There has been an attack on Dover by submarines. This is what the Daily Mail says, but the Times does not believe it. It is supposed to have taken place very early on Thursday. The Kaiser is better, but some say he is mad. The rebellion in S. Africa is now at an end. De Wet is a prisoner and Beyers was drowned in a river that trying to escape. Servia is supposed to have given the Austrians a tremendous defeat. Father heard from Bob this morning, he intends to start home soon, & will try & join the Yeomanry....
Came home on Tuesday by afternoon train. Very glad to be back again in the pure air & have all the comforts of home. On Wednesday did not do much felt so slack, went to bed soon after tea, & slept until 7 this morning with the exception of a short interlude for dinner. It has been an absolutely perfect day. Very calm & still with sunshine. Went to Dunterton to see Mrs Clark about the S.S.H.S. The Kaiser is ill. He has bronchitis also a nervous breakdown. There has been an naval victory in the Pacific. 3 of the...
Knight duty finished yesterday morning at 7 AM. It is dull work. I was in a women’s medical ward and at 10 PM began the night’s work. There are a view dim lights, & one has to talk in whispers all the time. The hours drag by very slowly and a great struggle with sleep goes on, it is fearfully difficult to keep awake, especially as there is so very little to do. At 4 we begin to get the ward ready for breakfast, and at 5.20 the patients awake and are washed, and at 6 have their breakfast, such...
Another long despatch from general French. In it he speaks very highly of the territorial units that have been at the front, also he shows what a fearful struggle our army has had in preventing the Germans breaking through power lines. The 50 days battle for Calais, that is what it will be known as. At Ypres & Armentierres the enemy tried to get through. My last morning at the hospital, in a way I am rather sorry. One of the nurses gave us a lesson in bathing a patient between the blankets, & then we each had to do...
Very hard morning, it seemed longer than usual. In the afternoon the Worthingtons took me to Exmouth in their car, it was delightful dashing along through the fresh air. Before we started Mary came in, she was in a furious rage with Ms Buller who is at the head of the Red Cross for Devon. She has decreed that for the future of the cooks at No 3 should do their own washing-up, instead of the charwomen who have done it so far. The cooking is quite hard work enough, without having that. I hope the cooks will strike. Everyone...
All went well at the hospital this morning. I was told off to watch a man who was coming round for chloroform, it was interesting to watch the return of consciousness. As he had something done to his knee he was supposed to keep quite still, & if he moved I was told to shout at him. In afternoon I went to the Cathedral for service. Rev. Brown read the lesson & after service Mary & I saw him & had a cheery chat in the Cathedral. He was as usual full of little amusing sayings. Later on in the...
Yesterday evening Mrs Worthington took Mary & me to see the Belgians at the hostels, to choose a family to send to Kelly. We selected one that we thought would do, and I wired to Mr Smith to say that they were ready, and all arrangements were made to send them off to day by the 1.14 train. This afternoon I went up to No. 3 hospital, & Mary showed me over it, then we went for a turn on a tram [tk] to get the air. Came back to Deller’s were we met D who was up for a...
Warner. The wards were very close & hot. A man with a fractured spine was brought in yest., & I was called to help get a water bed under him, after which the sister washed his back with methylated to prevent sores. The morning seems long. I was glad when 1 PM arrived. Mrs Worthington is out all day long seeing after Belgian refugees, & very amusing stories she has out some. The better class ones are very difficult & expect so much, & complain at the food and will not stay where they are put. I saw a large...
Was too weary to write yesterday. The morning at the hospital was very hard. I began at 7, starting out in the dark & bitter cold was very chilling to one’s spirits. I was put in a men’s surgical ward, at 1. Was terribly weary, came back to East Southernhay & settled until 4, when I went to meet Mary brought her back here for tea. This morning I got on very fairly well, but whilst watching the nurse dress a broken leg (compound) I suddenly felt faint and had to go to the balcony for air. I was so...
Bitter wind from East, the coldness of it reminds me of the wind we had before the great blizzard March 1891. Played the Dead March from Saul after morning service in memory of Lord Roberts. Father preached about him. “Gather up the fragments that remain &c.” Good sermon. After service went up to see Mrs Smith & had a talk with her about a very serious matter connected with the parish. After lunch, went off in the car to catch 3 o’clock train to Exeter. The hood & all the side screens were up, but still, for all that it...
