Up at 6.30. Kept busy all day. Stayed on at night. Had walk round the town in the morning. The Germans had put a big gun again and shelled heavily round about. I lay awake a good while listening.
Heard that a lot of artillery and suchlike had been killed the night before and that the dressing station had 70 wounded there. Wrote letter to Mr Eaves about Mr Mullens1. Did a bit French at night and read a bit.
Up at 6.30. Busy in the morning. 4 patients in for me. My turn in at night. Managed very well. Glorious weather. A lot of guns going up1. Received letter from home telling more [sic] that Mr Mullens2 had died on Sunday on his way to preach at Shiney Row3.
Mr Mullens: James Mullens, a lay minister from the South Durham Street United Methodist Free Church in Sunderland, where ALL had been a member prior to joining the RAMC. ALL had also recorded Mr Mullens’ death in his diary a few days earlier on Sunday, 20th May, the day it happened. It is probable that this earlier diary note was added later, some time after the news reached ALL on the 24th. Mr Mullens was 73 years old at the date of his death. See also all diary entries tagged “Mullens”. ↩
Shiney Row: mining village between Penshaw and Houghton-le-Spring, 5 miles SW. of Sunderland. ↩
Up at 6.50. Kept busy all morning. Wrote letters in the afternoon. Lovely day. A lot of troops going up the line1. Dory and Holman called for me in the afternoon and we went to Méteren again. Very hot day. I went to the †Anglicans’ Creed Ascension† service at night and it was very good, but not up to last week.
Heard that Mr Mullens2 had died.
“A lot of troops…”: ALL also mentions a lot of guns moving up the line around this time. See note on 22 May. ↩
Mr Mullens: A minister from the South Durham Street United Methodist Free Church in Sunderland, where ALL had been a member prior to joining the RAMC. Mr Mullens, Esther and Arthur Mullens are all mentioned occasionally throughout the diaries. ALL did not yet know of Mr Mullens’ death at this date and this note was added retrospectively. ↩
Up at 6.40. Kept busy all day. Stayed in at night and helped with dinner. Wrote some letters. A lot of guns going up the line1. Rumours of Russia turning it in2 and the war being over soon3.
“A lot of guns…”: This movement of guns (and troops) is noted over a period of several more days. See note on 22 May. ↩
“Turning it in” (if this reading is correct; it seems an early date for this colloquialism) means withdrawing from or abandoning some endeavour. ↩
Revolutionary Russia did eventually withdraw from the war in October/November 1917, having been increasingly disorganised in its war efforts after the February Revolution of 1917, the rumour of which ALL had noted in his diary on 18 March, but sadly the war was not over soon. ↩
Up at 6.30. Kept busy all day. I stayed in at night. Fine day. Wrote some letters.
Up at 6.30. Fairly busy all day. Got off a letter to Sergeant Sharpley. Went out at 5 o’clock with Warr. Walked round by the grapery and then went to the Y M and heard a lecture on savages by Dr Hutton. Enjoyed it very much. It set me thinking. Had a bath last thing.
Up shortly after 6 o’clock. Kept busy all day. Had short walk out in the afternoon. Called at BEF 1 canteen and had a drink of lemonade. Glorious day. An English machine gun bullet broke the glass in the conservatory. Received letter from home, Sharpley and Dora’s Charlie. Managed dinner pretty well and generally got through all right.
“BEF”: British Expeditionary Force. ↩
Up at 5.30. A lot of trouble during the night between old Wilson and Merrill. Finished about 7.30. Had breakfast and turned in. Slept until tea time. Went to concert at night in the dining room. Steve Bott, John Dory, Sergeant Cooper and several others including the C.O. and Captain Andrews took part. Gus played and played very well. Pretty busy at night with the officers. Got through all right. Wrote letter to Charlie.
[Pencil exceptionally faint on this page.]
Up at 5.30. Felt chilly sitting. Got everything cleaned up and had breakfast. Went to bed about 9 o’clock. Slept very well†. Up at 2 o’clock. Glorious day. Received letter from Hilda Linfoot in New Zealand1. Lay down out on the grass in the grounds and read. Harvey with me. Went on duty at 7.30. Massaged the legs of Lieutenant Radford, took temperatures of officers etcetera. Sat up until shortly after midnight. Didn’t go to bed. Simply sat in the chairs.
Up at 7.30. Spent morning packing up and writing a letter to Ernie lying out on the grass. Grand morning. Went to the Méteren movies at night and enjoyed it pretty well. Wrote long letter to Ernie. Watched aeroplanes going out about 11 o’clock at night. Bromley drunk as usual, and very funny and talkative.