Letters from Bob – Captain George Pollard Kay, Flight Commander 46th Squadron Royal Flying Corps | 1917 [ANTIQUARIAN – HC – Memorial Edition]

The wartime letters of Captain George Pollard Kay — known to his family as "Bob" — published in 1917 by his father as a memorial to his son, who was killed in action over France on 4 March 1917 at the age of 20.

Kay attended Geelong Grammar School, where he was school prefect and house captain. In February 1916 he sailed from Australia for England, one of nine Grammar boys who joined up together. He joined the Royal Flying Corps, trained as a pilot, and by January 1917 had been posted to 46 Squadron in France. On 4 March 1917, flying a Nieuport, he was shot down — his observer, Second Lieutenant Walter Willox Steuart, died of wounds. Kay himself did not survive.

His father assembled the letters Bob had written home and had them published by Melville & Mullen, Melbourne, later that year. The introduction was written by the Reverend F.E. Brown, Headmaster of Geelong Grammar School.

The book gives an account of 46 Squadron's operations and the personal experience of a young Australian pilot in the RFC.

This copy has a gift inscription that seems to be dated December 12, 1917 — written just nine months after Kay was killed, and in the same year of publication. Someone gave this as a Christmas gift in 1917 to someone who presumably knew Kay or knew of him. As a piece of provenance it is extraordinary — a memorial book circulating among those who mourned him within months of his death. The book is now scarce.

CONDITION

• Antiquarian book in used condition, reasonable for its 1917 publication date.
• Cover worn at edges and starting to split along the spine.
• Binding feels fragile — handle with care.
• Pages tanned.
• Gift inscription in the front dated difficult to read but appears to be dated December 12, 1917.
• Not suitable for heavy repeated handling — a collector's copy.
• Contact us on 03 6381 1545 for additional photos if required before purchasing.

BOOK DETAILS

• Hardcover without dust jacket (as issued).
• 152 pages.
• Black and white photographs.
• Published 1917 by Melville & Mullen, Melbourne.

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