Category Archives: 1914

All diary entries written in 1914.

17 May 1914; Sunday

May 1914, , , ,

Father, Gertie, mother and I troubled with diarrhoea, Father in bed all day. I stayed in in the morning and washed my head. Used some hair tonic too. Went out as usual in the afternoon and at night. Fine day. Talked with Charlie about choir trip. Held meeting at night and decided to go to Durham instead of Richmond. Read a bit of Anna Karenina.

15 May 1914; Friday

May 1914, , ,

Got up at 6 o’clock. Went with George Crawford to the Tunstall Hill<s>1 first thing and took some photos. Had walk at night. Got to know of disaster to aeroplanes which had passed over here2. Some of them wrecked at Northallerton and 2 men killed, Lieutenant Empson and Private Cudmore3  4  5.

  1. Tunstall Hills is an area of open space in Sunderland, now both a Local Nature Reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest both for its geological and biological importance. The area consists of Green Hill and Rocky Hill and surrounding land. Locally these two hills have been also known as the Maidens Paps because of their shape. See also Sunderland map. ↩

  2. See previous day’s diary entry. ↩

  3. Lieutenant Empson and Private Cudmore: these were Army ranks, not RAF, because the Royal Flying Corps remained a corps within the Army until it was transformed into the RAF in 1918. ↩

  4. This page at  the History Network appears to refer to the same incident, and names the dead men as Lieut. John Empson of the 4th Royal Fusiliers and Air-Mechanic George Cudmore of No. 2 Squadron Military Wing R.F.C. ↩

  5. See also John Empson and George Cudmore, both at Grace’s Guide. ↩

13 May 1914; Wednesday

May 1914,

Got up about 7.30. Busy all day. George went away soon. A bit off form at night. Walked along to mill with Father and called in office to see if I had posted London Office letter. Went up to Trimdon Street1 last thing and called at the house of Burrells and engaged house at Bowes for our holidays. Had some trouble to find the place.

  1. Trimdon Street, just S. of the northerly loop in the river Wear between Deptford and Ayres’ Quay, was, incidentally, where the Fenwicks lived – Jessie Thatcher/Linfoot’s cousins who went to California about 1912. ↩

12 May 1914; Tuesday

May 1914,

Got up about 7.30. Talked about taking a cottage for our holidays. Directors’ meeting. Edward and I had to go to the Board room to witness some documents. Went down to practice with Charlie. Played a bit and sang a bit. Decided that the choir trip would go to Richmond.

11 May 1914; Monday

May 1914, , ,

Got up about 8 o’clock. Felt a bit off first thing. Lily paid a visit to our house in the afternoon. Not very well. Charlie sang at Williamson Terrace anniversary1. Mother and Gertie at the tea and I went over last thing. Read very little. Played a bit.

  1. “Williamson Terrace”: north of the river, between North Bridge Street and Monkwearmouth (St. Peter’s) Saxon Church; probably a Methodist chapel there. ↩

10 May 1914; Sunday

May 1914, , , , ,

Charlie off chapel and School all day. Lily at Chapel both morning and night. Had very short lesson at School. Walked out with Charlie, Jim Wilkinson and Willie Whittaker in the afternoon. Walked up Durham Road with Willie on Sunday night. Mr and Mrs Wiseman in after chapel. Father at Chapel in the morning. Fine day. Mr Best preaching, and preached particularly well in the morning. I read some “Anna Karenina.”