Antwerp is being shelled & the Palais de Justice is destroyed. Tomorrow we shall hear of its downfall. If only the Allied army could have come up & helped the Belgians, but at present it is 70 miles away & matters are looking very serious. In the morning. Ellis & I rearranged the medicine cupboard. We want to have an emergency cupboard where are to be kept dressings & lotions & bandages. Wrote to Agnes, packed up eggs for Ursula, scolded both dogs for their bad behaviour, but fear they did not take it to heart. Went to Tavistock for...

The Belgian government has moved to Ostend, the Germans are shelling Antwerp, soon Belgium as a nation will cease to exist. Another lovely day. Warm & sunny & very still. There are such a number of Bella Donna lilies out in the walled garden, Dorothea picked a lot this morning & sent some to Ursula & some to aunt Ella. In afternoon Dorothea met Polly Harris, who was walking over to Smithson pushing the pram with one baby in it, & one walking. She was going to see her mother & write a letter to Alice, describing the harvest Festival,...

Lovely day. No signs of rain. The Germans are getting round by Lille, & then reinforcements are coming up in large numbers, and the seizure of Antwerp continues. Went into Tavistock in the afternoon for the last first aid lecture. On Monday the 19th is to be the exam. Father went out shooting with Mr Donaldson our preacher of last night. Father got very tired, which as he walked all day is not surprising, but after a good rest he ate his dinner all right. There was a little notice in the paper to day that Prince Louis of Battenberg...

Harvest festival. Tea as usual in the garden house, and rifle shooting in the kitchen garden at the Parsonage. Joan Coode came over to see Dorothea about the Fuss Association. When we told her the story about Prince Louis of Battenberg, she looked very confused, & said she would rather not talk about it, which looks as if she knew it was true. Service at 7. Large congregation, & very loud singing. Supper at Rectory afterwards.

Analyses still holding their own the Germans are pushing on their siege of Antwerp & from all accounts it seems as if they would take it. Dorothea went to Plymouth to see dentist. I went to Tavistock to attend a class held at Mrs Boggis’ house. She asked as all questions, it was quite helpful as it just showed what parts of the book one was shaky in. Came home at 5. After tea fed fowls. Such a glorious sunset and beautiful moon, Father who had also been in Plymouth met Admiral Hammick “Hammick” who told him that George had...

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...