Not much to do at work. Tom brought his gramophone over at night. I received 5/61 Christmas bonus. Charlie at work from 5.35 train until about midnight. Went to the Watch service2 with Ernie and Joe after finishing the letter to New Zealand. Mr Chadwick and Joe Speed spoke and Mr Mullens prayed. Pretty good service. I had walk round the town. Walked through Garrison Field with Joe.
THE END3
Charlie turned out at 6.30 to be at work at 9 o’clock. Didn’t get home again until about 11.30 and had to start at 5.35 in the morning. He was at work all day with only one meal. I commenced a long letter to New Zealand. Was at home by myself at night.
At work as usual. Not much to do. Ernie, Hilda and baby arrived in the afternoon from Boldon. Charlie received notice to go to Seaham Harbour and had to go in the afternoon. He arrived home at about 11.30 and had to be out again at 8 o’clock in the morning. He said the office was rotten and they were in an awful mess. I had a walk round the town by myself and was a good bit dissatisfied with Charlie having to go away now.
At work again. Felt lousy†. Kept pretty busy. Finished in good time. Played the piano and Charlie sang. Read a bit and had walk last thing.
Missed chapel in the morning through being late and went to Roker instead. Saw the trenches and the new gun. At Sunday School in the afternoon and got on pretty well. My turn at children’s service and managed best I have done for a long time. Sang two carols at night. A Mr Joe Barnes sang solos. Had short walk round. Willie Carr and †Aunt Jimmy† to tea. Wet night, didn’t go far.
Slept in until about 10 o’clock. Went up town with Charlie. Bought a little clockwork Zeppelin. Ernie, Hilda and the baby in to tea. I went up the town after calling at Whittakers. We had a walk through the town and then went up Durham Road way. Didn’t leave the town until about 10 o’clock. A big crowd of soldiers in town. Report to hand that the Invincible & Inflexible were the British ships in the South Atlantic fight1.
Possibly a reference to the events recorded on 9th December? ↩
[Christmas day – see footnote1.]
Had walk round town with Father before dinner. Had roast pork and onions for dinner. Ernie came in for dinner and stayed a short while. I set him up to the station. We were rather too soon and walked about town talking. Played the piano and played a few games amongst ourselves at night. Went to bed about mid night. British Air Raid on Cuxhaven 2 by 7 aviators. 4 machines lost but all the men safe.
While ALL routinely included brief notes on War events in his diary entries, often writing them on the date they had happened and not necessarily on the date he became aware of them, he never made any reference to the ‘Christmas truce‘. Histories of WW1 which mention a truce generally say that any such events, with or without impromptu games of football or exchanges of gifts, were localised, informal and strongly deprecated by Army commanders. ALL’s silence may be interpreted either as confirming that censorship of news about truces, if not complete, was fairly successful, or as suggesting that if anything was known about them, it was not considered significant in Britain at the time. The former seems the more likely explanation. ↩
The Cuxhaven Raid was a British ship-based air-raid on the German naval forces at Cuxhaven on Christmas Day, 1914. ↩
[Christmas eve – See footnote1.]
At work as usual. Mill stopped at 6 o’clock a.m. We finished in good time and Tom Fagin† brought his gramophone across and played it until nearly 6 o’clock. I went up town at night and posted some Christmas cards. Called at station for Ernie but he didn’t arrive. Went up town later and called at Wiseman’s both in going and coming. Joe’s face swollen very much and he can’t go out. Bought Gertie a music case. And read a lot of The Manxman2 and went to bed about 1 o’clock. Charlie out tonight. Ernie arrived at Boldon with Hilda and the baby.
ALL didn’t mention, and presumably hadn’t heard of, the first German bomb dropped on British soil on Christmas Eve, 1914. A single German aircraft (which appears to have got away unscathed), dropped a bomb which fell in a garden near Taswell Street in Dover, where there is now a blue plaque on the wall reading “Near this spot on Christmas Eve 1914 fell the first aerial bomb ever to be dropped on the United Kingdom.” ↩
ALL had started to read this book a few days earlier, on 22 December. See The Manxman and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩
At work as usual. Went down to drill at night. Drilled with carbines. Headed away and went up the town. Didn’t buy anything. Got down about 10 o’clock. Joe not at drill.
Busy at work trying to get books up to date. Stayed in and read and wrote addresses to some Christmas cards.