[with:] MAY (Lady Kinbarra). ALS to Ellen Luring. 4pp on mourning stationary. Berwickshire, n.d. [1930]. A letter thanking a close friend for condolences, with details of Admiral May’s final illness. Also included, a service sheet from the funeral, plus a note presenting the book, signed by the same, and dated May 1934.
Very rare privately printed autobiography of Sir William Henry May.
The truly fulsome Royal Naval career of Sir William Henry May (1849-1930) spanned half a century and saw him ascend from midshipman to Admiral of the Fleet, with many commendable achievements along the way.
He embarked in 1863 upon the Victoria, flagship of the Mediterranean fleet, and then served upon frigate Liffey between 1867-70. He did a stint aboard the Royal Yacht Victoria & Albert, and in 1875 volunteered for Captain George Nares’ British Arctic Expedition. He served as navigating officer on the Alert and participated in sledging expeditions in autumn 1875 and spring 1876. The first of these forays travelled a total distance of 165.5 miles between September 25th and October 15th 1875, with May leading the sledge Hercules under the command of Albert Markham. May speaks frankly of the cold, thirst and hardship of this trip, with inclement weather slowing them down to the extent that they had to drop to half rations. The mission’s object, to establish supply depots for the spring polar push was achieved, but at a cost: May was amongst several of the crew members who suffered frostbite. Thus follows his eye-watering account of the procedure: “After a few days the left toe had to be amputated below the first joint. I don’t know why, the doctors would not give me anaesthetic; so I suffered a great deal, as it is a most painful operation. The doctors had to have two nips at it and I cursed them pretty freely” (pp29-30). May was laid up recovering in his quarters inside the ship for five months - the entirety of the Arctic winter. He passed the time working on navigation, charts and astronomical observations.
By the following spring he was well enough to set out again. He led the relief sledge named Clements Markham in the Auxiliary Dog Sledge Party, sent out to relieve Markham and Parr’s polar party. These disheartened men were severely affected by scurvy, and forced to turn back just shy of four-hundred miles short of the North Pole. They did however achieve a new Furthest North of 83° 20’25“ and made “many interesting and valuable surveys, meteorological and astronomical observations” (p.35).
After his return from the Arctic, May joined the torpedo-school ship Vernon, where he worked on the development of the Whitehead torpedo and underwater discharge apparatus. He achieved the rank of commander, after only nine and a half years as a lieutenant. In 1888, age 38 he was promoted to Captain. In that same year whilst captaining the Imperieuse en route to China, he acted on secret orders and took possession of Christmas Island. In 1890 he was appointed Naval attaché to the European states, and the following year he was given the role of Third Sea Lord and controller of the Navy. He served in this post until 1905, when he was promoted to Commander in Chief of the Atlantic Fleet. He made Admiral in 1908, and Admiral of the Fleet in 1913. He came out of retirement to serve on the Dardanelles commission during World War Two (ODNB).
May’s papers reside at the National Maritime Museum in London, who also hold a copy of this book. The only other copy traced through OCLC is at Princeton.
