Scott, Percy Hamilton (Corporal, b.1874 - d.1942)

Collection relating to the First World War service of 5366 Corporal Percy Hamilton Scott, 1st Australian General Hospital and Convalescent Depot, 15th Field Ambulance, 1915-1919.

The collection consists of 15 letters Scott wrote between November 1915 and July 1919, during his service with the Australian Imperial Force. All but one of the letters were to Scott's niece, Peggy. The first was written aboard a hospital ship while Scott was posted to the 1st Australian General Hospital and Convalescent Depot in 1915, helping to transport wounded men back to Australia. Scott discusses the voyage to and from the war fronts, the unloading of a gun at Cape Verde, the troopship's destroyer escort, and his 13-hour workdays.

The subsequent letters to Peggy were written while Scott was serving with the 15th Australian Field Ambulance in Egypt, France and Belgium between June 1916 and December 1918. He writes of his distaste of the Egyptian desert, the ruinous state of villages in the north of France, the strict censorship restrictions, and the sound of artillery fire. He also remarks on 1916 rumours that Germany and Austria have few reinforcements remaining, the news of Romania and Greece joining the war effort, and of his work at and behind the frontlines. The letters similarly mention Scott's enjoyment of the picture shows and open-air concerts held for the soldiers, as well as his admiration for fighter pilots and airmen, who he often sees flying reconnaissance missions or engaging in dogfights over the trenches. The final letter to Peggy was written a month after the armistice, in which Scott discusses the gratitude shown towards the soldiers by some of the local civilians, the severe effects of the war on French dairy farms, and the treatment French civilians while under German occupation.

The collection also includes a letter to Scott's sister, written during his voyage back to Tasmania. He writes of enjoying leave in Cape Town, discusses the social restrictions placed on black South Africans, and mentions both the Spanish flu pandemic and the 1919 dock strikes in Australia. Also with the collection is Scott's Certificate of Discharge.