As usual, weather fine but dull.

Same old tale in the paper. No definite news, except that our troops are holding their own & keeping back the enemy. Had a letter from Reginald, who is at Brokenhurst. He has seen a good many soldiers. In every paper are more & more appeals for warm clothes for the soldiers & also for sailors. In the afternoon, Mrs and Miss Eales came over from Lewannick, a fine drizzle also came. Father yesterday spent the afternoon at Trengwainton “Trengwainton” . Mrs Robins Bolitho told him that Donald Cameron is at the front with his Regiment, The Cameron Highlanders. He...

A quiet uneventful day. No fresh news in the paper, except that Germans are pressing on their siege of Antwerp. Got up at 6.30. Breakfast at 8 because Father & Arthur went off early to motor to Truro & from there to train to Penzance, for aunt Ju’s funeral. Wrote several letters & Dorothea did up the mufflers, which the children of the school have knitted, and sent to Cicely Young, who will send them to HMS Paragon. In afternoon went up to the lodge with Hector. Called on Mrs Kingsland & had a chat. When I returned as I...

Lovely day, very still & brilliant sunshine. Aunt Ju’s funeral is to be held tomorrow at Penzance. Arthur & Father are going to it. In the afternoon there was a memorial service at Lamerton, Mr Morshead, having being cremated. The funeral is to be held tomorrow. As regards the war, there is no special news. According to the Daily Mail yesterday was the 20th day of the Battle of the rivers. Our army is holding its own. On all sides the deviousness of the Germans is shown, especially in these strategic positions. The new fruit house is now finished and...

Lovely day. Went to Exeter to buy mourning. The town was full of soldiers, and it was quite thrilling seeing so many people, I felt more in the world and among things that were happening. Came back by 5.17 & met Col. Clark at Queen Street. We traveled back to Tavistock together, he told me several stories. One was that a cousin of his, Cecil Chichester, who is a commander, has had such a fearful time of anxiety in the N Sea that his hair, which was dark at the beginning is now snowy white. He also said that the...

Lovely day, bright sun & cloudless sky. At 10 AM came in a telegram from Exmouth to say that Aunt Ju had died, she has been so ill that it is a relief to think that she is at rest after her long and troublous life. D has a long letter from Mary Shaw this morning in which she deplores the death of Jack Froude, he was only 16 and such a clever boy. In the afternoon we went to Launceston & did some shopping. It was a cattle fair day and there were all the young farmers loafing about...

Cloudy change coming. No fresh news in paper but the fighting is very terrible, the French & German trenches are only 100 apart. Busy morning, after giving out stores did the lamps took 1½ hrs. Drill in Tavistock. We did not laugh quite so much, but it is absurd for the Dr does not know how to give the word of command & keeps on consulting the book & everyone talks, and gives suggestions. When we got home Father told us that Mr Reginald Morshead had died this morning at 12. He had a relapse on Saturday and had to...

Lovely day. Brilliantly sunny and warm. In the afternoon we had our Guild service. As a special send off to the 2 who have volunteered, and after the service, they held a reception on the grass, & we said goodbye to them. After lunch, Mary & I wrote out a list of all those we know who are at the front. When it is done out properly, it will be printed in this journal. Fraulein Zoll came into tea. She amused us with her remarks about the Rectory children. Mr Smith went to Lew Down to preach a harvest sermon...

A lovely day, very warm. At 10.30 D, M, Elzie & I and Hector all went off in a cart to Dartmoor Inn. The latter hates the motor & he took up a great deal of room. We walked through Doe Farm to Tavy Cleave. Stopped on the way by a reservoir for lunch. Sun very hot. We then went on, but did not go to Tavy Heights, but to another tor on the right. It was very lovely there, & we sat some time enjoying it all. We got back to the Dartmoor Inn at 4.30, but sad to...

Another lovely day. Warm, & cloudless sky. Had a lesson in driving the car, (Arthur’s) in the morning. Found it difficult & rather hard work altering the gears Miss Moorland & Phyllis Morshead came to tea, Mr Morshead is going on well. Interesting letter in yesterday’s Times from an American who has lived several years in Berlin, the author of the letter says that the Kaiser is very much in the hands of his war party, which consists of the titled aristocracy. The people of Germany look upon Sir Edward Grey as responsible for the war, no name is too...

