Victory for the Allies at last: on Saturday we drove back the Germans. They retired in some confusion. The Belgians have retaken Maline. Evelyn saw in a paper sent him from Long Eaton that a son of one of his parishioners was in hospital in Plymouth, so off he dashed to see him. Dorothea also went to Plymouth to see the dentist & Mary to Tavistock in the morning to help the quartermaster make jam. Evelyn saw a man who belonged to the same regiment as his old school fellow Schonberg & he told him how his party was nearly...

As usual, weather dull with rain in the evening. After I had fed my hens in the morning, was just going to church 8 AM Mrs Wicket came to me in great distress having burnt her eye, with fat jumping up in it. I had much pleasure in bandaging it up, but thought it wise to send for the doctor.

More good news in the paper. The Germans are being beaten back, & retiring in disorder. We all went to Tintagel in the car to see the Wingfields. The rain began just as we got there, & the wind too was high, so it was an unpleasant day. We went to their lodgings, & had a picnic lunch, & afterwards walked into the town, where we saw in the post office a telegram dated Sep 11th 9:25 PM, in which was stated a further retreat of the Germans in the centre and a glorious victory for the Allies. The Wingfields...

Colder. Sir John French’s official despatch in the paper, with an account of the Battle of Mons. I could not follow it as it was so technical but read what the papers said about it. From all accounts, we gather that the story about retreat by the English army will live in history as being one of the most wonderful things that has ever happened in war. There are terrible pictures in the Daily Mail, but they looked as if they were faked. The Western Morning News has the best account, at least the calmest, & never at the worst...

Better news still. The Germans have had to cross the river Petit Mouvain. An interesting article in yesterday’s Times saying that Austria was in such a terrible state of internal chaos that the only hope for her was an external war. One wonders if the murder of Archduke was brought about by Austria & Germany, merely to make an excuse for war. In afternoon Father & I went to Lamerton. I saw Mrs F Morshead, & then went on to Landue for tea. Saw John, Edgar, Sophie Grace & Mrs Tregoning, also Mrs Cardwell. Edgar had volunteered but has been...

Cloudy day with thunder showers. Germans are being beaten back. They are frustrated in their efforts to drive a wedge of their army between us & the French. We have driven them back 10 miles. Today, for the first time there appears in the paper a mention of the Russian troops in France. Everyone has been talking of it, but the papers had been bound to secrecy & even now the extract was copied from a station paper, so wonderfully is Lord Kitchener managing everything. M & I went to lunch at Holwell, & then on to the class. Several...

Thunderstorm very early in the morning 3 AM. More cheering news in paper. Germans have had to retire, but they are only 20 miles from Paris. Dinant Dinant, another Belgian town has been destroyed. I spent 2 to three days there, with Mrs Ophelia Turner. Pretty little place on the Meuve. The Smiths had to take Daisy to Plymouth to have her arm x-rayed, poor child she was very bad all night. We had a working party in the walled garden, not many came.

The Press Bureau has at last made a statement & gives our casualties as 15,000. In a very few words it describes how we had kept back the Germans, although we have been obliged to retreat. They have failed in their effort to break our connection with the French. Bad news from the sea. The Pathfinder, a light cruiser has gone. Blown up by a mine with the loss of many hands HMS Pathfinder. After lunch we went into Tavistock. John Trelawney came in with us & went off home. Daisy Smith broke her arm badly this morning. M &...

As usual, lovely day. After evening service, Mr and Mrs Smith & I met the lads & Young men of the place, & discussed the rifle club. I was wondering all the time to say that none who are over 19 ought to belong, but kept silence yea even from good words. There was that great hulking fellow George Wevill, with no home ties, working independently, he ought to enlist. But he is one of these fellows that talk. When I think how they all stood up at our last concert & sang Hearts of Oak, & now prove that...

Thunderstorm very early in the morning. The paper says that all is quiet for the time just now, but also says that Wednesday battle was the fiercest ever fought. The terrible part about casualty lists is the large number of men who are missing. The German brutality is simply awful. In the afternoon drove down to meet John Trelawney, who has come to pay us a farewell visit before going to India. He has an appointment on the railway.

