At work as usual. Directors’ meeting. No dictated letters off Mr Lawson. Busy all day. The army open again for clerks. I thought about joining. Decided to put advert in the Echo for Father. Hilda & baby went away in the morning. Finished reading “The Manxman”1.
The Manxman: See 21 December 1914, The Manxman and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩
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. ↩
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. ↩
[Christmas day – see footnote1.]
Had walk round town with Father before dinner. Had roast pork and onions for dinner. Ernie came in for dinner and stayed a short while. I set him up to the station. We were rather too soon and walked about town talking. Played the piano and played a few games amongst ourselves at night. Went to bed about mid night. British Air Raid on Cuxhaven 2 by 7 aviators. 4 machines lost but all the men safe.
While ALL routinely included brief notes on War events in his diary entries, often writing them on the date they had happened and not necessarily on the date he became aware of them, he never made any reference to the ‘Christmas truce‘. Histories of WW1 which mention a truce generally say that any such events, with or without impromptu games of football or exchanges of gifts, were localised, informal and strongly deprecated by Army commanders. ALL’s silence may be interpreted either as confirming that censorship of news about truces, if not complete, was fairly successful, or as suggesting that if anything was known about them, it was not considered significant in Britain at the time. The former seems the more likely explanation. ↩
The Cuxhaven Raid was a British ship-based air-raid on the German naval forces at Cuxhaven on Christmas Day, 1914. ↩
Kept busy at work. Went with Father at night to Dr Robinson to be examined. Interview lasted a good bit. Big recruiting meeting in the Victoria Hall1. Lord Charles Beresford2 speaking. Went along to Halford’s† and bought Charlie a flash lamp. Had walk last thing with Joe.
Victoria Hall: see note on 10 January. ↩
Lord Charles Beresford (1846 – 1919): a senior admiral, popular with the public, and an MP from 1874; a participant in the late 19th/early 20th century naval controversies, including competing unsuccessfully for appointment as First Sea Lord in 1906, with Admiral Fisher (who escaped compulsory retirement at 65 in that year by promotion to Admiral of the Fleet, for which the retirement age was 70.) Fisher, who was a leader in the pre-1914 naval construction race with Germany, retired as First Sea Lord in 1911, but was recalled in 1914 to succeed the German-named Prince Louis of Battenberg, was a bizarre and unpredictable character, who briefly went absent during the controversy about the Dardanelles debacle, then resigned in May 1915. ↩
Busy at work. Got books pretty well up. Went up to Dr Robinson’s in reply to Father’s postcard and arranged for Father to call when he was well again. Went with Joe to the meeting of the Athletes in the Thornhill church school room. Long meeting. A lot of wasted time.
At church and School as usual. Had usual walks. Fine day, but rather windy. Mr Chadwick preaching. Sang “Sun of my soul” at night. Mr Bowman† also sang solos. Father had a cold.
Still slack at work. Went to choir practice at night. Walked up with Blaikie and the others. Played the piano. Wrote letter to Robsons’ in reply to their written offer of employment for Father.
Germans defeated at Warsaw by Russians.
Very slack at work. Finished at 1 o’clock. Walked up town in the afternoon with Father and then went to Porteous and Got last tooth out. Went up town again at night and saw them bring in some wounded. About 100 wounded arrive & more taken to the infirmary and Children’s Hospital. All the district military divisions† and ambulance men were engaged and a lot of soldiers and policemen kept back a large crowd who cheered loudly the first arrivals.
News last thing that 4 German destroyers had been sunk off the Dutch Coast1. Capt. Fox got his own back2.
This was the Battle off Texel, a naval battle off the coast of the Dutch island of Texel where a British squadron consisting of one light cruiser and four destroyers on a routine patrol encountered the remnants of the German 7th Half Flotilla of torpedo boats, which was en route to the British coast on a mission to lay minefields. The British forces attacked and sank the entire German flotilla of four torpedo boats. ↩
Captain Cecil Fox led the British squadron in HMS Undaunted. ↩
Still slack at work. Went down to Mission at night. Mr Mathews’ last night. He spoke to us at the door. Mr Kidd, in seconding the vote of thanks, said he didn’t agree with all Mr Mathews had preached. Walked round with Joe afterwards. Mission Ended. Father & Mr Wanless went to the mill for a trial, but Robson & Dixon only talked and made awful fuss and said a trial was not necessary.