Up at usual time. Medicine† tent squared out. Fine day. Lots of rumours about the future. Wrote letter to Charlie.
Tag Archives: Charlie
1 January 1917; Monday
Up at 7 o’clock, on duty as usual in the hospital. Finished after dinner and went up to Y M. Wrote two letters, one to Ernie and one to Charlie. Stayed to tea. Came down and received a letter from home. Heard that we are moving this weekend. Went to the concert of the †Shower Shifters†1 and it was not up to much.
Transcription doubtful; no concert party of this name identified. ↩
27 October 1916; Friday
Up about 7 o’clock. Helped officers’ servants by washing up breakfast things. Wrote letters to Ernie and Charlie. Wet day again. Received letter from Hilda Linfoot1.
Hilda Linfoot: believed to be Hilda Tate Linfoot, ALL’s cousin, daughter of Charles Poulter Linfoot, who with his brother William Gaylard Linfoot and their families emigrated to New Zealand on 25 July 1912. Hilda had sent ALL a birthday card in January 1914 (Diary, 31 January 1914). Very little other communication is recorded until now, but the Diary mentions further letters in 1917 and 1918, and Hilda’s address in Auckland is noted in ALL’s 1917 Diary. Hilda was a younger sister of Lily Linfoot, who married Willie Marshall; see 10 June 1914. See also Family page and Hilda disambiguation page. ↩
26 October 1916; Thursday
Had practice going all day. Received news of big French successes at Verdun1 and also that we captured 200 Germans in a counter-attack up here. Read a good bit and got into bed in good time. Pretty cold and wet. Received letter from Charlie and papers from home.
Verdun was a key point in France’s defence system, very strongly fortified, 100km E of Reims. French defeat there would have had great strategic and symbolic significance to both France and Germany. The prolonged siege took a heavy toll on French manpower, significantly influencing Allied strategy. See Battle of Verdun (Fourth Phase, 20 October – 2 November) at Wikipedia. ↩
13 August 1916; Sunday
Lazy first thing and not very fit. Church parade at 9 o’clock in the “dining hall”. Nice little service. First time under cover since I left Rouen. Received another parcel from home and a letter from Charlie enclosing photographs of himself on a camel. Had walk at night. Beautiful weather.
18 July 1916; Tuesday
Up at 7 o’clock. Received orders to stand by again. Received parcel from home, letter from Charlie, letter from Green and the British Weekly. Wrote home. Walked round village at night. Some rain. Watched the rats playing about the barn roof.
15 July 1916; Saturday
Called up at 6 o’clock. Had breakfast shortly before 8 and was relieved then. Wrote letter to Joe and one to Charlie. Went on at 12 o’clock. Was relieved shortly before 2 o’clock. Just beginning dinner when we received orders to go to our billet and pack our kit. Packed kit in 20 minutes and paraded by the A.S.C. park. Had tea and waited. Received orders to go back to the billet and wait there. Beautiful afternoon. Wrote to Ernie. Turned in at the usual time.
13 March 1916; Monday
On fatigue as usual. A bit question about lecture in the afternoon. Wrote to Charlie at night. In the orderly room with Metgrave in Soulsby’s place. News received of a large party of men coming into the camp.
4 March 1916; Saturday
17 January 1916; Monday
On parade in the morning. Funeral of Sergeant Bell in the afternoon. Firing party, band and full procession. Had walk at night with Black. Met his girl and her sister and talked a bit. Walked up the road a bit and talked over marriage and girls generally.
Sgt. Bell’s funeral.
My 26th Birthday. Received cakes from home and * [?money] from Charlie.