Olave's diary for 1922 Index
Her children were small - Peter 9, Heather 7, Betty 5
and she had care of her dead sister's children, Christian 10, Clare 8 and Yvonne 3
January 1922
Our grateful thanks to Veronica Ballard for this transcription.
Sunday, 01 January 1922
Miss Bewley & Scout Commissioner to tea.
Dame Helen Gwynne-Vaughan to stay – our clever Guide H.Q. Chairman to go with us down to Lyndhurst tomorrow to make an ‘inspection’ of Foxlease.
Monday, 02 January 1922
Gladys Stride comes from Woking & taking Jack Eggar as an advisor on property run down to see Foxlease, definitely offered to us by its owner in America, Mrs Archbold Sanderson, who has been District Commissioner here for a very short time two or three years and has left her husband and England for good. It is a grand idea, if we can afford to ‘do it up’ and then run it!
Tuesday, 03 January 1922
Gammy and I took all babies to fancy dress at Robertsons.
Peter as Wolf Cub,
Heather as a Brownie,
Betty as ???
Yvonne[1] as Snow – in home mades !
Jolly party
Wednesday, 04 January 1922
Robin shot with C. ? Knight at Chawton.
Cub & Scout party at Bentley schools. Peter ‘acted’ as Peffer in the cubs’ song & loved it. Took Heather too and she adored her first experience of a performance!
Thursday, 05 January 1922
R. to London for the day, for conference & wedding[2] of Col. Richardson [13th] & Miss Booker.
Friday, 06 January 1922
Robin to shoot at Froyle with Summers; I join him for lunch there.
Nurse maid Hazel left.
Saturday, 07 January 1922
Major Wade came down to inspect Ash Cottage [Bentley] with a view to buying it. It would be ripping having them there.
Sunday, 08 January 1922
R, Gammy and I to church. Much too ‘high’ for me, & only adds to my conviction of how terribly off the track the parsons are.
Monday, 09 January 1922
[No entry]
Tuesday, 10 January 1922
R. to London for Mercers[3]
Wednesday, 11 January 1922
[No entry]
Thursday, 12 January 1922
R. to London
[in pencil] Count’s to wedding Nursie Hilda Austen[4]
Mr & Mrs Pooley [ Dane Court School] to stay. Went shopping in Farnham with them & Peter & Heather.
Friday, 13 January 1922
Took children to party at Paine’s at Nilchen??? At 4.00. R. returns. His train very late. Heather wore smallest Russian dress & Peter white pyjamas & a fez as a Turkish bath man.
Saturday, 14 January 1922
[No entry]
Sunday, 15 January 1922
[No entry]
Monday, 16 January 1922
‘Upheaval’ in the household about high expenditure!
[In pencil ] Lettice comes, arr. 6.27
Tuesday, 17 January 1922
Miss White comes for afternoon.
Fain’s children’s party refused.
Children to Robertsons.
Lettice leaves.
Wednesday, 18 January 1922
[in pencil] Alice Baird[5] comes
Thursday, 19 January 1922
Headquarters Committee.
M. Cassie to lunch at H.Q. at 1.30
Mrs Jessen Corfe [?] [Rhodesia[ at H.Q. at 2.15
Miss Dickson Poynder[6] at office at 3.15
Florence re Cardiff at 4.00
Friday, 20 January 1922
Robin to London early. Very busy packing up & putting name tapes to old Pete’s clothes. Afternoon take Peter & Heather in big car to Woking. Picking Robin up there & take Peter to Dane Court School. Leave him there for tea & return later to see how he settles; and slip away quietly. Dreadful leaving him there.
Saturday, 21 January 1922
[in pencil] Babies to dancing 11.45
Junhuis ? for the day arriving 1.28 leaving again 7.49
Rose’s children for week arr. 4.27
Sunday, 22 January 1922
Rosemary & Alex go for walk with our babies and Gammy. Rosie & we walk round Islington then up to Barley Pound in Jimmy & dig up primroses.
