Yearly Archives: 2015

15 May 1915; Saturday

15 May 15May 1915Joe, Sunderland, Willie Whittaker, WorkArthur Linfoot

At work as usual. Finished pretty soon. Went down the town and bought some postcards of battleships. Went out with Willie Whittaker at night. He called for me. Walked up by Offerton and back by Durham Road. Went into town last thing with Joe. Some oddment† at Youlls’† and the Special Constables called out.

14 May 1915; Friday

14 May 15May 1915Joe, WorkArthur Linfoot

Busy at work. Did a bit ambulance work with Joe. Read and played a bit.

13 May 1915; Thursday

13 May 15May 1915Dardanelles, Lusitania, Naval warfare, WorkArthur Linfoot

At work as usual. A lot of Roots† now to Lusitania¹. Finished in decent time. Got work pulled up a bit. Received news of the loss of the “Goliath”² in the Dardanelles, sunk by Turkish torpedo boats. Heavy loss of life, probably 800 men.

Lusitania: See notes on 7 May. ↩
“Goliath”: pre-dreadnought battleship, 13,150 tons, built in Chatham 1898, torpedoed as stated above in Morto Bay, near Cape Helles, 13 May 1915, with loss of 570 out of crew of 700. ↩

12 May 1915; Wednesday

12 May 15May 1915Joe, WorkArthur Linfoot

At work at night. Busy all day. Finished in decent time. Did a bit ambulance work at night with Joe and had walk last thing. Played the piano and read a bit.

11 May 1915; Tuesday

11 May 15May 1915WorkArthur Linfoot

At work as usual. Directors’ meeting. Busy all day. Late for dinner and car. Stayed back a bit at night and got book written up. Rain at night and I stayed off practice.

10 May 1915; Monday

10 May 15May 1915Joe, Lusitania, Naval warfare, WorkArthur Linfoot

At work as usual. Very busy all day. Stayed to dinner. Got summary typed and work slipped back a bit. About 1500 lives lost in the “Lusitania.”¹ Did a bit ambulance work with Joe.

Lusitania: See notes on 7 May. ↩

9 May 1915; Sunday

9 May 15May 1915Chapel, Charlie, Willie Whittaker, WorkArthur Linfoot

At chapel at night and Sunday School as usual. Read in the morning. Fine day. Willie Whittaker to tea. Charlie at work all afternoon. Reverend Mann preaching at chapel. Played piano last thing.

8 May 1915; Saturday

8 May 15May 1915Charlie, Lusitania, Naval warfare, Sunderland, WorkArthur Linfoot

At work as usual¹. Finished in decent time. Met Charlie in the station. At work at night. Went to Roker.

Heavy loss of life in Lusitania² disaster. Got news at night of loss of “Maori”³ off the Belgian Coast.

Saturday morning working was of course normal – as it remained until the 1960s. ↩
Lusitania: See notes on 7 May. ↩
“Maori”: RN destroyer, built 1909, sunk by a mine on 7 May 1915 off Zeebrugge. ↩

7 May 1915; Friday

7 May 15May 1915Bob, Lusitania, Naval warfare, Shop, War, WorkArthur Linfoot

At work as usual. Busy all day. Finished late. Wrote up some of Parson’s Weekly News. Wrote up shop books. Received word of Bob’s Death¹.

Lusitania² ³ sunk, with about 1900 people on board, by German submarine⁴. Relations between Japan & China very strained.

See Robert Thomas Brotherston on this site. ↩
“Lusitania”: too well known to require much comment, but – launched 1907, briefly world’s biggest ship (31,500 tons), commandeered as armed cruiser in 1914, but unsuitable so returned to passenger use on condition she carried government cargoes; left New York 1 May 1915 (allegedly carrying munitions), torpedoed 7 May 11 miles from S. Irish coast, sank in 11 minutes; 1,195 lives lost, including 128 Americans, thus influencing American opinion against Germany. ↩
Coincidentally, the departure of the Lusitania (presumably from New York) is noted in the same New York Times headline as reports the declaration of war on Germany by “England” on 5th August 1914. ↩
The submarine was the SM U-20. ↩

Background information added – Robert Thomas Brotherston

The Diary of Arthur L. Linfoot

58th Field Ambulance, R.A.M.C.