Olave's Diary

1914                               [Kill this page when done ] 

Olave's Diary for 1914
[ Her 25th birthday was 22 Feb ]

January 1914
X
Transcribed by Alison Szarvas

[ It would appear that this Diary did not reach Olave until maybe the 4th Jan, 
because she makes entries for 1st, 2nd & 3rd January at the end of her 1913 
Diary, Q.V. 
But those entries are repeated here, in { curly brackets ],  before the entries in 
the 1914 Diary. ]

Thu 01 Jan 1914       [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
{ Dad starts for Ceylon with Auriol & Bob. 
She has left her two baby girls with Mother at Lilliput. 
Baden to stay  }
Brother-in-law Baden to stay.

Fri 02 Jan 1914         [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
{ Star  & Sherborne Prideaux  to lunch & tea. 
She is youngest daughter of Aunt Rosie Flower , & her husband is a parson 
Peter put on 10 more ounces.  }

Star [Augusta] & Sherburne Prideaux to lunch & tea from Eridge. She is Aunt 
Rose Flower's daughter. [Augusta was BP's cousin on his mother's side]

Sat 03 Jan 1914        [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
{ Mrs Firth  [Winifred Nest nee Hansard 1871-1937 ] & her mother Mrs 
Hansard  [Edith Mary nee Greaves 1844-1927 ]  lunch here.   
Mrs H. sister of Aunt Con. Smyth . 
Court [ the chauffeur ] returns. 
This day two years ago Robin & I met for first time starting on board Arcadian! 
Friede over for tea from Bexhill.  }

Old Mrs [Edith Mary] Hansard (Aunt Con [Helen Constance] Smyth's sister)[BP's 
aunt by marriage on his mother's side] & her daughter Mrs [Winifred] Firth 
over from Tunbridge Wells to lunch. Friede over from Bexhill for tea to see 
Peter.

Sun 04 Jan 1914       [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
[No entry - Sunday's 'title' crossed out and replaced with Monday 5th]

Mon 05 Jan 1914      [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
Robin to London. See him off & find a motor in ditch near Bodiam & send 
owner Col. S. Harris on in own car to shoot with Freemans. Oddly enough Mrs 
Freeman & her daughter Dollie Cunningham come to lunch here. Mrs & girl 
Liddels to tea.
Robin returns & B. [Baden] & I walk to meet him.

Tue 06 Jan 1914       [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
Shoot

Wed 07 Jan 1914     [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
Shoot

Thu 08 Jan 1914      [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
Baden leaves & R. to London too for Mercers. Mrs Walker & her child 
Hildegarde to tea to see Peter. Mr Mealing calls too & Dr Kendal.

Fri 09 Jan 1914     [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
Our butler Eggleton who was B-P's butler in London comes

Sat 10 Jan 1914      [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
Florence (sister-in-law [married to Frank BP]) & her companion Nurse Mateer & 
her little boy Bobbie [Robert BP] come.
Robin returns.

Sun 11 Jan 1914       [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
They go to church

Mon 12 Jan 1914      [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
Long walk

Tue 13 Jan 1914      [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
Maude[Maud] & Donald B-P the orphans (nephew & niece) to stay their 
mother Frances B-P. having died last October at Cheltenham

Wed 14 Jan 1914     [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
All to lunch at Speldhurst [near Tunbridge Wells] with Charles Powells except 
Nurse M. & me.

Thu 15 Jan 1914     [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
Robin to London. D. [Donald] & I see him off. All motor to Battle & explore 
Abbey. Florence & I to Fosters' musical At Home. [James] Campbell MacInnes 
sang.

Fri 16 Jan 1914     [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
Make brick path in the Dell & motor round by Winchelsea & Rye. 
Robin returns.

Sat 17 Jan 1914    [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
Florence & Bobbie leave after great photographing of the 4 grandchildren 
[Peter, Robert, Maud and Donald]. Tea party to show Peter Lady Eage - 
Baroness [Mary] von Roemer. Mrs Luxford Tucks etc. Went well.

Sun 18 Jan 1914      [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
The children to Church.
Walk.

Mon 19 Jan 1914      [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
Shoot - Maude & I trudge round fields chasing the brown birds. Loads of them.

Tue 20 Jan 1914       [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
Shoot snipe on the marsh & bunnies with ferrets.

Wed 21 Jan 1914     [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
Donald & Maude leave. Robin to London for more endless work. Aunt Con. 
Watson to stay. Mrs Tuck to tea

Thu 22 Jan 1914     [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
Aunt Con is sweet. Tea party to show Peter to Mrs Gunny[?] Mrs Colyer - Mrs 
Bainbridge - Missis Davis etc. the "cut aboves"

Fri 23 Jan 1914      [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
Motor to call on Husseys [Edward and Rosamond] at Scotney Castle [near 
Lamberhurst in Kent] & show the lovely ruin to Aunt C. 
Robin returns.
Capt. Wade to stay.

Sat 24 Jan 1914     [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
My godfather Jim Knight Bruce & his son Algy (now at Woolwich [probably 
Royal Artillery Barracks]) over from Staplehurst to shoot. I beat hard [?] Capt W. 
& scouts. Jolly day.

Sun 25 Jan 1914     [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
Aunt Con & I to church.
Capt & Mrs Pulleine & Mrs Jewell from Eastbourne to lunch. Awful.

Mon 26 Jan 1914      [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
Capt. Wade & Aunt Con leave.
Robin & I shoot. Heavenly doing it alone together

Tue 27 Jan 1914     [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
Meet Montagu's & Mr Hawker at Tunbridge Wells & take them to lunch to see 
Scouts farm at Wadhurst. Very jolly. Interesting people.

Wed 28 Jan 1914     [Ewhurst Place near Crawley]
Motor to London taking Peter & his nurse too. He slept all the time except 10 
minutes for bottle! Grandmother B-P overjoyed to see him.

Thu 29 Jan 1914     [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
Interviewer to see me.
Shop.
Tea party to see Peter  
Una Albery - Dora Little
Dorothy Fox - Aunt Ger
Aunt Ide - Mrs Arkwright
Rollestons etc. All admire.

Fri 30 Jan 1914       [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley, Sussex]
Walk to doctor with Robin to see him have his arms treated with electricity.
Shop & do dentist. 
More people to see Peter.
To Hagenbecks circus [The Hagenbeck Circus and Zoo was at Olympia in London 
during January 1914]
[Continues onto space for Sat 31 Jan]
Take Florence [B-P] - Baden
Beatrice Valby, Mrs Cameron. Splendid show
    _______________
[Sat 31 Jan 1914       Lilliput] 
 Motor to Lilliput. Took from 11.45. to 5.30. Jolly run. Peter & Doogy [the dog] 
went there by rail.

February 1914
X
Transcribed by Alison Szarvas

Sun 01 Feb 1914     Lilliput   ['Grey Rigg' in Lilliput, Poole]
Quite delicious being at my old home with my adorable Mother & added bliss 
of best of husbands & best of babies. Long walk.

Mon 02 Feb 1914     [Lilliput]
Bad cold. 
Robin to fish for salmon near Ringwood.
My nieces (Auriol's 2 babies [Christian and Clare]) here & Peter splendid.

Tue 03 Feb 1914     [Lilliput]
Robin to London for more work.
Bad cold. See Dr Barlow. 
Must take things quietly here.

Wed 04 Feb 1914     [Lilliput]
Glorious day loafing with my adorable Mother.
R. spends day at Wadhurst Scouts farm with Prince A. [Alexander] of Teck.

Thu 05 Feb 1914     [Lilliput]
Lunch with Mrs Cassell at Branksome Dene. Shop clothes in Bournemouth & 
musical tea party at Sykes'

Fri 06 Feb 1914     [Lilliput]
To shop in Bournemouth, Miss Mya & Molly Bottomley to tea. Robin returns. 
The 3 babies such fun.

Sat 07 Feb 1914    [Lilliput]
[No entry]

Sun 08 Feb 1914    [Lilliput]
Wet. Walk & Robin to see Noël van Raalte at Brownsea & his wife & baby born 
a little before our Peter. [The Van Raalte family owned Brownsea Island and 
invited BP to hold his experimental camp there]

Mon 09 Feb 1914  [Lilliput]
Robin to fish all day at Ringwood. Mother & I drive to Bournemouth taking dear 
little Christian with us.

Tue 10 Feb 1914    [Lilliput]
Robin to fish again. Mother & [I] "stick" all his old letters to his Mother 
preparatory to Mother binding them.

Wed 11 Feb 1914     [Lilliput]
Photographer from London had a field day with us & Peter in squash racquet 
court. P. behaved perfectly. Wet. Walk.

Thu 12 Feb 1914     [Lilliput]
See Robin off to London from Poole
Call at Boys Home
Into Bournemouth. Shop wildly - clothes furniture etc. Mother is splendid.

Fri 13 Feb 1914      [Lilliput]
Into Bournemouth in morning. 
Sie Bower (Peters godmother) & Baden to stay. He stands proxy for Duke of 
Connaught as godfather to Peter.

Sat 14 Feb 1914     [Lilliput]
Robin returns. Agnes Aunt Con Watson & the other godfather General [Robert] 
Kekewich come & Peter is christened in the church where we were married St 
Peters at Parkstone. 250 Scouts

Sun 15 Feb 1914    [Lilliput]
Gen'l Kehewick leaves. Motor to Café - all.

Mon 16 Feb 1914     [Lilliput]
Sie leaves. Robin to fish. Baden & I motor to Ringwood to see him start. Baden 
leaves. Lend Agnes our car. Aunt Con, Mother & I motor to fetch R. back round 
by X.church [Christchurch]

Tue 17 Feb 1914     [Lilliput]
Robin, Aunt Con & I picnic lunch on Hods [Hod] Hill near Blandford. Mother 
busy with babies.

Wed 18 Feb 1914   [Lilliput]
Robin goes fishing. Kentish's (Mayor of Poole) awful tea At Home at Parkstone. 
Robin to London.

Thu 19 Feb 1914     [Lilliput]
Mother & I terribly happy & busy doing Mafeking scrap books

Fri 20 Feb 1914     [Lilliput]
To do clothes (Mother is giving me) in Bournemouth. Robin returns.

Sat 21 Feb 1914    [Lilliput]
Motor to Studland to see [Alexander Hellier] Berens' painter-sculptor & 
Scoutmaster [Berens was at the Brownsea Island camp]. House run by Scouts. 
To Swanage too lovely

Sun 22 Feb 1914    [Lilliput]
Our birthday. I think the best birthday we ever have had or could have. Mother 
gave me "The Life" - my life written so beautifully by her.

Mon 23 Feb 1914    [Lilliput]
[No entry]

Tue 24 Feb 1914    [London]
Motor to Bournemouth. Taking dear little Christian to have her legs massaged. 
Horrified to find I weigh 11 stone 4 lbs & 5 oz!!
To London late

Wed 25 Feb 1914    [London]
Shop at Harrods. Hair shampooed. Donald up from Eton. R. he, Baden & I to 
Drury Lane Pantomime [in London]. Rather funny. Tea with Miss Beech in Dover 
Street to talk Scouts.

