At work as usual. Fine day. Mr Aitken away. Busy all day. Wrote and played a bit at night. Went out last thing with posser†1 to Tom Potter.
“Posser”: transcription doubtful; if correct, it would mean “poss-stick”, for washing clothes. ↩
Monthly Archives: April 2015
20 April 1915; Tuesday
19 April 1915; Monday
At work as usual. Busy all day. Played a bit and did some shorthand1 from Macaulay’s essay on Milton2. Had short walk last thing. Another rumoured air raid.
7th Durhams gone away to France.
See Pitman’s Shorthand. ↩
Macaulay’s essay: See note on 29 March, Critical and Historical Essays and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩
18 April 1915; Sunday
At chapel and Sunday School as usual. Played organ in the chapel in the afternoon, and managed rather badly. Had usual walks. A boy sang at night, and a lady, and Charlie sang in the anthem. Both the other turns were off. Fine night.
Submarine E 15 lost in Dardanelles1.
On 16 April 1915 E15 sailed from her base at Moudros and attempted to break through the Dardanelles to the Sea of Marmara. Early in the morning of 17 April, the submarine, having dived too deep and become caught in the current, ran aground some ten miles (16 km) in near Kepez Point directly under the guns of Fort Dardanus. E15 was (after some difficulty) eventually sunk by allied forces in order to ensure that she did not fall into enemy hands. ↩
17 April 1915; Saturday
At work as usual. Finished very late. Called for papers at dinner time. Went with Willie Whittaker to Shiney Row, car from New Herrington to Houghton, walked from Houghton to home. We were stopped by a picket at Grindon1 who were stopping motorcars. A picket also at East Herrington. We saw an aircraft of some sort over Newcastle way. A raid of [sic] Shields during the night but nothing done.
Grindon and East Herrington are just outside what would have been the built-up area of Sunderland in 1915; on the main roads to Chester-le-Street and Durham respectively. It would be interesting to know if there were pickets that day on the other main roads out of Sunderland - and if so, why. ↩
16 April 1915; Friday
15 April 1915; Thursday
At work as usual. Got work nicely up to date. Read a bit and did some Pelman1. Wrote letter to Ernie and posted it last thing.
Air Raid over Lowestoft2.
Pelman: See 6 January 1914. ↩
See note on 14 April 1915. ↩
14 April 1915; Wednesday
At work as usual. German Air Raid on North East Coast1. One Zeppelin passed over Blyth, Wallsend and South Shields and over the sea again. No lives lost, very little damage done. Mother and Gertie down at Rowe’s. Joe and I went out for a walk and found that all the electric lights were out and the cars2 stopped in the streets. Charlie working until after mid-night and brought us news what it was.
Wikipedia’s summary of Zeppelin raids in 1915 notes only that “two Navy raids failed due to bad weather on 14 and 15 April.” ↩
“Cars”, as noted previously, means “tram-cars” at this period – powered through overhead electric cables. ↩
13 April 1915; Tuesday
At work as usual. Directors’ meeting day and I was late for dinner. Choir practice at night. Walked up with Blaikie and talked at our door a long time.
12 April 1915; Monday
At work as usual. Took summary for Mr Scott. Late for dinner. Played and read at night. Had walk last thing. Kronprinz Wilhelm1 interned at Newport.
Kronprinz Wilhelm: another German liner, built 1901, converted to auxiliary warship, interned in Newport, USA, 11 April 1915, converted by US Govt. to troopship April 1917. See also Prinz Eitel Friedrich in note on 7 April 1915. ↩