[ The Savage Club, London. ] 53 signatures of members, including those of James Agate, C. R. W. Nevinson, Aubrey Hammond, Reginald Arkell and John Ansell, sent to the composer Herman Finck in his final illness. ]

4pp., 12mo. On bifolium of grey paper. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. 53 signatures over four pages, written after the following: 'April 1939 | Dear Herman: Keep up your Heart & Get well soon. We need your kingly, cheery presence'. One signatory has written a bar of music, another has drawn a face, another has written after his name 'now then – up beat!' The first signature is that of the Punch cartoonist Bert Thomas (1883-1966), after which he has written '(BLIMEY)'. Among the other signatories are the theatre critic James Agate (1877-1947), the artists C. R. W. Nevinson (1889-1946) and Aubrey Hammond (1894-1940), the script writer and comic novelist Reginald Arkell (1882-1959), the composers Thomas Case Sterndale Bennett (1882-1944), John Ansell (1874-1948) and Hamilton Crawford (c.1859-1947), the conductor Basil Cameron (1884-1875), the illustrator Percy V. Bradshaw (1877-1965), the author R. L. Megroz (1891-1968) the surgeon C. Jennings Marshall (1890-1954), the comic playwright and novelist Harris Deans (b.1886). Among the other signatures, are the following, which appear to read: Guy Church, Joe Harker, Joseph Tarkington, William Pollock, Edward Michael, Hampton Gull, T. C. Watson, Leslie H. Heward, Greville Irwin, Tom Clare, Stanley Woodwark, Gordon Beckles, Andrew Harris, Andy Hands, Charles Clegham, H. I. Whicham, C. E. Lawrence, Albert Fot, W. H. Brent, Howard Carr, Herbert Horgan, Andrew Clayton, Tommy Best, Stanford Reed. An extremely popular figure in London theatrical and musical circles, Finck was the musical director of the Palace Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue. His 'In the Shadows' was one of the last tunes played as RMS Titanic went down.