Olave's diary for 1930 Index
January 1930
Our grateful thanks to Gill Brown for the transcription.
MEMORANDA
Katherine Furse
changed address to
5 Cheyne Place
Chelsea, SW3
Arthur [Olave's brother]
& Mother [Katherine Mary Hill, 4 December 1851 – 4 February 1932]
63 Cadogon Square
SW1
Telephone Sloane 9051
Aunt Ger [Olave's mother's sister, Gertrude St Clair Hill (1852–1939)]
63 Drayrin Gardens
Agnes [B-P (1858 - 1945), Olave's sister in law]
3 Redcliffe Street
SW
Monty
9 Langham Mansions
Earls Court
SW5
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Monday, 30 December 1929 Pax Hill
Children all rode out. Robin and I walked up to the meet at Binstead, hung about watching a bit and came back via Blacknest.
Major and Mrs Many[?] to stay the night. They toured South Africa for Scouts all last month and now working in America for Scouts, chosen by Robin and financed by Aunt Helen Storrow. A good keen live nice couple
Wednesday 1 Jan 1930
Robin, Christian, Peter and I Jam-Rolled over to Bracknell and lunched with Mr St George Littledale, old big-game hunter, and his whole house is full of curios. Quant person, and he wanted Robin to wind a clock which is wound each January by some famous person. Old friends of Robin’s there too called on the dear old Spillings on the way back.
Thursday 2 January 1930
4 children went hunting. Meet at Lasham, ? they went off quite gaily and safely alone and Betty came home with the mask! So pleased, of course.
Myrtle Godman nee Annesely who I knew at Exeter in 1904 to lunch with her husband and Doctor Kendall came with two daughters from Eastbourne to lunch, arriving very late he was our doctor at Ewhurst in 1913 to 18 and managed all our three babies “arrivals “
Friday, 3 January 1930
children rode to just exercise their good animals. Jam Rolled to Farnham with children and have hair washed and cut and then collected William Collingwood at North Camp station he is Peters' chief friend at Charterhouse. Christian and Peter to the Taylors' party at Binsted
Saturday, 4 Jan 1930
All rode and walked to the meet at Marsh House. Children all hunted including Yvonne on old ? , aged 30 and like a woolly bear! R & I followed on foot a bit. Heather, Peter and William to the Hussey party in Farnham returning after 11 - being a great thrill!
Sunday, 5 January 1930
Christian, Yvonne and William remain at Pax and we all go - just our own family party - to Tring and call & see Stanley and Sybil Flower. Picnic lunch when there and then run on to see old Aunt Connie Smyth at Stowe (Aylesbury) She is 85 and getting rather aged now. Pathetic rather in her loneliness too. R saw Scouts there and called on Sedgwick‘s & home for tea - a lovely run in the sunshine
Monday, 6 January 1930
Peter and Heather hunted on Dandie and Bluebird and the others went with R in Jam Roll to the meet at Black? Robin and I walked through Foyle to “High Pull". Jane Thornwell to stay, she is Heather‘s chief friend at Saint James’s. Ruth and Gladys Ainsworth and nieces Nancy and Kinga and Joyce Crocker to dine and they took our five older children house party to Aldershot theatre.
Tuesday, 7 January 1930
Busy morning Pip and Margaret Power to lunch and bought us Almond Porter from Puttenham also Mrs Powell from Sevenoaks came to with eldest son Edward and bringing dear David to stay with us. William Collingwood left. Alice Baird to stay. Children took the horse back to Sheila Reid I took the others into Farnham to shop. country dancing. Pax very full indeed and life rather strenuous
Wednesday, 8 January 1930
"Fowsen" (Lord Hampton) came from London to talk Scouts and lunch. Children rode. Children’s party here Hannams, Needhams, Jones, Ainsworth, Taylors, Wades, MacIntoshes, Westby, Petri - about 45. Young ? came and did conjuring and they played games and made much noise.’