Thu 26 Feb 1914     [London]
People to tea here as guests of Sam Weil. Dine at Grocers Hall with Gardeners 
Co [probably the Worshipful Company of Gardeners]. Very jolly. Duke & 
Duchess of Tec, nice Lord [Francis] Grenfell next at dinner a dear

Fri 27 Feb 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
Baddish fog - walk across Park with R. & Donald - (R. to have his arm 
electrified by Grace) feel seedy - faint [?] at lunch & high temp. [continues on 
entry for 28 Feb] & bad throat & tonsilitis. R. & Donald go to Tunbridge Wells 
Theatre to see play in aid of Scout farm at Wadhurst & R. speaks & asks for help 
& money. [Crossed out line of text Pattison[?] home to Ewhurst] 

Sat 28 Feb 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
In bed & seedy all day

March 1914
X
Transcribed by Alison Szarvas

Sun 01 Mar 1914    [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley]
Sit up & take notice - much better. Dr Atkins (good man) says Grace was doing 
R's arm fearful harm. It needs rest & not tense wicked painful shocks. 
[Continued on entry for 2 Mar] I knew it was wrong & it hurt too much. Up and 
out for a walk.

Mon 02 Mar 1914 [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry]

Tue 03 Mar 1914 [Ewhurst Place]
Lunch with Mrs Montagu of the Little Commonwealth [a school set up by 
George Montagu, later Earl of Sandwich, run by Homer Lane in Dorset from 
1914-18, known for its permissive libertarian approach to education - source 
thetcj.org]. Lady Scott (widow of South Pole hero) there & very nice & Lady 
Wantage. 

Wed 04 Mar 1914  [Ewhurst Place or London]
Still bad so couldn't go To Manchester today to do Scouts Exhibition [It appears 
that Olave wrote To Manchester prior to rest of entry, and then amended it 
when she was ill]. Lunch with Florence [BP]. Call & see Aunt Ger. With R. to 
Peace Society meeting of quakers at Biglands [Percy Bigland] (29 Tite Street 
[Chelsea]) [The Peace Society was a pacifist organisation that was active from 
1816 to the 1930s, Quakers were amongst its founders - source Wikipedia] 
[continued on page for 5 March ...]

Thu 05 Mar 1914     [London]
[Continuation of 4 Mar entry ...] R. Spoke splendidly & they questioned on 
Scout movement. 
[5 Mar 1914] Dora Little has would be Scout friend Mrs Adkins to tea here 
yesterday. Lunch with Babe at Woollands [a department store in Knightsbridge, 
London]. Fetch R. from Mercers Hall & to see "The Land of Promise" [a play by 
W. Somerset Maugham]. Quite nice (Irene Vanbrugh [an actress] companion 
goes to Canada.)  Tea party at 32 - [continues into next day]

Fri 06 Mar 1914  [London]
and again today when American ambassador (Walter Hines Page) & Mrs Page & 
Sir Luke Fildes etc came. Lunch at Mansion House with Lord Mayor [Thomas 
Vansittart] Bowater. Dine Great Central [possibly Eastern - word has been 
overwritten] Hotel & to "The Tyranny of Tears" [a comedic play by C. Haddon 
Chambers].

Sat 07 Mar 1914 [Grey Rigg? Due to areas Olave is mentioning, she is 
probably staying in Dorset]
To Sherborne early & Mother & Aunt Con meet us there & we lunch & hear the 
interesting children's [?] at the Montagu's "Little Commonwealth" the new kind 
of [runs onto entry for 8 Mar] reformatory for criminal boys & girls. They rule 
themselves & Mr Lane the manager is a genius.

Sun 08 Mar 1914 [Grey Rigg?]
[No entry]

Mon 09 Mar 1914     [Grey Rigg?]
Wet - Walk - & do scrap books

Tue 10 Mar 1914    [Grey Rigg?]
Motor through Forest with lunch. Call on Miss Powell & her married brother 
(cousins) living at Lyndhurst. Drop Aunt Con to stay in Bournemouth.

Wed 11 Mar 1914   [Grey Rigg?]
Robin to London. Motor to Bournemouth & see Aunt Con staying with 
Mother's cousin Rowland Hill's widow

Thu 12 Mar 1914     [Grey Rigg?]
Robin to[?] London very lonesome! So we have a plan.

Fri 13 Mar 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
To London (Mother & I) Lunch alone at 32 & join Robin at Paddington & go to 
Eton where he gives a splendid lecture on tactics to the U.T.C. 600 attended. 
Take Donald out to tea in Windsor. [Continued on entry for 14 Mar ...]

Sat 14 Mar 1914 [Grey Rigg?]
[Continuation of 13 Mar entry ...] Back to London & call on Aunt Ger who is 
very naughtily squabbling with Mother. Hectic & heating interview & catch 
train home for bed [possibly Grey Rigg rather than Ewhurst Place given the next 
couple of days are spent in Dorset]. Splendid day. [Edward] Lyttleton Head 
Master nice. [Robert] Somervell Donalds house master too
[14 Mar - no entry]

Sun 15 Mar 1914     [Grey Rigg?]
Wet all yesterday. Visited [Edward] Hart's splendid bird museum at Christ-
Church. Scrap books

Mon 16 Mar 1914    [Grey Rigg?]
Picnic near Chapman's Pool [a cove in Dorset] & walk there after. (Beyond Café) 
Glorious & very windy. Press[?] de Marny  - & [Mr and Mrs] Sykes to tea.

Tue 17 Mar 1914  [London]
Motor to London via Farnborough & see dear little Hopie [sister-in-law] in their 
wee house. Also call on Angela Shuttleworth at Kingston.

Wed 18 Mar 1914   [London]
Motor to different shops for R. to talk Boy Scouts to the managers & see Scouts 
at Peek & Frean's[?] [word unclear?] Lunch at old Charterhouse. Dine at 
Mansion House About 300 - jolly. Chiefly Masters of City Companies & we 
were the chief guests.

Thu 19 Mar 1914   [London]
To aero & boat show at Olympia yesterday too. To opening of new blind 
Association by their Majesties [In 1914, what is now the Royal National 
Institute for the Blind moved to larger premises in Great Portland Street and 
became The National Institute for the Blind]. Very interesting Guard of honour 
of blind Scouts. Tea with Lady Hower[?] Dine at Cavalry [& Guards] Club. 
[Continued on entry for 20 Mar ...] Helen Macfreys[?] & Surgeon General 
[William] Gorgas who managed the health of the Panama Canal & [?] gave us a 
box at His Majesty's to see "The Darling of the Gods" [a play by David Belasco]. 
Thrilling & spectacular. Bell-mère B.P. better.

Fri 20 Mar 1914   [London]
[Written in space for 21 Mar]  Friday 
Lunch with dear Alan Campbells - friends of R.'s. Pick him up in city. See 
Pictures in Bond Street & R. [Royal] Institute. Dine at St Paul's School with head 
master & hear interesting lecture by Dr [George] Levick about his experiences 
in the Antarctic on Scotts expedition

Sat 21 Mar 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Motor home to Ewhurst. Give badges at Northiam to Scouts & Miss [Francis?] 
Red Cross detachment. Spoke very badly.

Sun 22 Mar 1914  [replacing 23 March]   [Ewhurst Place]
Walk along railway by the floods. They have had record in rain here 9 inches in 
2 months. Glorious being at home again. Lots to do. Walk & pick primroses.

Mon 23 Mar 1914   [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry]

Tue 24 Mar 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Walk round by Lordine & Longwood. Put my house in order.

Wed 25 Mar 1914     [London?]
To London. Lunch Cavalry Club. R. & I to the zoo. R. to Armourers Dinner - 

Thu 26 Mar 1914     [London]
[line linking to text on 25 Mar entry - meaning unclear] Mother comes up with 
Arthur & Hopie. I lunch with them. Mother & I shop & do calls. To G.G. Meeting 
of Lady Llangattock. Dine with M. at Grosvenor & see "A pair of silk stockings" 
[by Kate Chopin] [written at bottom of previous page] Rather a stupid play at 
the Criterion.

Fri 27 Mar 1914      [London?]
Shop. Lunch with Mother & Arthur & Hopie after calling on Aunt Ger. To 
[Herbert] Ponting's lecture & lovely photos & curios[?] of Scott's Antarctic 
expedition of which he was a member. [Entry continues on to Sat 28]  Quite 
wonderful & interesting. Tea at Grosvenor & dinner too. Cap. St John comes 
too & R. & to see "The Melting Pot" [by Israel Zangwill] 
Interesting but badly acted & too melodramatic.

Sat 28 Mar 1914    Home [Ewhurst Place]
[Written on page for May 29 and 30 ...] Home by train early. Walk round 
Bodiam. Tea at the Rectory. Walks. Robin has bad heads again rather as he is 
working too hard with big Scout schemes on hand as well as being Master of 
the Mercers Co. The rest & extra odd wee snoozes here do heaps of good. 

Sun 29 Mar 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry]

Mon 30 Mar 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry]

Tue 31 Mar 1914   [Ewhurst Place]
Walk & garden. Glorious day & the hedges a blaze of primroses. Oh so happy 
honey-mooning.

April 1914
X
Transcribed by Alison Szarvas 

Wed 01 Apr 1914     [London]
To London. R. lunches with [Herbert] Jenkins who will publish his Kashmir 
sketch books [Indian Memories: Recollections of Soldiering, Sport, etc which 
was published by H. Jenkins in 1915. It had 24 colour illustrations and 100 black 
and white ones], & sister in law Canny Powell to see us [unclear who this is - 
possibly Charlotte, BP's elder half sister??]. To Kew Gardens. Lovely. R. dinner 
with Lord [Archibald] Rosebery.

Thu 02 Apr 1914      [London]
Walk & take R. to city & shop at Barkers etc. Shelleys to dinner. Belle Mère 
rather down & sorry for herself.

Fri 03 Apr 1914         [London]
Take R. to St Pauls Boys School & city & shop. Tea with Florence [BP]. Hurrah 
only weigh 10 stone 11 now & Robin is 12 stone 1. 

Sat 04 Apr 1914    [Ewhurst Place, near Crawley]
Buy furniture in Tottenham Court Road! & look for site for Boy Scout H.Q. Go & 
see mass meeting in Hyde Park to plead for Ulster versus Home Rule. 
Wonderful & funny processions & 14 big speakers. [continued in entry for 5 Apr 
..] Insufferable "suffs" also [there was a suffragette demonstration taking place 
in Hyde Park at the same time]. To St Pauls Boys School sports & I give away 
prizes & address the audience for a minute & a half. Home to Ewhurst in time 
for bed. 

Sun 05 Apr 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Dig in the Dell & have a bad cold.

Mon 06 Apr 1914     London
To 32 Princes Gate again early [home of BP's mother]. Shop. Meet R. at office, 
& go to tea with Bingels. Evelina there having a nominal "restcure"! To picture 
shows.

Tue 07 Apr 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Take Robin to Mercers Hall as usual as he likes his nurse maid to escort him 
everywhere! To Ewhurst by 4.50. Ripping getting home again. The vols of R.'s 
letters Mother has bound are glorious.

Wed 08 Apr 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Dig in the Dell.