Monday, 23 January 1922
Rosie & her kids left. Gammy & and I take children to tea at Pine Ridge near Farnham with Mrs Ashton. Her little grand-daughter Rosamund there & gave Heather tea alone in a tiny cottage together.
Jolly letter from Peter at Dane Court.
Tuesday, 24 January 1922
Bitterly cold – wicked East wind.
R and I went out & gardened in the Wades ‘Ash Cottage’ garden.
They have actually bought it. The said Wades to stay.
Annie’s little son[7] born at the lodge.
Wednesday, 25 January 1922
Ice on the roads but thawed at midday.
Ran over in Jimmy to speak at Windsor.
Lunch with Mrs Pendey [local commissioner] & the guide film shown to public meeting.
Eileen & Wade attend Bentley Cottage sale of furniture.
Thursday, 26 January 1922
Wades left. Robin to London for his Scout Annual Council meeting.
Jolly letter from Mrs Pooley saying Peter is getting on well and happily at Dane Court.
Great relief to us both.
Friday, 27 January 1922
Robin to London for the day.
Monty & the two Everetts to stay.
Saturday, 28 January 1922
Babies to dancing & R to lunch with Bishop at Farnham.
Drove to Foxlease Park with all the others for them to ‘view’ it. Called on a ’Powell’ cousin who lives near it to ask him about the property. F is big gift for the Guides.
Sunday, 29 January 1922
Everetts left.
Walk to fish trap.
Monday, 30 January 1922
Monty left.
Robin to shoot with Paines.
Tuesday, 31 January 1922
Robin to shoot with Summers.
Garden & tidy up verandah & hut.
Mrs Pollock [G.G. Comm] who we saw in Palestine to stay. Nice little woman.
Robertson boys to tea.
February 1922
Wednesday, 01
Mrs Pollock left
Dug in the Wade’s garden.
Maissie’s puppies born (black cocker spaniel) five of them.
Thursday, 02 February 1922
Dug in the garden – most soothing occupation !
Friday, 03 February 1922
Up to London early for International Council meeting at Forum Club. Some of the members of the Imperial Council came too and all had lunch there. Company of Guides & Brownies gave display after it & Imperial Council meeting in afternoon. R. and I leave London 5.4. Rather tiring but useful day!
Saturday, 04 February 1922
Capt. Gidney came to stay. Such a fine Scout.
Sunday, 05 February 1922
Three of Maisie’s puppies have died – cold and her inexperience I fear.
Monday, 06 February 1922
Lettice comes 4:27
Tuesday, 07 February 1922
[Page left blank]
Wednesday, 08 February 1922
Diploma’d Guiders and Campers Conference at High Ashurst begins. Ran over in Jimmy.
Thursday, 09 February 1922
Leave High Ashurst
Friday, 10 February 1922
Run up to London. Go to Buckingham Palace, taking 4 guiders (England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland) and gave H.R.H. Princess Mary her wedding present from the guides – an old silver box and a diamond guide badge.
See Lady Carmicheal and Sister Mary Victoria at H.Q. re Guides in India.
Take Mother home to Pax.
Robin in London for the day and night.
Saturday, 11 February 1922
R. returns home.
Take babies to dancing class.
Mother very pleased with improvement of Yvonne.
Sunday, 12 February 1922
Walk over the hills with R.
Monday, 13 February 1922
Walker, the vet, to do puppy’s tail.
The little pup to be called Esty & Mother gave it to Heather.
R. ran over in Jimmy to Camp Conference at Dorking for lunch.
Tuesday, 14 February 1922
[Page left blank]
Wednesday, 15 February 1922
Miss Storey, County Sec for Durham, who is managing the Swanwick Conference this year, to stay.
Guide film at Farnham Cinema. Take babies & household to see it.
Small talk from me during interval.
Thursday, 16 February 1922
Up to London for H.Q. Committee. Lunch at Club.
