Group of diaries and letters, comprising: i) Manuscript journal compiled by the father of Lieutenant Frank Leonard Stevens of Mexborough, serving with the Yorks and Lancs Regiment, entitled "Diary by his Dad", comprising a narrative of his son's progress through the war, including Passchendaele, the German offensive of March 1918 and the 'Great Push' ("...all leave cancelled..."), with extracts from Leonard's letters home ("...It was Hell!... I pray hard for courage... I discovered a tank...lying in gory glory, like a decrepit toad... a monument to British skill & British tenacity... every second is pregnant with certain disquieting possibilities... shell, trench mortar, rifle, grenade, bomb, mine, Bosche, bullet, gas or mud..."), his Christian faith, and the war at home ("...the presence of a Zeppelin... the sound and the spectacle was certainly startling to civilians..."), interspersed with photographs, documents, illustrations (including two of his dug out in the trenches), menus, press cuttings etc., c.100 leaves, black cloth, 4to (230 x 172mm.), [1916 to 1918]

ii) Collection relating to Private Albert Willis of 15th Sherwood Foresters serving on the Western Front in 1918 and his brother Corporal Frederick Willis of 1/6th Essex Regiment serving with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, comprising 15 letters from Alfred to his parents and brother, and two letters to him from his mother ("...Albert killed in action, France, Don't worry all well at home..."); with c.130 photographic portrait postcards, original family photographs, various Christmas and birthday cards and other documents; an original Red Cross linen bag with ties, printed with the red cross in red and 'With Best wishes from the British Red Cross', held in three custom-made albums, modern cloth, each 300 x 225mm., March to December 1918

iii) Manuscript reminiscences of Captain Wilfred Oates Rushton of the 18th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers, beginning 28 January 1916 on Salisbury Plain, going on to describe life on the front line ("...a Melton Mowbray pie... saved the situation..."), marching to the Somme ("...The road was strewn with dead horses in varying stages of decomposition... a long line of dead men, blank of face... killed the moment they had got out of the trench to attack...There was a particularly repulsive Boche lying dead within about 2 yards of the place we congregated for our food..."), and much other detail, 106 pages, written in a lined exercise book, black cloth, 4to (223 x 175mm.), [1916 onwards]