Thu 09 Apr 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry]

Fri 10 Apr 1914      Manchester
Leave home again early & travel up to Manchester & stay at Midland Hotel for 
Scoutmasters & Scout Commissioners Conference at the [Manchester] 
Grammar School [This was a three day event about troop administration and 
related matters - more information can be found at lonsdalescouts.org.uk/on-
patrol-wolf-cubs/]

Sat 11 Apr 1914       [Manchester]
Started at 10 with address by R. & Lord Mayor [of Manchester, Sir Daniel 
McCabe]. Lunch with the Lord Mayor. Rally at Fallowfield all afternoon. Tea in 
camp. Conference all evening on patrol system etc. 

Sun 12 Apr 1914     [Manchester]
To Cathedral Service. Bishop [James] Welldon preached rottenly. R. spoke to 
choir boys. Motored out to see Eric Walker's friends the Mathers who motored 
us up into lovely hills. [continued on entry for 13 Apr ...] Car broke down near 
their house. Back to Manch. In time for more Conference on the religious side 
of Scout Training.

Mon 13 Apr 1914      [Manchester]
More conference. I spoke of lady S.M.'s [scoutmasters] & [continued on entry 
for 14 Apr ...
] had a meeting of about 30 of 'em. Conference ended at tea time. R. "summed 
up". To see rally & ourselves at a cinema! 

Tue 14 Apr 1914      Wales
Left Manchester with Lord [Joseph Bailey] Glanusk to stay with him at lovely 
place near Crickhowell [Glanusk Park]. Glorious garden & hills & river & such 
jolly homey people.

Wed 15 Apr 1914      [Wales]
R. fished all day & I watched. Caught 2 trout. Dinner party here

Thu 16 Apr 1914        [Wales]
Couple called Mavrojani stayed night & took me back to fish for Salmon in the 
Wye near their house near Three Cocks [near Glasbury , Powys] where Arthur 
& the Cunninghams & I stayed on our motor tour in 1912. [Continues on entry 
for 17 Apr...] Motor back late after supper to Glanusk.

Fri 17 Apr 1914      [Wales]
Fished all day for trout in the Usk close by. These people are ripping & so nice. 
Lady G. [Editha] is so funny. A Girl called Marjorie Grant a cousin & man called 
Blake her brother in law.

Sat 18 Apr 1914      [Wales]
Baron[?] Plessen - a sister of Lord G's [Lord Glanusk had 5 sisters, one of whom 
died young] & cousin called Sybil Ashmore etc staying here too. Dinner party 
after fishing all day. George Pauling [possibly the son of the civil engineer 
George Pauling who constructed the railway network in South Africa?]  who we 
knew in 1904 to tea - grown [continued on entry for 19 Apr ...] up out of all 
recognition as knew him as a child.

Sun 19 Apr 1914     [Wales]
To Church. Motored (we two) to lunch at Llandogo on the Wye with Burchardt 
Ashtons in their house which Belle Mère took for one summer & R. spent 
holidays at from Charterhouse [BP holidayed at the Priory with his mother and 
brother Warrington when it was owned by the Gallenga family. In 1914, the 
house was being leased to Arthur Burchardt Ashton by Lady Clifford]  (source 
priorycarehome.co.uk - the history of priory house].  [Continued on entry for 
20 Apr ....] Saw their Scouts & G.G's & on to see Mavern sic Mathern] Palace 
near Chepstow. Nice but overated[sic]. Back via Usk. Lovely run & country 
looking gorgeous.

Mon 20 Apr 1914    [Cardiff]
Left Glanusk. To Swansea. Biggish Scouts lunch. R. addressed a meeting rè 
Endowment Fund [continued on entry for 21 Apr ...] & inspected Sea & land 
Scouts. To Cardiff to stay & saw "Within the law" [by Bayard Veiller] well acted 
there.

Tue 21 Apr 1914       [London]
Robin again spoke for funds to the Exchange an almost unheard of thing to be 
allowed [continued on entry for 22 Apr ...] in to ask for money. But he had an 
ovation & we lunched there with the president - good man. Young Insole (who 
went around the world with Robin) motored us about the docks - (interesting) 
& to tea at his home with his belongings. [continued on entry for 23 Apr] 
Inspect Scouts by the Town Hall with Lord Mayor etc & catch train to London.
[Then line across page and Wednesday written on entry for Thu 23 Apr]

Wed 22 Apr 1914    [London]
R. & I to Hampstead & Hendon on trains, & busses to [?] Tea, with Acwaths[?]. 
Dine Country Club. [continued on entry for Fri 24 Apr ...] To see "Mr Wu" - very 
improper - rather good
[Then line across page and Thursday written]

Thu 23 Apr 1914      [London]
Shop. Picture show with Robin & dine at Hotel Cecil with St George's Society. 
Big & rather fun. Bad speeches except R's re the Army

Fri 24 Apr 1914      [London]
[No entry]

Sat 25 Apr 1914     [London]
To Wimbledon to see Alfred Drury about sculpting Robin [this sculpture 
finished in 1915 shows BP dressed in his Mercer's regalia on a plinth with the 
Scouting 'gone home' symbol source artuk.org] . Lunch in a bun[?] shop. See 
Scouts scouting on the Common & a good show of them at Olympia. Robin to 
5th D.G. [Dragoon Guards] 
Dinner & after both go to 13th Hussar "Soirée" - a very mixed affair  [continued 
on entry for 26 Apr ...] of old soldiers & their wives. Very nice to us & gave me a 
bouquet poor things.

Sun 26 Apr 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
Home again at last early. Robin sleeps out on the lawn & is wonderfully fit now 
in spite of doing a great deal of good work

Mon 27 Apr 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry]

Tue 28 Apr 1914      [London]
To 32 [Princes Gate, London]. Shop. R. & I tea in the Park & to Scout for Scout 
H.Q. offices in Marylebone direction.

Wed 29 Apr 1914     [London]
R.'s first sitting to A Drury for his bust. On bus to Putney to lunch. 
Mercers Co dinner. 
Agnes & I to gallery there after & met friends amongst them Arthur Hokler! 
Very pleasant.  [continued on entry for 30 Apr ...] dear old Sir George Reid 
made a ripping speech  etc
[Then line across page]

Thu 30 Apr 1914     [London]
Shop & to see futurist paintings. The most appalling & idiotic & hideous things. 
Dine with the [Ernest] Pedders - ex 13th Hussar Col. Nice.

May 1914
X
Transcribed by Alison Szarvas 

Fri 01 May 1914     [London]
Lunch with Una Albery.

Sat 02 May 1914     [London]
[No entry]

Sun 03 May 1914     [London]
[No entry]

Mon 04 May 1914   [London]
Shorthand writer to take down stuff for R's "Indian Memories" book. [Indian 
Memories: Recollections of Soldiering, Sport, etc which was published by H. 
Jenkins Ltd in 1915]

Tue 05 May 1914     [London]
[No entry]

Wed 06 May 1914   [London]
Motor over to Hythe. Tea with Aunt Con & party of Scout workers. I address a 
meeting on Scouts! Whilst R. goes to see old Galloway. Great cheers for Peter 
etc. Give Aunt Con Swastika from her Scouts & myself [ Before the Nazis, the 
swastika was used as a symbol of good fortune and was adopted by the Boy 
Scouts in 1908 for its Thanks Badge for anyone who had done a kindness to a 
scout and used until 1935 - see BBC article on the history of the swastika 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-29644591 and 
https://worldscoutingmuseum.org/swastikas/ for its use in Scouting]

Thu 07 May 1914     [London]
To London. Peter joins us there looking splendid. R. dines with shipwrights Co. I 
go with Baden to excellent Boys Brigade [continued onto entry for 7 May] 
demonstration at Albert Hall. Prince Alexander of Teck (new Governor Gen. of 
Canada) in chair. Made rotten speech. Why aren't they all Scouts. Drill will not 
make self-supporting men of 'em though a very good machine. I cheekily told 
their Chief Sir W. [William] Smith so! [He died three days later on 10 May 1914]

Fri 08 May 1914    [London]
[Written in entry for 11 & 12 May] Do clothes. Meeting of ladies Committee for 
B. Scouts Endowment fund at furniture place. [There is an article in Daily 
Telegraph on 5 Feb 1914 regarding a letter from the Duke of Cambridge to BP 
about the appeal for a national endowment fund] Bad. 36 Wolf Cubs "Peters 
Own" to see to see P. They had tea at 32 [BP's mother's house] & were 
inspected by P. in the garden afterwards. Belle Mère cried over their cheers. 
Dear little chaps. The first pack of potential Scouts formed attached to 1st 
Westminster

Sat 09 May 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
[Written in entry for Mon 11 May] Return to Ewhurst with Peter. He is a grand 
baby & so cheery & jolly & healthy.

Sun 10 May 1914   [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry]

Mon 11 May 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
Shorthand writer for R. Captain Wade comes

Tue 12 May 1914    [London]
To London.
Shop. R. very busy. To see Humorous art show [The International Exhibition of 
Humorous Art  took place at Holland Park Hall, Kensington from 11 May to 6 
June 1914]. Good English - vulgar French. Dine in Underground tea house at 
High Street! & see Cousins in Notting Hill Gate!!

Wed 13 May 1914    [London]
To dress rehearsal of Military Tournament. Lovely. 3000 Scouts there. R. had big 
Mercers dinner.

Thu 14 May 1914      [London]
Shop for my house party at Ewhurst. Fetch R. from Mercers Hall & explore 
London for Scouts Headquarters. Dine with C.A. [Cyril Arthur] Pearson the blind 
man. Nice party.

Fri 15 May 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Home to Ewhurst alone with 2 doves 2 goldfish & food galore! Nice fat Beatrice 
Hall to stay. Peter splendid

Sat 16 May 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
Robin came early 
Muriel Guinness & Eric Walker to stay. Dad also by car. Garden party - about 80 
people. Display by various troops of Scouts from Rye- [continued over entry for 
17 May] Robertsbridge 1st & 2nd Ewhurst & Northiam [all local troops from East 
Sussex]. Gave flags to the three latter. 

Sun 17 May 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Church parade. Walker left. Motor to see Battle. Jolly party. 

Mon 18 May 1914    [London]
All left. Nicest house party I have ever had. Dad is a cynic. B. Hall is a dear fat 
thing. To London. Dine with Mother at her club.

Tue 19 May 1914     [London]
Shop & spend day with Mother in her car. Lunch Westminster Palace Hotel. 
Chelsea Hospital. Dine with Turners Company. Quite nice.

Wed 20 May 1914     Essex  [diary has this written but Olave still appears to be 
in London overnight]
Robin sat to Drury for bust. Shopped. To see over St Paul's Girls school & the 
High Mistress Miss [Frances] Gray. Good interview. Mother to dine here & to W. 
& Military Tournament. Ripping. 

Thu 21 May 1914      [Essex]
To Colchester to stay with [William] Coats Huttons. Party at Moot Hall - Tea & 
concert & I spoke badly. R. comes & evening very good Scout display run by 
[Henry Geoffrey] Elwes - good man.

Fri 22 May 1914    [Nottingham]
Return to London early. Both to lunch with Lord [Sydney] Buxton (new 
governor of S. Africa) Grilling hot day. Late To stay with Rollestons [of] Watnall 
[Hall] near Nottingham [Colonel Sir Lancelot and Lady Maud]

Sat 23 May 1914     [Nottingham]
Thunder & fearfully cold & wet. R. inspects at Newark etc & Lady Maude & I 
joined them for Scout show at Burton Joyce. Display at Watnall too. This was 
the first place we [continued onto entry for 24 May] stayed at together after 
our wedding. 