Afternoon do ‘interviews’ with Lady Hylton, re Somerset. Duchess of Abercorn re Ulster.
Also see possible Guider for Australia, Miss Rayner & do letters with Lettice.
Alice to stay for night at Pax.
Friday, 17 February 1922
Mrs Eggar to tea & stayed till 7.30!
R. in London for the day, returning home at midnight.
Saturday, 18 February 1922
‘Parents Day’ at Dane Court.
Pick Peter up there & take him to see football match at Charterhouse.
He was half shy at meeting us at the first moment & wholly undemonstrative! Chatted back later & had a huge tea at Guildford before going back to school.
Sunday, 19 February 1922
Sheelah Reade came last night to stay.
Peter is growing well & is evidently quite happy & settled with the Pooley’s & it is a relief.
Monday, 20 February 1922
Sheelah leaves early.
Walk with R. to the river.
Felt seedy so went to bed after lunch.
Slight flu.
Betty in bed with it too.
Tuesday, 21 February 1922
Seedy all day with a head like a diseased turnip.
Heather & Yvonne with Ganny to tea with Robertsons.
Wednesday, 22 February 1922
Our birthday
Still pretty seedy so in bed all day.
Heather with temperature of 104 so came to bed in my room too for the day.
Pretty bad all night & delirious for a bit so I had a sleepless night with the lovely little party waking every half hour.
Thursday, 23 February 1922
Up after breakfast & did letters.
Heather 102 – but better.
Betty better too but still in bed.
Dear lambs they are so good.
Friday, 24 February 1922
Up after breakfast. Better but not quite fit yet.
R. to London for day.
Betty up, Heather & Yvonne in bed.
Annie & Co to Aldershot in the car to buy a pram I am giving for her baby.
Saturday, 25 February 1922
Up for breakfast & much better.
Half term at Dane Court.
Mr Alec Tassell, Scout Commissioner & old Carthusian to stay. Robin took him over to see Peter. They went to Charterhouse & tea at Guildford again & got home very late.
Sunday, 26 February 1922
Maud (R’s niece) & Harvey Moore came in their car from Wimbledon for lunch.
Poured with rain.
They want us to be godparents to their two baby girls – aged 13 months[1] & 1 month[2] respectively.
Monday, 27 February 1922
To London.
Go & see Mrs Geoffrey Hope Morley, head of committee who ran the ‘Mary’s’ gift to Princess Mary. They got over £8000 – & spent about £2000 on a pearl necklace for her & the rest comes to us for guides. To tea with Judy Walton & South African Guides Association. Talked to them about Guides & Alice Behrens came & did ditto. To stay with Mother.
Tuesday, 28 February 1922
Princess Mary’s wedding.
Much[?] Muray[?] lunch at flat.
Tea with Lady Swaythling 4.30
[1] (Frances) Joan Hervey-Moore (26 December 1920 – 1986)
[2] (Olave) Cynthia Hervey-Moore (2 January 1922 – 2 September 2020)
March 1922
March 1st
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March 2nd 1922
Miss Daye, new G.F.S. Guide Director, to stay the night for a chat
March 3rd 1922
[Page left blank]
March 4th 1922
The babies, R. Gammy & I to tea at Harrefar? For Michaels birthday party.
March 5th 1922
[Page left blank]
March 6th 1922
Mr & Mrs Leslie Paine to tea & a nephew from South Africa
March 7th 1922
Heather has taken to writing letters on my typewriter. She is too lovely & works away so hard at it!
March 8th 1922
Mrs Eggar & Mis Aitchison Grimshaw to tea.
Captain Giding to stay.
March 9th 1922
R. to London
Giding left. He is a splendid scout & just the right man in the right place at Gilwell.
March 10th 1922
Both to London again.
