Groves' Military Collection

 

John Percy Groves, the first Chief Librarian of the Priaulx Library, was also a career military man, a commissioned officer in both the 67th foot and the 27th Inniskillins and appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the Guernsey Militia.

His interest in the military extended to books; his personal collection of militaria was given to the library on his death and continues to be maintained and added to by the librarians.

The collection includes Regimental Histories, of a number of which he was himself the author, military and naval biographies and a large and growing collection on the first and second world wars.

The collection can be searched on the library catalogue.

J. Percy Groves was a successful writer, particularly of "Boys' Own"-style short stories and novels; he also produced a definitive history of the Guernsey Militia and created a series of exquisite watercolours of militia uniforms which has never been published and which can be viewed upon request.