Sun 24 May 1914     [Nottingham]
Church parade at Nottingham & R. inspects - tea in Market Square. Wet after & 
they went to Mansfield. Lady M. & I talked on Christian Science. She is a 
scientist & has healed. Very interesting.

Mon 25 May 1914     [London]
R. to inspect at Retford. Lady M. & I joined them at Worksop College for lunch. 
Scout display & rally & we return to London. Very cold.

Tue 26 May 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Home to Ewhurst. Peter is splendid OK & what a husband & what a man I have 
married. The perfect man if ever there was one - [continues onto entry for 27 
May] perfect mind & heart filled only with noble ideals & kindness & goodness. 
A tongue that never lies or slanders & an eye that sees the best in all things & 
all men. Shorthand writer from Hastings. Jolly walks.

Wed 27 May 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry]

Thu 28 May 1914      London
To 32 [Princes Gate] again. Shop. R. to 13th Hussar dinner.

Fri 29 May 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Shop. To service in Mercers Hall Chapel. Home to Ewhurst.

Sat 30 May 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
The Doves are sweet flying about on the lawn & bathing in a stone basin 
Mother has given us. Really this is absolute Paradise & Robin & I are too 
gloriously happy always. [Continues on to entry for 31 May]  Just being 
together is perfect bliss in every way & nobody who has not complete love & 
trust
 & understanding of one another can realise it. 
Eric Walker for night. 

Sun 31 May 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry]

June 1914
X
Transcribed by Alison Szarvas

Mon 01 Jun 1914     Surrey
Motor over to Dorking & see glorious rally of 2,264 Boy Scouts in Denbies Pack. 
Quite the finest I have seen. We stood in a valley & they poured down like an 
avalanche all yelling. Quite thrilling. Colonel [Henry] Cubitt Lord Lieutenant of 
Surrey let several hundred camp there [He doesn't appear to have been made 
a Colonel until 1922; his father George was a Colonel however].

Tue 02 Jun 1914     [London]
Shorthand writer came. To London in time to dine with Waringtons & sleep at 
32.

Wed 03 Jun 1914    [Chesterfield]
Go alone to Chesterfield. Lunch with Mrs Jackson at Walton & pass Stubbing 
Court my birthplace going in to "do" Scouts in the afternoon in Chesterfield 
[continues onto entry for 4 Jun] in a field alongside West House where I when I 
was 1 & left when I was 6. Inspected & addressed 300 scouts. To stay at Sutton 
Scarsdale [Hall] with the W. Arkwrights [William and Agnes].

Thu 04 Jun 1914 Derbyshire
[Written in entry for 5 and 6 Jun] Thursday Friday 6     Beastly leaving Robin. 
Motor over & see Renishaw Hall - where I lived from 1895-7. So jolly seeing it 
& remembered it well. Taken to see several people who patted me on the head 
years ago. Dinner party of 14. Mills - Jackson - Cockburn etc all who knew me 
20 years ago!

Fri 05 Jun 1914      [Leeds]
[Written in entry for 6 Jun] Friday. To see dogs galore & garden. Lunch at Tapton 
[House near Chesterfield] with Violet Markham. To Leeds to stay with Brookes. 

Sat 06 Jun 1914     [Leeds?]
[Written in entry for 7 Jun] Saturday Sunday 7 Robin joins me. Such a relief. He 
does public lunch in Leeds. Mrs B. Flo & I lunch with the Lady Mayoress near 
Moor Allerton. After to Scout display in Town Hall Square & one at Bradford 
also.

Sun 07 Jun 1914     [London]
[Written in entry for 8 Jun] Return to London

Mon 08 Jun 1914    [London]
Monday Shop. R. To Greenwich on Mercer work. Tea with Lady Baker Russell 
R's old Colonel (in 13th Hussar)'s widow.

Tue 09 Jun 1914     Cambridge
To Cambridge for big lunch & opening by Prince Arthur of Connaught of new 
laboratory. Awful thing I didn't recognise the Prince! Rotten affair but we saw - 
hand under X ray & a bunny's skeleton.

Wed 10 Jun 1914     [London]
To Hurlingham to see balloons. Mercers Co dinner. Mrs Towse (wife of blind 
man [Sir Ernest Beachcroft Towse]) & Lady Nixon dined with me there too.

Thu 11 Jun 1914      [London]
Lunched with Joan. Peter motored up from Ewhurst. Dined with Redesdale's & 
to Horse Show after - ripping. Lots of foreign people there - nice party & they 
are so nice & friendly.

Fri 12 Jun 1914        [London]
Lunch with [Robert and Elma] Yerburgh's in Kensington Gore - large party. Took 
Peter to see Una Albery & Nurse Coulson who managed his arrival there & he 
cut his first tooth.

Sat 13 Jun 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
R. to be sculpted & photographed. Our garden party of scouts & 100 friends at 
Hurlingham. Queen Alexandra reviews 10,000 Scouts on the Horse Guards 
Parade. [continued over entry for 14 Jun] A grand sight. She was so pleased, 
pleasant & nice & sent for me to talk to. Evening more Scouts at Horticultural 
Hall - Westminster Wolf Cubs 7 troops. Motor home; all of us!

Sun 14 Jun 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry]

Mon 15 Jun 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Heavenly being in our dear wee house again even for so few hours. Picnic on 
Shriver Hill. To Scout farm at Wadhurst & Tunbridge Wells.

Tue 16 Jun 1914     [St John's Lodge near Aylesbury]
To London again. Lunch at Mercers Hall (I alone with 5 Wardens etc) & all 
motor to see Mercers property in Bucks. Inspect farms & to stay with Aunt Con 
at St Johns Lodge [continued onto entry for 17 Jun] near Aylesbury. Baden also 
with us. 

Wed 17 Jun 1914    [London]
See more farms and lunch at Gayhurst (Newport Pagnell) with Mrs Carlisle. 
Motor broke down on way back to London near Dunstable. Dine with Grocers 
Company guests of W. Grantham. Nice dinner & concert at Grocers Hall.

Thu 18 Jun 1914     [London]
Mercers Company's ladies day at White City. De Burgh's & Vera Sharm[?] & her 
fiancé. Charlie Dimond to lunch. Weston James' & D. Fox to dinner. Good circus 
& mad[?] railways etc.

Fri 19 Jun 1914     Norfolk
To stay with Fletchers at Wymondham Norfolk. R. does Mercers work etc. The 
F's house Stanfield Hall was where he stayed 20 years ago.

Sat 20 Jun 1914      [London]
Good Scout rally at Crown Point Norwich & back to London. Saw Wroughton 
Boy[?] (who went round the world with R.) there [this is probably  Musgrave 
'Bob' Wroughton, who is considered to be the first Boy Scout - source 
iwm.org.uk] & Dora Birkbeck née Wilson [continued on entry for 21 Jun] who I 
hadn't seen for 10 years. 

Sun 21 Jun 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
To Ewhurst. Peter is growing & rolls from side to side by himself now & makes 
lots of nice noise.

Mon 22 Jun 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Roland Philipps for the day & talks Scouts. Picnic on Silver Hill. Mrs W. 
Arkwright to stay.

Tue 23 Jun 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Baden - Ba Heysham & Rev. Everard Digby to stay. Tucks (the local rector & his 
wife who knew Mother 28 years ago) to dinner.

Wed 24 Jun 1914   [Ewhurst Place]
Jolly house party. Lunch picnic on the beach near Winchelsea.

Thu 25 Jun 1914     [London]
All up to London. Robin to Mercers Company work as usual. Lunch with 
Beatrice Hall & her blind mother. Mother almost next door. Frank & Florence B-
P to dine. Robin & I to see "The Ideal Husband" [by Oscar Wilde] at St James 
theatre. Quite good & well acted. [continued on entry for 26 Jun] George 
Alexander better than usual. 

Fri 26 Jun 1914    [London]
Friday
Busy day shopping etc. To give the Silver Wolf to Scoutmaster Vowles (in 
Finsbury Avenue) for his bravery in Sea Scout disaster last year [On 27 October 
1913, the ketch "Mirror" carrying Sea Scouts was hit by the steamer "Hogarth" 
in Gravesend Reach. Three scouts and an assistant leader were drowned, while 
11 Scouts were saved (source Wikipedia)] . [continued at bottom of entry for 
24 Jun] To ripping play by Esmond called "The Dangerous Age" Quite 
beautifully acted too.

Sat 27 Jun 1914    [Liverpool]
To Liverpool to stay with Pilkingtons near there. Splendid Scout rally. Evening 
big dinner & R. spoke for Endowment fund. Col. & Mrs Concannon ran it & Lord 
Mayor & Lady Mayoress nice.

Sun 28 Jun 1914    [Liverpool]
People to lunch. Nice General [Edward] Bethune (with one hand) staying here 
too. Nice kind people. Rotten place (Wheathill-Huyton) to live.

Mon 29 Jun 1914     Liverpool
R. spoke in Liverpool on corn & cotton Exchange about the Boy Scout 
Endowment. I went with two girls to New Brighton. After motored out to see 
[continued on entry for 30 Jun] Seaforth where R. was quartered in & back by 
railway through docks. 

Tue 30 Jun 1914     [London]
Left Liverpool & lunched with Lord Mayor at Manchester & R. spoke splendidly. 
Back to London.

July 1914
X
Transcribed by Alison Szarvas

Wed 01 Jul 1914      [London]
R. is working very hard - too hard. Lunch with Hornby-Lewis' in Park Lane. Sat 
next to Uncle Reggie [Soames]. Mercers Apposition Dinner. Lady Chelmsford - 
Mrs Neworth & Mrs Hillard [continues onto entry for 2 Jul] dine with me & hear 
speeches after. Awfully hot.

Thu 02 Jul 1914     [London]
Robin very tired. Buy my "diamonds" - present from Dad.

Fri 03 Jul 1914       [London]
R. to be sculpted. Wet. Dine at home quietly.

Sat 04 Jul 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
Shop together. To Hurlingham. Regimental polo finals. 1st Life Guards - v. 16th 
Lancers. King George there & big crowd. Hurry back to Ewhurst. Herbert 
Jenkins R's publisher to stay.

Sun 05 Jul 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Stenographer here to do R's "Indian Memories" book. It will be quite lovely 
with his unique beautiful illustrations. Motor up to Silver Hill.

Mon 06 Jul 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Stenographer again & the two authors work hard.

Tue 07 Jul 1914      [London]
To London. Robin on Mercers work to Cambridge & then see property in Lincs. I 
hate his being away & he hates it too! [continues onto entry for 8 Jul] even for 
one night. He is working too hard just now & is wearing himself out & has head 
aches - but now we sharn't be long! Dine in Kensington Gardens.

Wed 08 Jul 1914     [London]
[No entry]

Thu 09 Jul 1914       [London]
R. to be sculpted. Talk about scouts with Lady Muriel Paget a real hard worker 
for the Endowment Fund. Dine with Mrs Arkwright - [continues on entry for 10 
Jul] after seeing Acworths who will probably give us Scout Headquarters.

Fri 10 Jul 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
Shop. Lunch at Lords with Coats-Huttons. Big crowd of people & very hot. 
Home to Ewhurst.

Sat 11 Jul 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
Very hot. Heavenly here. Robin & I more than usually serenely content. To 
Hastings for him to dictate letters & picnic. Flo Brooks & Baden to stay.

