Father, Gertie, mother and I troubled with diarrhoea, Father in bed all day. I stayed in in the morning and washed my head. Used some hair tonic too. Went out as usual in the afternoon and at night. Fine day. Talked with Charlie about choir trip. Held meeting at night and decided to go to Durham instead of Richmond. Read a bit of Anna Karenina.
Yearly Archives: 2014
16 May 1914; Saturday
Got up at 6 o’clock and went down to Roker on bicycles with Alf. Beautiful day. Finished about 2 o’clock. Played the piano a bit. Had short walk with Father†. Went down to Roker after tea with Joe.
15 May 1914; Friday
Got up at 6 o’clock. Went with George Crawford to the Tunstall Hill<s>1 first thing and took some photos. Had walk at night. Got to know of disaster to aeroplanes which had passed over here2. Some of them wrecked at Northallerton and 2 men killed, Lieutenant Empson and Private Cudmore3 4 5.
Tunstall Hills is an area of open space in Sunderland, now both a Local Nature Reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest both for its geological and biological importance. The area consists of Green Hill and Rocky Hill and surrounding land. Locally these two hills have been also known as the Maidens Paps because of their shape. See also Sunderland map. ↩
Lieutenant Empson and Private Cudmore: these were Army ranks, not RAF, because the Royal Flying Corps remained a corps within the Army until it was transformed into the RAF in 1918. ↩
This page at the History Network appears to refer to the same incident, and names the dead men as Lieut. John Empson of the 4th Royal Fusiliers and Air-Mechanic George Cudmore of No. 2 Squadron Military Wing R.F.C. ↩
See also John Empson and George Cudmore, both at Grace’s Guide. ↩
14 May 1914; Thursday
Got up about 8 o’clock. Busy all day. Finished rather late. Saw Army Aeroplanes pass over town from Blyth to West Hartlepool. We saw 7 of them. There were 10 altogether. Had walk round new park1 with Charlie at night. Fine night.
“new park”: presumably the Barnes Park, from the new park’s proximity to Durham Road: see 5 December 1914 entry. Mentioned by name on 13 June 1915. ↩
13 May 1914; Wednesday
Got up about 7.30. Busy all day. George went away soon. A bit off form at night. Walked along to mill with Father and called in office to see if I had posted London Office letter. Went up to Trimdon Street1 last thing and called at the house of Burrells and engaged house at Bowes for our holidays. Had some trouble to find the place.
Trimdon Street, just S. of the northerly loop in the river Wear between Deptford and Ayres’ Quay, was, incidentally, where the Fenwicks lived – Jessie Thatcher/Linfoot’s cousins who went to California about 1912. ↩
12 May 1914; Tuesday
Got up about 7.30. Talked about taking a cottage for our holidays. Directors’ meeting. Edward and I had to go to the Board room to witness some documents. Went down to practice with Charlie. Played a bit and sang a bit. Decided that the choir trip would go to Richmond.
11 May 1914; Monday
Got up about 8 o’clock. Felt a bit off first thing. Lily paid a visit to our house in the afternoon. Not very well. Charlie sang at Williamson Terrace anniversary1. Mother and Gertie at the tea and I went over last thing. Read very little. Played a bit.
“Williamson Terrace”: north of the river, between North Bridge Street and Monkwearmouth (St. Peter’s) Saxon Church; probably a Methodist chapel there. ↩
10 May 1914; Sunday
Charlie off chapel and School all day. Lily at Chapel both morning and night. Had very short lesson at School. Walked out with Charlie, Jim Wilkinson and Willie Whittaker in the afternoon. Walked up Durham Road with Willie on Sunday night. Mr and Mrs Wiseman in after chapel. Father at Chapel in the morning. Fine day. Mr Best preaching, and preached particularly well in the morning. I read some “Anna Karenina.”
9 May 1914; Saturday
Got up about 8 o’clock. Wet morning. Busy all morning. Finished about 2 o’clock. Played the piano and shaved. Went across to Miss Keedy’s with Charlie and Charlie tried two songs over. Bought new tie and pair of new suspenders1. Went to town with Joe again at night. Went into Dale’s and Joe bought a stick. Lily came back home with Willie. They arrived about 9 o’clock. She is to stay at Whittakers’ until they are married.
Suspenders were to keep socks up – not braces for trousers, as in the American usage. ↩
8 May 1914; Friday
Got up 7.30. Busy all day. Finished about 5.30. Played a bit. Did some Pelman1. Had a walk. Wet stormy night. Charlie up all day. Willie went to meet Lily2.
Willie was William Wormold Marshall; Lily was Elizabeth Jane Linfoot, second of the six surviving daughters of ALL’s uncle, Charles Poulter Linfoot, who with his youngest brother William Gaylard Linfoot and their respective families had emigrated to New Zealand in July 1912 (a 7 weeks’ voyage in the 11,500-ton SS Remuera). Recent (2020) information from descendants in New Zealand reveals that Willie had gone to see Lily in New Zealand, probably in 1913, and Lily, by then aged 22, had travelled back alone for the marriage recorded in ALL’s diary on 10 June. The Remuera had sailed from London’s Albert Dock (a Mr & Mrs Gaylard of Worthing were among those seeing it off), so perhaps that is where “Willie went to meet Lily”.
See also Family page and all posts tagged Willie Marshall. ↩