Horniman, Robert Geoffrey, MC (Captain)

Collection relating to service of Captain Robert Geoffrey Horniman, MC, 4 Battalion AIF, Egypt, Gallipoli, France, England, Belgium, 1915-1919. Collection includes original letters written by Captain Horniman to various members of his family.

This collection consists of letters written by Captain Robert Geoffrey Horniman to various members of his family in Australia, and to his brother Lieutenant Lancelot Vicary Horniman who was serving with the 55th Battalion AIF. The letters clearly show Captain Horniman's great affection for his family, and his special attachment to his older sister Jessie and his brother Lance. His unwavering sense of duty, and his utter conviction of the justness of the what he termed "the great cause" is apparent throughout his correspondence. His letters display a touching respect and sympathy for the civilian victims of the war, particularly the French people and mothers who had lost sons, and a great admiration for British people in general. He writes passionately about his experiences in the winter of 1916-1917 on the Somme, which he describes as "one huge slaughter yard...the real Hell."