Sun 12 Jul 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
Flo & I to church. Wet. Stuck photos in Baden's book having settled Robins! 
Peter is a splendid good baby.

Mon 13 Jul 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Motor to Horsham for R. to "committee". Picnic near Warninglid.  Drop Baden 
at Uckfield. Jolly run. Aunt Con Smyth & my Aunt Ger & Mabel [continued on 
entry for 14 Jul] come in their car to stay. Tucks to dine. 

Tue 14 Jul 1914       [Ewhurst Place]
Picnic on Silver Hill. Take Aunt Con. to her sister at Frant [a village in East 
Sussex]. Miss Coats to tea.

Wed 15 Jul 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Flo & Aunts leave. [In different pen] What a great adventure we shall have soon 
on this tour to South Africa!

Thu 16 Jul 1914      [London]
To London. Shop. R. has a very hard day full of Committees. Dine out in the 
Park. 

Sheffield [this is in different ink at the top of the page and looks as if it was 
written before the next two daily entries were completed on that page]
Fri 17 Jul 1914     [Oxford?]
R. has more too hard work. To Oxford where he addresses a Y.M.C.A. meeting. 
Stay Randolph Htl where I went with Dad years ago. 

Sat 18 Jul 1914   [Sheffield]
To Sheffield to stay with Hoyle's. R. has a big lunch & speaks for Endowment 
Rally at Owlerton [suburb of Sheffield] of about 2,000 Scouts & I open Scout 
Exhibition in Sheffield. [From 
https://www.sheffieldscoutarchives.org.uk/history/history_1907_1915.html 
In July, a Rally and Exhibition are held. The Rally is at Sheffield Wednesday 
Football Ground and is attended by the Chief Scout Sir Robert Baden 
Powell and his wife Lady Olave. 1200 Scouts attend the Rally including large 
numbers from Rotherham and North Derbyshire. The Exhibition is held 
at Sheffield Corn Exchange with displays of Scoutcraft, a stadium for Scout 
Games and a display of country dancing, and a boxing booth]

Sun 19 Jul 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
8 hours train home to Ewhurst & Robin's poor head is worn out with work & he 
has a horrid permanent ache. He is too [continued on to entry for 20 Jul] noble 
& self sacrificing & is giving his life & health to duty & self imposed work.

Mon 20 Jul 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry]

Tue 21 Jul 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
Robin a bit better. Picnic on Silverhill. Then he has a beastly farm Committee at 
Buckhurst. Climax of Boy Scouts farm [continued on entry for 22 July]  under 
Mealing's regime & in future R. shall have no worry. [This refers to The 
Buckhurst Place Boy Scouts Farm Trust, near Tunbridge Wells, established by BP 
to train Boy Scouts for a successful agricultural career based on the patrol 
system. It ran from 1912-17. Mr Mealing was the first principal. More 
information is available in the book Twenty-One Years of Scouting Chapter V by 
E.K. Wade]

Wed 22 Jul 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
[Unclear if this occurred on 21 or 22 Jul] Called on Mrs Cousin Charles Powell at 
[The Manor] Speldhurst the home of our Powell ancestors. 

Thu 23 Jul 1914     [London]
To London again. Shop. After - to see Sir Earnest[sic] Shackletons ship 
"Endurance" in which they are going to the South Pole & bought by the silly 
[continued on entry for 24 Jul] sentimental public's money for his own 
amusement! To tea Greenwich Naval school. Dine at Cavalry Club & to see 
"Pygmalion" a rotten bad play by G.B. Shaw at His Majesty's.

Fri 24 Jul 1914   [Ewhurst Place]
[written in entry for 25 and 26 July]
Sat 25 Friday
Robin to be sculpted. To dentist who had nothing to do. Joan Bradshaw to 
lunch. To Mercers school wind up. R. had to go on to Greenwich to give prizes 
& see scouts so I gave prizes at Mercers. Home to Ewhurst again.

Sat 25 Jul 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
[Written in entry for 26 Jul] Saturday
Herbert Jenkins came, & the book progresses by leaps & bounds.

Sun 26 Jul 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
[Written in entry for 27 Jul] 
Monday 27 Sunday
All the writing of the book finished.

Mon 27 Jul 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Jenkins left.
Typist.

Tue 28 Jul 1914     [London]
To London. Shop & worry house agents about letting Ewhurst. To St Paul's Girls 
School bean-feast. R. as governor gave book work prizes & I presented 
swimming ones including a personal cup.

Wed 29 Jul 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
Robin's last day of real work as Master of the Mercers Company. He presented 
prizes at St Pauls Boy school. Home to Ewhurst.

Thu 30 Jul 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Robin hard at work finishing his "Indian Memories". He gets £250 [almost 
£25,000 in 2025] from it to start with & probably royalties later on.

Fri 31 Jul 1914     [Ewhurst Place]    War?
Peter is splendid & so cheery. Clutches things with determination now. 
Col. & Mrs Symons to stay the night. He commands 13th Hussars [continued on 
entry for 1 Aug] in India now. Robin's old regiment of which he is hon. Colonel 
too. Capt. Wade to stay.
[unclear if this is part of 31 Jul or 1 Aug entry]  European War imminent. 
Austria & Serbia & everybody else joining in. Awful.

August 1914
X
Transcribed by Alison Szarvas

Sat 01 Aug 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
[unclear if this is part of 31 Jul or 1 Aug entry]  European War imminent. 
Austria & Serbia & everybody else joining in. Awful.

Sun 02 Aug 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
Robin issued orders for Scouts to Be Prepared to serve their country in divers 
ways.
Germany declared War against Russia.

Mon 03 Aug 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
Capt W. [Wade] to London for the day. War - war - war & all plans great & 
small are upset. Our Norway trip abandoned.

WAR

Tue 04 Aug 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
Capt. W. left. Motored to Dover but saw little of war ships. Rumours of great 
fights & [?] declared war against Germany & now Germany & [continued onto 
entry for 5 Aug] Austria are up in arms against (1) us (2) Servia[?] (3) Russia (4) 
France (5) Belgium

Wed 05 Aug 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
Robin is very seedy & worn out & heady. [Eric] Walker here for lunch. Peter is 
splendid.

[From this point, Olave ignores the dates in her diary and just writes across 
entries so the rest of the transcription for this month just reflects her entries 
and not where they are written in the diary for ease of reading]

Thu 06 Aug 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Fearful fighting everywhere. Whole English army mobilising. H.M.S. "Amphion" 
blown up by mine. German ship smashed too. Robin & I go to London 
nominally for day. Dentist & spent lot of time with Mother who is holding sister 
in law Hopie's hand whilst Arthur gets ready to go to Belgium where Germany 
is cruelly attacking & [?] getting beaten. Reports come of 25,000 being killed 
outside Liège. London & whole of England in a frenzy & German spies at work 
here. We heard our victory line had been blown up so stayed at 32 [Princes 
Gate] for the night (Report untrue) To see the crowd serenade the King Queen 
& Prince of Wales at 10. at Buckingham Palace. Quite wonderful & the feeling 
of expectant waiting & absence of traffic & crowds of khaki soldiers in London 
is extraordinary.

Fri 07 Aug 1914       [Ewhurst Place]
Friday
Home to Ewhurst. Donald & Maude[sic] there as our combined trip to Norway 
is "off" Everything is upset & it seems unbelievable for the whole of Europe to 
be dragged into war by Germany.

Sat 08 Aug 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Garden hard.

Sun 09 Aug 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
To church. Robin is much better thanks to loafing here.

Mon 10 Aug 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Monday
Robin & Donald to London. Sleep out. 

[The next three days do not have clearly marked entries in the diary so the split 
across the days may not be correct]

Tue 11 Aug 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
R. & D. motor looking at Scouts in Norfolk. Sort out endless papers in Robins 
study. The accumulation of years. Sleep out. Lovely under the stars.

Wed 12 Aug 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
Scouts all guarding telegraph & cable lines & railway & coast all over England.

Thu 13 Aug 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
R. & D. return. All [?] Sleep out on the lawn

Fri 14 Aug 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Friday
Garden & my hens come & we settle them in the run we have cleared. 
Aeroplanes galore have been flying over. One came down above Bodiam & the 
pilot L. Bryan stayed here the night. Great excitement for the kids seeing him 
start early. The whole flying corps is collecting at Dover to fly over to Belgium. 
We don't know how many of our soldiers are there yet. All is kept secret. 
Brother Arthur sailed last Wednesday for we don't know where.

Sat 15 Aug 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
Saturday
Maude[sic] and Donald left.

Sun 16 Aug 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Sunday
[Grub?] on our estate! Hens, doves & partridges [?]. [Eric] Walker for the night. 
All sleep out. Is this really war? How frightful & wrong.

Mon 17 Aug 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry]

Tue 18 Aug 1914       [London]
To London. Shop at Harrods. War raging in Belgium. It is quite awful. Belgians 
are fighting nobly but the Germans are so hatefully strong, and are pushing on 
and on, over running that poor little country.

Wed 19 Aug 1914      [Night Train to Scotland]
To Scotland by night train.

[From this point, Olave's entries match up with the diary sections again]

Thu 20 Aug 1914     [Thurso, Scotland]
Lovely looking out all the way. Lots of soldiers & forts & barbed wire 
entanglements. Arrive Thurso [near John O'Groats] & stay with Harold Wilsons.

Fri 21 Aug 1914       [Thurso, Scotland]
Hideous house - but lovely rocks & stands right on the beach. Fished in the 
sea! & caught a two inch long fish! Nice kind people, Wilsons & family

 Sat 22 Aug 1914      [Thurso, Scotland]
In motor boat to see wonderful rocky cliffs. Paddled on the rocks - delicious. 
Scout rally of 150 & Wilsons gave them tea on the tennis court.

Sun 23 Aug 1914      [Thurso, Scotland]
To church.
Motor to John O'Groats, Glorious views. Bad war news. Germans are behaving 
like fiends to the Belgiums.

Mon 24 Aug 1914     [Thurso, Scotland]
Wet. Walk.

Tue 25 Aug 1914     [Skibo Castle, Dornoch, Scotland]
[Started on entry for Monday - entries run across diary sections from here]
Tuesday
Leave Thurso in Major Crum Ewings lent car. Visit coast-guard stations where 
Boy Scouts are on duty all along the coast in Helmsdale Dornoch to Skibo 
Castle. Stay with Andrew Carnegie - oozing peace and plenty & house full of 
American accents & bagpipes! 

Wed 26 Aug 1914   {Beaufort Castle, near Beauly, Scotland]
Via Train Invergordon Dingwall Beaulay[sic] to stay Lord Lovat at Beaufort 
[Castle]. Delightful [F]father Bernard Vaughan there.
Big rooms fitted up as a hospital. Bad war news of many British losses.

Thu 27 Aug 1914     [Fendraught House, Scotland]
Mr Stephen takes us in his car via Fort George Buckie etc to Huntly seeing 
differing hard working scouts everywhere. Coastguards delighted with them. 
Stay Smithsons at Fendraught [House]. Quaint.

Fri 28 Aug 1914     [Aberdeen, Scotland]
Mr Stephens takes us on via Nairn Peterhead Fraserburgh etc all ripping to 
Aberdeen. Picnics always & lovely way of travelling.

