Stayed in all day through cold. Read a lot of Anna Karenina. Mother still in bed unwell. Read nearly to tea. Joe took my children’s service. Felt a bit shaky through my cold but it improved as the day went on.
In all day.
Category Archives: May 1914
30 May 1914; Saturday
Busy all day. Had only an hour for dinner and went back in the afternoon on Charlie’s bicycle. Worked until 5.30. I developed bad cold. Charlie got me a bottle at the doctor’s at night for himself and for me. Went up town and looked in shop windows a bit. Papers full of disaster1.
The Empress of Ireland disaster; see yesterday’s entry. ↩
29 May 1914; Friday
Got up at 6 o’clock. Went to the baths with George , his brother and Edward. Edward had a little boy there who was afraid. Charlie got his bicycle at night. I had a ride on it. Felt a bit jaded. Had short walk. Mother still unwell.
Got to know of the disaster to the “Empress of Ireland”. Storstad1 ran into Empress of Ireland in the river Saint Lawrence and sank her. About 1000 lives lost. Accident happened at 1.45 a.m.
28 May 1914; Thursday
Busy at work again. Played and read a bit. Charlie got offer of a bicycle off a man called Joicey at work and bought it.
Charlie & bicycle.
Mother still unwell.
27 May 1914; Wednesday
26 May 1914; Tuesday
Got up 7.45. Fine morning. Busy all day. Went to practice at night after playing for Mr Lawson’s class. Decided, after a lot of discussion to go to Haydon Bridge and get our teas there. Called up station at night and tried to get to know something about the trip. Mother in bed bad1.
“Bad” is North-Eastern English vernacular for “ill”. ALL’s mother suffered from angina. ↩
25 May 1914; Monday
At work as usual. Charlie called in and we talked over the trip. Played a little bit. Went to the Theâtre des Lunes and saw the picture David Copperfield. It was very good and raised some of my old idols. Went to bed about mid-night. The Lodge money didn’t turn up1. Father rather low about it. Mother in bed all day.
“Lodge” may refer to the Rechabites: see footnote for 15 January 1914. ↩
24 May 1914; Sunday
At chapel and School as usual. Rather fine day but cold. Mr Bacon sang at night. Rev A L Broadfield preached and was very good, the best we’ve heard for a good while. Read some of Anna Karennina. Had walks as usual. Played a little bit. Another meeting about the trip and decided to go to Haydon Bridge.
23 May 1914; Saturday
Wet day. Wild and stormy. Went over with Charlie to Roker in the afternoon but the airman1 was not flying. Had short walk with Father, and later on had a short walk by myself. Read a bit Pelman2. Read some of Anna Karenina.
The airman: Presumably M. Salmet; see yesterday’s entry. ↩
22 May 1914; Friday
Busy all day. The family at Roker in the afternoon seeing M. Salmet1 the Daily Mail man flying. I waited in the library for them. Joe, Charlie and I went over at night but he had finished flying then. Grand night.
Henri Salmet had Royal Aero Club licence No. 99, awarded in June 1911. He had a Bleriot monoplane, and took part in Daily Mail-sponsored UK touring exhibitions in 1912 and 1913, when various mishaps are on record. As ALL refers to the Daily Mail, this 1914 exhibition too may have been sponsored by the newspaper. ↩