See Lady Ellison Macentry? re Australia Guide matters. Lunch with Helen Whitaker in her little temporary house in Sussex Gardens. Join Robin at St John’s Church, Smith Square, Westminster for christening of Maud’s two little girls of different ages!. Robin godfather to eldest girl nearly 2 – called Jean and I am godmother to the younger aged 6 weeks- called Olave Cynthia.
Home to Pax.
March 11th 1922
[Page left blank]
March 12th 1922
[Page left blank]
March 13th 1922
Leave home again very reluctantly to go to Commissioners Training week run by Mrs Mauser? & ‘Carpenter’ at Addington Hall, Winslow, Bucks. Charmimh hotel made out of big country house of the Addingtons. Awfully sad for Lady A. & her daughter Ruth Hubbard [ who is local guide commissioner]. About 30 commissioners there. I talked a little & Dr. Elizabeth Sloan Chesser? Gave an excellent address on health.
March 14th 1922
Mrs Mauser ran me in her car with Dr. Sloan Chesser to catch train at . Miss it!
Talk together all the way up. But got to London & home by the time, seeing Mrs Grey re Middlesex at the club en route.
March 15th 1922
[Page left blank]
March 16th 1922
Headquarters Committee meeting.
First of series of ‘ Guide the P…..’ to be arranged by Joan Dickson Poynden at her people’s ‘Sol Tollington’ house in Portman Square. Most desirable & useful for overseas & foreign guide people who come for them to meet & talk with nice commissioners over a cup of tea! Home to Pax.
March 17th 1922
Both to London again. See Mrs Bren? Re India. She has made a lot of trouble & by silly behaviour latterly there, has almost undone all the often splendid work for guides in India.
See CR Stanley Red Cross & their affiliation with guides.
See Mr Clarke, occulist for my own eyes!
Guide Headquarters Council Annual General Meeting at H.Q. Presented Silver Fish to Rachel Kay Shuttleworth .
Home to Pax & Alice Behrems? to stay there too.
March 18th 1922
Alice & I to Woking to see Miss Church, a possible housemaid for Foxlease. Won’t quite do.
Went on then to see Guide company at Miss Du Bochet’s school, St Mary’s Hill, Horsell. Such a dear nice lot. Lunch in Woking bun shop.
Ainsworths to tea at Pax to tell us of their West Indies Guide & other experiences.
March 19th 1922
Esme Tinne ? to tea – running guides at Wrecclesham?
March 20th 1922
Esme Trotter, who is going to help Alice with guide & woodcraft training at Foxlease to stay.
March 21st 1922
Alice, Esme & I by train to Brokenhurst & taxi to Foxlease. Major Christie Miller & Major Frazer [ who are dealing with furniture for us] join us & we go all over the house making plans for equipping.
Home again by train via Basingstoke & Farnborough
March 22nd 1922
Alice to London just for the day.
Esme Trotter left.
Mrs Eggar to tea & talk.
March 23rd 1922
When dressing in the nursery Betty asked Heather what the little brown mark on her leg was.
‘Oh ‘ said Heather with pride, ‘that’s my christening mark’
March 24th 1922
Robin & Alice to London for the day, returning after tea.
March 25th 1922
Left Pax early for London with Alice. Left her there & went up to Leicester. Mrs Dawson, C.C. for Leicestershire met me & motor out together to lunch with Martin near Loughborough. She is a good young D.C. Public meeting & Guide displays at Loughborough Corn Exchange. I talked. Tea at High School & train back to London in time to sleep at Blue Triangle Club.
March 26th 1922
Home to Pax & Robin met me for walk up together from station via the fields.
Nursery tea. Delicious as it always is
March 27th 1922
Heather is fearfully keen on typing & writing letters on my machine at all available moments! Also stories of own doings in 1st & 3rd person mixed, speaking of herself as ‘a child’ & me as ‘a lady’!! She is too adorable & delicious for words - so bright & alert & yet so simple & most glowing.