Sat 29 Aug 1914    [Menzies Castle. Scotland]
Colonel Gill lent his car to take us inspecting Scouts via Stonehaven Johnshaven 
Montrose Kirriemuir Aberfeldy to Menzies Castle. Stay Mrs Low. More 
American accents with very funny stories.

Sun 30 Aug 1914    [Menzies Castle, Scotland]
Fine but gloomy place. R. had bad head. Wrote Scout & finished his latest book 
"Quick training for war" [published in 1914 by Herbert Jenkins Ltd]. So good. 
This is being a jolly holiday & the Royal [continued onto next entry] Automobile 
Club have arranged the whole tour in people's cars which are enlisted for public 
service & inspecting the scouts at work is that!

Mon 31 Aug 1914     [Battleby Estate, Scotland]
Mrs Laws nephew motors us to Battleby [Estate] (Perth) to stay with W. Coats. 
Tennis party Kind very Scotch people. Rumours of Russian troops going through 
Scotland to Belgium

September 1914
X
Transcribed by Alison Szarvas

[Some of Olave's entries run across diary pages during this month - for ease of 
reading, this is not noted in the entries where this happens]

Tue 01 Sep 1914      Scotland [Battleby Estate, Perth]
Robin fishes on the jolly artificial dock. Lunch there. Go up to the to the moor.

Wed 02 Sep 1914     [Edinburgh, Scotland]
Mr Henderson takes us on our way again. See Scouts at Barry - cross Tay Ferry 
to TentsMuir St Andrews, Kirkcaldy etc & cross Firth of Forth by ferry. Stay 
Caledonian Hotel [in Edinburgh].  Carlisle woman there. Russian rumours 
denied by General Ewart who commands Scotland & ought to know. Lunch 
with him. To see the Forth Bridge. Glorious. So big - surrounded by forts & 
barbed wire & sentries. Over Holyrood & the Castle. Edinburgh is a lovely town.

Thu 03 Sep 1914     [Berwick on Tweed]
Mr Graham Guest motored us via [^] N Berwick Preston Pans [the BPs would 
have gone through Prestonpans before North Berwick], St Abbs Head etc to 
Berwick on Tweed. Stay Tower Robertsons [probably Major Alexander Tower 
Robinson and his wife Ada who lived at Tweedmouth House, Berwick - the 
family had links with the Boy Scouts] & Robin addressed a recruiting meeting 
splendidly. Other speakers not so good! 

[Possibly] Fri 04 Sep 1914     [London]
Decide to abandon remainder of our tour & train back to London. Robin sees 
Kitchener about raising an ex-scout corps etc. Also does heaps of work & joins a 
newly formed committee attached to War Office & becomes Adjutant General 
for the New Army for the war [The New Army was also called Kitchener's Army 
and was established at the start of the First World War, initially formed of 
volunteers]. He is glad to be at work! - never having ceased all his life and 
where is our holiday.

Sat 05 Sep 1914       {London]
[No entry]

Sun 06 Sep 1914       [London]
[No entry]

Mon 07 Sep 1914      [London]
[No entry]

Tue 08 Sep 1914         [London]
Do some work at the Girl Guide office. Col. [George] Ansell of 5th Dragoon 
Guards & other officers killed. It is dreadful.

Wed 09 Sep 1914      London
Call at Aunt Ger. Take Robin about in between his office work. Do office work 
too & see Mrs Lumley Holland. Good interview.

Thu 10 Sep 1914      [London]
Office again & R's work on W.O. [War Office] Extra committee kept him very 
busy. Go back there after dinner & see lovely search lights cast over Trafalgar 
Square.

Fri 11 Sep 1914     [London]
Lunch with B[?] [Bridget] Hole that was - now Tallents . G.G. office. Tea with 
Hilda Rodewald who introduced R. to me on board the "Arcadian"

Sat 12 Sep 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
Home to Ewhurst. Belle Mère very seedy with a chill & we don't quite know 
what. She was 90 on Sept 3rd & so well & bright too.

Sun 13 Sep 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Garden in the pig stye! Wild duck will live in it. Terrible tales rampant of the 
German soldiers brutality in Belgium. The glorious pluck of our men in 
astonishing.

Mon 14 Sep 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
Shoot together. Great fun. Bad wind for driving the birds though lots of them. 
The Allies are driving the Germans back well.

Tue 15 Sep 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
To London for the day. Work at Girl Guide office & do some good letters. Go to 
see Annie's [Court] father who is dying. Call on Lady Parker (Dover[?] Str) & 
discuss sending comforts out to the 5th Dragoon Guards at the front. Doing the 
same for R's regiment the 13th Hussars, who we suppose are coming from India 
to fight. The Germans have been driven back but are making a stand now. 
against the Allies in France. Russia is doing well on the German Eastern frontier 
& have nearly squashed Austria.

Wed 16 Sep 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
To London for day. To Girl Guide office but the Committee prefer to do the work 
alone!! Shop. See Drury's bust of Robin - excellent. Home, with my bike.

Thu 17 Sep 1914 [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry}

Fri 18 Sep 1914 [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry}

Sat 19 Sep 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
Robin shoots with old Grace [probably Mr M P Grace, an American millionaire 
who leased Battle Abbey] at Battle. Wheel Peter about. [Lieutenant] Percy 
Wyndham whose wife [Diana] was at Beaufort Castle N.B. where we were last 
month has been killed. Oh it is awful. She is Lady [Laura] Lovat's sister & so 
young. He was in Brother Arthurs regiment [Coldstream Guards] They have had 
bad losses. [Lieutenant] David Bingham ditto killed also.

Sun 20 Sep 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry]

Mon 21 Sep 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Captain Wade came for a few hours. Garden. Hens, ducks, doves & dogs all jolly 
& we love our home.

Tue 22 Sep 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Nurse out for day. Take charge of Peter. He is good. War standing still near 
Aisne River. Bad fighting though.

Wed 23 Sep 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Norman & [Bear] Court gardener & chauffeur left to join the colours [the act of 
enlisting, reflecting the patriotic spirit of the era and the visual aspect of 
putting on the uniform]. To Wadhurst to see Scouts farm & pick blackberries 
there. 3 English cruisers sunk [On 22 September 1914, three British cruisers -
HMS Aboukir, HMS Cressy, and HMS Hogue - were sunk by the German 
submarine U-9 in the North Sea].

Thu 24 Sep 1914     [London]
Robin still goes to do Mercers work but is no longer master of the company.

Fri 25 Sep 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
[Written at bottom of diary section]
Home to Ewhurst

Sat 26 Sep 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Car refuses to be wound up! But Mr Grace sent for us to go to shoot at Battle. 
Jolly day

Sun 27 Sep 1914       [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry]

Mon 28 Sep 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry]

Tue 29 Sep 1914        [London]
Monday 28   Tuesday
To London for the election of the new Lord Mayor at the Guildhall [Sir Charles 
Johnston]. Robin spoke well as Master of the Mercers during Sir V.[Vansittart] 
Bowater's year of office
Lunch at Mansion House. Great fun. Girl Guides [?] meeting.

Wed 30 Sep 1914      [London]
Wednesday
R. to inspect King Edwards House at Slough. Mrs Symons [wife of Colonel 
Adolphe Symons] & young [Lieutenant C.A.F.] Wingfield & [2nd Lieutenant 
R.W.M.G.] Smith Sligo of the 13th to lunch at the Cavalry Club. To see splendid 
war & army moving pictures at Scala Theatre. Wonderful of the war scenes

October 1914
X
Transcribed by Alison Szarvas

Thu 01 Oct 1914        [London]
R. to shoot with Dr Acwater. Lunch & discuss G.G.'s with dear Miss [Margaret] 
Macdonald the secretary. Tea with Aunt Ger. Belle Mère very ill.

Fri 02 Oct 1914         [Ewhurst Place]
Shop at Harrods. Meet Mother & to Ewhurst. R. misses train but gets back 
alright. Arthur has [continued on to entry for 3 Oct] returned wounded in the 
head & very unnerved. The scenes he has seen are awful & they have had a 
fearful time. 

Sat 03 Oct 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
[Possibly Sunday in which case no entry for Saturday]
Robin & Father Jack Knight Bruce to shoot at Battle. Mother rather seedy & 
nervy. Our working[?] summer house on the lawn is lovely. "Q.T." house - we 
call it because it was bought out of proceeds of R's book "Quick Training for 
War"

Sun 04 Oct 1914       [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry - but see previous day]

Mon 05 Oct 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
[Possibly Tues in which case no entry for Monday]
To Hurstmonceux[sic]  Castle yesterday & feel we want to have it. But on seeing 
the inside we find it is just a wonderful museum of Mr [Colonel Claude] 
Lowther's.
Paint the Q.T. house.

Tue 06 Oct 1914       [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry but see previous day]

Wed 07 Oct 1914         [Ewhurst Place]
We picnic lunch at Hurstmonceux[sic]. The Germans are making a strenuous 
stand. Paint the Q.T. house brown & white. Such fun.

Thu 08 Oct 1914             [Ewhurst Place]
Mother left. 
Paint Q.T. house. 
Shoot our partridges. Great fun tramping over the fields driving them over 
Robin.

Fri 09 Oct 1914              [London]
To London early. Shop. Girl Guide upheaval starts. War terrible & the Germans 
are sitting tight & holding the Allies all along.

Sat 10 Oct 1914         [London]
To Tottenham Hotspurs football Match. R. addressed the crowd about the War. 
Saw Scouts there & some wounded soldiers home. Belle Mère very ill.

Sun 11 Oct 1914       [Ewhurst Place]
Had 2nd Doctors opinion last night & he is not hopeful. She is chiefly 
unconscious but unfortunately in pain when she is not. Home to Ewhurst as we 
can do nothing & she may last long. 

[Probably] Mon 12 Oct 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
Miss Nugent (secretary to R's secretary Walker who is now flying!) for one night 
& brought me a typewriting maching. Use it all day!

Tue 13 Oct 1914       [London]
Wired for to go to 32 Princes Gate, as Belle Mère is sinking. Arrive there at 5 
and she had died at 3.30. She looks so sweet and white and peaceful and we 
cannot grieve for her to be out of pain & at rest at last. My Robin of course 
feels sad.

Wed 14 Oct 1914     [London]
[No entry]

Thu 15 Oct 1914       [London]
To lunch with Frank B-P at Wimbledon. It is wonderful how she has left her will 
& papers all in order. Sad letters too showing what a struggle she had to make 
both ends meet as a widow with many children.

Fri 16 Oct 1914       [London]
The sad simple funeral at Kensal Green. Belle Mère laid to rest alongside 
Robin's father. Many relations come - Baden [continued on entry for 17 Oct] 
returned from work, on communication lines at Havre, for the day, as he & 
Agnes are executors. Florence B.P. (sister in law) is very ill with double 
pneumonia. 

Sat 17 Oct 1914         [Ewhurst Place]
[Possibly Sunday, in which case no entry for Saturday]
Home to Ewhurst after a horrid time. Being in the house with that poor cold 
body felt sacrilegious & yet we had to be there to keep Agnes going, as she is 
upset but her grief is not real.

