Tag Archives: Joe

Joe Wiseman was a close friend of Arthur Linfoot and was married to his elder sister, Mary, known to the family as “Marmie“. See Family page.

1 February 1915; Monday

February 1915, , , ,

At work as usual. Busy all day. Received letter from Ernie and one from Isaac1. Stayed in at night and read and looked up Pelman2. Walked out last thing. Another big British ship sunk by a German submarine in the English Channel3. Meeting in the Thornhill Hall of the athletes. Joe went but didn’t stay to the finish.

  1. Isaac: see footnote to entry on 12 October 1914. ↩

  2. Pelman: See 6 January 1914. ↩

  3. It is not clear to which “big British ship” ALL may have been referring here. Three merchant ships (SS Ikaria, SS Tokomaru and SS Oriole) had been sunk by U-20 in the English channel (near Le Havre) on 30 January 1915 and U-20 also fired a torpedo at the hospital ship Asturias on 1 February. The latter attack failed when the torpedo missed its mark. Wikipedia notes these events briefly at this page. U-20 was later better known as the submarine which sunk Lusitania. ↩

16 January 1915; Saturday

January 1915, , , , ,

At work as usual. Went up to the Ford Estate with Joe, and watched them drilling a short time. Met Blaikie on the way back and talked a short time. Called at the Echo office but no replies. Read and played a bit. Called for Willie Whittaker. Went to the Memorial Hall1. Mr Newrick’s choir there and Willie Whittaker and I were in the audience. Charlie on the platform. Willie got toothache.

  1. Memorial Hall: See 10 January 1914. ↩

1 January 1915; Friday

January 1915, , , , , ,

[written above printed date -­ ] Posted letter to N.Z.1

Got supper at Mrs Wiseman’s with Ernie and Joe Mummery after the Watch service. Shook hands with several at church, Ernie first and Mr Chadwick next. Went to bed about 2 o’clock. Charlie got up at 7 o’clock. I walked through to Seaham2 and walked back in the afternoon. Took 1¼ hours to go there and 65 minutes to come back. Strong south easterly gale blowing and very wet. I was drenched. All family but Charlie at dinner and tea and supper together. Played a few games, ping pong, etcetera at night and went to go <sic; “bed” intended?> about mid-­‐night. Charlie in shortly after 11 o’clock and had to start again at 8 o’clock in the morning. “Formidable”3 blown up with a loss of about 700 lives in the Channel.

  1. The letter to N.Z. was probably sent to ALL’s cousin, Hilda Tate Linfoot. See Hilda disambiguation page. ↩

  2. Seaham [Harbour]: small colliery town and sea-­port 4 miles S. of Sunderland. ↩

  3. HMS Formidable, built 1904, was a battleship stationed at Sheerness to guard against possible German invasion. On 31 December she was on gunnery practice off the Isle of Wight, and was hit during the night by two torpedoes from submarine U24. 547 officers and men were lost out of 780. ↩

31 December 1914; Thursday

December 1914, , , , , , ,

Not much to do at work. Tom brought his gramophone over at night. I received 5/61 Christmas bonus. Charlie at work from 5.35 train until about midnight. Went to the Watch service2 with Ernie and Joe after finishing the letter to New Zealand. Mr Chadwick and Joe Speed spoke and Mr Mullens prayed. Pretty good service. I had walk round the town. Walked through Garrison Field with Joe.

THE END3

  1. Five shillings and six pence: = 27½p. ↩

  2. “Watch service”: the Methodist “watch-night” service, usually starting at 11.30 pm, to see the New Year in. ↩

  3. It was ALL’s habit to write “THE END”, or some variation thereof, on the last day of each diary. ↩

27 December 1914; Sunday

December 1914, ,

Missed chapel in the morning through being late and went to Roker instead. Saw the trenches and the new gun. At Sunday School in the afternoon and got on pretty well. My turn at children’s service and managed best I have done for a long time. Sang two carols at night. A Mr Joe Barnes sang solos. Had short walk round. Willie Carr and †Aunt Jimmy† to tea. Wet night, didn’t go far.

24 December 1914; Thursday

December 1914, , , , , , ,

[Christmas eve – See footnote1.]

At work as usual. Mill stopped at 6 o’clock a.m. We finished in good time and Tom Fagin† brought his gramophone across and played it until nearly 6 o’clock. I went up town at night and posted some Christmas cards. Called at station for Ernie but he didn’t arrive. Went up town later and called at Wiseman’s both in going and coming. Joe’s face swollen very much and he can’t go out. Bought Gertie a music case. And read a lot of The Manxman2 and went to bed about 1 o’clock. Charlie out tonight. Ernie arrived at Boldon with Hilda and the baby.

  1. ALL didn’t mention, and presumably hadn’t heard of, the first German bomb dropped on British soil on Christmas Eve, 1914. A single German aircraft (which appears to have got away unscathed), dropped a bomb which fell in a garden near Taswell Street in Dover, where there is now a blue plaque on the wall reading “Near this spot on Christmas Eve 1914 fell the first aerial bomb ever to be dropped on the United Kingdom.” ↩

  2. ALL had started to read this book a few days earlier, on 22 December. See The Manxman and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