Category Archives: 1915

All diary entries written in 1915.

15 March 1915; Monday

March 1915, , , ,

At work as usual. Called at George’s at dinner time to mend tyre. Rode up home. Did summary. George received a reply to a job and went away soon to see about it. Went down to teachers’ meeting. Mr Chadwick made a proposal about a procession on Anniversary Sunday and I squeezed it with the assistance of Joe. Anniversary business done. Fine day. Received news of the sinking of the Dresden1.

  1. Dresden: See footnote yesterday. ↩

14 March 1915; Sunday

March 1915, ,

At chapel and School as usual. Very late in morning and afternoon. Had my class and Henman’s and managed all right. Had decent walk at night. Fine day. Mr Chadwick preaching. Miss Smith sang at night. Fine day. Dresden1 sunk off Robinson Crusoe’s Ireland [sic] by Glasgow, Kent & Orania. Crew taken off.

  1. Dresden had been at both Coronel and the Falkland Islands, as noted on diary entries 1 November and 9 December 1914; Robinson Crusoe Island, formerly known as Más a Tierra after which this battle came to be named, was neutral territory. The RN ships found Dresden at anchor; Dresden sent Lieut. Wilhelm Canaris (head of Abwehr Intelligence in WWII, and part of the opposition to Hitler) with a white flag while they scuttled her. 300 men were interned in Chile. ↩

13 March 1915; Saturday

March 1915, , , ,

At work as usual. Finished in decent time. Was riding bicycle home and tyre burst in Hastings Street. Left bicycle at George Crawford’s until Monday. Played piano and suchlike. Went down to the Peter Benefit† boot shop and bought some new boots. Father hurt his arm a bit at work. Had long walk at night with Charlie and Willie Whittaker. Car-­red1 up *2 Street and then walked round by the Grindon Road. Bicycle punctured. New boots 12/6. Father hurt his arm slightly.

  1. “Car-red” meaning “we rode on the tram-car.”  ↩

  2. There is a St Mark’s Street off Hilton Road, not far from Eldon Street, though the shorthand does not exactly fit it. ↩

9 March 1915; Tuesday

March 1915, ,

At work as usual. Directors’ meeting. I had some letters to type for Mr Lawson1. Had very late dinner and rode the boy’s bicycle. Finished in decent time. Went to choir practice and sang the “Radiant Morn”2. Came up with Blaikie.

  1. Mr Lawson: a Director of the Hendon Paper Works Company. ↩

  2. Possibly “The radiant morn hath passed away”, words by Godfrey Thring (1864); alternative tunes: Radiant Morn (Charles Gounod), St Gabriel (Frederick Gore-Ousley), St Leonard (Herbert Irons). ↩

8 March 1915; Monday

March 1915, , ,

At work as usual. Took over summary. Went down in the car first thing and was pretty late. Busy all day. Had a bit trouble with Geordie1. Sands in, probably for the last time before they go away. Finished about 5.30. Came up with the new boy. Mr Scott found a mistake of £2 pounds [sic] in my sales book. Charlie finished soon. Tried a bit music. I played a bit. The shop doing very badly.

  1. “Geordie”: if correct – how ALL commonly referred to George Crawford, his office colleague at the Paper Works. ↩