80 degrees in the shade by MP Sir William Allan (The Gateshead Giant) 1896

ALLAN, Sir William (1837-1903). Autograph manuscript poem signed: "80° In the Shade!"
 
House of Commons embossed writing paper, dated 16 June 1896. Single sheet, written on one side signed and dated 16 June 1896. Light age toning and minor marks, otherwise very good.
 
An autograph manuscript poem in the hand of the Scottish engineer, industrialist and Liberal MP for Gateshead, Sir William Allan (1837-1903), popularly known as "The Gateshead Giant". Written during the exceptionally warm summer of 1896, Allan pens a light-hearted verse lamenting the oppressive heat:
 
"80° In the Shade!
I melt with the sweat of the heat!
I melt when I walk on the street!
I melt from the head to the feet!
Oh! Heat! Heat! Heat!"
 
He signs the poem, "Yours meltingly," before adding his bold parliamentary signature.
 
Allan, a successful engineer before entering Parliament as Liberal MP for Gateshead in 1893, was one of the most physically imposing figures in the House of Commons, earning the nickname "The Gateshead Giant" and being immortalised by Vanity Fair in 1893 under that title.