Yearly Archives: 2018

20 December 1918; Friday

Up at 6.15 and on parade. Received parcel of shortbread from New Zealand1. Off at night and had walk with Harvey.


  1. ALL’s uncles, Charles Poulter Linfoot and his brother William Gaylard Linfoot, and their families, emigrated to New Zealand on 25 July 1912. The diaries record occasional correspondence with family in New Zealand, most frequently with Hilda Tate Linfoot, Daughter of Charles Poulter Linfoot and therefore ALL’s first cousin. Perhaps it was she who had sent the shortbread? 

16 December 1918; Monday

Up at 6 o’clock. On duty as usual. My turn on in the afternoon.

Received letter from Charlie telling me that he has had Malaria M. T.1 and is recovering. His letter is very wild and he has evidently been very ill and is still in a weak and nervous condition. Wrote to Ernie and home at once.


  1. “Malaria M. T.” presumably means Malignant Tertian Malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest species of Plasmodium, the cause of malaria in humans. 

The period covered by the centenary of Arthur Linfoot’s diaries has now ended and no further diary posts by Arthur Linfoot will appear here. The final post was for 31 December 1918. We thank our loyal readers for their interest. This site will remain as a permanent record. Additionally we are considering a limited print run of a book containing most of this site’s contents, supplemented with additional narrative and background information. If you would like to express an interest, without obligation on either side, please get in touch via our feedback page and leave your name and number of copies you may require. Further news will appear here early in 2019.

13 December 1918; Friday

Up shortly after 6 and on parade. Off in the afternoon. Did a little French. Received ballot paper1 and voted for Goldstone and Greenwood2. Off in the afternoon.

President Wilson arrived at Paris3.


  1. The 1918 general election was called immediately after the Armistice and was held on 14 December 1918. The count was delayed until 28 December so that the ballots cast by soldiers serving overseas could be included.  

  2. The candidates for Sunderland were Frank Goldstone (Labour), Hamar Greenwood (Liberal) and Ralph Milbanke Hudson (Unionist).  

  3. President Woodrow Wilson spent six months in Paris for the Peace Conference, and was the first U.S. president to travel to Europe while in office. He disembarked from the George Washington in Brest on December 13.