At work as usual. Not much to do. Went to Mission at night with Joe. Another noisy time. Joe Speed was in good form. Had short walk round. Disagreed with what Mr Mathews said.
The bombardment of Waelhem, Wavre – Saint Catherine & other forts by 11 guns.
Mission conducted by Mr David Mathews commenced. He preached only poorly and I didn’t quite agree with all he said. His service at night was awful and more like a Salvation Army meeting. He managed better in the School and held the attention of the children pretty well. Had usual walks. Fine day. Mrs Cooke and Bella Spain at our chapel.
Germans bombarded & occupied Malines.
Finished in good time. Finished about 1.30. Went up the town in the afternoon with Charlie and he got measured for a suit at the Store1. I called at Porteous the dentist and he examined my teeth and agreed to take 2 out next Wednesday. Went to Roker at night with Willie Whittaker. Came back on the car2.
The Belgians retired from Malines to line of outer Antwerp forts.
At work as usual. Very little to do. Decided to shut down machines. A lot of excitement in town about the loss of the 3 big ships.
The War on the Continent very much the same. Russians capture Smaslau†. Battle of Aisne proceeding & looks promising to Allies. Went to meeting at chapel and met Mr Kettle.
Got up late. Had to hurry to work. Very little to do. Finished early. At choir practice at night. Mr Kettle at meeting at the chapel. Received news at night of the loss of the Aboukir, Hogue & Cressy, by German submarines. Supposed† to be attacked by 5 or 6 submarines. The Aboukir was sunk first and when the others were taking off the crew they were sunk. About 1200 lives lost. British capture armed liner “Spreewald” & two coalers (H.M.S.Berwick) and also news of the capture of the Professor Woermann at Sierra Leone.1
Aboukir, Hogue and Cressy were old cruisers patrolling in the Broad Fourteens area of the North Sea. They were supposed to sail at 13 knots (which they were too old to do) and to zigzag (an order widely disregarded as submarines had not been seen in the area); however the submarine U9 was indeed there, and sank all three. Spreewald: armed cruiser/ex-liner,3,900 tons, supplying raiders in W. Indies; Professor Woermann: 6,000 tons, apparently merchantman; became SS Professor after War. ↩
Very slack at work. Finished early. Got hair cut. Had bath. Read a good lot of Everyman1 and wrote up old diaries about the time I was commencing to go with Mildred†.
News to hand of the damage of the cruiser Pegasus by the German cruiser Konigsberg while she was at anchor and not under steam2. Also the sinking of 5 merchant ships by the Emden3 and the sinking of the Cap Trafalgar by the Carmania4.
The big battle in France still going on. Read Lloyd George’s speech.
Everyman: see Everyman and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩
Pegasus, a Tyne-built cruiser of 1897, was sunk by the Königsberg off Zanzibar. ↩
SMS cruiser Emden was used as a raider in the Indian Ocean, and in September 1914 alone took over 20 British merchant ships, as well as raiding Madras. See also 29 Sept., 10 Nov., and note on 9 December. ↩
Cap Trafalgar was a large modern German liner (1913, 23,640 tons) converted as an auxiliary cruiser, in service in the South Atlantic; she was found and sunk at a secret base in the Brazilian islands of Trindade, 500 miles E. of Brazil, on 14 September by the Carmania, another ex-liner (1905, 19,500 tons) fitted out as an armed merchant cruiser; the Cap Trafalgar was thus the first ex-liner to be sunk by another ex-liner. ↩
Frank back from his holidays. Not much to do. Read and played a bit.
Australian submarine lost AE1. 34 lives lost12.
The AE1 took part with other Australian vessels in the capture of German New Guinea on 13 September. Patrolling in the area afterwards, she disappeared on the afternoon of 14 September, and despite searches, no trace of her (not even surface oil) was ever found. This diary entry was made subsequently – see 20 September for the news reaching ALL. ↩
Chapel and class as usual. A stranger preaching in the morning and Mr Roope at night. Mr Roope preached very well and Fred Waggott asked Joe to write out the sermon for him1. Managed pretty well at Sunday School and my turn for the children’s service. Got on pretty well.
Invasion of British East Africa announced. Light cruiser Hela sunk by British submarine2.
Joe Wiseman used to practice his already excellent shorthand by recording speeches etc. verbatim; apparently he did sermons too. ↩
Hela was used as a supply tender for submarines in the Heligoland Bight (though classed as a light cruiser, she had only four 8.8cm guns.) She was torpedoed by the British submarine E9; see also 6 October 1914. ↩
Finished in decent time. Walked up town in the afternoon. Paid for history† book which I received from Hills’s1. Went up town at night with Willie Whittaker. Wet night. Saw young Letty come out of the library as we came down Villette Road.
German retreat continued to the Aisne, where new battle.
Hills’s: the main Sunderland bookshop, in Waterloo Place, where Ernie later worked as manager and eventually as a director. ↩
Business much slacker at the office. Had walk at town at night.
British Army defeat Germans at Soissons & capture men & guns1.