1915
1st January
A nasty wet day as usual. Stayed indoors as it simply poured almost the whole time.
H.M.S. “Formidable” sunk by German submarine in the English Channel.
1915
2nd January
Mother went to Leicester to try and get a little sense out of the VAD people, but did not do much good. Jim suddenly turned up about dinner time.
Grand Duke Nicholas of Russia appealed to Britain for assistance against the Ottomans, who were conducting an offensive in the Caucasus. Planning began for a naval demonstration in the Dardanelles to divert troops from the Caucasian theatre of operations.
1915
3rd January
Went to Church. We had a special service about the War, a horrid day of course.
1915
4th January
No entry by Eve
London Stock Exchange reopened (having been closed since July 31st, 1914).
1915
5th January
Grace Topham came to tea. Father in bed with a feverish cold.
German attack on Edea (Cameroons) repulsed by French garrison.
1915
6th January
Went into Leicester and had a tooth temporarily stopped by old Vice and bought some shoes. Saw Edie Fox and Dottie Caultey at Johnsons. The former looks ill and talks in a very hoarse voice, which is a worrying sign I think, as she always was pale. I’m afraid she is pretty bad, poor thing. Talked to her about Mr Heygate . She said she had been so surprised at M’s calmness and the way she talked about Charlie. Travelled with Mrs Gellinder who told me a sad story about a girl who is to be housemaid with us.
1915
7th January
Aunt Mary had heard from Aunt A about some Belgians here in Leicester and said she might like to have some in the cottage so we had talked about going over today. To our great surprise a little Belgian girl of about 18 suddenly turned up having come out from Leicester by train and walked up to here. She was a dear little thing. Mother took her to see the cottage as Aunt M was out. I went to tea with the Tophams and afterwards went to see three Belgians. The little priest was there (who is a dear little man) but I don’t think the others very attractive.
1915
8th January
Fred came home for the weekend.
First day of the Battle of Soissons in northern France. (Continued until the 14th January.)
1915
9th January
Fred and Esther went to Leicester. Mother and I drove up to Coton to lunch and found the biggest party I have ever seen there, I think, including all the Aldersons, Mrs, Miss and Monty and the Staintons! I sat between Mrs S.and a Mrs Ralli, both of whom are deaf and most difficult to talk to. The latter cheered up a little towards the end and remarked that Christopher Columbus was a grossly overrated man. There was a Belgian abbé who looked very nice, but could only speak French, and a nice man called Sir Charles Matthews who I think is at the Bar. Went into the garden with Mrs. A afterwards and then came home.
1915
10th January
Beastly day today. Went to church.
1915
11th January
No entry by Eve
1915
12th January
No entry by Eve
Mafia Island (German East Africa) seized by a British force.
1915
13th January
Went to Dunton by train and walked up to the Aikmans’ house where the Beagles were to meet. I found a perfectly strange woman at the station and took her up with me. The whole place has been altered tremendously but looks much the same outside. We sat for some time in the little oak panelled room but which is rather altered now as glass has been put in in one side, and looked at some illustrated papers. Then on one page I suddenly saw Bruce’s face smiling at me. Ran about for some time with the Beagles and then came back and had a little early lunch and went home. Edie S. and Robin Belcher and various others friends were over. Went to tea with the Youngs with mother. Alan was there, having come home on sick leave with eczema.
British War Council resolved that the Admiralty should prepare for a naval expedition in February against the Dardanelles
1915
14th January
Mrs. Roas came to call to ask us to make mittens for her nephew’s company.
Battle of Soissons ended
1915
15th January
Esther and Rowley went to Keele and Michael back to Osborne.
1915
16th January
Walked into Lutterworth in driving rain and went into Leicester by train travelled in with Mrs. Young. Went and had a tooth stopped by old Vice and did a little shopping and had a very hasty cup of coffee and a bun at Millers and then came out and went up to the Girls’ Club room and helped to sell the most foul rubbish at a rummage sale for the funds of the V.A.D. Mother had been there all the morning and said there was evidently a code of attack at rummage sales which she did not know. Very likely Mrs Evans and Mrs Derwent enlightened her. Afterwards, I and Mrs E and Mrs D went to tea with the Tophams and I walked back afterwards in the snow and pouring rain and got very wet. Digby came home for the weekend.
1915
17th January
Went to church. Mother went down to Lutterworth to meet Dr Bob Fagge and Sir Astley Clarke and she and Grace and Abbot took them over to the cottage hospital and the Wesleyan Sunday School. Both were much struck with the look of the buildings and thought them a most suitable place for a hospital for wounded soldiers, which is perfectly splendid and the most cheering thing I have heard for many a long day.
1915
18th January
No entry by Eve
German attack on Jasin (East Africa) began.
1915
19th January
Aunt Alice came.
First airship raid on England: widespread damage to buildings in Kings Lynn and Great Yarmouth, and several deaths.
1915
20th January
Planted a lot of things that Aunt Vi had seen on offer at Shotesham lots of irises and pansies and various other nice things. E and B came back from Keele.
1915
21st January
A nasty day with a good deal of damp snow on the ground in the morning, which very soon departed.
1915
22nd January
Went for a walk and planted some more things in the garden. Esther went to stay with Vi and Rowley went back to school.
1915
23rd January
Mother and Father went to Leicester. Aunt A and I walked to Bitteswell where we had a rather horrid lunch with the Youngs and then ran with the Beagles for a very short time. They soon ran a long way and we gave up and came home.
1915
24th January
No entry by Eve
Action of the Dogger Bank. German cruiser “Blücher” sunk.German airship “P.L.-19″ brought down near Libau.
1915
25th January
Aunt Alice went away
Lieut.-General Sir W. Robertson appointed Chief of the General Staff, British Expeditionary Force, France
1915
26th January
No entry by Eve
Beginning of Turkish advance on Egypt through Sinai
1915
27th January
I heard that Aunt May had broken her thigh bone, poor dear.
Lieutenant-General Sir R. C. Maxwell appointed Quartermaster-General, British Expeditionary Force, France
1915
28th January
No entry by Eve
United States merchant vessel “William P. Frye” sunk by German armed cruiser “Prinz Eitel Friedrich”. The ship had been on its way to England with a cargo of wheat but was intercepted off the coast of Brazil.
1915
29th January
Went into the Cottage to read to Aunt Mary.
First operation of German submarines in the Irish Sea : Walney Island battery (Barrow-in-Furness) shelled.
1915
30th January
Mr Pavey (who is staying with the Gilliatts for the weekend) came in and told us some wonderful stories about his life as a Private in the 10th Lincolnshires. Brocklesby did not seem very promising but then again may improve. Drove over to Brownsover and had lunch with Lottie Boughton Leigh.
British Admiralty warned British merchant vessels to fly neutral or no ensigns in the vicinity of the British Isles to avoid identification by German submarines.
1915
31st January
Went to Church. Mr Pavey came in afterwards and told some more of his experiences in the army as a Private. I bicycled over to Ashby to see Edie Sedgwick in the afternoon but came back very soon to see as much as possible of Jim. He had turned up quite unexpectedly at 7am but only stayed till the evening and then went up to London to see about getting a commission in the Engineers, which he is very keen to do.
