Tag Archives: Dorothy

13 December 1916; Wednesday

Up about 7 o’clock. On duty 7.30. Cleared all patients for the hospital and packed up. Called down to the C R S 1 shortly after dinner. Billeted in tents. Heard Holman and Truman taken up the town and put on a big double marquee with 27 patients. Got to bed after a search for my blankets. Rain came in through the tents and awoke rather wet. Received letter from Father telling me of accident to Marmie and Dorothy through the oven bursting.


  1. “C R S”: Camp Reception Station. See RAMC Chain of Evacuation

2 September 1916; Saturday

On guard at 9 o’clock. My turn in the middle. Had a few short walks and called in Y.M.

[The foregoing words are superimposed on “Father’s birthday” and “Dorothy 7th”, written faintly in longhand.] 12

On from 1 o’clock in the morning until 5 o’clock. Gas alert put on and gave me some trouble. Pinched some petrol and washed tunic next morning3.


  1. ALL’s father’s birthday was the 4th of September, not the 2nd. ALL noted his father’s 59th birthday on 4th September 1914, so he would have celebrated his 61st birthday two days after this diary entry. 

  2. “Dorothy” refers to Dorothy Wiseman, ALL’s niece and daughter of his elder sister, Marmie, and her husband, Joe Wiseman. “7th” refers to the date of Dorothy’s birthday, 7th September, and not to her age. The 7th of September 1916 would have been her 4th birthday. See also: Family

  3. “Washed tunic”: possibly to remove discolouration of buttons caused by gas? (q.v. gas test on 3rd June). 

31 August 1916; Thursday

Went to Baileul 1 at 8.30 to have tooth done. Got there about 9 o’clock. Walked round town. Had dinner at the C.C.S. Left Bailleul about 3 o’clock. Called in at the house in the village we found the other night and had coffee. Munton, Taylor and Moss. Worked an hour extra at night. Wrote letter to Dorothy and commenced one to Father in reply to one <I> had received from him today.


  1. Baileul: ALL always omits one ‘l’ from ‘Bailleul’ in his longhand; the transcription follows this, but where he writes it in shorthand, ie phonetically, it is transcribed with the correct spelling. 

18 February 1916; Friday

Received letter from Betty in reply to mine1. Wrote acknowledgement and said that I would be travelling through Morpeth. Out in the town at night and got one or two things. A bottle of scent for Gertie and a brooch for Dorothy.


  1. ALL wrote his letter to Miss Mack on the 15th February and received a reply from Betty on the 18th. ALL continues to use Miss Mack’s first name only from this point on. 

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.

5 July 1915; Monday

Got up about 6 o’clock and went for a bathe. Grand day again. Went along Kil-­Kel [sic] Braes1 in the morning and read Poison Island by Quiller-­Couch 2. Went down to the beach in the afternoon and listened to the pierrots a minute or two. Bought a doll for Dorothy. Walked round sea front at night with Ernie.


  1. See footnote on 29 June

  2. “Quiller-­Couch”: Arthur Quiller-­Couch, 1863 – 1944, Kt. 1910, Professor of English, Cambridge, 1912; edited ‘Oxford Books of ’: English Verse; English Prose; Ballads; Victorian Verse. Nom de plume “Q”. See also Poison Island and Arthur Linfoot’s Library

25 October 1914; Sunday

At chapel and School as usual. Managed pretty well in School. 2 new scholars. Wet afternoon and night and no walks. Marmie and Joe and Dorothy to tea at Willie and Lily’s. Got news that the Badger1 had rammed a German submarine off the Dutch coast.


  1. HMS Badger: a torpedo boat – only 990 tons – and this was said to be the first successful attack by an Allied ship on a German submarine (the U-19): Wikipedia says that this ramming occurred on 24 October.