RESULT OF NORTH-WEST DURHAM ELECTION.
GREAT LIBERAL VICTORY.
MR A. WILLIAMS HANDSOMELY BEATS BOTH UNIONIST AND LABOUR.
CANDIDATES
MR ANEURIN WILLIAMS (L).
MR J. O. HARDICKER (U).
Mr G. H. STUART (Lab.).
Last Liberal majority, 4,171.
Continue reading North-Eastern Daily Gazette 31 January 1914
Got up about 8 o’clock. Busy all day. Mr Deakin found some buff copies in the waiting room which had been put there accidentally a night before through a row with the lads. It nearly ended in a row between George and me1. Finished in good time. Called for Willie and went to the organ. Got on pretty well. By-election in N.W. Durham Division. The Liberal, Mr Aneurin Williams returned2.
George: probably George Crawford, colleague at Hendon Paper Works from before 1914 to the 1950’s; his only son Geoffrey was lost in the evacuee ship City of Benares, torpedoed 17.09.1940 in the Atlantic. ↩
The North West Durham by-election of 30 January 1914 was triggered by the resignation of Llewellyn Atherley-Jones, Liberal. Aneurin Williams, also Liberal, was returned with a reduced majority after the Labour party fielded a candidate for the first time. ↩
Got up about 7.45. Drilled a bit. Fine morning. Busy all day. Finished in good time. Called for Willie and went to Bethany1. Only a few there. German funny man. Natty played as usual. Beresford, Reg Davis and Miss Brown sang, not so badly. Father in low spirits all day. Sat up until after 12 talking. Labour Leaders of South African Strike2 deported about this time.
Got up about 8 o’clock. Rather dull. Fine cold day. Had a bit toothache. Finished in good time at night. Went down to class meeting at night1. Received club money and banked £1. Talked to Charlie, Willie, Jim Wilkinson2 and Blaikie after the choir practice. Went to bed about 11.30.
The “class meeting”: the regular congregation at Chapel were allocated to ‘classes’ which met at intervals, generally mid-week, for prayer and discussion. Each class had a respected ‘leader’ who was expected to exercise some level of general pastoral care. ↩
Jim Wilkinson: not identified, but possibly a relative of Mother (née Wilkinson.) ↩
Got up about 9.50. Too late for chapel. Looked up lesson. Went to Sunday School as usual. Got on pretty well. Chapel at night. Mr Chadwick preached. Very good sermon. The 5 towns1. Cornet solo “Lost Chord”2. Sang the anthem and a man sang a solo. Very windy. Joe’s hat and mine blew off in Amberley Street3. Hilda 4 to tea. Mr & Mrs Carney here. Joe got reply to an application.
The Cities of the Plain (Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim and Bela or Zoar), or the Five Towns of the English Potteries? ↩
“[The] Lost Chord”: very popular song by Sir Arthur Sullivan, of Gilbert & Sullivan fame. ↩
Amberley Street: between White House Road and Mowbray Road, parallel with Salem Street. ↩
Got up about 8 o’clock. Finished work about 2 o’clock. Hurried up with Father to see Dr Robinson and he was pretty reasonable1. Went to the Picture House [Picture House written beneath] and saw some decent pictures. We were in the 3d2. seats. Hurried up to Trinity3 and heard a good lecture on Zoroastrianism. Went to Roker with Willie. Finished off with a midnight meeting at the chapel and I played. Midnight Meeting. Joe Speed led and Blaikie and Dick sang. Nearly all the people drunk.
Dr Robinson was presumably advising (but which side?) about the workplace accident. Other names not identified. ↩
“3d.” is three old pence = 1¼p. For the post-decimalisation generations: there were 12d. to the shilling (s.), and 20s. to the £; thus 6d. = 2½p., 1s. = 5p., 2s. 6d. (written 2/6) = 12½p., 10/-‐ = 50p., 15/6 = 77½p., 30/-‐ = £1.50 etc. Decimal equivalents are not generally given hereinafter. ↩
Trinity: see note on 10 January. ↩