March 28th 1922
The babies were dressing to play in the garden & Gammy told Yvonne that she musn’t put her thickest coat on as ‘she has more flesh on her bones than Heather & Betty’
Shortly after Heather was heard explaining to Betty that Yvonne had not got her thick coat on ‘because her skin is thicker than ours’
March 29th 1922
Called on Mrs Hayes Fisher in Alice Holt Wood
Mrs Cannadine comes to stay. She is a diploma’d guider & is going to America as our guide representative to run Girl Scout camps etc.
March 30th 1922
[Page left blankNo entry]
March 31st 1922
Robin to London.
Snow on the ground, but thawed during the day.
April 1922
Saturday 1st April
Woke up to a snow covered world again. Babies to dancing class & we have Yvonne’s hair bobbed. Great improvement. Dug in the almond blossom border & Robin sculpted.
Sunday 2nd April
Frosty last night & snow still everywhere. R and I walked up past Bury Court & Isnage [farm].
Really it is too wonderful how much sweeter Yvonne [niece] looks with her hair short. She is a different child. Nursery tea.
Monday 3rd April
Deep snow & bitterly cold. Snowed & rained all day & quite loathsome! What a climate.
Stitched & typed & played with these dear babies. I think this is really the very best of all stages & ages I their lives.
Tuesday 4th April
Robin by train to Byfleet early & fetched Peter home for the holidays. We all met him at the station. He is so quaint & shy & silent & school boyish – a good deal altered & the little old Pete of babyhood has vanished.
Wednesday 5th April No entry
Thursday 6th April
To London early. See Lady Alladyce re Tasmania, Lady Blythswood re Cardiff. Lunch & have good talk with Dame Katherine Furse [became 1st director of WAGGS] & arrange to see her & ex-W. RN Assoc. This query? About affiliating with us.
Fit suit at Gorringes & go to meeting of British R. Commission at Lord Curzon’s house in Carlton House Terrace. Dull speeches by Duke of Devonshire & Sir Arthur Wesholme? & then we {Lettice & I} bolted to our nice good ‘guide tea party at Lady Shrimpton’s House. Very successful. Home to Pax.
Saturday 8th April
Gammy’s sister comes to stay. Peter to tea with peter Paine.
Sunday 9th April
R and I managed nursery tea alone.
Monday 10th April
Gammy’s sister left & Gammy to London for the day. Went up in the car & fetched Mother & parcles galore for Easter & Betty’s birthday.
Gen & Mrs Buerton? To call & Helen Whitaker & Miss Donnell then here to talk over small guide trouble.
Tuesday 11th April
Robin to London. Washed Maisie [dog] Played with babies & gardened. Peter in bed more or less seedy all day.
Wednesday 12th April
Robin to London again.
Take Gammy & Heather to shop in Reading & lunch there & fetch Christian & Clare [niece & nephew] from their little school on Peppard Common. Poured all the way home.
The Wades moved into Ash Cottage, bag & baggage. R returned at midnight.
Tuesday 13th April
R and I to lunch with the 13th Hussars Club at Aldershot with Col. Twist B??? T??? etc. Run on afterwards to Point to Point Races near Wokingham. Called on Sir Henry Richards’ [found him in] & the Doveton Stundees? at Camberley on the way home & the C in C at Aldershot too. Robin to London & onto Scotland by night train.
Friday 14th April
Peter better again such a house party of children.
R at Abersmittach Lodge, Kemnay, Aberdeenshire. With Smithson & will have a real holiday fishing.
Saturday 15th Aril
All of us to Farnham to shop. Clare has had her hair cut off. Looks much nicer bobbed.
Took Peter to see Dr Hussey about his nose which he won’t [& can’t] blow properly. No adenoids – only proper treatment needed[?]
Sunday 16th April
Betty’s birthday. She is five & thinks herself very big. Everybody has lots of Easter eggs. The C’s Gammy & I went to church. Wades & Eileen’s two sisters to tea & it poured with rain.
