1914
1st November
Went to church twice. Had lunch at the Rectory.
1914
2nd November
Bruce has been killed. Went to Boyland.
1914
3rd November
A dreary day. Went a walk with Lorlon and the dogs. We all went to dinner with some people called Best. Fred Irby had been shooting there that day. Mrs was a nice little thing who has a son in the Leicester Yeomanry.
1914
4th November
Had another awful knock. As I was reading the Times in the evening I suddenly found myself reading an obituary notice of Charles Nunnely killed in action on October the 26th – the day before Bruce. No one will be left soon …. Poor little Margar..
1914
5th November
We went to a sort of drawing room meeting at the Birkbecks at Stoke. A recruiting officer was there and he gave a short address about having woman’s meetings. Aunts Lil and Ada were there. It is a very nice house, modern but most artistically furnished and full of nice things. Mr & Mrs Birkbeck are both rather amusing and unusual I should think. He has a squeaky voice and paints, she is very tall with gorgeous red hair but otherwise plain.
1914
6th November
Motored to Hempnall with Loulou to see a woman at a shop there and arrange about a meeting. Then went on to Stoke and saw Mrs Birkbeck who certainly is very attractive. Then we went to lunch with some people called Hervey at a place called Rainthorpe I think, quite the most perfect house I have ever been in I think. Fred Irby was shooting there and there were various other men there but no other women except Lady H. who was very picturesque and charming. I sat next to Major Rhodes at lunch. Afterwards walked about with Sir Charles Hervey, a funny old thing, and watched the shooting for a bit and then looked round the house which is most beautifully furnished.
1914
7th November
Picked mushrooms and went for a walk with Loulou. Had a letter sent me which Vi had about Margery who must have been wonderfully brave. The telegram came at about 10pm when the H Mansfields, Connie Mrs Jim and some man who had come to dine were there. Margery said quite calmly “My husband has been killed but don’t worry about me. I shan’t realize it for quite a long time”, and then equally calmly telephoned to Mr Sumpter to tell Edie. The old man who sweeps the drive was talking to L today and she asked after his health upn which he tapped his very ruddy cheeks & said, “The doctor, he’s like the feel of my cheeks, he say they feel so verra healtha!”
1914
8th November
Played about at Boyland.
1914
9th November
No entry by Eve
1914
10th November
No entry by Eve
1914
11th November
No entry by Eve
1914
12th November
Motored into Norwich. Very cold.
1914
13th November
A nasty wet day. Went to the Vicarage to stay.
1914
14th November
Walked to Oldfields and to the keepers with some notices to be stuck up. Very cold. Went for a long walk with Aunt Ada in the afternoon and to lots of cottages.
1914
15th November
Pouring with rain. Went to church. Aunt Vi came in before church. Sat indoors all the afternoon and went to church in the evening.
1914
16th November
Went down to the park after lunch. Thought grandfather looked ill. Afterwards drove round Stoke in the evening in the pony cart with Aunt Ada leaving. The most beautiful sky I have ever seen.
1914
17th November
Had a most long, dreary and depressing journey to York. To start with, my train was an hour late leaving Norwich and as there were troops being moved all over the place we missed the fast train at March and I really think we stopped at every station on the way. It was awful going slowly past Heighington, Lincoln and Torksey I had dreaded that part of the journey but hoped we should dash past them I fairly howled both then and at Doncaster, where I seemed almost to see B and M in the refreshment room where we have met so often. Found Margery really most wonderfully brave and cheerful at York. Poor little thing, she looks frightfully ill and thin but is trying, almost too hard, I think, not to give way. Edie was there too. M showed me a letter from Jimmy in which he told her exactly how C had been killed and all the nice things his officers had said about him. One was that he was “a most perfect …………………………. he had ever come across”. She had also seen a man in the hospital who knew him a little.
1914
18th November
Drove into town with Edie and M and did a little shopping. M went to lunch with the Prices.
1914
19th November
M went off to Loughbro’ for the night to see Mr Heygate, a brother officer of C’s who is home wounded. I went for a solitary walk in the afternoon and to my great surprise I met Bremner walking along a little road. It appears she is staying in York with her father and mother-in-law, and her young man has been ordered suddenly to Hornsea because of this invasion scare, so she is left forlorn and rather dull. Brought her in to tea and to my great surprise Edie at once said that she knew her father. Walked back into the town with her. Mrs Lawson came in for tea.
1914
20th November
Margery turned up at lunchtime. Went to a lecture on (?rationing) with Christine B and her mother-in-law, Mrs Gutch, a ….. foul name to take instead of Bremner It was not frightfully interesting. Mrs Tew came in to see Margery.
1914
21st November
No entry by Eve
1914
22nd November
A rather nasty cold day. Dr and Mrs Craig came to lunch. M and I went to a service in the Minster, which was a most trying affair as they sang a ….. anthem about “they shall rest from their labours and their works shall follow them”. We were sitting in the chancel in full view of everybody and I found it most difficult to keep as calm as M. It reminded me so of the day when I last went to Lincoln with B and M, March 1st when we sat in exactly the same sort of place and everything looked exactly the same Harry came to tea and dinner and Mr Taylor, who had a bad cold but was quite interesting and amusing.
1914
23rd November
Ruthie came.
1914
24th November
Rose came over and spent the afternoon. I met her at the station and walked back into the town with her. We found Esther’s car outside a shop and went in and found her there. Walked back to lunch. Sat indoors most of the afternoon and talked. I walked back with her a little way towards the station. Jack and Edie went away in the morning.
1914
25th November
Went to try and find Bremner but she was still at Hornsea.
1914
26th November
Went into the town. Went to tea with the Craigs in the afternoon, a Mr Lloyd was there who is a trooper in the Scots Greys. Went to the Minster and sat in the nave and listened to a man playing a thing of Macdowells on the organ. It poured with rain and we got very wet.
1914
27th November
A nasty wet day. Went into the town. Stewart Ritson came to stay. He played delightfully after dinner.
1914
28th November
Bremner turned up in a dog cart and stayed for some time. Afterwards we walked into the town and did a little shopping. B told me that Capt King had been killed, which is too sad, as he was so nice. H came to dinner.
1914
29th November
Ruth, S Ritson and I went for a walk in York and explored some of the streets near the cathedral, and also walked along the wall. Saw one most beautiful old house. In the afternoon we all went to a service in the Minster. M and SR went first and R and I followed later. It was in the nave, so that we could not hear so well as last time. Afterwards stopped for a bit and listened to the music.
1914
30th November
Went up to the top of the Minster tower with Ruth and SR. It was rather cold but there was a lovely view. Shopped in the afternoon.
