Tag Archives: Father

Diary entries which mention Arthur Linfoot’s father, Christopher William Linfoot. See the Family page for more details.

12 January 1914; Monday

January 1914, ,

At work as usual. Pretty busy all day. Went to organ with Willie. Had to wait for him until 8 o’clock, left again at nine and called for Jack1 and discussed the form to be filled in2.
Old Mr Robson3 died.

  1. Jack: apparently son of Uncle Jack, but which? – cf. 8 February: probably of John Wilkinson and Esther (father’s sister), but could be of Uncle Jack and Bella – was this John Linfoot, b.1866, or was this Jack or Bella a sibling of ALL’s mother? ↩

  2. The “form/s” may have been to do with Father’s accident; but maybe not. ↩

  3. Mr Robson: a Jno. T Robson is on record as joint “Superintendent” at the South Durham Street United Methodist Free Church, in April 1905; alternatively, or also, he might have been owner of Robson’s Saw Mill, where ALL’s father worked. ↩

8 January 1914; Thursday

January 1914, ,

Got up about 8 o’clock. Late for work. A bit dull all day. Finished early. Played a bit and then went round to Whittaker’s. Talked over the compensation business.1

Joe gave in his notice2 about this time.

  1. “Compensation” refers to his father’s loss of the first two fingers of his right hand in a workplace accident on an unrecorded date, probably in late 1913. ↩

  2. Joe: Joe Wiseman. ALL would occasionally go back to an earlier date to make a note of events not yet known to him at the date in question. This is apparently one of ALL’s  retrospective diary entries. It is not recorded where Joe Wiseman had worked. ↩

6 January 1914; Tuesday

January 1914, , , , , , ,

Got up about 8 o’clock. Got work well up to date. Cold and frosty. Finished early. Read a bit. Did some Pelman1. Went down to meeting. Called at Furley’s and got to know that Mr Furley was at work again. Played2 for the class meeting. Had break for a few minutes. Mother, Father and Gertie3 at the pantomime. Said it was pretty decent but not of much account†. Went to bed about midnight.

  1. Pelmanism was a popular system of memory training, using association of things and ideas. ↩

  2. “Played” without a direct object generally means “played the piano” or according to context “-­ the organ”. Like many Victorian and Edwardian families of all classes, ALL’s family were ‘musical’. His father played the ‘cello, ALL and his two sisters were competent pianists, Ernie learned to play the violin, and Charlie was a popular bass-­baritone soloist and chorister. ALL also played church or chapel organs throughout his life. ↩

  3. Gertie was ALL’s younger sister. See also Family page. ↩

4 January 1914; Sunday

January 1914, , , , , , , ,

At chapel1 as usual. Mr Chadwick preached. Charlie and Joe commenced in the School. The classes were merged. I managed pretty well. Had shorter walks than usual and were at Grandmother’s to tea and supper. Had a bit music and a pleasant time. Charlie and I saw a woman fall down in Christopher Street, and she broke a jug she was carrying. Got to bed about midnight after talking about Father and a shop2. Ernie and Hilda went to Boldon3 for the night. I said goodbye to Ernie and talked a bit about the prospects before them.

  1. “Chapel” would have been the South Durham Street Methodist church, which closed at some date between the Wars; Mr Chadwick was of course the Minister. “School” was Sunday School. ↩

  2. ALL’s father had lost two fingers in a work-place accident; many diary entries refer to his compensation claim and his re-employment, and to renting a shop to supplement income. ↩

  3. Boldon, which may have meant East B. (A), West B. (B) or B. Colliery (C), would have been where Hilda’s parents lived. ↩

2 January 1914; Friday

January 1914, ,

Got up about 9 o’clock. Went to the infirmary with Father1. Had short walk round town and got papers and diaries. Called for Willie Marshall and arranged to go out with him in the afternoon. Went for him after dinner. Walked along to Whitburn2 and back. Went to pictures at night. A good number present. Played whist before supper. Had different games after supper and we left about 3 o’clock. Enjoyed ourselves pretty well.

  1. “Went to the infirmary”: probably in connection with the work-place accident to Father’s hand; see later entries. ↩

  2. Whitburn: then still a fishing village, a mile north of the Sunderland built-­up area. ↩