Not much to do at work. Stayed in at night and played and read.
Category Archives: 1914
23 September 1914; Wednesday
At work as usual. Very little to do. Decided to shut down machines. A lot of excitement in town about the loss of the 3 big ships.
The War on the Continent very much the same. Russians capture Smaslau†. Battle of Aisne proceeding & looks promising to Allies. Went to meeting at chapel and met Mr Kettle.
22 September 1914; Tuesday
Got up late. Had to hurry to work. Very little to do. Finished early. At choir practice at night. Mr Kettle at meeting at the chapel. Received news at night of the loss of the Aboukir, Hogue & Cressy, by German submarines. Supposed† to be attacked by 5 or 6 submarines. The Aboukir was sunk first and when the others were taking off the crew they were sunk. About 1200 lives lost. British capture armed liner “Spreewald” & two coalers (H.M.S.Berwick) and also news of the capture of the Professor Woermann at Sierra Leone.1
Aboukir, Hogue and Cressy were old cruisers patrolling in the Broad Fourteens area of the North Sea. They were supposed to sail at 13 knots (which they were too old to do) and to zigzag (an order widely disregarded as submarines had not been seen in the area); however the submarine U9 was indeed there, and sank all three. Spreewald: armed cruiser/ex-liner,3,900 tons, supplying raiders in W. Indies; Professor Woermann: 6,000 tons, apparently merchantman; became SS Professor after War. ↩
21 September 1914; Monday
Very slack at work. Finished early. Got hair cut. Had bath. Read a good lot of Everyman1 and wrote up old diaries about the time I was commencing to go with Mildred†.
News to hand of the damage of the cruiser Pegasus by the German cruiser Konigsberg while she was at anchor and not under steam2. Also the sinking of 5 merchant ships by the Emden3 and the sinking of the Cap Trafalgar by the Carmania4.
The big battle in France still going on. Read Lloyd George’s speech.
Everyman: see Everyman and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩
Pegasus, a Tyne-built cruiser of 1897, was sunk by the Königsberg off Zanzibar. ↩
SMS cruiser Emden was used as a raider in the Indian Ocean, and in September 1914 alone took over 20 British merchant ships, as well as raiding Madras. See also 29 Sept., 10 Nov., and note on 9 December. ↩
Cap Trafalgar was a large modern German liner (1913, 23,640 tons) converted as an auxiliary cruiser, in service in the South Atlantic; she was found and sunk at a secret base in the Brazilian islands of Trindade, 500 miles E. of Brazil, on 14 September by the Carmania, another ex-liner (1905, 19,500 tons) fitted out as an armed merchant cruiser; the Cap Trafalgar was thus the first ex-liner to be sunk by another ex-liner. ↩
20 September 1914; Sunday
Harvest Festival. Mr Chadwick unwell and the new deacon preached, George Quadiss†. Rather wild day. We sang anthem “While the Earth Remaineth” at night. Had usual walks. Nothing fresh from the front. Heard of the loss of an Australian submarine boat. AE11.
AE1: See note on 14 September. This is a further example of ALL noting events both on the day he heard of them and retrospectively, on the day they actually happened. ↩
19 September 1914; Saturday
Not busy at work. Finished about 2 o’clock. Went down to chapel at 4 o’clock but there was no-one there for me. Went down again at night and made up a tray. Had walk round the town last thing with Charlie and Willie Whittaker.
18 September 1914; Friday
Went to the Victoria Hall1 at night and did a bit clearing work. Not much to do and a lot of toffs doing it. Went down to chapel afterwards and helped with the decorations.
Victoria Hall: see note on 10 January. ↩
17 September 1914; Thursday
Very little to do at the office. Went up with Charlie to see Uncle George about compensation business and stayed most of the night. First time we have been in his new house.
16 September 1914; Wednesday
Insurance man called at dinner time and I met him. We talked for about an hour. Made me late for work after dinner. Rode Charlie’s bicycle there and back. Went along and saw Willie Whittaker about insurance and spent all the night talking about it.
15 September 1914; Tuesday
Hardly anything to do. Went down to practice with Charlie and Howard†. Came round with Blaikie and Willie Whittaker and Charlie.