Another wet Sunday. In Thursday’s paper was an account of a Home Rule Debate in the House. The Government are now independent of the Irish Vote, & although the Home Rule has been passed yet now Lloyd George turns round & says that Home Rule can be for those who want it, which means that Ulster is to be left out. This naturally makes Irishmen very angry as they consider they have been badly treated, & so they have. This affair & the publication of the Report of the Commission on the Dardanelles has made the week a depressing one....

A terrible N E wind cutting through everything, strong & biting. I tried to go to Marystowe, but had to turn back. Father however drove in to Tavistock for a Kelly College meeting. The Germans continue to withdraw on the western front. Lovat Fraser – a writer in the Daily Mail – gives 6 probable reasons why they are doing it. One is that by retreating in this way we have to go to the expense of making fresh railways & so will have to postpone our offensive. He states that it does not indicate any weakness on their part....

Still very cold. Dorothea came back from Salcombe on Friday. Had a letter from Agnes, dated Jan 22nd. She has now quite given up the idea of coming home this spring. It is not safe for women & children to travel these days & the mails are very spasmodic.

A bitter day. Wind S.,E. at 12-30 a driving rain with snow. Did not go out during afternoon. Read “Mr Britling Sees it Through” by Wells. Most interesting.

Kut has been taken and the Turks driven back. Here we have been thrilled all day. The face of the stable clock has been regilded. For years the figures have gradually got more & more indistinct until alt last they have disappeared & we could only guess the time by the position of the hands. Two men came up from Plymouth, one came into the house and set going all the clocks, & the other did the gilding. Balsdon was very pleased with himself as it was his suggestion. The man took up three sacks stuffed with hay, which he...

Mr Asquith has resigned; Mr Bonar Law is to take his place. Some people seemed pleased about it, but we know nothing about such things down here, only what the papers say. Greece is in the meantime in a state of chaos, it is difficult to find out what is happening, they seem to be fighting against us, so I suppose we are at war with Greece. This morning I walked over to Marystowe to spend the day with Mrs Newman who is laid up. It was a very still morning, a heavy white frost had covered every twig, leave...

The Germans are overrunning Romania & soon it will cease to exist as a nation even as Serbia and Belgium. In the Times yest was an account of what the Naval; Brigade has done at the Battle if the Ancre, very praiseworthy work & much heroism. On Thursday was a Bottom Shoot, Mr Hillyard as usual came & cheered us all up. I was unable to go to it on account of a tiresome cold. On Monday last Dorothea & I went to Landue to lunch. Afterwards we were shown the needlework done by the Lezant people for the Red...

On Thursday we read in the paper Mr Runciman’s statement in the House, that the food of the nation was for the future to be controlled by the Govt. There is to be no more white flour, & the making of sweets is to be curtailed. On Thursday & Friday there was a bitter wind. Father kept indoors trying to get rid of his cold. Yest I went to Plymouth to attend a meeting in connection with Women’s’ work on the land. Dorothea is the Registrar for this parish but she was unable to attend. At Goodbody’s Café I met...

There has been a tremendous attack by the British, near the river Ancre. Many thousand prisoners taken, we have advanced 1 mile. In Roumania the German-Bulgarian army seems to have come to a standstill. Herad from Bob to day. He is near Abbeville. The Tragonnings came over to tea, bringing with them the Locum Tenens from Lezant, Littlejohns. Quaint people. Dora Johns was married this morning to Reginald Symonds, a cheerful wedding & quite a number of people. I played the Wedding March for tehm. Both Yest and to day I have been working in the garden. Gullick is going...

I will now go on with this again, as I am home again. Likely to be so for some time. After a week of rain & wind today has been a perfect day. Not a leaf stirring. The air so warm is might be a spring day. The colouring this year is wonderful the leaves have hung on so late, then suddenly in a few days they turned most brilliantly. The beeches in great orchard are marvellous, coming down the coach road. It is a most beautiful sight . Father had a letter from Bob early in the week, he...

The Three Mothers Three Mother in heaven stole silently Apart from the music & mirth Monica, Mary & Salome, They thought of the mothers on earth, And for aid in her prayers sought each of the three To the son to whom she gave birth. So Salome sped to the King’s side near, Where her two sons gracious and gay Lent to her whisper a ready ear; “Pray to the dear lord, pray For the mothers who still no tidings hear Of their sons that are far away.” And Monica, mindful of long dead fears Sought Augustine’s eyes and smiled,...

We had the National Mission Services yesterday, beginning on Saturday night Mr Collins was the preacher, a good man with a good voice. He preached a very good sermon on Sunday morning but M & I were very disappointed at the evening sermon. M C K played Toll for the Braveas the outgoing voluntary in the morning in memory of the Salcombe Lifeboat men who were lost on the bar on Friday morning just as they were returning from a wreck the other side of Prawle. The sad this is that they were not wanted when they got there. Mr...

Bob is now for the time a transport officer in the 5th Dorsets, we had quite a cheery letter from him yesterday. He likes his Colonel & the other officers. Tom Widger has died of his wounds. He has the honour of being the first from this parish to die for his country, & may he be the last, so far we have very much to be thankful for. Margaret is at Salcombe for a few days having no douby lovely days but long dreary evenings. Miss Dennys, a very charming nursing friend of hers spent the week end before...

Rather a gloomy paper this morning. A French transport sunk, Roumanians being driven back, * a U Boat has been busy off the coast of America. Mr Donaldson spending two nights here to go out shooting with Father. May he never spend another night. We have had quite enough of him, a rude man.

Harvest Festival. Yesterday morning we decorated & nobody came to help us. We & Mrs Moore did it all, the Rector also came and helped & also gave advice but being an inartistic soul it was not worth much, but he made himself useful tieing [sic] up corn & Elizabeth helped him. In the afternoon we drove into Lanson, M & I & Elizabeth in the hay cart. We started at 1.30 * we got home about 6.45. It is many a long day since we went into Launceston in this fashion but we quite enjoyed it & Philippa kept...

Had a letter from Mary F. Poor Mikie does not seem to have been well on board, no wonder he was pale when he got to Cape Town. There was another raid last night & another Zeppelin down. There were 10 Zepps this time but only one person killed & one injured.

George Turner suddenly appeared after Church. He had walked from Launceston. He is working at the home office & was full of interesting stories, he has to answer letters from people reporting suspected spies & he says none of the stories about people signalling in London are true, he also said that we are building a Zeppelin.

Heard from Bob that he was crossing last night. We had a letter from Agnes this morning announcing the safe arrival of Mary F. & Michael but she actually says she was disappointed in Michael, what a preposterous idea, evidently he was pale & not looking his beautiful self.