Sun 18 Oct 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
[or possibly Mon 19 Oct with no entry on either Sat 17 or Sun 18 Oct - see 
above] 
Lovely being in our dear wee home. But a bomb arrives in the form of a wire 
saying that poor Florence died on Saturday night. For here too this is a great 
merciful release for she worried herself to death about her own misfortune. 
She was alone in life and alone in Death. Frank her husband (not worthy of the 
name) was at Wimbledon for his health, and to him that was more important 
than that he should hear her dying words - oh how sad.

Mon 19 Oct 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry - but see previous day]

Tue 20 Oct 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
[Written in entry for Thu 21 Oct]
 Tuesday
To Edenbridge to lunch with Hastie's[?] MacPhil Belle Mères old nurse & maid 
is here for a holiday & comes to live with us here later on.

Wed 21 Oct 1914     [London]
[Written in entry for Fri 23 Oct]
Wednesday 21st
To London for F.B.P. funeral. Service at St Jude's Chelsea & buried in the B-P. 
vault at Kensal Green alongside Belle-Mère. Terrible performance & terrible 
place.

Thu 22 Oct 1914       [London]
[Written in entry for Sat 24 Oct]
Thursday
Dine with Warington & Hilda. Shop & to tea with Aunt Ger. Agnes is very upset 
& unreasonable about the 32 home coming to an end.

Fri 23 Oct 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
[Written in entry for Sun 25 Oct]
Friday
Home to Ewhurst & Sie Bower (Peter's godmother) comes too & Dad motors 
from Lilliput

Sat 24 Oct 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Saturday
Motor over to Hurstmonceaux [sic] & tea at Battle Abbey.

Sun 25 Oct 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
[Written in entry for Mon 26 Oct]
Sunday
To tea with Lloyds [Nathaniel and Daisy] at their lovely house Daxter[sic Great 
Dixter] at Northiam.

Mon 26 Oct 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Motor over to see nice little old house Husheath near Goudhurst [near 
Tunbridge Wells, Kent] and Miss Coates' dear little [continues on to entry for 
Tue 27] old farmhouse made comfy at Brenchley 
[also near Tunbridge Wells]. Dad likes seeing those sort of things - He came 
originally until Monday & stays on over today to motor to Scouts farm 
(Buckhurst) near Wadhurst & Tunbridge Wells.

Tue 27 Oct 1914      [Tonbridge]
[Written on entry for Wed 28]
We left & Sie too. Good houseparty. R. & I motor to Tonbridge. Leave car there 
to be cleaned. R. goes on to London alone. 

Wed 28 Oct 1914     [Tonbridge]
[Written on entry for Thu 29 - unclear if it is for Wed or Thu]
Lonesome without Robin, but busy. He went to Colchester for last night & 
speaks at St Pancras Recruiting meeting tonight.

Thu 29 Oct 1914      [Tonbridge]
[No entry - but see previous day]

Fri 30 Oct 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
Peter's birthday & our wedding day. Into Tonbridge to meet Robin & picked up 
car & home in the rain. Peter is one, and very good and big and jolly.

Sat 31 Oct 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Robin shoots at Battle. Talbots to stay. Great friends of poor Florence B-P.'s & he 
is her executor. 

November 1914
X
Transcribed by Alison Szarvas

Sun 01 Nov 1914       [Ewhurst Place]
Motor round by Northiam & Battle & walk to Bodiam Castle.

Mon 02 Nov 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
Talbots leave. Hilda and Warington B-P. to stay. The war is terrible, and I think 
very serious. A lot of [continued on entry for 3 Nov] friends & belongings of 
friends have been killed. Our landlord Young Herdman [Lieutenant Arthur 
Widdrington Herman], & Major [sic Captain William Miles] Kington who 
married cousin Edith Soames [daughter of Frederick - brother of Harold 
Soames - and Julia Soames] etc.

Tue 03 Nov 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Robin & Warington shoot bunnies & we mushrooms!

Wed 04 Nov 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Big shoot! God-Father Jack Knight-Bruce and his new wife come for the day. 
She was the actress Evelyn Weedon & seems very nice.

Thu 05 Nov 1914    [London]
To London, taking young Peter boy with us. To see occulist, who temporarily 
blinded me. Most uncomfy. Took Peter to see Aunt Rosie Flower. He was so 
good. Never [continued on entry for 6 Nov] murmured over the many fussing 
people & the discomforts of Aunt R's very sloping lap! To the office to do 
letters.

Fri 06 Nov 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
To occulist again & must wear glasses for stigmatism [contined on to entry for 7 
Nov]. Took Peter to be photographed with us by 'firelight' for our Xmas card. 
Then home again to Ewhurst & Peter played happily all the time. He is so good. 

[Written across top of the diary page but not part of an individual entry]
The jolly man - Peter's godfather - General Kekewich shot himself on the 5th

Sat 07 Nov 1914 [Ewhurst Place]
[Written on entry for 8 Nov]
Sunday 8   Saturday
Robin shot with Sir Frederick Fison at Hurst Green. Nephew Donald B-P. to stay 
for long leave. He & R. slept out in the Q.T. summer house

Sun 08 Nov 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
[Written on entry for 9 Nov]
Monday 9    Sunday
Motored over to lunch with Father Jack at Iden[near Rye, East Sussex] [Harley] 
Granville Barker [a playwright] & his wife Lillah Macarthy (the actress) there 
too. To see over nice little old house called Spilsill [probably Spilsill Court near 
Staplehurst in Kent]. Won't do for us though.

Mon 09 Nov 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
[Written on entry for 10 Nov]
Tuesday 10      Monday - Nov. the 9th
Robin to shoot at Battle. Donald went back to Eton. We do love Ewhurst, but 
wish it were an old timbered house & bigger.

Tue 10 Nov 1914       [Ewhurst Place]
[Written on entry for 11 Nov]
Wednesday 11    10th Tuesday
Awful lists of killed from the Front. "Fluffy" Crispin [possibly Major Hugh Trevor 
Crispin who was killed in action on 30 Oct 1914]. Col. Gordon Wilson (who was 
with R. in Mafeking) etc. Shot at Wadhurst Scouts farm. 1 pheasant 1 rabbit & 
mushrooms.

Wed 11 Nov 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
11th 
R. shot with Frewens[Colonel Edward Frewen]

Thu 12 Nov 1914       [London]
To London in time for Memorial Service for Col. Gordon Wilson. Lunch Cavalry 
Club. To see [Mr Herbert] Jenkins (publisher) & to G.G. office to talk over re-
organisation. [continued on entry for 13 No] Robin gave address on Scouts and 
war to the City Temple Literary Society of Rev. R.J. [Reginald John] Campbell. He 
spoke splendidly & it was a most enthusiastic audience & personal about Peter!

Fri 13 Nov 1914       [London]
[Written on entry for 14 Nov]
Saturday 14    Friday 13th
Frank B-P. to lunch. He is an impossible man - & almost as unreasonable as 
Agnes!

Sat 14 Nov 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Inspect 1500 Girl Guides in Lincolns Inn Fields. Then home to Ewhurst 
[continued on entry for 15 Nov] Aunt Ger comes too and Mr H.G. [Henry 
Geoffrey] Elwes to stay [he was a prominent early leader in the Scouts].

Sun 15 Nov 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Motored to Wadhurst Scouts farm & inspect lovely old Riven Hall. We would 
like a house like that. [continued on entries for 16 and 17 Nov - not clear if any 
of the following is on a different date] It is for sale - but lies so low & is dark. 
Elwes left. Vernon Symondson (subaltern in 13th Hussars) to stay. He has been 
out at the Front & got hit slightly on the knee. He is longing to be at it again & 
he has had thrilling & awful experiences.
The war is terrible and all the best men are getting killed & it looks bad, and as 
if it would last for years.

Mon 16 Nov 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry - but see above]

Tue 17 Nov 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry but see above]

Wed 18 Nov 1914     [London]
To London. I loved having Aunt Ger here. Tea with R. with Mrs Gordon (Herbert 
Cresc.) an intelligent woman. Frank B-P. to lunch. He is very like Dad, & so 
selfish.

Thu 19 Nov 1914    [London]
To Lord [Frederick] Roberts funeral at St Pauls. Very impressive & beautiful. A 
terrible day - bitterly cold & wet for his last journey. He died in such a happy 
way though amongst his Indian troops within [continued on entry for 20 Nov] 
the sound of guns [he died of pneumonia in France while visiting Indian troops 
and was given a state funeral]. Robin would like to end like that. But he won't! 
Together at Porto Bello I think, where we first were so happy together, when 
Peter is safely married!

Fri 20 Nov 1914   [Ewhurst Place]
Shop. Home to Ewhurst.

Sat 21 Nov 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
Bitterly, horribly cold. We feel it fearfully here, and oh! think of those poor 
soldiers & sailors. It is too awful.

Sun 22 Nov 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry]

Mon 23 Nov 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Robin shot with Col. [Edward] Frewen at Brickwall [Northiam, East Sussex]. 
Peters temporary nurse left & his own returned from her holiday. We bathed 
him. A most painful & difficult business.

Tue 24 Nov 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
Miss Nugent (secretary) from London for the day. Out shooting on the Marsh I 
joined in the chase of the harriers there.

Wed 25 Nov 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry]

Thu 26 Nov 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Robin to London. Paint the Q.T. house on the lawn.

Fri 27 Nov 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Awful disaster in Sheerness harbour. The Battleship Bulwark blows up 
[accidental internal explosion on 26 Nov which killed 741 men with only a 
dozen surviving - source Wikipedia] . Robin returned.

Sat 28 Nov 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Weald of Kent Harriers meet at Ewhurst. Very funny[?]. No field - awful wet in 
afternoon & cold. The Master (Mr Farley) aged 66 - ran all day & biked to and 
fro, here [continued on entry for 29 Nov] from Ticehurst - & in that awful 
weather too!

Sun 29 Nov 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Motor to Bramber [near Horsham, West Sussex] to see old house for sale 
(won't do for us) & Brighton to see Mrs Symons [probably Beryl wife of Colonel 
Adolphe Symons]. Very adventurous journey. Took the wrong turning near 
Heathfield [continued on entry for 30 Nov] & in turning round slid into a ditch. 
Extracted by farm hands on way home - lights would not light, & had to crawl - 
arriving home at 8 - instead of 4! Great fun

Mon 30 Nov 1914   [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry]

December 1914
X
Transcribed by Alison Szarvas

Tue 01 Dec 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Very wet all day. Better wet & warm though than the cold of last week. Shot 
over "some of our best partridge land". War going steadily on, losing many 
valuable lives.

Wed 02 Dec 1914    [Ewhurst Place]
Shoot again. It is fun - and with all this ghastly war, and his over-work, my 
Beloved Darling really needs some respite and re-creation!

Thu 03 Dec 1914      [London]
To London. Another family gathering & horrid conclave about winding up. Mr 
Herbert Jenkins to dinner.

Fri 04 Dec 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
Mothers birthday. Pack & send all our belongings from 32 [Princes Gate, 
London] to be stored or packed & sent to Ewhurst. Great clearance. Home for 
tea with Peter.

Sat 05 Dec 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
Shot over the marsh & fields. Pierce (Staplecross) sent me a present of a couple 
jolly white fan-tail pigeons. Put them [continued on entry for 6 Dec] in a wired 
in enclosure alongside & embracing the summer house, with the dear wee 
doves.

Sun 06 Dec 1914     {Ewhurst Place]
Long walk via junction towards Mountsfield [sic Mountfield].

