At work as usual. Finished in good time. Father slightly better again. Went to Grangetown1 social at night. Charlie with me. George and the girl there but we stood apart. Pretty decent but too many children taking part in it. Got home very late. Read some “Defendant” by G.K.C[hesterton].
“Grangetown”: then the southernmost suburb of Sunderland, inland from Hendon Paper Mill. ↩
Got up about 9 o’clock. Shaved† and at chapel. At School as usual and my turn for the children’s service. Charlie, our Charlie, Joe and I were there, and we managed very well1. Had shorter walks than usual. Very windy. My hat blew off at the top of Vine Place. Better hymns on the sheets. Mr Chadwick preached a picture sermon on “Revelations” in the morning. Joe and Marmie out to dinner. Charlie sang in the Bible class.
“Our Charlie”: ALL’s brother, so called to distinguish him from the other Charlie named – Charles Edward, usually so called in later life, also “Dora’s Charlie” in ALL’s diary: son of Father’s next brother Edward Beauman Linfoot (Beauman, after their grandfather, a local ship’s captain), “Uncle Ned”, whose death in mid-1914 is recorded in the diary; cf. 8 July. ↩
Got up about 7.45. Busy all morning. Finished about 2 o’clock. Sunderland versus Derby County and won 1-0. Had short walk in town in the afternoon with Charlie. Went to lecture on Mohammed. Called at library and went up to see Willie. He was in bed but was up a little bit in the afternoon. Talked until nearly 10 o’clock and then went to the post office again. Bought a rubber horse for Dorothy as she was far from well. Father keeping a bit better. Wrote postcard in reply to the answer we received with regard to the business for sale in Wear Street. Mr Aitken returned from London and in a bad temper.
Charlie out soon. I got up after 9 o’clock. Off chapel in the morning. Mr Crew preaching. Went down to School late. Father still improved. Willie Marshall in charge†. Charlie, Willie Whittaker and I went over to North Bridge Street1 Presbyterian church at night and heard Mr Middlemiss† preach and Mr Newrick play2. Joe Speed on at our church. Very poor turn out there. Mr Mullens called at our house. Uncle Jack, Aunt Esther, Jack and Hilda3, and Uncle Jack and Aunt Bella and Uncle George all in. And Mrs Spain.
Got up about 7.45. At work in decent time. Got work well up to date. Fine and windy. Busy all day. Father better, but became worse towards late night. Went out with Charlie and called at Mr Chadwick’s. Talked with him until after 10 o’clock. He told us about Wee Georgie Wood1 calling at their house, and we talked about theatres etcetera for a bit. Went to bed rather late.
Wee Georgie Wood (b. Jarrow 17.12.1894, OBE June 1946, d. 19.02.1979) was a music-hall, pantomime and later a film artist, usually appearing as a child on account of his height (1.45m). Wrote a weekly column in The Stage, was a member of the Savage Club. Coincidentally, was a 2nd or 3rd cousin of the Thatcher (ALL’s wife’s) family. ↩
Got up about 8 o’clock. Rather dull. Fine cold day. Had a bit toothache. Finished in good time at night. Went down to class meeting at night1. Received club money and banked £1. Talked to Charlie, Willie, Jim Wilkinson2 and Blaikie after the choir practice. Went to bed about 11.30.
The “class meeting”: the regular congregation at Chapel were allocated to ‘classes’ which met at intervals, generally mid-week, for prayer and discussion. Each class had a respected ‘leader’ who was expected to exercise some level of general pastoral care. ↩
Jim Wilkinson: not identified, but possibly a relative of Mother (née Wilkinson.) ↩
My 24th Birthday. Got up rather late. Finished about 2 o’clock. Went up town for papers. Charlie bought me a stick for a present. Went to the Teachers’ Training Centre and heard a lecture on Buddhism. Went to the Picture House1 with Willie. Had to stand. Poor pictures. Rained heavily most of the night. Got home late. Tried to do bit Pelman2.
