Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Letter |
Title |
Lincoln Frederick Armstrong - Correspondence |
Creator |
Armstong, Lincoln Frederick (1893-1918) |
Description |
Lincoln Frederick (Linc / Link) Armstrong (1893-1918) - Correspondence Canterbury Mounted Rifles 7/1184 (6th Reinforcements) Letter from: Kings Own Avenue [Gallipoli] Address to: My dear people [Digitisation courtesy of Christchurch City Libraries. Transcription by Annabel Armstrong-Clarke. Please Note: Some letters contain language and terminology that reflect the attitudes and beliefs of its time. Some expressions may be considered offensive, racist, or inappropriate by today's standards. They have been preserved in their original form to maintain the historical integrity of the record. We acknowledge the impact such language can have and encourage readers to approach this material with critical awareness of the social and cultural context in which it was created.Letters transcribed as written and include punctuation and spelling errors.] Transcript: The only thing we are short of is matches, we have everything else in plenty. I am short of a scarf. Vern took mine. Kings Own Avenue 6/12/15 My Dear People, Since last writing to you we have been shifted up to the firing line. We had a very sudden move, much sooner than we expected, and have now been up here for nearly a fortnight. The first night we were up here, I will never forget, because I was on duty, and in the middle of the night, it started to snow (only a shame how it did snow too) and grew bitterly cold. I thought that if trench life is all like this, it is no good to me, as I wouldn't be able to stand too much of it. However in a way it was a good job we got a little bit of it, as it taught us what we may have to go through later on, and what we would have to be prepared for. Since then the weather has been almost perfect, and we are beginning to think that trench life is not half as bad as it is painted. We get very good tucker and as much as we Page 2 want of it. Our cooks are up here with us, so instead of having to do all our own cooking as I thought we would, we have it nearly all cooked for us. When in the trenches at night time, we have hot tea brought round to us twice a night, so considering circumstances we are living very high. I have not heard of Vern since he went to the hospital, but Tom McGuire, was down on the beach the day he went away, and said that he thought they would take him to Lemnos Island. He just missed the rough weather. Things here would do me right down to the ground, if I only got a little bit more in the mail line, because since leaving Egypt I have only received one letter and a parcel, and that from Win. Justin was down on the beach, getting stores the other day when he ran across Ditely who he says is looking very fit, and is just the same old doer. All the Akaroa boys are hanging out well and all seem to Page 3 be in the best of spirits. In Win's letter, she mentioned that Bert had given up his business and was taking up a milking run, well, I think he will find it a big change, and I am not picking him to hang out very long at it. He surely must have seen a good thing in it and taken it on as a bit of a spree. Some of the chaps here have been getting Akaroa Mails sent to them lately, and of course they go right round, so we get a little bit of Akaroa news from them. In them I have noticed a good few letters from some of the Akaroa boys at the front, well I only hope that I won't see any of mine in them, because I know they don't read very well, and I would much rather they were kept out. We have struck a fairly quiet post up here, as there doesn't seem to be much doing and very few of our chaps have been hurt yet. The worst part of the game is Page 4 the fatigue work, running round after stores and water, but of course everyone gets his share of that, so it doesn't come round very often. By jove, a mail has just arrived, and I have at last received 7 letters: Mother 2, Lorna, Father, Ida, Frank, with which I am delighted, as they are the first since we landed on the Peninsula. I am looking forward to my Christmas mail, especially all those cakes and parcels. Lorna mentioned something about photos and chocolate, which I have not yet seen, my first mails seem to have gone astray altogether. Well my dear people Maurice, Owie & I have to go down to the beach for stores so I must be ringing off. Don't worry about me, as I am in the best of health and am very cheerful, in fact everything in the garden is absolutely grand. xx. We have every comfort. Your loving son, Link |
People |
Armstrong, Lincoln F. K. (Link) Armstrong, Robert Vernon "Vern" Armstrong, George (jun.) Armstrong, Mary nee Gray (Mrs George jnr) Armstrong, Mary Angela Winifred (Win) Armstrong, Bert Armstrong, Francis Gray (Frank) Lelievre, Maurice James "Chum" Lelievre, Justin George McGuire, T. Ferris, Tpr Owen Ernest Oscar |
Search Terms |
Akaroa Mail Gallipoli |
Subjects |
Letters World War I Soldiers Military mobilizations |
Provenance |
Armstrong family archives. Gift of Jan Shuttleworth and the Armstrong family |
Web Rights |
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/ |
Collection |
Armstrong Family Archive |
Catalog Number |
2025.20.86 |
Credit line |
Gift of Jan Shuttleworth and the Armstrong family |