At work as usual. Went to Philharmonic Concert in the Victoria Hall1. All the principals were good. The Leeds Symphony Orchestra played. They rendered Rossini’s Stabat Mater and a miscellaneous programme. Gertie and Marmie, Willie Marshall and I were to go. Heard Toreador’s Song. Called in at Mr Chadwick’s with missionary money on the way to the social.
Victoria Hall: see note on 10 January. ↩
Got up about 9 o’clock. Shaved† and at chapel. At School as usual and my turn for the children’s service. Charlie, our Charlie, Joe and I were there, and we managed very well1. Had shorter walks than usual. Very windy. My hat blew off at the top of Vine Place. Better hymns on the sheets. Mr Chadwick preached a picture sermon on “Revelations” in the morning. Joe and Marmie out to dinner. Charlie sang in the Bible class.
“Our Charlie”: ALL’s brother, so called to distinguish him from the other Charlie named – Charles Edward, usually so called in later life, also “Dora’s Charlie” in ALL’s diary: son of Father’s next brother Edward Beauman Linfoot (Beauman, after their grandfather, a local ship’s captain), “Uncle Ned”, whose death in mid-1914 is recorded in the diary; cf. 8 July. ↩
Got up about 7.15. At work as usual. Joe went to Leeds in the afternoon. Received letter from Manchester asking him to set a salary. I telephoned to him and then wired it to Manchester. Father very bad at night. Aunt Esther1, Bella Spain, and Uncle George in. I got the fiddle music and tried it through. Fred Wells called for Joe, and I talked to him a long time down stairs. Joe didn’t get back until 11 o’clock. Dorothy2 unwell and sick. Aunt Esther caused the water to run over and through the ceiling down stairs. I wrote to Ernie. The “Sack” murderer3 condemned. Appeal from Sumner. Eltoft 4 years. At Liverpool.
Aunt Esther: Father’s sister, b. 1862; married to John Lindsay Wilkinson – possibly Mother’s brother, and possibly the source of ALL’s middle name, which is otherwise unexplained. ↩
Dorothy: only child of Marmie and Joe Wiseman (b. 07.09.1912.) ↩
The “Sack” murder was a case in Liverpool, December 1913. The principal culprit, apparently George Sumner was hanged; Samuel Angeles Eltoft, mentioned by ALL, was aged 18. ↩
Got up about 9 o’clock. Warm damp day. Got on very well at work. Finished in good time. Marmie’s party at night. Charlie bad and went to bed soon. Mr and Mrs Wells, Mr and Mrs Grey. Willie and Lizzie Whittaker. Willie Marshall. Mrs Wiseman.1 Kit † and Rosses †. Father didn’t go down there. And Willie Peake and Mrs. Rather slow at times. Played a few games and danced a bit. Finished about 2 o’clock. <I> played for the dances.
Marmie’s Party.
Mrs Wiseman: presumably Joe Wiseman’s mother. ↩
Shook hands with Joe1 first. George Bagley2 second. Polly Abigales † 3rd. Had an invitation to Jenny Arkleby’s †3 but didn’t go. We all went to bed about 2 o’clock. Charlie4 slept the year out. He started at 5 in the morning. Ernie5 and Hilda arrived about 12 o’clock. We had turkey for dinner. Had short walk in the afternoon. Arranged a ping pong table down stairs and played a bit. Company arrived about 7 o’clock. The Whittaker family6. Willie Marshall. The Christopher Street people7, Ernie and Hilda. Had jolly time and supped about midnight.
Our Party.
Joe Wiseman was the husband of ALL’s elder sister Marmie; he had moved to Lincoln in 1905, date of return to Sunderland not recorded. ↩
There was an extensive Bagley family in the 1930-‐40’s, but their relationship with George B. is not recorded. ↩
P. Abigales and J. Arkleby (if correct) are unidentified; hereinafter, identified names are annotated (if at all) on first appearance, and names not identified receive no annotation. ↩
Charlie was ALL’s younger brother, working in the Post Office. ↩
Ernie was ALL’s elder brother, married to Hilda (née Tulip), at this time living in St Andrew’s. ↩
The Whittaker family were members of the South Durham Street Methodist Church, and included a son Willie, whom ALL quite often mentions; he mentions Willie Marshall probably more often, but as he commonly omits their surname, it is sometimes hard to be sure which of the two he means. Willie Whittaker shared his middle name Gaylard with All’s uncle William Gaylard Linfoot (who had emigrated to New Zealand in 1912), which suggests a possible family connection; all the people mentioned in the diary would have known (which is doubtless why ALL never refers to it) that Willie Marshall, mentioned in this 1 January entry, had visited New Zealand at some time in 1913, for reasons which will become apparent to readers by mid-1914. ↩
See the Family page for an explanation of “Christopher Street people”. Christopher Street is just W. of the S. end of Hendon Road. ↩