JACOBS-LARKCOM, Col Eric Herbert Larkcom (1895-1982)

Papers relating to service in World War One, 1917-1919, and in China, 1921-1945, including copies of personal letters from Army colleagues, 1918-1919; copy of manuscript account of service during third battle of Ypres, 1917; typescript narrative diary of 15 Field Company Royal Engineers, 8 Div, 2 Army, Somme, German March offensive, 1918, with copy of manuscript account of the German attack, 21 Mar 1918; correspondence relating to road surveys in China, 1921-1927, with copy of typescript account of journey by Jacobs-Larkcom from Yunnan to Sichuan, China, 1921; copies of two manuscript narrative diaries, British Military Mission to China, 1943-1945; three typescript articles relating to China entitled 'Disease', 'For those interested in the Chinese language' and 'River travel-and a question of cash' [1945].

Born 1895; educated at University College School and Royal Military Academy, Woolwich; commissioned into Corps of Royal Engineers, 1916; served in World War One, 1914-1918; service on Western Front with 15 Field Company, Royal Engineers, 8 Div, 2 Army, 1917-1918; Lt, 1918; served with 40 Fortress Company, Royal Engineers, Hong Kong, the Legation Guard, Peking, and toured west and south western China, 1919-1922; service in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tientsin, 1925-1928; Capt, 1926; Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, 1930-1931; Specially Employed, War Office, 1932-1933; General Staff Officer 3, War Office, 1933-1935; Bde Maj, Aldershot Command, 1935-1937; Maj, 1936; General Staff Officer 2, 1938-1939; served in World War Two, 1939-1945; Brevet Lt Col, 1939; temporary Lt Col, 1939-1940; served in French campaign as General Staff Officer 1, 1939-1940; evacuated from Dunkirk, 1940; worked on decoys, UK, 1940-1942; second in command, British Military Mission to China, Chunking, 1942-1945; commanded an Officer's Group attached to Chinese Gen Li Mo-an's Group Army, 1942-1945; Col, 1943; travelled extensively in China, 1943-1945; awarded CBE, 1946; retired from Army and transferred to Foreign Service, 1946; in charge of Harbin Consulate-General, Changchun, China, 1947-1948; Consul-Gen, Kunming, 1948-1949; Consul, Tamsui, Formosa, 1951-1953; Consul, Chiengmai, Siam, 1954-1958; retired from Foreign Service, 1958; died 1982.

4 files

Open, subject to signature of reader's undertaking form.

Copies made by the Centre from originals lent by the family in 1982. The three typescript articles relating to China were presented to the Centre by the family in 1982.

Summary guide entry on-line at http://www.kcl.ac.uk/iss/archives/cats/, and detailed catalogue available in hard copy in the Centre's reading room.

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, attention of the Director of Archive Services.

As China fell. The experiences of a British Consul's wife, 1946-1953 (Stockwell, Ilfracombe, 1976) by Dorothy Jacobs-Larkcom.