Sunday 17th
Mr. A.C. Candler [physics master] preached in chapel. He preached a jolly good sermon I think—how Democracy is based on Christ’s teaching. … zrl zpn
A miserable day, pouring with rain, so study rags [fights] started. We were besieged and had bad banana smeared on the windows. Mr. Spencer put all study members off bikes tomorrow, not as a punishment, but as a token of disapproval. He said that there were visitors coming round, and they might have found banana on the windows of the proud housemaster’s studies. … zmb zsd zfg
Forty German planes raided Scapa floe [a natural harbour in the Orkneys where the Royal Navy’s Home Fleet was based], damaged one warship slightly and killed a civilian who was watching the raid. 40 H.E. bombs dropped on mainland. zar znb
Wednesday 20th
… Possibility of war being declared against Russia soon. I wonder? Since 8 o’clock last night the RAF has raided Sylt [a fortified island off the northern coast of Germany] almost continuously, except for this morning. This is because a few German planes had raided Scapa Floe … zru zar zam
I saw three Wellingtons returning just after tea, I expect they’d been raiding Sylt. zam zpp
Thursday 21st
Last night when we were in the dormitory and after lights out I saw the port lights of two aeroplanes and later their rear lights. After watching them for about two minutes we saw them drop two extremely bright flares, so that they could be recognised I suppose. … zpp
Sunday 24th
… In the afternoon Wood and I went for a long walk in the school woods. We saw about 15 toads, about 6 in the school ponds and the rest on the paths. I saw a dead toad which was horribly bloated. We also got a jolly good view of a bird climbing on a tree near some woodpecker holes which we identified as a Nuthatch when we got back. zfr zwl zwk
