| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | RCDIG0001546 |
| Collection number | 1DRL/0213 |
| Collection type | Digitised Collection |
| Record type | File |
| Item count | 1 |
| Object type | Letter |
| Physical description | 106 Image/s captured |
| Maker |
Australian War Memorial Cornell, Osborn |
| Place made | At sea, Australia, France, Greece: Aegean Islands, Lemnos, United Kingdom: England |
| Date made | 1914-1918; 1928 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
Letters from Osborn Cornell to his family, 1914-1918
Description
Letters relating to the First World War service of 5 Private Osborn Cornell, 3rd Australian Machine Gun Battalion. Having enlisted shortly after the war broke out, Cornell’s letters begin on 23 October 1914 with his description of the troopship voyage to Egypt aboard HMAT Wiltshire. A pharmaceutical chemist by trade, he then joins the 2nd Australian Field Ambulance at Gallipoli as a dispenser. The letters do not cover the period of his service at Gallipoli, resuming in early December after he is evacuated to Lemnos. In further letters he details his service in 1916 with the 3rd Australian General Hospital at Abbassia in Egypt and later Brighton in England. After returning home to Australia in early 1917, Cornell voluntarily enlisted again, this time with the 10th Machine Gun Company (3rd Machine Gun Battalion). Having previously served as a staff sergeant, he opted this time to serve with the rank of private. Cornell’s letters detail his time in Seymour Camp and his subsequent troopship voyage back to England in late 1917. Arriving in early February 1918, he describes his time in camp at Codford and then Grantham, before leaving for France in early June 1918. The final letter is dated 5 August 1918 while Cornell is fighting in France. He would be killed in action five days later near Proyart.
This collection of letters is notable for its mention of music, concerts and the songs performed, such as “Wake Up Australia!” and “I know where I’m goin’.” Cornell mentions the presence of pianos at the front and divisional pantomime shows. He also describes the lice the men encountered, the food, and a fox they took with them as a mascot.
These photostat copies were made by the Australian War Memorial in 1928. The locations of the original letters are unknown.