A Staff Officer's Scrap-Book During The Russo-Japanese War. Hamilton, Sir Ian.

First editions, presentation copies, comprising the first impression of volume two and fifth impression of volume one, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper the first volume "Major R. St. G. Gorton in remembrance of his help at this year's manoeuvres. Ian Hamilton 11. 9. 07". Gorton (1866-1944) had a long and distinguished career in the Royal Artillery, serving in the Miranzai expedition in 1890, Chitral in 1895, the Boer War from 1900 to 1902, and afterwards in the First World War. Hamilton also served in Chitral and the Boer War. The army manoeuvres mentioned by Hamilton in his inscription took place in Wiltshire in early September 1907 and mimicked an invasion of England and its defence. Salisbury served as a coastal port to capture, Ian Hamilton playing the role of commander of the invading army from "Blueland", seven days boat away, grappling with the defensive troops from "Redland" commanded by Frederick Stopford (The Sphere, 7 September 1907). Over 20,000 men were engaged in the week-long manoeuvre. Keen to apply his experiences in South Africa and Manchuria, Hamilton paid particular attention to co-ordinating artillery fire with infantry assault. His use of the tactic in manoeuvres appeared successful, although were much less successful when later applied under conditions of war during the Gallipoli campaign. Hamilton's memoir narrates his service observing the Japanese forces in the Russo-Japanese War. "Hamilton's restless spirit made it impossible for him to be content with a sedentary post for any length of time. On the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War in 1904 he leaped at the opportunity to serve as senior British officer attached to the Japanese army. From the very beginning he formed a high opinion of the Japanese army, confident that it would defeat the Russian army whenever they met on roughly equal terms. Hamilton met and developed friendly relations with a number of Japanese generals, and this enabled him to gain access to classified information and see things in the war zone that were off limits to other foreign observers. He kept a diary in which he described his experiences and reported and analysed the battles. The memoir was later published as A Staff Officer's Scrapbook and excited wide interest in Britain" (ODNB). Two volumes, octavo. Original blue cloth, spines lettered in gilt. Photogravure frontispiece and 16 half-tone plates to each volume, 42 maps, plans, and panoramas in total, the majority of them folding, the remainder full-page. Light rubbing and cockling to cloth, light spotting to contents (more pronounced to endpapers). A very good copy.