At work as usual. Directors’ meeting. No dictated letters off Mr Lawson. Busy all day. The army open again for clerks. I thought about joining. Decided to put advert in the Echo for Father. Hilda & baby went away in the morning. Finished reading “The Manxman”1.
The Manxman: See 21 December 1914, The Manxman and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩
At work as usual. Busy all day. Went up to Athlete hall at night for drill. I took a turn at drilling the squad. Read a bit. Played a bit.
At work as usual. Busy all day. Didn’t get sales-book written up. Read a bit. Went round with Joe last thing. Hilda & Marmie still in bed.
Got up shortly before 8 o’clock. Ernie went back to St. Andrew’s, Charlie to Seaham. Mr Scott discovered a mistake of thousand pounds in my total and in the sales-book. Received account of Lord Kitchener’s speech in the House of Lords and it was satisfactory. Marmie & Hilda both in bed all day. My cold a lot better. Charlie arrived at night from Seaham & said he was finished there. Dr. Scott down to Hilda.
At work as usual. Received news of Defeat of Turkish Army in Caucasus1. Went down to Girls’ Guild Social at night. A large company and a lot of strangers. Pretty decent night. Mr and Mrs Flood and the Waggotts well represented. Left at 11 o’clock and came round with Gertie. Charlie called in but didn’t stay and slept at home.
See also: Wikipedia; Caucasus Campaign ↩
Charlie went to Seaham first thing to lodge there. Ernie and Hilda should have gone home but didn’t as Hilda is unwell. She got Dr Scott to come and see her. At work as usual. Finished about 5.30. Played ping pong most of the night and had short walk round the town last thing. Charlie slept at Seaham Harbour for first time.
At work again. Felt pretty bad with cold. Father got me a bottle at night at Blackett’s1. Went to Willie Peake’s Party at night. A fair company and we enjoyed ourselves at night. Knocked off about 1 o’clock. I set Poppy Hugill down home. Got to bed about 2 o’clock. A report about some German ships being out of the canal2.
“Blackett’s” (if correctly transcribed): department store in central Sunderland. ↩
“Canal” would be the Kiel Canal (Kaiser-Wilhelm-Kanal until 1948), built 1887 – 1895 from Kiel in the Baltic to Brunsbüttel at the mouth of the Elbe (98km), to facilitate commercial traffic but also for German warships to avoid the unsafe and potentially opposed passage round Denmark, thus facilitating operations in both the Baltic and North Seas. It is said now to be the busiest artificial waterway in the world. ↩
Not much to do at work. Tom brought his gramophone over at night. I received 5/61 Christmas bonus. Charlie at work from 5.35 train until about midnight. Went to the Watch service2 with Ernie and Joe after finishing the letter to New Zealand. Mr Chadwick and Joe Speed spoke and Mr Mullens prayed. Pretty good service. I had walk round the town. Walked through Garrison Field with Joe.
THE END3
Charlie turned out at 6.30 to be at work at 9 o’clock. Didn’t get home again until about 11.30 and had to start at 5.35 in the morning. He was at work all day with only one meal. I commenced a long letter to New Zealand. Was at home by myself at night.