Tag Archives: Pelman

Pelmanism was a popular system of memory training, using association of things and ideas.

20 January 1914; Tuesday

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Got up about 8 o’clock. Got work well up to date. Mr Jesse Collings expressed his intention to retire from Parliament at next general election1.

Finished in good time. Mother, Father and Gertie at a * lecture on Canada. I finished off some Pelman 2 papers and took them to the post. Mr Chadwick called to see about Ernie’s reply to his letter. Willie Whittaker called in and we went up the town way. Played the piano a bit. Went to bed late. Had a bath last thing. Took 2 letters for Mr Lawson and didn’t get away to dinner until late.

  1. Jesse Collings was MP for Ipswich, later for Birmingham Bordesley; best known as mover of the “three acres and a cow” amendment to the Queen’s Speech, January 1886, following which Lord Salisbury’s government fell and Gladstone became Prime Minister. ↩

  2. Pelman: See footnote on 6 January and all diary entries tagged Pelman. ↩

17 January 1914; Saturday

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My 24th Birthday. Got up rather late. Finished about 2 o’clock. Went up town for papers. Charlie bought me a stick for a present. Went to the Teachers’ Training Centre and heard a lecture on Buddhism. Went to the Picture House1 with Willie. Had to stand. Poor pictures. Rained heavily most of the night. Got home late. Tried to do bit Pelman2.

Submarine boat3 lost with 11 men in it.

Jack Cook4 died.

  1. “The Picture House” was the name of the first dedicated cinema in Sunderland. It survived under this name until after WWII. Films were also shown in temporary locations, such as the Victoria Memorial Hall. ↩

  2. See note on 6 January. ↩

  3. “Submarine boat”: the A7, which failed to re-surface during an exercise, 16 January, off Rame Head near Devonport. ↩

  4. Possibly a relative of ALL’s mother; she went to Ashington to his funeral on 21 January. ↩

15 January 1914; Thursday

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Got up about 7.45. Drilled a bit. Left work shortly after 11 o’clock and went to the County Court in the car1. Managed the business all right. Had to make a 4th copy of the agreement for the Rechabites2. Old Mr Robson buried. Finished very late at night, nearly 7 o’clock. Did a bit Pelman3. Finished reading “Hypatia”4 and took it in. Went to Jack’s last thing and told him I had done the necessary. Called at the post with Ernie’s paper. Went to bed about 11.30. Charlie got heavy cold. Read newspaper about Strike in Johannesburg5, and also Volcanic disaster in Japan6. Mr Jos. Chamberlain7 expressed his intention of retiring from Parliament.

  1. In England at least, “car” in the diary usually means “tram-­car”, though later, especially in France, ALL evidently used it for other, usually unspecified sorts of conveyance. ALL also occasionally used the noun “car” as a verb – “carred” meaning “I (or we, depending on the context) rode on the car.” ↩

  2. The Independent Order of Rechabites (rather oddly referred to in Roy Hattersley’s biography of Lloyd George as the “Antediluvian Order of Rakebites”; the name “Rechabites” was presumably adopted from Jeremiah ch.35 v.2 ff.) was a temperance Friendly Society, set up in 1835 and still in existence, providing insurance, death benefits etc, to which ALL continued contributing a few (old) pence a week, until some date after WWII. ↩

  3. See note on 6 January. ↩

  4. “Hypatia”: Charles Kingsley’s novel; “took it in”: presumably to the public library. See also: Arthur Linfoot’s Library ↩

  5. A strike of white railway workers in Pretoria led to a general strike throughout South Africa, with martial law. ↩

  6. Sakurajima: former island in a caldera off the southern tip of Kyushu; worst Japanese volcanic eruption in 20th century. ↩

  7. Joseph Chamberlain (1836 – 02.07.1914): father of the half-brother MPs, Austen and Neville Chamberlain, Birmingham industrialist, Mayor of B’ham, MP for B’ham 1876 as radical Liberal; resigned as Pres. of Board of Trade 1886 because he opposed Irish Home Rule, became ‘Liberal Unionist’; Sec. of State for Colonies 1895 – 1903 (covering the Boer War); driving force of B’ham University after its creation (1900) from Mason College, led its removal from Edmund Street to Edgbaston campus; campanile there named after him. ↩

6 January 1914; Tuesday

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Got up about 8 o’clock. Got work well up to date. Cold and frosty. Finished early. Read a bit. Did some Pelman1. Went down to meeting. Called at Furley’s and got to know that Mr Furley was at work again. Played2 for the class meeting. Had break for a few minutes. Mother, Father and Gertie3 at the pantomime. Said it was pretty decent but not of much account†. Went to bed about midnight.

  1. Pelmanism was a popular system of memory training, using association of things and ideas. ↩

  2. “Played” without a direct object generally means “played the piano” or according to context “-­ the organ”. Like many Victorian and Edwardian families of all classes, ALL’s family were ‘musical’. His father played the ‘cello, ALL and his two sisters were competent pianists, Ernie learned to play the violin, and Charlie was a popular bass-­baritone soloist and chorister. ALL also played church or chapel organs throughout his life. ↩

  3. Gertie was ALL’s younger sister. See also Family page. ↩