The women commenced to cook. Had a good bit of trouble with them. Kept me running all day. Read a bit at night.
Category Archives: 1915
10 November 1915; Wednesday
Busy with rations as usual. Had a row with Lieutenant Smith at night on account of misunderstanding with women cooks, who commence tomorrow.
9 November 1915; Tuesday
Took up duties again. Corporal Collins told me† about spending <his> wages and getting on the beer over the weekend. Wrote home. Busy with rations.
8 November 1915; Monday
Got up at 9 o’clock. Played the piano and then walked into the town before breakfast. In the afternoon played duets with Marmie and then walked out with Gertie. Called at Lily’s, Grandmother’s and Whittaker’s. Had tea at home, and then got 7.30 train. Father, Mother, Marmie, Gertie and Dorothy saw me off. Met Metcalfe at Newcastle. Fell in with two decent chaps too.
Left home for Alnwick.
7 November 1915; Sunday
Got up at 9 o’clock. Joe working until tea time. At chapel in the morning and Billy Marshall set me up to Vine Place. Walked to Uncle George’s after dinner-time. Went to chapel at night and stayed to sacrament. Came up with Joe. Jack and Hilda1 to tea. Played the piano at night. At home.
6 November 1915; Saturday
Got up at 9 o’clock. Walked down to the office1 about 12 o’clock. Saw all but Oliver and Mr Aitken. Oliver has enlisted in the Royal Engineers and is at the War Office. George to be married next Wednesday. Edward leaving to go to Fourstones2. Didn’t see Mr Aitken. Walked round the town with Joe in the afternoon. Played the piano a bit. Mrs Wiseman and Co. to tea. Went down and saw Willie Wanless.
“The office”: Hendon Paper Mill, where ALL had been employed prior to joining the RAMC. See Sunderland map. ↩
“Fourstones” refers to another paper mill (marked on map) near a village of the same name, between Hexham and Haydon Bridge on the river South Tyne. The Edward mentioned in this diary entry evidently planned to take up employment there.
Unlike the Hendon Paper Mill, Fourstones Paper Mill remains a thriving business to this day. ↩
5 November 1915; Friday
In town in the morning and bought a few things. Got 2.45 train home. Arrived 5.30 and got home as they were commencing their teas. Went down to Whittakers at night and then to Grandmother’s.
Commenced second leave home.
4 November 1915; Thursday
Busy as usual. Corporal Collins didn’t return until last thing. Went into town and left a note with the coroner1, who stood me a drink. Went to the guild meeting at the UMC and afterwards to Mrs Kyle’s to supper. Greece Neutral Ministry defeated2. Got pass through3.
Received letter from Charlie at Salonica4.
Coroner: odd shorthand, if the transcription is correct; if so, it would perhaps relate to Corporal Lightbody’s accident (see 1 November), though we do not otherwise know that this was fatal. ↩
“Greece Neutral Ministry defeated”: Possibly a reference to the the Greek Prime Minister’s decision to invite allied forces to set up a base at Salonika despite King Constantine’s insistence on Greek neutrality, although this had happened around a month earlier than this diary entry. The Salonika force was formed partly by forces withdrawn from the Gallipoli campaign, which probably explains Charlie’s presence there (see final note below). See also Greece during World War I at Wikipedia. ↩
“Got pass through”: ALL had, evidently successfully, applied for a second home leave. ↩
As emerges later in the diary, Charlie (fortunately) did not arrive in the Eastern Mediterranean until after the decision to abandon the Gallipoli expedition, though the last Allied troops did not leave Gallipoli until 9 January 1916. Charlie spent the rest of the War in Salonika (now the more usual spelling of Salonica), Egypt, Palestine and thereabouts. ↩
3 November 1915; Wednesday
Usual work. Drew rations. Busy all day. Stayed in at night. Received word from home that Ernie had taken the King’s 1/-1.
‘Taking the King’s shilling’ was an 18th/19th century expression meaning ‘enlisting in the Army (or Navy)’ – completing the contract by accepting a token payment; by 1915, a semi-jocular expression except in boys’ adventure stories. ↩
2 November 1915; Tuesday
Busy as usual. Went into town in the morning. Drew rations in the afternoon. Stayed in at night and read. Corporal Collins telegraphed for an extension. Received word from home that Willie Whittaker had enlisted in the 13th Yorks.