Tag Archives: Leave

Diary entries written by Arthur Linfoot both in anticipation of and during periods of leave.

4 April 1916; Tuesday

April 1916, , , ,

Lay in late. Went down to see Ernie. Out with Mother and over the water1 to see the damage done by the Zeppelin raid2. Out late in afternoon. Called at Whittakers3. Called for Ernie at night. Went over with him to Whitburn later. Had photo taken at Eccles’† in Holmeside4.

  1. “over the water”: phrase commonly used by ALL and his contemporaries (usually rendered as “ower the watter”) for “across the Wear to north Sunderland”; nothing to do with the Jacobites’ “King over the water”.  ↩

  2. “Zeppelin raid”: Presumably the raid on Sunderland of 1 April noted in that day’s diary entry. ↩

  3. “Called at Whittakers”: Willie Whittaker‘s family. Willie might not have been there, having enlisted in November 1915, although he was present a few days later. ↩

  4. Holmeside was (and remains) a shopping street in the middle of Sunderland. Perhaps “Eccles” was a commercial photographer? ↩

3 April 1916; Monday

April 1916, ,

A lot of parading with the draft. Route march in the afternoon and we lay down a long time while the band played. Received orders to put in passes in the afternoon. Received them back at night. Borrowed 5/-­ off Bennett. Wired home. Got the 8.33. Delayed at York. Arrived about 2 o’clock at home. Watson and I travelled to Sunderland together.

Home on Final Leave.

30 March 1916; Thursday

March 1916, ,

Turned out at 7 o’clock parade and left it early after reporting Jackson sick. On parade at 9, 10.30 as usual and went to be medically examined at 11.30 in the orderly room. Both Captain McGlashan and another officer along with Lieutenant Johnson examined me. Got leave off route march in the afternoon and dusted. Tea brought along with Jackson. Arm pretty painful. Rumours current about final leave and Holden told me we would probably get it.

Got to know definitely that I’m on the draft.

In soldiers’ home at night. Wrote up diary.

20 February 1916; Sunday

February 1916, , , , , , ,

Got up late. At chapel late with Father in the morning. Went with Ernie at night and sat in Tulips’pew. Went down in the car and saw Gertie in it. Called at Grandmother’s in the afternoon and saw her, Aunt Esther and Uncle Jack. Spoke to a few chapel friends. Ernie and Hilda and Moira to dinner and tea and we had two chickens and pork for dinner. Played piano a bit. Sent postcard to Betty.

At Home.

Ernie’s finger better, Father’s not much. I got out a spelk1. Shook hands with Father.

  1. “Spelk” is/was a dialect word meaning “splinter”. Spelks were a common hazard for timber workers – ALL said his father normally left them in until they festered, when the spelk could be got out more easily; he said this did no harm, because he had “good blood” – but maybe not this time. ↩

19 February 1916; Saturday

February 1916, , , ,

On fatigue with Ted† Copeland in the morning. Left off the job at 11 o’clock and got dressed. Got 12.8 train from Alnwick and arrived home shortly before 3 o’clock. Went down for Ernie at the shop1 with Joe. Called at Wiseman’s and then went over to Ernie’s nice house and saw Hilda and had tea. Called for Ernie at night again. Had walk out with Father, Joe and Ernie last thing. Went to bed late.

Weekend at Home.

Father got bad finger and Ernie too.

  1. “… at the shop”: presumably Hills’; see 21 January. ↩

18 February 1916; Friday

February 1916, , , , , ,

Received letter from Betty in reply to mine1. Wrote acknowledgement and said that I would be travelling through Morpeth. Out in the town at night and got one or two things. A bottle of scent for Gertie and a brooch for Dorothy.

  1. ALL wrote his letter to Miss Mack on the 15th February and received a reply from Betty on the 18th. ALL continues to use Miss Mack’s first name only from this point on. ↩