Monday 17th April
Gammy & I took Peter, Heather & the Cs to egg party, but our children all very shy & wouldn’t join in much!
Tuesday 18th April
The C’s very happy here & nice little people.
Our egg party. About 40 children & grown ups to watch. Great fun. Egg hunt then huge tea – in separate batches in different rooms according to ages! Then games.
Wednesday 19th April
I took Heather & Mother & Cs by road to Ashwell P……[?] & leave them there to stay with brother Arthur. Had tea there & drove home with Heather in an hour & ¾.
Thursday 20th April
To London. Chair HQ Committee. Miss Buckley, secretary for guides in Malta, lunches with me at the club & Alice & Jonah [?] there too. See Monty [?] etc. & tea with Lady Alladyce & Lady Ellison Macartney [?] at Belgrave Hotel. Home to Pax by 5.10
Friday 21st April
Robin having a lovely time in Aberdeenshire
Mrs Eggar to tea.
Two American Girl Scouts, Miss Parsons & Miss Robertson to stay. Mis P has been here two years ago. Their friend Miss Carey came too. She is Editor of our guide gazette & a good girl.
Saturday 22nd April
Take Miss Parsons etc to Foxlease in big car. Meet Alice Behrems & her father there & also Rosie Kerr & her husband & Rosemary & all picnic lunch & talk. Stop for tea in Winchester on the way back & hear charming service in the cathedral.
Sunday 23rd April
Miss Parsons & Miss Robertson left.
Gardened. Looked after children & had nursery tea.
Monday 24th April
Miss Carey left.
Last Thursday Mother mad e a lovely ‘bon mot’ in the car driving home to [?] me.
We passed 3 couples on bikes & then a single man & then a single woman biking along. She looked out at them & remarked as we passed by. “Those are married, those are married, those are married - & those – oh I expect they will get acquainted to each other & then they’ll marry!”
Tuesday 25th April
Mrs Eggar’s District Guide Asssociation meeting at Mrs Saunderson’s house, just across the fields. Long meeting & then a large teawith all the guiders of the District too. Gammy & I dined with the Wades.
Wednesday 26th April
Col Torkington [?} rode over on his son’s horse to call. Babies to tea with Robertsons. Yvonne is improving in every way dear little mite.
Thursday 27th April
Robin leaves Aberdeenshire & sees Scout & Guide people in Edinburgh
Take Heather & Betty to children’s party at Mrs Ashton’s [Pine Ridge, Farnham]. Tableaux afterwards quite well done by the kids themselves. Peter to Wolf Cub Pack meeting under Mrs Eggar & passed his first star.
Friday 28th April
Robin arrives back in London morning & home to Pax after tea. Run over in Jimmy to the conference at Lingholt School, Hindhead, of Ranger Captains. About 40there. A few comms too. Jonah [?] spoke on the out of doors. I enrolled Dame Katherine Furse& talked too on overseas. Brought her home to Pax. She is very nice & is really keen & in at last.
Saturday 29th April
Dame Katherine left. I am glad to have got her as a guider at last as she is a fine woman.
Lovely having darling Robin back again. He is fit as fiddles & has had a jolly holiday time.
Sunday 30th April
Dug in the garden practically all day.
May 1922
Monday 1st May 1922
The quaint old cousins, Henry & Nancy Torlington [?[,Muriel & Mrs Guinness came to lunch. The latter are on a motor tour. Poured & sleeted all afternoon.
Lettice to stay to do letters& things. She is good & helpful.
Tuesday 2nd May
Lettice left. Betty welcomed her back gleefully again & told her a large & lovely secret that she ‘went to London & saw the zoo, & do you know I had a glass and a serviette’.
This little treat at lunch with Mother at her flat apparently counted almost more than anything else!
Wednesday 3rd May
Eileen appeared [?] this morning to do work for Robin. It is ripping having them at Ash Cottage, handy like that. Gammy, Robin, Peter & Heather & I to see Admiral Tupper give lecture on what the Navy [10th cruiser squadron] which he commanded did in the war, at Alton.