Mon 07 Dec 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
Robin to London & on to York to see Scouts on duty as coast guards. Dear Babe 
MacGregor to stay. Furniture came from Mawers [?].

Tue 08 Dec 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
Very wet. House chaotic from carpet in study being put down & things from 32. 
We two have Dinner in bed & talk incessantly.

Wed 09 Dec 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
Babe is a dear & we are such pals & agree in every way. She fits in beautifully 
and we feel so jolly natural & home-y together. Scout evening. 

Thu 10 Dec 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
More wet. Floods out all over the valley. Robin returned to London by last night 
train. 1 dove died yesterday.

Fri 11 Dec 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry]

Sat 12 Dec 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Robin returns in the morning. Babe & I meet him at the Station & walk amongst 
the floods. Also after partridges in the afternoon [continued across entries for 
13 and 14 Dec] & Mrs Marshall to tea with 2 friends, one of them Miss Cobbold 
(daughter of our questionable [inserted word] subletting land-lord [Lieutenant 
Arthur Widdrington Herdman] [this description does not make sense as the 
surnames are different and Arthur Widdrington was only 28 when he was killed 
in October 1914]. 

Sun 13 Dec 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
Peter crawled for [continues on to entry for 14 Dec] the first time. Shot again. 
Babe is sweet. 

Mon 14 Dec 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry]

Tue 15 Dec 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry]

Wed 16 Dec 1914       [Ewhurst Place]
Miss Nugent (secretary) for the day [could this be Eileen Wade née Nugent?]. 
Shot in the afternoon.

Thu 17 Dec 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
Robin to London. Jolly & fine. Floods out still & the well pump has gone awry. 
Most trying.

Fri 18 Dec 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
Wet. Little nephew Bobbie B-P to stay [son of Frank and Florence BP] - a queer 
shut-up small chap at school my Darling's god-son.

Sat 19 Dec 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
Babe left. Very sorry. I love having her & she did typing & odd letters & things 
for me. Robin returns.

Sun 20 Dec 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
Two walks. Bobby a queer little boy.

Mon 21 Dec 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Shoot - 2 partridges

Tue 22 Dec 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Robin to London for the day. Addresses women's meeting re Girl Guides. 
Bobbie & I run with harriers which meet at Bodiam.

Wed 23 Dec 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Shoot.

Thu 24 Dec 1914      [Ewhurst Place]
Motor to Pevensey & Eastbourne & see Scouts on Coastguard duty. On to see 
dear old Filching Manor (Jevington [near Eastbourne]) & home via Hailsham.

Fri 25 Dec 1914       [Ewhurst Place]
To church. Walk. Lots of cards & presents for us & Peter - and Bobbie.

Sat 26 Dec 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Robin shoots with Col. Frewen. Bobbie goes back to be with Agnes in Princes 
Gate.

Sun 27 Dec 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
[No entry]

Mon 28 Dec 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Horrible wet day. Gale destroyed houses & many ships. Fighting in the trenches 
must be ghastly.

Tue 29 Dec 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Trudge happily after partridges. Such a lot - but very wild.

Wed 30 Dec 1914     [Ewhurst Place]
Shoot again.

Thu 31 Dec 1914     [Chichester]
[Started on entry for 30 Dec] Thursday 31st
Motor off in the rain via Cross in Hand, Uckfield, Haywards Heath etc to 
Pulborough. See Scouts there and lunch with Begally's [Frederick Beggally, 
Rector of St Marys Church] (Parson). Cleared up and ran on to Chichester. See 
Coastguarding scouts at Selsey Bill and Thorney. Stay Admiral [Swinton 
Colthurst] & Mrs [Eva] Holland & see Chichester Scouts. [Continued on entry 
for 1 Jan] Robin had known Hollands in Malta over 25 years ago. Nice people.

Memoranda Pages
Interviewer on Jan 29th was writing an account of me for "The Lady"
Mrs Holmes
327 Brighton Road
S. Croydon

Ditto for other papers
Miss Rosa Stuart 
"Womans Life"
Southampton Street 
Strand

Wedding presents of cheques were
Bob D.        25
Uncle F.      15
Uncle A.   100
Florence     10
Exhanges[?]  30
Newges[?]    20

Spent 300£ out of allowances as well as all cash wedding presents on furniture 
in 1913.

Nov. 30th
Received int 
Bank as 1.2 years allowance
£423.15.0  (about £42700 in 2025)

Began drawing it on Dec 27th Having had £36.12.11 left over from last 

Dec expenses.
Cheques paid.
Self          6.10.6
Wages     10.10.0
Fuel         10.14.0
Extras for house    3.2.9
Laundry         3.4.7
Grocer          10.1.3
Butcher          3.13.0
Baker              1.6.3
Dairy               5.10.7
Poultry           2.3.8
                      _________
                       56.16.7

On cash account pages

Cash Account - January

Paid in cheques for month of December's expenses

House       36.13.4
Wages       10.10.0
Self              6.10.6
Extra           3.2.9
____________
Total           56.16.7

Wages           9.10.0
House Extras   4.10.0
Laundry            2.11.0
Grocer              12.15.0
Butcher             6.18.7
Baker                 1.10.3
Dairy                  5.19.4
Poulterers         1.15.0
___________________
Total 45.9.2
            1.5.0
           _____
            46.14.2

Cash Account - February
Total spent in two months at end of Jan.
£103.10.9

Wages           10.12.0
House Extras   6.17.0
Laundry           1.3.0
Grocer              5.0.0
Butcher             3.0.0
Baker                 -.15.0
Dairy                   1.16.1
Poulterer            1.15.5
Self                      6.2.6
__________________
Total                  37.0.0

Cash Account - March
Paid in cheques for expenses during February
_________________
House          25.6.6
Wages          10.12.0
Self                 -.15.0
Extra              -.8.6
________________
Total for month    37.0.0

Total spent in 3 months    140.10.9

Wages 10.0.0
Fuel        6.17.6
Logs          1.12.0
Grocer         7.2.7
Dairy           2.2.0
Butcher      3.15.0
Poulterer    1.5.0
Baker           -.18.0
House extras   10.10.5
Self                    6.16.7
" Extras             1.7.6
__________________
Total            52.6.7

Cash Account - April

Total spent in four months at end of March
£192.17.4.
Wages       10.5.8
Grocer      7.2.1
Butcher      6.4.2
Baker       -.17.3
Laundry     3.19.9
Dairy     2.19.0
Poulterer     1.2.1
Self            1.11.2
Dr [line to Total] Extra    6.13.8
Subscrips       3.11.6
_________________
Total     44.6.4

Dr Extra       40.0.0
Complete Total    84.6.4

Cash Account - May

Paid in cheques for expenses during April
£84:6/4.
__________________
Total spent in five months
£277.3/8.

Wages       11.5.0.
Grocer       10.3 -
Butcher      8.8.11
Dairy     4.17.4
Laundry        [blotted out]  1.13.0
Extra      15.17.3
House        5.12.8
Self     15.10.0

____________________
Total      75.11.8

Cash Account - June

Total spent in cheques for expenses during May

House      33.12.8
Wages       11.5.0
Self            16.14.0
Extra          14.0.0
______________
Total      75.11.8
 for May & for 6 months complete
352:15:4
_______________
_______________
Start fresh in June with 

Received June 1st
Present of 50:0:0.
Allowance    422:11:11
_________________
                     472.11.11
Left over from 
  Last allowance     59.8.11    [correction made to first two figures on stuck over 
paper]
                 ________________
Total in bank for        532:0:10          [correction made to figure on stuck over 
paper]
next six months
expenses

Cash Account - July

Spent during June & July for only June expenses:

House Extras           9.19.6
Grocer                   11.4.2
Butcher                  6.3.3
Dairy                        4.9.6
Baker                        [0.]19.9
Laundry                    6.18.6
Wages                        11.10.0
House                          6.7.10
Self                                20.16.2
Extra Self                      25.0.4
________________________________
Total                            103.5.0

Spent in July Expenses
Grocer                        10.15.7
Butcher                        7.7.6
Dairy                             6.2.2
Baker                             1.6.2
Wages                            17.11.0
Laundry                          2.10.9
House Extra                   31.17.7
Self                                 45.0.0
   "   Extra                       3.12.2
___________________________
Total                  126:2:11

Cash Account - August

Total spent for June            103:5.0
Ditto for July                         126:2.11
                                                 _______
Total                                        229:7:11
__________________________________
£302.12.11. left out of allowance of £532.0.10.
to last until December.

Cash Account - September

August Expenses
Wages               12.5.2
Grocer               13.0.0
Fish                     8.6.8
Dairy                   6.16.7
Butcher              8.18.1
Baker                   1.19.0
Laundry              7.12.9
House Extra       40.11.0
Self          "          23.4.6
___________________
Total         122.5.2
___________________

Spent altogether 
£351.13.11

Total left to last until end of Nov.
£180.6.11
(£60 per month)

Cash Account - October

Spent for Sept.
Laundry      4.14.10
Grocer         9.6.2
Dairy            4.8.5
Butcher       6.2.1
Baker           1.2.0
Wages         8.7.4
Self               2.5.3
Extra "          5.4.0
   "     House 5.18.8
________________
Total     47.8.9

Spent altogether since last allowance paid in
£399.1/10

______________________
£132.18.2. left to last these 2 months
(66.9.1.) per month

Cash Account - November

Spent for October
Wages      9.4.0
Fish           2.2.4
Grocer      9.6.7
Dairy         6.10.1
Butcher     7.9.8
Coal           9.19.6
Baker         2.16.8
Laundry     3.16.5
House Extra    10.12.6
Self Extra         19.12.6
Self                   21.5.10
                         __________
Total                102.16.1

Received £50 Nov. 2nd
______________________
Left in bank Nov. 4th total of 
£84.3/1
To last until end of Nov.

Cash Account - December

November
Wages          11.0.0
Dairy              4.19.4
Butcher         5.0.0
Grocer           10.4.2
Baker               3.17.2
Laundry           5.16.5
Fish                  1.16.6
House              7.14.5
House Extra    10.15.1
Self                   16.14.3
   "   Extra         1.4.2
___________________
Total               84.0.10

Annual Cash Summary

All last quarterly allowance spent. Start fresh now with £412:12/3 in the bank 
for 6 months' expenses

December
Wages            12.10.0
Grocer            10.10.3
Butcher            7.9.2
Dairy                 5.11.3
Poultry & Fish    2.7.9
Coal                     7.17.2
Laundry               4.1.10
Baker                   1.13.3
House                  5.17.7
    "     Extra          15.2.7
Self                         4.2.1
   "      Extra            12.3.6
_______________________
Total                    89.6.5

Cash Account Special

£89:6:5 spent in December out of allowance of £412:12/3 in the bank. 
Leaves £323:5:10 to last for the next five months.

[In different ink] Will it !?

  Augusta Frances Ellen Flower (Q2 1881 - Q4 1959)  married Q2 1908 in Chelsea
  Reverend Sherburne Povah Tregelles Prideaux (1880-1956)
They had no children.
  Georgiana Rosetta Smyth, 19 February 1835 - 7 January 1923 
https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/LZ8Y-RDY
  https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/MMQH-FN5   
  https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/LCP5-CNK   Edith Mary Greaves  1844-1927
  https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/LCP5-QW1 - wife of B-P's mother's brother

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