Coming Soon

Diary

Arthur L. Linfoot (ALL), who volunteered for the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1915, left diaries comprising an entry for every day from 1 January 1914 to 31 December 1918. Starting from 1 January 2014, each diary entry will appear in this blog on the evening of the day 100 years exactly after the day to which it refers.

Arthur Linfoot Diaries

9 thoughts on “Coming Soon”

  1. I have enjoyed reading books, and looking into the history of ww1.
    This was a transforming time for the world,and reading personal diaries of the time just
    speaks to everyone in an individual way that history prose never can.
    And as a Sunderland lad from Hendon it paints a vivid picture of a time when a simple way of life was still being lived. Thankyou so much Arthur Linfoot. I salute you.

  2. Thanks for sharing this. This is great social history. Being a shorthand writer myself, and it took me two years to become a proficient reader and writer of the system, I admire your efforts to learn Pitmans in order to translate the diary. This is definitely daily reading for me.

  3. Thanks. Historian of shellshock in the CEF. Not wishing to steal your blogging thunder nor this RAMC ranker’s 1915 to 1918 services do you know if he was ever directly involved in treating, caring for, evacuating, guarding, escorting, accompanying, engaging in recreational activities for etc… shellshock soldiers/patients during 1915 to 1918 and/or AFTER 1918? Did he leave any personal memoir literature of any kind after December 1918? Did he ever work DIRECTLY with Canadians or the CEF? Specialize in Canada and World War from diverse aspects as well.
    Lovely idea and great find. Also can you please furnish a short history of the origins, provenance (just found your blog and this may already be posted on it under the man’s name of course) of these detailed diaries?
    Tx again so much,
    John
    Toronto
    Canada

    1. Hi John,

      Two books that might interest you regarding shellshock in general during the Great War are:

      Forgotten Lunatics of the Great War by Peter Barham, Yale University Press, and
      Spike Island – The Memory of a Military Hospital (i.e. RVH Netley)

      Neither book references the CEF directly but might provide you with some more insight into the condition in general. I will go through the books I have and let you know if I do find specific information re Canadians.

      David Jeffreys, Aylmer, Ontario, Canada

  4. Thanks for sharing this – a brilliant idea of publishing via blog. Like other readers have said it’s as if the man is speaking.
    Lovely and simplistically written, an overview of a bygone age but you know what’s to come.
    Will be reading every day….

  5. thanks for making the Linfoot Diary available. Nothing is more vital and interesting than firsthand accounts, written at the time, by the men who were there at the Event. I will be reading it every day.

  7. can’t wait for more information on the old Hendon soldier he may have known my
    grandad who was from old Hendon and was fighting in yhpers in belguim

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