Very cold day. 7 degrees of frost last night. No events of any interest happened. The press bureau publishes to day an account on German brutalities to the civil population of Dinant and another town. Mrs Smith had a team party of farmer’s daughters and read to them extracts from the paper, showing how men were badly wanted, tried to show them that it was hardly the time for dancing. Truly, we women here have tried to do our utmost for our country, by urging the men to go, and the farmer class to realize that the war is a...
Very cold. Most of it east wind, rain in the morning. Went to Kelly Mill to arrange about the organ being played when I am away, then on to the cottage to see Bertha Gullick about Elsie Widger as I heard a tale that she wants to leave Sophia Dance. At all costs that must be stopped. In afternoon went to Marystowe, Mr Newman has had orders to go as chaplain to the Citadel for the month of December. Stayed there for some time, & chatted. Choir practice at 7. The church was very cold, & by the light of...
Lord Roberts is to be buried to day in St Pauls Cathedral. Barbara Betts & Patience came over in the morning & stayed until after lunch. Patience was a little ray of light & joy in a day of many worries & depression. She is such a dear little child, & evidently enjoyed her time for she said as she went away that she would come again & had dinner with us again. In the afternoon we had our Guild meeting & tea & games. At the end Mrs Smith read aloud from the paper letters on the seriousness of...
Lovely day, calm & still, but cold. At last there is an official report of the naval fight in the Pacific, given by the captain of the Glasgow, which shipped together with the Monmouth & Good Hope attacked some German cruisers, with the result that both the latter sheets were worsted. There was a terrific explosion on the Good Hope flames shooting up 200 ft. The Glasgow seeing all was lost drew off, & escaped. There was a heavy sea running, so there was no chance of any escaping. Father & Arthur very interesting over the taxation, which is announced...
Lovely day. White frost. Nothing new in the paper. The lines of the same. The Prince of Wales has gone to the front, Mrs Smith came in to one in great distress of mind because the young farmers’ daughters & sons want to have a dance. This on the top of their apathy is really almost more than one can bear. I went up and spoke my mind to Miss Miller on it. The utter callousness of that class is beyond all description. In the afternoon, Mr Hillyard & Mr Buckingham arrived for the shoot to morrow
Lord Roberts is dead. We heard a rumour that it was so last night, but only knew for certain today. He has gone to France to see some Indian troops, caught cold on Thursday and died on Thursday night. A noble old man, who worked to the end. Died on active service at the age of 82. If only he could have lived to see our army victorious, if that will ever happen. Day after day the news is the same, but the casualty lists are longer. There is a terribly long one to day. Col Marker eldest son of...
Cold showers from the N. West. A terrible battle raging around Dixmude [tk] the worst that has yet been, with fearful slaughter on both sides. Mr Asquith has announced that our casualties are to now have been 57,000. The cry goes up for more men, will they come, if not conscription will have to come. Heard from Evelyn enclosing a newspaper cutting. Bunty and I went to Lanson in afternoon, called on Frederick Morsheads. Found Mr Bush in there with Mrs Geneross, then in, walked Henry Morshead, who landed yest. He is very annoyed at being sent out to India...
To day the Admiralty definitely announce the loss of the Monmouth and Good Hope with all hands, but no official details are to hand, only an account by the Daily Mail supposed to come by New York, which is terrible reading. In to days paper is also the debate in Parliament of last night in which Mr Mehenna was much heckled over the spy question, he seems to act very foolishly, says he knows all about the spies & yet lets them remain. Everywhere one goes one hears stories of spies. Dorothea writes from Salcombe of some people there who...
Lovely warm day. No news about the Monmouth and Good Hope. The Germans have destroyed the cable on Fanning Island*1, so news is difficult to get. Yesterday I went to Tredown to see Mrs Cory. It is very remarkable the ignorance of the farmer class as regards the war & their apathy. Very different from the working classes or labourers wives. This morning I did up 7 shirts which are to go to the 2nd Devons through Molly Holsworth. Various women in the parish have made them. In the evening, Mr Smith gave a lantern lecture on the war &...
Lovely day. Father went to lunch at Lawhitton & went to Stoke Climsland in the afternoon. Had a busy day in the Saturday jobs & exercising the dogs. Sent off 3 beautiful scarves knitted by the boys at the school to Cicely Young’s mother-in-law. After lunch looked out beds & bedroom furniture for the Belgian refugees, also ordered some new blankets from Phillips. The Admiralty have at last had news of the naval action in S America, the Good Hope*1 is lost, & the Monmouth*2 went on the rocks, so hope is entertained that there may be a few survivors...
