Tag Archives: Work

Arthur LInfoot was employed as a clerk at the Hendon Paper Mill in Sunderland prior to joining the RAMC. He rejoined the company after demobilisation and remained there until his retirement, rising to become a Director of the company by that time.

29 December 1914; Tuesday

December 1914, , , ,

At work as usual. Not much to do. Ernie, Hilda and baby arrived in the afternoon from Boldon. Charlie received notice to go to Seaham Harbour and had to go in the afternoon. He arrived home at about 11.30 and had to be out again at 8 o’clock in the morning. He said the office was rotten and they were in an awful mess. I had a walk round the town by myself and was a good bit dissatisfied with Charlie having to go away now.

24 December 1914; Thursday

December 1914, , , , , , ,

[Christmas eve – See footnote1.]

At work as usual. Mill stopped at 6 o’clock a.m. We finished in good time and Tom Fagin† brought his gramophone across and played it until nearly 6 o’clock. I went up town at night and posted some Christmas cards. Called at station for Ernie but he didn’t arrive. Went up town later and called at Wiseman’s both in going and coming. Joe’s face swollen very much and he can’t go out. Bought Gertie a music case. And read a lot of The Manxman2 and went to bed about 1 o’clock. Charlie out tonight. Ernie arrived at Boldon with Hilda and the baby.

  1. ALL didn’t mention, and presumably hadn’t heard of, the first German bomb dropped on British soil on Christmas Eve, 1914. A single German aircraft (which appears to have got away unscathed), dropped a bomb which fell in a garden near Taswell Street in Dover, where there is now a blue plaque on the wall reading “Near this spot on Christmas Eve 1914 fell the first aerial bomb ever to be dropped on the United Kingdom.” ↩

  2. ALL had started to read this book a few days earlier, on 22 December. See The Manxman and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩

21 December 1914; Monday

December 1914,

Busy at work all day. Read part of “The Manxman” 1 by Hall Caine. Played a bit. A good deal of Christmas excitement about.

  1. “The Manxman“: one of (Sir Thomas Henry) Hall Caine’s most popular novels. H.C. (1853­‐1931) was born in Runcorn, was secretary to D G Rossetti, and adopted the Isle of Man after DGR’s death; very popular novelist and literary figure in his day. See also: Arthur Linfoot’s Library ↩