At work as usual. Finished in decent time. Spent afternoon clearing up house and washing the yard. Went down for Willie Whittaker at night. Had short walk round the town and he called at the shop and saw it for the first time.
All posts by Arthur Linfoot
19 February 1915; Friday
At work as usual. Busy all day. Busy in the house all the night. Went out last thing with Joe and called at Craddon’s to see about some sweets on order.
18 February 1915; Thursday
German “blockade” by submarine commenced1. Went down to Endeavour but the meeting only lasted about half an hour. Mr Kettle left for home very suddenly. Mr Chadwick did the meeting and it was rotten. I played.
The Wikipedia article on the U-Boat Campaign of WW1 notes that “the only possible way Germany could impose a blockade on Britain was through the U-boat.” ↩
17 February 1915; Wednesday
Busy at work. Busy in house at night and didn’t go out. Two big Air Raids on Zeebrugge and thereabouts about this time. 34 machines in the first and 40 in the second1.
“Two big air raids…”: This page at rallypoint.com suggests that, on February 12 1915, there was indeed a raid by 34 British planes on the coastal towns of Blankenberghe, Ostend and Zeebrugge in Belgium. There is no mention of any subsequent raid by 40 planes, although there is no reason to doubt it. ↩
16 February 1915; Tuesday
Busy at work as usual. Busy at night cleaning up in the house. Business better. Edie Kirtley gave in a fair order. The cat1 ran away.
Presumably the cat which ALL had carried in the bass bag on the day the family moved to Eldon Street. ↩
15 February 1915; Monday
At work as usual. Trade improved. Very busy at the office. Received word from Jack that the case was adjourned for a month to give time to arrange a settlement. Busy in the house at night.
14 February 1915; Sunday
Too late for chapel or Sunday School. Had walk with Charlie round to the Grindon Road in the afternoon. Went down to chapel at night. Mr Riddell preaching and Harry Potts and Mrs Potts, with Joe Barnes and Ann Banks singing. Billy Peake and his Mrs followed us up.
13 February 1915; Saturday
Finished rather late. Busy in the house all day. Got out last thing for a short walk into the town. Frank back for a few minutes. Nasty weather. The shop trade improving.
12 February 1915; Friday
Carred1 down in the morning. Went with Father to the solicitors about the compensation case. Heath said we had spoiled the case by Father not going to work. Interview lasted about an hour and he decided to do what he could for a settlement. Nasty day. I carred 5 times and had scarcely any tea. Finished very late at night. Very busy at the office.
Interviewed Heath.
11 February 1915; Thursday
Moved to 47 Eldon St1. The van came from Wilkinsons’ in the afternoon at about 1.30. Two men with it. Then two came at night to help with the piano. It didn’t finish until 12 midnight. The house in an awful state. Scarcely anything doing in the business. I carried the cat2 up in a bass bag3.
ALL’s family moved from 4 Salem Hill (A) to 47 Eldon Street (B) on this day. See also Sunderland map. ↩
The cat evidently did not like its new home and left less than a week later. ↩
“Bass bag”, if correct, may refer to a type of canvas or hessian carrier bag still popular with anglers. Bass (or bast) refers to the material used to make the bag, not to the fish. ↩