Category Archives: 1915

All diary entries written in 1915.

Prophets, Priests and Kings

Cover ImageProphets, Priests and Kings is the title of a book by Alfred George Gardiner, editor of the Daily News (a newspaper owned by George Cadbury) from 1902 to 1919.

The book comprises 20 short biographical essays on kings, emperors, politicians, generals & admirals of some 10 combatant nations.

The title is seemingly inspired by the Christian doctrine of the threefold office (munus triplex), which states that that Christ has three offices, Prophet, Priest and King, although the book itself is not a Christian work.

Arthur Linfoot read Prophets, Priests and Kings on 7 July 1915, while on holiday in St. Andrews.

The Sky Pilot

Cover ImageThe Sky Pilot is an 1899 novel by the Rev. Dr. Charles William Gordon, writing under the pen name Ralph Connor.

It is the story of a young minister whose vocation takes him to a frontier town where he is initially dismissed by secular townsfolk as “The Sky Pilot”.

Although intended to be insulting and used in that sense in the title of this book, Sky Pilot was (and still is) widely used by armed forces personnel as an affectionate nickname for a chaplain or padre.

Arthur Linfoot read The Sky Pilot on 7 July 1915, while on holiday in St. Andrews.

6 July 1915; Tuesday

July 1915, , , ,

Slept in and didn’t get up until after 8 o’clock. Walked along Kil Kel [sic] Braes1 in the morning and read Mr McKenna2 on the new War Loan. Spent the afternoon on the sea front and read a bit of Everyman3. Bought a teddy bear for Moira and some other presents for home. Met Ernie at night and spent the night with the photographs.

  1. See footnote on 29 June. ↩

  2. See footnote on 22 June. ↩

  3. Everyman: See Everyman and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩

5 July 1915; Monday

July 1915, , ,

Got up about 6 o’clock and went for a bathe. Grand day again. Went along Kil-­Kel [sic] Braes1 in the morning and read Poison Island by Quiller-­Couch 2. Went down to the beach in the afternoon and listened to the pierrots a minute or two. Bought a doll for Dorothy. Walked round sea front at night with Ernie.

  1. See footnote on 29 June. ↩

  2. “Quiller-­Couch”: Arthur Quiller-­Couch, 1863 – 1944, Kt. 1910, Professor of English, Cambridge, 1912; edited ‘Oxford Books of ’: English Verse; English Prose; Ballads; Victorian Verse. Nom de plume “Q”. See also Poison Island and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩

Poison Island

Poison IslandSir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch was a British writer who published under the pen name of Q. He is best known for the Oxford Book Of English Verse 1250–1900, but was also a prolific novelist.

Quiller-Couch’s novel Poison Island is the story of Harry who meets a mysterious Captain Coffin. Coffin is planning a voyage to the Honduras, where he expects to find treasure, while avoiding the poison of the title.

Arthur Linfoot read Poison Island while on holiday in St. Andrews on 5 July 1915.

4 July 1915; Sunday

July 1915, , ,

Finished reading She1. Went to the Baptist chapel in the morning with Ernie. Walked along the golf links in the afternoon. Aggie Froxon and Alec Anderson to tea. Ernie said we were going to Hope Street church2, but we went on to the sea front. Grand night.

  1. See She and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩

  2. Hope Street church: no church by this name now exists, but there is a Hope Park and Martyrs church in St Andrew’s, at the intersection of St. Mary’s Place and Hope Street. See also St Andrews map. ↩

She

Cover ImageShe is a novel by H. Rider Haggard (1856–1925), first serialised in The Graphic magazine from October 1886 to January 1887.

The story is a first-person narrative that follows the journey of Horace Holly and his ward Leo Vincey to a lost kingdom in the African interior where they encounter Ayesha, the eponymous “She”.

She remains one of Rider Haggard’s most popular books and has never been out of print.

Arthur Linfoot started to read She while on holiday in St. Andrews on 3 July 1915 and finished it the next day.

2 July 1915; Friday

July 1915, ,

Resting so didn’t get a bathe. Up about 9 o’clock. British torpedo destroyer “Lightning”1 damaged by mine or submarine. Walked round by Mount Melville 2 in the afternoon. Had walk with Ernie at night.

  1. HMS Lightning was a Janus class destroyer of the British Royal Navy, later designated an A-class destroyer, built by Palmers (itself the principal target of the Zeppelin raid recorded on 15 June) and launched in 1895. She was sunk by a mine laid by submarine UC-1 on 30 June. ↩

  2. Mount Melville Estate, now Craigtoun Country Park. See also St Andrews map. ↩

1 July 1915; Thursday

July 1915, , ,

Got up shortly after 6 o‘clock and went down for a bathe. Walked round town in the morning and down to the sea side. Read some of Omar1 and a bit from “Everyman.”2 Ernie off in the afternoon. * took some photos and developed them. Smashed a lamp and had some trouble and fuss. Walked out last thing with Ernie.

  1. Omar Khayyám; see note on 29 June, Omar Khayyám and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩

  2. Everyman: see Everyman and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