Tag Archives: Music

22 April 1916; Saturday

On parade in the morning. Went to Mappin Art Gallery1 and saw Raemarker’s [sic] cartoons2. Had tea at the Y.M. and then went to the Victoria Hall and heard W.H. Jude3. He was very good.


  1. Mappin Art Gallery, now Weston Park Museum. See Sheffield map

  2. Louis Raemaekers (1869 – 1956) was a Dutch painter and editorial cartoonist for the Amsterdam newspaper De Telegraaf during World War I, noted for his anti-German stance. A collection of his cartoons is available at The Project Gutenberg. Carreras issued a set of cigarette cards showing Raemaekers cartoons in 1916. 

  3. William Herbert Jude (1851 – 1922) was a composer and organist – sometimes called “the most brilliant organist of his day”; wrote operettas, nautical and other songs, but especially hymn tunes and other sacred music. He was presumably giving an organ recital at the Victoria Hall, rather than speaking. 

15 April 1916; Saturday

On parade in the morning. Major inspected and complimented our room.

Inspection by G.O.C1.

We paraded on the square and formed in line. Afterwards formed a square while he made a speech. The band played and it was quite a flash affair. Walked around Ecclesall2 way in the afternoon with Plummer. Called in the Mappin Art Gallery3. Tea at Lyons’ café4 and afterwards went to Victoria Hall with Plummer. Good concert. Miss Eva Rich’s5 choir. Walked round market place afterwards.


  1. “G.O.C.”: General Officer Commanding. 

  2. “Ecclesall”: SW. suburb of Sheffield, 2½ miles from city centre. 

  3. Mappin Art Gallery, now Weston Park Museum (marked on map). See Sheffield map

  4. J. Lyons & Co., the same company as also famously imported tea, had a large and very successful nationwide chain of cafés. There would have been a Lyons’ café in most large towns at this time. Interestingly, though irrelevantly, Lyons was also the first company anywhere to incorporate computers into its business operations, which it did in the early 1950s. Lyons’ computing efforts were so successful that its computer business was later spun off, eventually forming part of ICL, now owned by Fujitsu. 

  5. Miss Eva Rich: The “Musical News & Herald” of 21 October 1922, regarding a performance of ‘Lohengrin’ by the Sheffield & District Grand Opera Society the previous week, observes that “Miss Eva Rich’s reappearance, after two years’ retirement from public singing, as Elsa, caused intense interest, and resulted in a personal as well as an artistic triumph.” She is also mentioned in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2005-2008, not with an entry of her own, but as a teacher of the Sheffield-born operatic baritone Peter Glossop (1928-2008). 

28 March 1915; Sunday

Went to the Royalty Church in the morning. Nice church, good music and pretty good sermon. At Sunday School in the afternoon and had 3 classes. At North Bridge Street at night to hear Penitence, P[ardon] & Peace1. Miss Brackwill took the soprano and Tom Leyden the baritone solos. Billy Marshall and Billy Whittaker with me and Charlie in the choir. Had usual walks. Rather wild weather and some snow. The Falaba2 torpedoed and over 100 lives lost.


  1. “Penitence, Pardon & Peace”: oratorio by John Henry Maunder (1858-­1920), organist in Sydenham and Forest Hill; better known for oratorio “Olivet to Calvary.” 

  2. RMS Falaba was the first passenger ship torpedoed in WW1, and an American engineer L C Thrasher was among the 104 lives lost, causing an international incident as the Kaiser had declared British waters a war zone as recently as 18 February; but Falaba was carrying explosives, which duly exploded. The submarine was U28. Location probably S. of Ireland, as Thrasher’s body is said to have been found after the Lusitania sinking. 

9 March 1915; Tuesday

At work as usual. Directors’ meeting. I had some letters to type for Mr Lawson1. Had very late dinner and rode the boy’s bicycle. Finished in decent time. Went to choir practice and sang the “Radiant Morn”2. Came up with Blaikie.


  1. Mr Lawson: a Director of the Hendon Paper Works Company. 

  2. Possibly “The radiant morn hath passed away”, words by Godfrey Thring (1864); alternative tunes: Radiant Morn (Charles Gounod), St Gabriel (Frederick Gore-Ousley), St Leonard (Herbert Irons). 

24 February 1915; Wednesday

At work as usual. Finished in good time, but fairly busy all day. Went to Elijah1 at night in the Victoria Hall2, performed by the Vocal Union. Principals, Mr Herbert Brown, Mr Matt Newton. Madam Catherine Vincent and Miss Lottie Beaumont, were all good. Was with Helen, Olive, Winnie and Willie Whittaker. Mother, Father and Gertie there and Charlie too. I went to Whittakers’ last thing for Charlie’s things3, because he had changed before at their house.


  1. Elijah”: Mendelssohn’s very popular oratorio. 

  2. Victoria Hall: See 10 January 1914

  3. “Charlie’s things” – he was presumably in the choir.