Went to the Royalty Church in the morning. Nice church, good music and pretty good sermon. At Sunday School in the afternoon and had 3 classes. At North Bridge Street at night to hear Penitence, P[ardon] & Peace1. Miss Brackwill took the soprano and Tom Leyden the baritone solos. Billy Marshall and Billy Whittaker with me and Charlie in the choir. Had usual walks. Rather wild weather and some snow. The Falaba2 torpedoed and over 100 lives lost.
“Penitence, Pardon & Peace”: oratorio by John Henry Maunder (1858-1920), organist in Sydenham and Forest Hill; better known for oratorio “Olivet to Calvary.” ↩
RMS Falaba was the first passenger ship torpedoed in WW1, and an American engineer L C Thrasher was among the 104 lives lost, causing an international incident as the Kaiser had declared British waters a war zone as recently as 18 February; but Falaba was carrying explosives, which duly exploded. The submarine was U28. Location probably S. of Ireland, as Thrasher’s body is said to have been found after the Lusitania sinking. ↩