Monday 15th When I woke up (I was sleeping in my house) it was pouring with rain. It cleared up quite soon. After Margaret had drawn the fungus she found yesterday we went down to Sutton and bought lots of things. There was a hunt, and they were all outside the pub. Even the Armstrong’s […]

Thursday 18th David, Nora and I went for a walk. After finding a few pieces of pottery, we walked along the path right at the top of the sheep track—toward Scotchers Bottom. Just before we got out of the wood, we heard a crackling noise on the right of the path (in the big field) […]

went and collected the luggage … We met Daddy at the station (Liverpool St) and when we got back the family was complete. … John enters the navy on Monday. zfl ztv [See note]   Saturday 27th Not a very nice day, rather sultry and dark, but quite warm. … In the afternoon Margaret and […]

to Norfolk May [I spent three days sailing on the Norfolk Broads with 2 other boys in the charge of the geography teacher Mr. Bagnall Oakley.] zbo zwl ztc   Thursday 2nd The following notes are rather brief, being written a long time after … zdw   Friday 3rd … S there already. E not […]

River beautifully clear, had quite a decent run when the wind got up. We ended the day at the Ferry Inn, where we had supper + sundry ginger beers. zbo zfd   Monday 6th When we woke up it was a horrible cold grey day, and during breakfast it began to rain. We cruised about […]

Friday 10th 1st Austria 2nd Czecho-Slovakia 3rd Memel etc. 4th Poland 5th Denmark 6th S. and Central Norway 7th Holland 8th Belgium 9th Luxemburg!!! And we have landed troops in Iceland—’protective arrest’. Chamberlain not yet resigned [In fact he resigned on this day]. We are going to the help of Holland and Belgium. Parachute troops […]

Friday 17th Whoopee! My photos arrived by the morning post—the grebe  ones are very successful indeed … I also got:—a good one of my train, a nice one of Mother, a nice one of the river, a windmill, and one of P up a tree. … zph   Saturday 18th … I was told that […]

Tuesday 21st News a little better, the Germans have been checked and the Allies are attacking from opposite sides of the German-occupied bulge trying to cut them off. This is called the Battle of the Bulge. The German objective is the channel ports, as in the last war. … zlb In the afternoon [in cricket] […]

Saturday 25th Bathing will begin this weekend!!! Headmaster announced this in Prayers. … We played the Upper School again … I made 27 caught slips—my average is now 205/7. I also caught the last man on the fourth ball of the last over. … zsp I practically finished my S. Spitfire. … zmd   Sunday […]

Friday 31st A letter from Daddy in the morning. Right at the last moment the girls couldn’t go [to South Africa] as they couldn’t get permits. Nora is going to learn to be a child’s nurse (near Newcastle) and Margaret is going to do forestry with Uncle George (the bearded one) in S. Wales. Daddy […]