Thursday 9 January 1930
Children all rode more or less and all seven of them very full of beans. The Thesigers (Admiral and Violet) to lunch and his cousin Mr Legge. They will have Betty to stay with them when we leave next week and are such dears. Eileen Pope and daughter Monica came down from London to lunch too - my half great-niece. The Hanbury’s, from Castle ?wood, called to see Alice Baird.
Friday, 10 January 1930
Robin to London for the day children all amuse themselves with a game of Giants etc Alice Baird left such a dear thing Margaret Power to lunch and took away my unwanted housemaid Blanche.
The Bolden Drey? hounds came all round the house after a fox in the afternoon
Saturday, 11 January 1930
R, Heather, Peter and I train to London they did picture show and I did Guide appeal committee .Yvonne, Jane, David and Betty Jam Rolled to London and joined me at mothers flat for lunch, Collected Aunt Lyn and small cousin Philip Bradburn and all went to the Scout pantomime lettuce Hill and Bostock (Rover at Charterhouse) joined us there and we were a party of 14 great fun. Splendid show T at the flat and Jam Rolled home David going back to Sevenoaks J away to her home in Cheshire. Yvonne remaining with mother in London. It is great fun in theory having lots of children staying together but in practice it is rather wearing they do react on each other and quite unconsciously get worked up and over excited
Sunday, 12 January 1930
Poured all day. Sui Ward (nee Bowen) to lunch. Peter's godmother and old friend of 1907 onwards
Monday, 13 January 1930
Aspeek, the cook I have had for three years left - of her own accord. Our former nursery governess, Gammy, came to tea with some friends of hers captain and Mrs ? with whom she is staying at Crondell. Pichie came to stay the night he is a gem of a man much beloved in Scouting and Robin finds him a great help
Tuesday, 14 January 1930
Put house and household in order busily. It is a great time for tidying up. Monty (from Guide HQ) to stay the night. Country dancing in the village hall.
Wednesday, 15 January 1930
Monty left early. Robin to London for the day and took Heather up with him and saw her off to school from Paddington. She was a bit "pink" at leaving but is very happy at St James' of course. Pack and walk
Thursday, 16 January 1930
children ride and take Dandy over to Odiham Sheila Reade collects her there and will keep and use the dear little animal till we want her for the Easter holidays again. Tidy up the house pay household (Edith, Alice, Ronnie, and AnneMary) who all return from their holidays on March 4 square up past year’s accounts etc
Friday, 17 January 1930 Eileen Wade takes our fairly modest luggage by train to Southampton and we grandly trundle down in Jam-Roll after lunch and go comfily on board the Alcantara lovely big luxurious Ship. Peter and Betty go back with Mrs Wade we sail at six for a perfect holiday to the West Indies "the management" gives us a charming "State Room" with bathroom more of course than the cabin we had chosen
Saturday, 18 January 1930 At sea
It is wonderful and lucky of course to having all this treat as a present from dear kind “Auntie Helen” Storrow
Stayed in bed all day and slept nearly the whole time too lazy even to read darling Robin though up early as usual and up on deck doing his vigorous walking and he loves voyaging
Sunday, 19 January 1930
Loaf about on deck. Pass Cape Finistone early. We are lucky having a calm sea like this. Meet several people we half know on board the Phipps Hornby’s and their friends Albert and Lady Whitaker also Lady ? , Guide Com in Yorks, the actress Ellis Jefferies and her daughter, Miss Curzon, etc etc
Monday, 20 January 1930
Get into a blue sea and delicious sunshine and quite warm air - lovely. wrote some letters home and read and basked on deck. Sit at the Captains table - such a nice genial little man called Wakeman, an elderly Miss Searle there also and a Capt. Owen of this steamship company .
Tuesday, 21 January 1930 Madeira
Arrive Madeira early. Jolly seeing it again. Landed at 11 and joined R's old Charterhouse school friend Sir H Seymour King at Reids Hotel. He drives us up the mountain to the lovely view over the gorge near Del Monte and then round and about returning for lunch at the hotel Mrs Pell and Miss Earl (off our Ship) there too. Loaf in sunshine and a nice garden and then Christian and I walk through the little narrow streets of Funchal and go on board our lovely floating town. R sees about 110 Portuguese Boy Scouts and joins me later and they bring bouquets for us in the usual foreign way, meant so kindly but the flowers always die at once. Bathed in the swimming bath. Sailed at midnight.
