Buchanan, Archibald John (Lance Corporal, b.1892 - d.1915)

Collection relating to the First World War service of 268 Lance Corporal Archibald John "Arch" Buchanan, 2nd Battalion, Australian Imperial Force, 1915.

The collection consists of a four-page letter Buchanan wrote to his young cousin, William "Jack" Buchanan, from Mena Camp in Egypt on 26 March 1915. As a 22-year-old chauffeur from Mosman, Sydney, Arch Buchanan had joined the Australian Imperial Force on 20 August 1914. He was allocated to C Company of the 2nd Battalion and embarked for overseas aboard HMAT Suffolk in October.

In the letter, Buchanan thanks Jack for sending him a photograph, which "often reminds me of the good times you & I used to have together in Australia." He then discusses the battalion’s recent annual sports meeting. Despite "being on Police duty all afternoon", Buchanan writes that he still managed to enter the 220- and 440-yard races, winning the latter for which he received 50 Egyptian piastres. He also discusses a recent prank played on local Egyptian men by some of the Australians. Every time a local man came near, he "was caught and put on [a] blanket, all the boys would give a heave together and the Arab would fly up in the air arms & legs spread out, and fall back on the blanket to be tossed up again."

Buchanan was killed in action at Gallipoli on 2 May 1915, less than six weeks after he wrote the letter to Jack.