Submarine boat3 lost with 11 men in it.
Jack Cook4 died.
“The Picture House” was the name of the first dedicated cinema in Sunderland. It survived under this name until after WWII. Films were also shown in temporary locations, such as the Victoria Memorial Hall. ↩
“Submarine boat”: the A7, which failed to re-surface during an exercise, 16 January, off Rame Head near Devonport. ↩
Possibly a relative of ALL’s mother; she went to Ashington to his funeral on 21 January. ↩
Got up about 9 o’clock. Warm damp day. Got on very well at work. Finished in good time. Marmie’s party at night. Charlie bad and went to bed soon. Mr and Mrs Wells, Mr and Mrs Grey. Willie and Lizzie Whittaker. Willie Marshall. Mrs Wiseman.1 Kit † and Rosses †. Father didn’t go down there. And Willie Peake and Mrs. Rather slow at times. Played a few games and danced a bit. Finished about 2 o’clock. <I> played for the dances.
Marmie’s Party.
Mrs Wiseman: presumably Joe Wiseman’s mother. ↩
Got up about 7.45. Drilled a bit. Left work shortly after 11 o’clock and went to the County Court in the car1. Managed the business all right. Had to make a 4th copy of the agreement for the Rechabites2. Old Mr Robson buried. Finished very late at night, nearly 7 o’clock. Did a bit Pelman3. Finished reading “Hypatia”4 and took it in. Went to Jack’s last thing and told him I had done the necessary. Called at the post with Ernie’s paper. Went to bed about 11.30. Charlie got heavy cold. Read newspaper about Strike in Johannesburg5, and also Volcanic disaster in Japan6. Mr Jos. Chamberlain7 expressed his intention of retiring from Parliament.
In England at least, “car” in the diary usually means “tram-car”, though later, especially in France, ALL evidently used it for other, usually unspecified sorts of conveyance. ALL also occasionally used the noun “car” as a verb – “carred” meaning “I (or we, depending on the context) rode on the car.” ↩
The Independent Order of Rechabites (rather oddly referred to in Roy Hattersley’s biography of Lloyd George as the “Antediluvian Order of Rakebites”; the name “Rechabites” was presumably adopted from Jeremiah ch.35 v.2 ff.) was a temperance Friendly Society, set up in 1835 and still in existence, providing insurance, death benefits etc, to which ALL continued contributing a few (old) pence a week, until some date after WWII. ↩
“Hypatia”: Charles Kingsley’s novel; “took it in”: presumably to the public library. See also: Arthur Linfoot’s Library ↩
A strike of white railway workers in Pretoria led to a general strike throughout South Africa, with martial law. ↩
Sakurajima: former island in a caldera off the southern tip of Kyushu; worst Japanese volcanic eruption in 20th century. ↩
Joseph Chamberlain (1836 – 02.07.1914): father of the half-brother MPs, Austen and Neville Chamberlain, Birmingham industrialist, Mayor of B’ham, MP for B’ham 1876 as radical Liberal; resigned as Pres. of Board of Trade 1886 because he opposed Irish Home Rule, became ‘Liberal Unionist’; Sec. of State for Colonies 1895 – 1903 (covering the Boer War); driving force of B’ham University after its creation (1900) from Mason College, led its removal from Edmund Street to Edgbaston campus; campanile there named after him. ↩
Frank still off. Busy at work. Jack in at night. He and Hilda1 stayed to supper. We played ping-pong between 10 - 11 o’clock.
Got Swan Fountain Pen for birthday present. Ernie sent 4 on to choose from. I wrote to him at night and returned 3. Father, mother and Charlie buying it. Jack and I tried them at night. Charlie working late. Played the piano a bit. Went to boss. Jack gave me the forms duly drawn out, and full instructions what to do.
Presumbly wife of Jack (probably son of Uncle Jack and Aunt Esther - but see fn. on 12 January); had child, 4 April 1914. See Hilda disambiguation page. ↩