The great event of to day is that we have seen some wounded soldiers. We were passing through Tavistock Square after our drill when we saw a large crowd. There by the town hall was a motor charabanc with about a doz. Soldiers, all convalescent. Chocolate & tea were being handed to them, & we all stood there, & watched until they drove off. The seat of government for France is moved to Bordeaux, the enemy come on apace. Maline [Mechelen] has now been destroyed, the beautiful cathedral in ruins. I remember going there for the day, I think it...

Lovely day. Very hot in the afternoon, the temperature rose to 18 in the shade. Drove in morning to Brentor to take one of the servants home for a holiday. Bouchier gave me a lesson in driving the car. Went on to Lydford station & brought back Mr Plum for lunch. The Radcliffes also came & were photographed by Mary. She is doing a lot of portraits & selling them. Proffits to go to the war fund. I went in afternoon to Lifton. Met Mrs Bradshaw at the Arundell Arms. She & I belong to a soldier & sailors help...

Lovely day. Very hot. The figures of the casualty lists published in the paper comparatively few killed a great number missing. Altogether, about 4000. The papers make out that the Germans have lost very heavily, but that we do not know for truth. The tale, that large bodies of Russians are in England, still rose. Many people profess to have seen them and all the different reports agree that Bristol is the place they have passed through, but there is nothing about it in the paper. Mr R Morshead, Mr Radcliffe came over in the morning to shoot. Very hot...

The first hospital train with 100 wounded reached Plymouth yesterday afternoon. One of the Red Cross detachment told me yesterday that she saw it go through Lydford station. From scraps of information in the papers we gather that the battle of Sunday week, which lasted three days was fearful. The worst battle ever fought. Ursula Frank & baby left this morning to return to Wimbledon. Pity the weather has turned so hot again as it is so bad for baby. Mary, Dorothea, & I cut out shirts in the morning. In the afternoon working party Mrs Smith brought out the...

Very lovely day. Hot & thundery in afternoon. First list of casualties in the paper this morning, only naval list, result of the battle of the Bight of Heligoland Battle of Heligoland. A very smart piece of work on the part of our ships, they seemed to have enticed the German ships out of the harbour, & then attacked them. One of their cruisers sunk after one shot from one of our Dreadnoughts. Lecture at Tavistock on operations for shell wounds. When we got home and found a small tennis party, Newmans, Drews,Tregonings. A great deal of baby worship went...

Lovely day. Very still & quiet. After lunch we all took deckchairs & sat out under the beech trees. Reginald would talk & disturb our slumbers. Dorothea Juliana lay in her pram & had a bottle. Then Frank was suddenly seized with a fit of energy & most need to go for a walk so U [Ursula] & I went with him, leaving the rest of the family sleeping, Evelyn snoring horribly. We went up to the wilderness. U turned back there, Frank and I went on into the rides & wandered up & down them so as to get...

The news was only too true, the paper this morning was very serious reading. Our army has suffered terribly, and the Germans are coming on apace, and will be in Paris before long. It was such a lovely day. We all went to Tintagel. Mary & I drove to Lanson. Reg bicycled, & we three went by train to Camelford. Reading the Daily Mail & Chronicle all the way, & so interesting were they that we got to Camelford in no time. From there the usual drive with an indifferent driver & tired horse dragging a heavy lumbering carriage. We...

Lovely day. Weather really looks as if it is improving. War news Russia coming up & defeating Germans. But this is telegraphed from St Petersburg so doubt the truth of it. Many letters in the paper about whether it would be a good thing if there was conscription. Volunteers are few & far between especially in this part. It does not occur to these country people that they ought to go & volunteer. They except someone to come round & ask them to go. The thrilling notice “Your King and country need you” leaves then unmoved. The young men in...

The post was late this morning and not until 9am did we know that the new of last night was true, but no casualty list have been published, only the bare fact that there has been terrible battle with great loss of live [sic]. In the morning Ursula & her baby returned from St Stephens. In the afternoon Mary & I went in to the lecture, duller than ever. all out of the book, no practise work at all. We went out to Holewell & had tea with the Radcliffes. Eileen Bason (Williams that was) was there, very sad &...