Tag Archives: Leishman

Corporal John Leishman of the RAMC (service number 73063) was a colleague whom Arthur Linfoot met while at Sheffield and with whom he remained in occasional contact. His name and address is recorded in two of the diaries, 1916 and 1918, and is crossed out in the latter, perhaps indicating that he had died?

27 May 1916; Saturday

May 1916, , ,

On parade in the morning as usual. Went to Inwoods’ after dinner and missed train through being late. Went by bus to Hallam Gate1 and walked to Wharncliffe Cross. Fine day but thundery at tea time, but we had splendid day and walked back. Played games and asked conundrums on the way back. Leishman and I went for bread and had some cakes given to us. Stayed until late. Had grand day out.

Leishman put off the draft.

  1. ALL’s last “grand day out” before his departure to France was “splendid”, and sounds like a comparatively rural walk, so it would be nice to trace it exactly; but it’s difficult. Leishman and ALL (and who else?) must have gone first from the Hillsborough Barracks to the Inwoods’ house, in Broughton St, Hillsborough. Then they “missed train” (or “missed Brian”? but no Brian is named anywhere in the Diary); the nearest rail stations were at Parkwood and Wadsley Bridge, on the line between Sheffield and Penistone, to the NW. So they got a bus; to the same intended destination? The Diary seems to say ‘to Hallam Gate’ (though ‘Gate’ isn’t certain). There was a Hallam Gate Road and a big Hallam Gate house in the Crookes district, 1½ miles due W of the city centre, but ‘Wharncliffe’ names occur out of the city, NW from Hillsborough, so it would be illogical to get a bus to Hallam Gate Road to start walking there. The location of Wharncliffe Cross itself has not been traced, but one’s best guess is that it might be at or near Wharncliffe Wood, NE of Oughtibridge (A6102, 5 miles NW of Sheffield), about 3-4 miles for the walk back to Broughton Street or the barracks. ↩

20 May 1916; Saturday

May 1916, , ,

On Main Gate Guard from 9.15. Managed pretty well. Had a lot to do at night especially. Leishman helped me through and I put on the guard room clock at 2 o’clock1.

Daylight Saving Bill came into force at midnight2.

  1. See note below re daylight saving. “I put on the guard room clock” presumably means “I advanced the guard room clock by one hour.” 2 A.M. was the time at which the hour officially changed. ↩

  2. Daylight saving time was introduced in Britain by the Summer Time Act 1916 and was implemented in 1916 as GMT plus one hour and Dublin Mean Time plus one hour (Dublin time was 25 minutes behind London at this time). For 1916, DST extended from 21 May to 1 October. ↩

13 May 1916; Saturday

May 1916, , , , , ,

On parade in the morning. Fine afternoon. Went for walk with Leishman. Walked up from Nether Green car1 to Wyming Valley and back by Rivelin Valley2. Grand walk and grand day. Had tea in Hudson’s café and returned to barracks about 8 o’clock. Commenced letter to Betty.

Received letter from Ernie saying he has joined R.G.A. 3 and leaves Sunderland for Great Yarmouth on Tuesday next.

Leishman4 told me all about dissecting bodies.

  1. “Car”: means tram-car, as usual. ↩

  2. Nether Green (A on the map) is c. 2½ miles WSW of Sheffield city centre, on the Fulwood Road. Wyming Brook (B on the map) is a river which flows from Redmires Reservoirs near the Hallam Moors in a northeasterly direction down quite steep terrain into the lower of the Rivelin Dams. The River Rivelin rises on the Hallam moors and joins the River Loxley at Malin Bridge (D on the map). The Rivelin Valley (C on the map) is a three and a half mile long woodland valley which now includes the popular Rivelin Valley Nature Trail, created in 1967. See also Sheffield map. ↩

  3. “R.G.A.”: See 12 May 1916. ↩

  4. Corporal John Leishman (service number 73063) may have had some medical-technician occupation; as with some other comrades, ALL remained in occasional touch with him when no longer in the same unit. ↩