Category Archives: 1914

All diary entries written in 1914.

14 January 1914; Wednesday

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Frank still off. Busy at work. Jack in at night. He and Hilda1 stayed to supper. We played ping-­pong between 10 -­ 11 o’clock.

Got Swan Fountain Pen for birthday present. Ernie sent 4 on to choose from. I wrote to him at night and returned 3. Father, mother and Charlie buying it. Jack and I tried them at night. Charlie working late. Played the piano a bit. Went to boss. Jack gave me the forms duly drawn out, and full instructions what to do.

  1. Presumbly wife of Jack (probably son of Uncle Jack and Aunt Esther -­ but see fn. on 12 January); had child, 4 April 1914. See Hilda disambiguation page. ↩

13 January 1914; Tuesday

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At work as usual. Frank1 off in the afternoon with a cold. Went down to Band of Hope2 annual general meeting after boxing with Charlie for a bit. Went into choir practice. Fairly good practice for anthem on Sunday. Hurried home and met Jack. He had the forms drawn up and we arranged for him to see his boss about them.

Row with Okie3
Had called for Father’s money and he wouldn’t give it to me. There was a man at the mill taking photographs of the machine4.

  1. Frank: little is known about ALL’s office colleagues at the Paper Mill, except George Crawford. ↩

  2. “Band of Hope”: Victorian temperance organisation which still exists as Hope UK. ↩

  3. Okie: a representative of Robson’s Saw Mill? “Father’s money”: probably arrears of wages – there is more about compensation money later. ↩

  4. Presumably the moulding machine in which Father had lost his two fingers. ↩

12 January 1914; Monday

January 1914, ,

At work as usual. Pretty busy all day. Went to organ with Willie. Had to wait for him until 8 o’clock, left again at nine and called for Jack1 and discussed the form to be filled in2.
Old Mr Robson3 died.

  1. Jack: apparently son of Uncle Jack, but which? – cf. 8 February: probably of John Wilkinson and Esther (father’s sister), but could be of Uncle Jack and Bella – was this John Linfoot, b.1866, or was this Jack or Bella a sibling of ALL’s mother? ↩

  2. The “form/s” may have been to do with Father’s accident; but maybe not. ↩

  3. Mr Robson: a Jno. T Robson is on record as joint “Superintendent” at the South Durham Street United Methodist Free Church, in April 1905; alternatively, or also, he might have been owner of Robson’s Saw Mill, where ALL’s father worked. ↩

11 January 1914; Sunday

January 1914,

Got up about 9.30. At chapel and School as usual. Our turn for children’s service and had rather a rough time. Mr Hardy preaching in the morning and Mr Lawson at night1. I managed pretty well in Sunday School and had a big class. Mr Blaikie in trying the boys for the choir and we were in late. Had shorter walks than usual.

  1. Messrs Hardy and Lawson: not identified, probably local (ie un-ordained amateur) preachers. ↩

10 January 1914; Saturday

January 1914

Finished about 2.15. Went up town in the afternoon. Shaved and went to Trinity1 and heard a good lecture on the Buddha. Met Willie and went to Memorial Hall2 and heard Mr Barnard† recite. He was not so good as before. Had walk round town last thing and looked closely at shops and considered dressing of windows.

  1. “Trinity”: possibly Holy Trinity Church, Bishopwearmouth. ↩

  2. “Memorial Hall” (also referred to as “Victoria Hall”): the Victoria Memorial Hall, where 183 children died in a stampede on 16.06.1883; demolished by a German bomb in 1941 ↩

8 January 1914; Thursday

January 1914, ,

Got up about 8 o’clock. Late for work. A bit dull all day. Finished early. Played a bit and then went round to Whittaker’s. Talked over the compensation business.1

Joe gave in his notice2 about this time.

  1. “Compensation” refers to his father’s loss of the first two fingers of his right hand in a workplace accident on an unrecorded date, probably in late 1913. ↩

  2. Joe: Joe Wiseman. ALL would occasionally go back to an earlier date to make a note of events not yet known to him at the date in question. This is apparently one of ALL’s  retrospective diary entries. It is not recorded where Joe Wiseman had worked. ↩

7 January 1914; Wednesday

January 1914, , ,

Got up at 8 o’clock. Fine day. Felt pretty fresh. Finished in good time. Went along to Willie’s about 7.30. Willie Whittaker called for me. Charlie followed us. A good number there including Chris Beresford, Misses Boyce, Dick and May, Billy Rawson and Miss Douglas, Willie Peake and Edie, Natty and his girl, a Mr Bannister and his wife. Stayed until Nearly 2 o’clock. I got the booby prize. Charlie sang 2 songs. I played for one. Chris Beresford sang, and Miss Boyce. Natty and Willie played. Charlie and I set Edie Hunter along home. Went to bed about 2.30. Enjoyed it pretty well.

Marshall’s Party.

6 January 1914; Tuesday

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Got up about 8 o’clock. Got work well up to date. Cold and frosty. Finished early. Read a bit. Did some Pelman1. Went down to meeting. Called at Furley’s and got to know that Mr Furley was at work again. Played2 for the class meeting. Had break for a few minutes. Mother, Father and Gertie3 at the pantomime. Said it was pretty decent but not of much account†. Went to bed about midnight.

  1. Pelmanism was a popular system of memory training, using association of things and ideas. ↩

  2. “Played” without a direct object generally means “played the piano” or according to context “-­ the organ”. Like many Victorian and Edwardian families of all classes, ALL’s family were ‘musical’. His father played the ‘cello, ALL and his two sisters were competent pianists, Ernie learned to play the violin, and Charlie was a popular bass-­baritone soloist and chorister. ALL also played church or chapel organs throughout his life. ↩

  3. Gertie was ALL’s younger sister. See also Family page. ↩

5 January 1914; Monday

January 1914, , ,

Got up about 7.30. Drilled a short time.1 Got on very well at work and finished about 5.30. Got hair cut. Cold night and some snow falling. Mr Aitken went to Edinburgh2. Finished about 5.30. Went to Mr Chadwick’s after I had done a bit homework and arranged about missionary business. Blaikie3 there. We stayed until pretty late.

  1. “Drill” was probably as taught in Board School PT; ALL continued to do it until middle age. ↩

  2. William Robertson Aitken, born in Dunbar on 19 March 1873, was manager and company secretary at the Hendon Paper Works. His trip to Edinburgh may have been in a personal capacity, not a business one, as he evidently had family there. His death is recorded on 20 September 1917 and his funeral took place in Edinburgh on 25 September. ↩

  3. Blaikie occurs frequently, written with or without the final vowel – so it could be “Black”; but I have assumed “Blaikie.” (DL)  ↩