Lukian” epic ! How long to you intend to stop in your African furnace – and what are the books about ? My fortunes are still in the melting-pot and unless the present job becomes very much more lucrative in the near future, I shall chuck it and try something else. I had a rather jolly letter from “Jew” Sassoon [that is Sir Philip Albert Gustave David Sassoon] from India. Sapper is out there too with the 17th Lancers. How extraordinarily far away Eton seems ! Has it ever struck you how amazingly insulting the nickname of “Jew” was, and how readily it was adopted and admitted by its users and its victim ? Nasty things, boys – I will try to write regularly in the future….FCL [?]”

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. London / Kensington, 1910. Octavo. Two pages manusript letter signed (MLS) on folded A4 sheet. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

8127. [Education of Sir Harry Luke] – [Lukach, Harry Charles / Sir Harry Luke] / Eton College Admission.

Manuscript Letter signed by Admissions – Dpt. of Eton College: “Entered H.C.Lukach for early in 1898 – Dear [?] – Sunday at 12.30 would do for me if Mr Lukach could come at that time – Believe me – Yours truly …[?] – Eton College -7 Nov. 1897.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. [Windsor], Eton College, c.1897. Octavo. Manuscript note / letter on Eton College Stationery. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

8128. [Education of Sir Harry Luke] – [Lukach, Harry Charles / Sir Harry Luke] / [Michael Furse, Dean of Trinity].

Manuscript Letter Signed (MLS) / Autographed Letter Signed (ALS) from Harry Luke to his father. The letter, on stationery of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, was surely written after / during Orientation week in 1903 when Luke started his Education at Trinity Collee, Oxford. Luke reports to his father: “I am having a capital time up here. It is quite delightful. I was met at the station by one of the fellows I was in Italy with, who escorted me to my lodgings, which are most Excellent. Then went to tea with another fellow, or rather ‘Man’ at Worcester Coll. & had Dinner at Trinity Hall. On Tuesday I had breakfast with Arthur at Balliol & lunched with Furse [that was Michael Furse], the Dean of Trinity. In fact I am having a fine time. The papers are very hard indeed, harder than I Expected. I will show them to you when I come down. We have two papers every day, from 9:30 to 12:30, & from 2-5…..arriving at Paddington at 12.15. I propose to sleep that night at Down St. to go down to Ascot the next day & from Ascot on to Eton. I have met several old Etonians up here, amongst others Cassaretti, who is at Trinity….I hope you are well. How is the Electrocuting getting on ? Much love & au revoir till Friday – Your loving son Harry” – “P.S. That pig Paul got a Scholarship at New College”.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Oxford, Corpus Christi College, [1903]. Small Octavo. 4 pages on A5 fold. From Sir Harry Luke’s personal Library.

8129. [Education of Sir Harry Luke] – [Lukach, Harry Charles / Sir Harry Luke] / Alington, Cyril Argentine.

Manuscript Letter Signed (MLS) / Autographed Letter Signed (ALS) from Eton Headmaster Cyril Argentine Alington to Harry Lukach, on Eton College stationery and accompanied with a photograph: “My dear Harry, I hope this will catch you in time to convey my best thanks for your delightful present….[Luke’s old headmaster continues by saying he wished he could go where Luke is going and finishes: “I shall think of you in Venice”] – Signed by Alington.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Windsor, Eton College, no year – c.1906. Octavo. Two pages manuscript letter signed (MLS) with photograph of Luke and friends on an ocean liner. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

8130. [Education of Sir Harry Luke] – [Lukach, Harry Charles / Sir Harry Luke] Luke, J.H. / William [Vilmos] de Ormody.

Manuscript letter signed (MLS) from J.H.Luke on Westinghouse Stationery, to his son Harry Charles Lukach (later Sir Harry Luke): “My dear Harry, Just a hurried line to say that I agree your remaining in Austria Hungary until the arrival of Grandfather….You say nothing about the [?] book – I hope you are putting your best effort into this your first literary work. Am terribly busy & off to Bussa [Nigeria] tomorrow [Westinghouse had business in Nigeria]. Love to all – Your affectionate Father J.H.L.”

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Paris, Societe Anonyme Westinghouse, 1907. Octavo. Two – page letter with original envelope, addressed to “H.C.Lukach Esq. c/o Wm [William] de Ormody Esq. – Redoutenplatz [later Vigadó Square] – Budapest, Hungary”. From Sir Harry Luke’s personal Library.