At work as usual. Received news of Defeat of Turkish Army in Caucasus1. Went down to Girls’ Guild Social at night. A large company and a lot of strangers. Pretty decent night. Mr and Mrs Flood and the Waggotts well represented. Left at 11 o’clock and came round with Gertie. Charlie called in but didn’t stay and slept at home.
See also: Wikipedia; Caucasus Campaign ↩
Charlie went to Seaham first thing to lodge there. Ernie and Hilda should have gone home but didn’t as Hilda is unwell. She got Dr Scott to come and see her. At work as usual. Finished about 5.30. Played ping pong most of the night and had short walk round the town last thing. Charlie slept at Seaham Harbour for first time.
At work again. Felt pretty bad with cold. Father got me a bottle at night at Blackett’s1. Went to Willie Peake’s Party at night. A fair company and we enjoyed ourselves at night. Knocked off about 1 o’clock. I set Poppy Hugill down home. Got to bed about 2 o’clock. A report about some German ships being out of the canal2.
“Blackett’s” (if correctly transcribed): department store in central Sunderland. ↩
“Canal” would be the Kiel Canal (Kaiser-Wilhelm-Kanal until 1948), built 1887 – 1895 from Kiel in the Baltic to Brunsbüttel at the mouth of the Elbe (98km), to facilitate commercial traffic but also for German warships to avoid the unsafe and potentially opposed passage round Denmark, thus facilitating operations in both the Baltic and North Seas. It is said now to be the busiest artificial waterway in the world. ↩
Missed chapel in the morning. Got a cold. At Sunday School and chapel at night and stayed to covenant service. A long list of people made church members. Wet day and no walks. Sang and played a bit. Hilda went to Wilf’s and had a cold so stayed there. Reported 200 saved from Formidable1.
Got up at 7 o’clock and walked with Charlie to Seaham Harbour first thing. Had rain in torrents and we were wet through. I got the 9.20 train back and was home about 9.45. Played ping pong. Went up town in the afternoon with Father. Bought new cap for 3/6. Went to Concert in Victoria Hall1 and heard Radford & Miss Edith Evans, Miss Bland, Mr John Bull and Mr Arthur E Gover2 on the organ. A fine snow. Willie back and Edie, Jack and Hilda3 to supper at Marmie’s. Charlie back at night. Finished the party at about 12.30.
Victoria Hall: See 10 January 1914. ↩
The artistes’ names, except the two in longhand, are fairly speculative transcriptions. ↩
[written above printed date - ] Posted letter to N.Z.1
Got supper at Mrs Wiseman’s with Ernie and Joe Mummery after the Watch service. Shook hands with several at church, Ernie first and Mr Chadwick next. Went to bed about 2 o’clock. Charlie got up at 7 o’clock. I walked through to Seaham2 and walked back in the afternoon. Took 1¼ hours to go there and 65 minutes to come back. Strong south easterly gale blowing and very wet. I was drenched. All family but Charlie at dinner and tea and supper together. Played a few games, ping pong, etcetera at night and went to go <sic; “bed” intended?> about mid-‐night. Charlie in shortly after 11 o’clock and had to start again at 8 o’clock in the morning. “Formidable”3 blown up with a loss of about 700 lives in the Channel.
The letter to N.Z. was probably sent to ALL’s cousin, Hilda Tate Linfoot. See Hilda disambiguation page. ↩
Seaham [Harbour]: small colliery town and sea-port 4 miles S. of Sunderland. ↩
HMS Formidable, built 1904, was a battleship stationed at Sheerness to guard against possible German invasion. On 31 December she was on gunnery practice off the Isle of Wight, and was hit during the night by two torpedoes from submarine U24. 547 officers and men were lost out of 780. ↩