Category Archives: 1915

All diary entries written in 1915.

5 April 1915; Easter Monday

April 1915, , , , ,

Got up about 8 o’clock. Went by train to South Shields, car1 to Tyne Dock, ferried to Albert Edward Dock, trammed to Wallsend, and then to Walker, ferried to Hebburn, walked to Bill Quay, and train from Pelaw home. Saw some light cruisers and destroyers, one submarine, and the Malaya. Walked to Penshaw Hill2 in the dark with Willie Whittaker. Charlie back at work. Had some music at dinnertime. Fine day.

The King proclaimed3 that alcoholic drinks are prohibited after today.

  1. “Car” means tram-car, as usual, although ALL uses “trammed” here too, meaning the same thing. ↩

  2. Penshaw Hill: See note on 2 April. ↩

  3. This was not a formal proclamation by King George V – in fact he publicly supported a campaign against the consumption of alcohol begun by Lloyd George by promising that no alcohol would be consumed in the Royal household until the war was over. This promise failed to influence even the Cabinet, let alone the public, but the King observed it himself. ↩

2 April 1915; Friday

April 1915, , , , ,

Went down town to meet Willie and went to Durham Road Wesleyan church. Didn’t care much for it. Went to Penshaw Hill1  2 in the afternoon with Willie Whittaker and Charlie and hurried back to go to the chapel tea. In time for the second sitting down. Mr Scroggie† preached in the afternoon but we didn’t hear him. Stayed to service. Reverend W. T Harding preached and was very good. Mr Hood spoke and was rotten. Had short walk round last thing.

Anniversary Services & Tea at Chapel.

  1. Penshaw Hill: landmark 4 miles from Sunderland on the Chester-­le-­Street road; referred to in the folk song “The Lambton Worm”; since 1844 crowned with a replica of the temple of Hephaestos in Athens, built as a tribute by his tenants to John George Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham and 1st Governor of Canada, known in his time as “Radical Jack.” It is said that it was to be completed with an equestrian statue of the Earl (a life-­size maquette which was formerly in the Baron’s Hall at Lumley Castle), but that the tenants changed their mind after the Earl’s agent put their rents up. ↩

  2. Some descriptions of Penshaw monument, for example that at Wikipedia, state that it is a half scale copy of the temple of Hephaestos and others, for example at the web site of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, that it is twice the size of the original. In fact neither is true, although the topological similarity between the two buildings is deliberate and undeniable. ↩

1 April 1915; Thursday

April 1915, , ,

Carred1 to work both in the morning and dinnertime. Busy all day. Finished about 6 o’clock. Called round by Hopkirk’s and had a haircut and a shave. Saw a boy fall of<f> van and picked him up. Received £75 from Heath as Compensation for father’s accident. Mother received it at the office. I hurried down on the car and banked £50 of it. Did a bit shorthand2, Pelman3 and played. Went to bed very late. Successful day in the shop.

  1. “Carred” meaning “I rode on the tram-car.” ↩

  2. See Pitman’s Shorthand. ↩

  3. Pelman: See 6 January 1914. ↩

29 March 1915; Monday

March 1915, ,

At work as usual. Snow in the morning but got out fine. Did a bit shorthand1 at night from Macauley’s Essays2 and played a bit.

Received news of the Falaba3 disaster also the Aquila.

  1. See Pitman’s Shorthand. ↩

  2. Thomas Babington Macauley, now best known for his poem Horatius (“Then out spake brave Horatius, The Captain of the Gate:…”) whose essays, originally published in the Edinburgh Review, were collected as Critical and Historical Essays in 1843. See also Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩

  3. Falaba: See footnote yesterday. ↩

Critical and Historical Essays

Critical and Historical Essays, published in 1843, is a collection of articles by Thomas Babington Macaulay, later Lord Macaulay, which originally appeared in The Edinburgh Review. Most of the essays have as their subjects noted literary or political figures.

Macaulay is now best known as author of his poem Horatius, from Lays of Ancient Rome(“Then out spake brave Horatius, The Captain of the Gate…”).

Arthur Linfoot wrote on 29 March 1915 that he “did a bit shorthand at night from Macauley’s Essays” and again on 19 April 1915 that he “did some shorthand from Macaulay’s essay on Milton”. It appears to have been his habit to copy text from works such as Macaulay’s essays as a way of honing his skills at Pitman’s shorthand.

28 March 1915; Sunday

March 1915, , , ,

Went to the Royalty Church in the morning. Nice church, good music and pretty good sermon. At Sunday School in the afternoon and had 3 classes. At North Bridge Street at night to hear Penitence, P[ardon] & Peace1. Miss Brackwill took the soprano and Tom Leyden the baritone solos. Billy Marshall and Billy Whittaker with me and Charlie in the choir. Had usual walks. Rather wild weather and some snow. The Falaba2 torpedoed and over 100 lives lost.

  1. “Penitence, Pardon & Peace”: oratorio by John Henry Maunder (1858-­1920), organist in Sydenham and Forest Hill; better known for oratorio “Olivet to Calvary.” ↩

  2. RMS Falaba was the first passenger ship torpedoed in WW1, and an American engineer L C Thrasher was among the 104 lives lost, causing an international incident as the Kaiser had declared British waters a war zone as recently as 18 February; but Falaba was carrying explosives, which duly exploded. The submarine was U28. Location probably S. of Ireland, as Thrasher’s body is said to have been found after the Lusitania sinking. ↩