Tag Archives: Holiday

Diary entries written during Arthur Linfoot’s holidays in Bowes (1914) and St Andrews (1915), before he joined the RAMC.

9 July 1915; Friday

Got up about 9 o’clock. Fine day. Walked round various places, including along the sands. Didn’t read quite so much. Went up the tower again in the afternoon but didn’t see the girl with the brown shoes and stockings1. Had walk over the links and back by the Great Bridge Road last thing.


  1. Possibly the same girl as ALL had met on the tower the previous day

8 July 1915; Thursday

Slept in. Went out about 9.30. Walked along pier and afterwards along the sands to the River Eden. In the afternoon went with Ernie down the subterranean tunnel and the bottle dungeon1 and up St Rule’s† Tower2. A girl spoke to us on the tower. Had a walk at night by myself while Hilda went to the pictures and Ernie minded Moira. Fine day again.


  1. The bottle dungeon is located in St Andrews Castle (A). 

  2. St Rule’s tower: St Rule’s tower (B) is located in the  grounds of St Andrews Cathedral but predates it. The tower was originally ascended using ladders between wooden floors, but a stone spiral staircase was inserted in the 18th century.

    See also St Andrews map

7 July 1915; Wednesday

Got up about 6 o’clock and went down to bathe. I went in but Ernie didn’t. Turned out a wild wet day. Read “Sky Pilot”1, had short walk in the morning, afternoon and at night with Hilda and Moira. Read a bit of Gardiner’s Prophets, Priests & Kings2. Went to pictures at night with Ernie and saw Charlie Chaplin amongst other pictures.


  1. “Sky Pilot”: probably the frontier adventure novel, The Sky Pilot, publ. 1899, by Ralph Connor, nom de plume of Rev. Dr. Charles William Gordon, 1860 – 1937, leader in Presbyterian then United Churches in Canada. ’Sky pilot’ was also Forces slang for ‘padre.’ See also The Sky Pilot and Arthur Linfoot’s Library

  2. Prophets, Priests & Kings”: collection of short biographies, publ. 1908, by Alfred George Gardiner, 1865 – 1946, who also wrote “Pillars of Society”; and “The War Lords”, publ. June 1915, comprising 20 short biographical essays on kings, emperors, politicians, generals & admirals of some 10 combatant nations. See also Prophets, Priests and Kings and Arthur Linfoot’s Library

6 July 1915; Tuesday

Slept in and didn’t get up until after 8 o’clock. Walked along Kil Kel [sic] Braes1 in the morning and read Mr McKenna2 on the new War Loan. Spent the afternoon on the sea front and read a bit of Everyman3. Bought a teddy bear for Moira and some other presents for home. Met Ernie at night and spent the night with the photographs.


  1. See footnote on 29 June

  2. See footnote on 22 June

  3. Everyman: See Everyman and Arthur Linfoot’s Library

5 July 1915; Monday

Got up about 6 o’clock and went for a bathe. Grand day again. Went along Kil-­Kel [sic] Braes1 in the morning and read Poison Island by Quiller-­Couch 2. Went down to the beach in the afternoon and listened to the pierrots a minute or two. Bought a doll for Dorothy. Walked round sea front at night with Ernie.


  1. See footnote on 29 June

  2. “Quiller-­Couch”: Arthur Quiller-­Couch, 1863 – 1944, Kt. 1910, Professor of English, Cambridge, 1912; edited ‘Oxford Books of ’: English Verse; English Prose; Ballads; Victorian Verse. Nom de plume “Q”. See also Poison Island and Arthur Linfoot’s Library

4 July 1915; Sunday

Finished reading She1. Went to the Baptist chapel in the morning with Ernie. Walked along the golf links in the afternoon. Aggie Froxon and Alec Anderson to tea. Ernie said we were going to Hope Street church2, but we went on to the sea front. Grand night.


  1. See She and Arthur Linfoot’s Library

  2. Hope Street church: no church by this name now exists, but there is a Hope Park and Martyrs church in St Andrew’s, at the intersection of St. Mary’s Place and Hope Street. See also St Andrews map

2 July 1915; Friday

Resting so didn’t get a bathe. Up about 9 o’clock. British torpedo destroyer “Lightning”1 damaged by mine or submarine. Walked round by Mount Melville 2 in the afternoon. Had walk with Ernie at night.


  1. HMS Lightning was a Janus class destroyer of the British Royal Navy, later designated an A-class destroyer, built by Palmers (itself the principal target of the Zeppelin raid recorded on 15 June) and launched in 1895. She was sunk by a mine laid by submarine UC-1 on 30 June. 

  2. Mount Melville Estate, now Craigtoun Country Park. See also St Andrews map

1 July 1915; Thursday

Got up shortly after 6 o‘clock and went down for a bathe. Walked round town in the morning and down to the sea side. Read some of Omar1 and a bit from “Everyman.”2 Ernie off in the afternoon. * took some photos and developed them. Smashed a lamp and had some trouble and fuss. Walked out last thing with Ernie.


  1. Omar Khayyám; see note on 29 June, Omar Khayyám and Arthur Linfoot’s Library

  2. Everyman: see Everyman and Arthur Linfoot’s Library