Tag Archives: Library

Diary entries which mention books and other publications read by Arthur Linfoot. See also Arthur Linfoot’s Library.

24 June 1917; Sunday

June 1917, ,

Up at 6.45. Kept busy all day. Finished about 4 o’clock and went to Y M with Lomax and Gus. Very good service and I stayed afterwards to the sing-song. Grand service and returned to billet. Lay awake until nearly midnight reading to finish up “At the Foot of the Rainbow”1 and finished it. The big German gun threw over 4 shells and then an aeroplane or two dropped 8 bombs. We got the wind up and went down craters for a few minutes. Returned again and slept well all day.

David Bywater† went down the line.

A new captain came to take over from Captain Johnson.

  1. At the Foot of the Rainbow is a 1907 novel by Gene Stratton-Porter, an early naturalist, nature photographer, and one of the first women to form a movie studio and production company, Gene Stratton-Porter Productions, Inc. See also At the Foot of the Rainbow and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩

30 May 1917; Wednesday

May 1917, ,

Up at 6.30. Very busy first thing. Did a bit French in the afternoon. Read a bit of Stacpoole’s novel1. Received another officer – R G A2. Fine onset†. Out at night with Dai Davies and Driver. We went to the concert hall where there was a lecture on Egypt by Bishop Gawain†. It was pretty interesting and the Army Group Commander was in the chair. An orchestra was in attendance and we sang two hymns. Sergeant Holmes went with us and when he saw the hymn books <he> came out again, and afterwards said it was a swindle advertising a lecture and then having hymns. Met an old Sheffield chap in a shop at night.

Shelled by big high velocity gun during the night and put the wind up many of us.

  1. “Stacpoole’s novel”: See footnote on 29 May, Stacpoole and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩

  2. R G A: Royal Garrison Artillery, the branch in which Ernie Linfoot was serving. ↩

29 May 1917; Tuesday

May 1917,

Up at 6.45. Not quite so warm. Usual work. Had short walk in the town in the afternoon. On at night. A new officer in with impetigo1. Did a little French and read a bit of Stacpoole’s2  Wilderness†3. Sergeant Powell and Steve Bott called and told of the shelling up the line. They had 60 cases through the dressing station last night. In at night and managed all right. Received another officer in my ward – a captain in the R A M C. Busy until nearly 11 o’clock.

  1. Impetigo: contagious skin disease, formerly quite common. ↩

  2. Stacpoole: If correct, could be either: Henry De Vere Stacpoole (1863 – 1951); a very popular and prolific Irish author; best-known for his novel “The Blue Lagoon” (adapted as films many times, most famously in 1980), or; HDVS’ eldest brother, William Henry Stacpoole (1846 – 1914); doctor of divinity, Dean of Kingstown school and also a published author. ↩

  3. “Wilderness”: The shorthand reading is probably not correct; no work with this or any similar title appears in any list of works by either Stacpoole. See also Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩

Stacpoole

The Blue LagoonOn 29 May 1917, Arthur Linfoot wrote that he had “read a bit of Stacpoole’s Wilderness”. He continued reading it on 30 May.

Stacpoole could be either Henry De Vere Stacpoole (1863 – 1951), a very popular and prolific Irish author best-known for his novel The Blue Lagoon (1908; adapted as films many times, most famously in 1980), or; HDVS’ eldest brother, William Henry Stacpoole (1846 – 1914), doctor of divinity, Dean of Kingstown1 school and also a published author.

No book entitled “Wilderness” appears in bibliographies of either Stacpoole although much of HDVS’ oeuvre (including The Blue Lagoon) takes wilderness as a theme, while WHS’ books are all science fiction. This may suggest that the book Arthur Linfoot was reading on this day was by Henry De Vere Stacpoole, although which of his books this was remains unclear.

  1. The Irish coastal town of Dún Laoghaire was known as Kingstown from 1821 to 1920. ↩

17 May 1917; Thursday

May 1917, , ,

Up at 6.30. Kept busy all day. My turn out. Went to the Merry Mauves. They did W W Jacobs’ story on The Monkey’s Paw1.

  1. W W Jacobs: very popular writer of short stories and novels. His best‐known short story, “The Monkey’s Paw”, had apparently been adapted for the stage by the Merry Mauves. ALL was already familiar with WW Jacobs’ work and had written about it on 8 June 1914. See also W. W. Jacobs and Arthur Linfoot’s Library ↩

26 April 1917; Thursday

April 1917, , , ,

Up shortly after 7 o’clock. Paraded at 9. Cleaning waggons until 12 o’clock. Sergeant-major ordered me over Baileul after dinner1. Gave me five minutes’ notice. Rode down in car with Bromley. A splendid place. Washed and cleaned up in the afternoon and then went to the concert. A very good concert. Good orchestra. First half turns and second half “dramatic fragments.” Looked up news at night, which spoke of heavy fighting. Went to bed late.

Will have to play my cards very carefully. Finished reading Villette2.

  1. “Baileul”: Baileul: ALL always omits one ‘l’ from ‘Bailleul’ in his longhand; the transcription follows this, but where he writes it in shorthand, ie phonetically, it is transcribed with the correct spelling. Bailleul (B), is 10km SSW of La Clyttte/Klijte (A). As usual “after dinner” means “after lunch”; the move to Bailleul would have been in the afternoon, not the evening. ↩

  2. Villette: Novel by Charlotte Brontë first mentioned by ALL on 9th April. See also Villette and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩

9 April 1917; Monday

Abridged, April 1917, , , ,

Up at 8 o’clock. Practically nothing to do all day. Wrote letter to Ernie. Received letter and parcel from home. Cold day and a few showers of snow. Read some of “Villette.”1 The man badly wounded in the arm2 died tonight. I felt a bit queer as is Captain Strickland.

Vimy Ridge captured by the British.

Sat at bay.

  1. Villette: a novel by Charlotte Brontë. See also Villette and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩

  2. “The man badly wounded in the arm”; possibly the unnamed man mentioned on 7 April as having a cut artery? ↩

16 March 1917; Friday

March 1917, , , ,

[This entry written on page for 15 March, “15” altered to “16”.]

Up at 6.30. Fell in at 9.15. Marched off with the band. Had good march and arrived at Lespesses1 about noon. Walked into St Hilaire at night2 with Bernard Stanton and spent a few minutes in a canteen. Returned home about 8 o’clock. Finished reading They & I by Jerome3. Billeted in an outhouse near a barn.

10 kilos.

  1. Lespesses (B): 10km N. of Pernes (A) and 4km W. of Lillers; Michelin square G4. ↩

  2. St Hilaire: St-Hilaire-Cottes (C), 1km NW. of Lespesses; also Michelin square G4. ↩

  3. They and I by Jerome K. Jerome, most famous for Three Men in a Boat, is apparently one of his lesser known works. It is a first person narrative concerning the remodelling of a house, and the interactions of the narrator with his children during this process. See also They and I and Arthur Linfoot’s library. ↩