Thursday, 23 January 1930 At sea
Lovely loafing day I love being idle legitimately like this and it is a rest and change find an old friend of Robins family on board in the form of a quant original interesting Miss Gillow and her friend Miss Galsworthy also quite a pleasant smiling woman a Mrs Wyatt-Smith who lives at Monte Carlo
Friday, 24 January 1930 At sea
Gradually getting to know people but can’t be bothered to be very sociable as it is so restful not to talk. Sir WILLIAM and Lady ? quite nice she is a Guide DC near Harrogate. General and Mrs Philippa Hornby are nice too and R knew him before. Their friends Sir Albert and Lady Whitaker also pleasant.
Saturday, 25th January 1930 at sea
Glorious amethyst blue sea and replaying sunshine and really warm now play deck tennis with Miss Hamilton Miss Kirkham both ex guide as captain and Mrs Roberts et cetera old Mr and Mrs Robson from Bournemouth who were also on the Duchess of Richmond cruise last February are on board again here he supplied equipment for Robin’s first scout experimental camp of Brownsea Island in 1907 being a porter and interested in boys parade et cetera at that time to church in the big lounge the captain did the service based and played tennis cinema performance in the evening of Dec on deck
Monday, 27 January 1930 [at sea]
Got to know a few more fellow passengers Mr Bissell who used to know us ask him Dawlish in 1904 Mrs Pratt Barlow a kindly elderly widow living at Torquay also Lady Ward widow of the famous cartoonist who drew years ago for Vanity Fair under the name of spy and Lady Milne wife of the chief of the general staff and his funny little nice Australian widow Mrs Burns
Tuesday, 28 January 1930 W. Indies
Robin very busy writing his book for Rangers and all the girls typed for several hours and it is going to be so good loafed red talked play tennis and bass and the days go whizzing by
Quite sorry that this is our last without seeing land for sometime
Wednesday, 29 January 1930 Barbados
Arrive Barbados very early delicious seeing it again Scout and guide commissioners came on board and fetched us posse of welcome of PL of Scouts and guides at the wharf very jolly breakfast at Government house with the WILLIAM and Lady Robertson go for a delightful drive about the island up to Saint Johns and then lunch party at GH Valley of about 300 scouts and 300 guides such a nice smart keen lot first class and long service and lots of badges much better than one would expect Mrs Henderson good Ireland Commissioner miss you yeah Wood good DC and miss the parade ditto oh ones I have seen in England sail away again at 6
Thursday, 30 January 1930 TrinidadArrive Trinidad early lovely going through the focus at dawn Scout and Died Commissioner Mr Jo and Mrs like come on board to fetch us good pussy of welcome of Scouts and guides on the wharf and then we go up to Government house to stay with a nice acting governor Mr and Mrs Green right letters I lay a foundation stone for the new guide HQ and then attend Valerie or Scouts and guides cheerful good lunch about 1000 skips and 400 guys perfect for them or make speeches et cetera reception and T at GH for about 300 people connected with scouting and Guiding and met Guide committee. dinner party
Friday, 31 January 1930 [Trinidad ]
Delightful quiet night in this attractive Government House and we go for early morning walks in the lovely botanical Gardens alongside very very hot but quite delicious the Greens awfully nice and kind and Christian has a lovely time bathing and having a ride et cetera have a good car for our use & we drove out 12 miles to up to Nola to one of the Cadburys cocoa estate managed by Mr Lovell Mrs L is nice and on the Guide committee most enjoyable and interesting seeing the growing and preparing of the cocoa for exporting they grow grapefruit too and one tree produced 1500 fruit. Drive up also to call on Mr Baines at the Cadburys house. Plant a tree and then back to lunch with Mr and Mrs Evans at the College of Tropical Agriculture most interesting place T at Government House and pack up again. Call in and see delightful Guide club room near GH and then leave Port of Spain, being seen off by nice keen Scouts and Guides again. All most kind and friendly. Sail at midnight