Lovely day warm & sunny. News in the paper very much the same. Interesting account in Daily Mail of the sinking of the 3 cruisers. A very terrible death roll there will be from that. D & I cut out, & made some clothes for Belgians in the morning. Elzie & Mary finished them in the afternoon. Cardwells came to tea, also Mrs Newman. When we were going round the ponds, Mary saw a rabbit which was being chased by Shotty swim across the pond, jump out on the other side, & run off down the field.

Lovely day, glorious sunshine and not so cold as yesterday. 3 of our cruisers sunk by a German submarines. Aboukir, Cressy & Hogue “First Successes” . Jack Froude was in one of them (Cressy) “John A Froude”. A very long casualty list today from the Army. Frederick went in again to Tavistock to try & join the territorials & returned at 10.15 all triumphant, having been passed. I went down into the kitchen to see if he had returned & found him with an admiring crowd of females round him, showing his paper that he had had filled up. So...

Evelyn went off in the morning. He intends to go to Bournemouth for a few days on his way back to Long Eaton. He is taking Tom Betts to school. Lovely day. Cold, but hot sun. No fresh news in the paper, except that Rheims Cathedral is now a ruin. How it makes one’s blood boil with fury, these senseless outrages. The Pope is very angry about it, perhaps it will be the means of bringing Italy into the war. In afternoon Mary & I went to call on some people called Eales, who live at Lewannick. It was a...

Ruth’s birthday. 2 years ago when we heard the news of her birth Father Dorothea & I were at Llandrindod Wells “LLandrindod” . We had a letter from Agnes which was to have come on Wed. so late have the mails been. In it were 2 photographs of Ruth in her bath, very sweet. The news from the front today, just the same, except that the Germans have shelled Rheims Cathedral. Arthur at 10 AM started off to Tavistock in his car, taking with him George Wevill and Tom Dryer. He returned with them at 2. They have both been...

At last 2 of our young men have come forward as recruits. Mrs Smith told me after church that George Weville was going. I went up, & saw Mrs Smith & she told me also about it. He saw her yest. afternoon, when he was outside our gate at 4.30 waiting to see me, but just at that time I came up by the little black gate. He had made his mind to go, & has been trying to persuade others too. I went down to Yalford after lunch & saw him, & made arrangements for him to go in...

Weather decidedly colder, but no rain. No more news in the paper. Fresh casualty lists yesterday, another batch of wounded arrived at Plymouth. Some of them are German wounded. This afternoon at Dorothea, Mary, Hector & I all went to Dunterton to ask Mrs Clayton to belong to the soldiers and sailors help society. She consented, & we stayed a little time, & chatted and then walked home again in time for tea. The great events of the day was that we had bread & butter with our early tea. At breakfast, a great argument raged about the word culture....

Cold today. Turning to rain in the afternoon. No fresh news in the paper. Germans remain the other side of the Aisne. A fearful battle must be going on now. Lord Kitchener made a statement in the House of Lords on the present situation. The Home Rule Bill “Government of Ireland Act 1914” & Welsh Disestablishment “Welsh Church Act 1914” have become law, but will not be put into force until after the war “Suspensory Act 1914”. Dug up a part of one of the hen runs & after having sprinkled lime on it, the idea is to purify the...

Situation in the same. Germans in a strong position on the N of the Aisne. D & I went to Tolapit to lunch. Had a fearful scramble to get ready in time, as the Minister came dreaming in wanting two old doors out of which to make a platform for the rifle shooting. With the help of Moyse, we found 2 which just did. I do believe there are few things which when asked for we cannot supply. Then I had to see about two new rollers for the laundry wringer & get Moyse to measure same. We got to...

Germans making a stand, beyond the river Aisne “River Aisne”, there will in all probability be a fearful battle during the next few days. The enemies position seems to be a very strong one. Mary into Tavistock to make jam in the morning. I followed in the afternoon & attended lecture.

Further back, still the Germans being driven, they are across the River Marne now. The press bureau published today a denial of the story about the Russian troops in France. All the wonderful stories we heard about train loads of Russian soldiers passing through England were false. Mrs Newman came to tea. Bernard, she told us, was relieved from picket duty, which he had found very distasteful, as without exception, every sentry he visited was either drunk or asleep. He daily expects to be sent to the front. George Collinson Mrs Newman’s nephew has joined the Cameron Highlanders “Queens own...