Thursday 4th May
Robin fished.
Took Peter to Farnham to have his hair cut & shop.
Friday 5th May.
Take little Peter boy back to school by train for a treat. He was delighted to go again.
Saw Dorothy Corder for a guide talk & persuaded her to come onto HQ Committee & manage equipment.
Saturday 6th May
Pichie comes over from his home [ now Farm Court at Leatherhead] for the morning.
Sunday 7th May– no entry
Monday 8th May
Up to London & stay at the flat with Mother & the little ‘Cs’. Take them to the zoo where they rode on camels & had tea by the bears’ terrace. Grilling day. Mother tired but jolly.
Tuesday 9th May
Took the Cs shopping & go on the top of a bus, in the underground that they had never done before for a great treat.
Early lunch & then take them to Reading where they are fetched by Miss Cooper.
Have my hair washed & go to a cinema to pass time between trains to Alton Camp where Robin & Heather pick me up.
Tuesday 10th & Wednesday 11th
No entries
Friday 12th May
Robin to London as usual.
Clare Warren to lunch. She is going to America for me soon to help with the Girl Scout training school under Mrs Storrow.
Saturday 13th May
R to Wales to do some Scout rallies at Newport & Cardiff.
Motored in Jimmy with Gammy & Heather & lunched with Pichie & his relatives at Farm Court, Leatherhead. Epsom Guide Rally in afternoon. About 1500 guides, very good displays, whole guide thing very jolly & nice. Dame Katherine Furse came to it. Her first public appearance in guide kit.
Darley Rudyard Helpman to stay. [ 1920s Skiing family Wengen]
Sunday 14th May
Gardened. Eileen to tea.
R with Glamishs [?] in Wales.
Letter came yesterday from Ralegh Hancock in Ceylon, [Tismoida Group Kadugannawa] Replied
Monday 15th May
Gardened, Glorious
Babies went for a picnic.
Tuesday 16th May
Met Mrs Davidson County Com from Aberdeen City at Guildford& bring her down to Pax for lunch.
Darby leaves.
R returns, radiant at having caught 2 salmon of 25 & 27 lbs respectively.
Wednesday 17th May no entry
Thursday 18th May
To London early Guide HQ committee.
Dame Katherine Furse to lunch at club & Alice, H etc there too. Work at the office in afternoon.
Miss Joy, Christian Science writer came for interview about guides!
One of the usual Monthly ‘Guide ? the party? At Lady Islington’s house. Lady Trowers[?] Lady Lawson Johnson, Sheelagh Reade. Rosie Kerr etc there.
Friday 19th May
R to London for Mercers.
To Farnham to shop & see solicitor, Mr Nash about settling some of our monies on these Babies.
Saturday 20th May
Take Gladys Ainsworth & motor in little Jimmie past Winchester, Stockbridge & over lovely wild downy country to Salisbury. Pick up Dame Katherine at station & on to lunch with Lady Pembroke [Guide CC for Wilts] at lovely Wilton House. Lots of Commissioners there too. Saw wonderful pictures & then jolly rally of about 800 guides in the park. Quite good & very nice having it there. Home to Pax by 8.00
Sunday 21st May
Mrs Eggar brought Miss Ellis [cubmaster at Salisbury] to see me in the afternoon.
Monday 22nd May
Pichie & niece, Katherine Kirkland came for the day. Very hot & jolly.
Tuesday 23rd May
To see Princess Mary at Chesterfield about silly gossiping talk made by Miss Martineau re guide policy with regard to morality [?]
Lunch at club & meet Faith Peese & Miss Pinney [?] there.
Do letters at office & see Mr & Mrs Montague Butler for short hurried talk. He goes out shortly to direct education in India. Catch 4.40 train from Euston & arrive Kirkham in time for bed. Stay with nice Mrs Percy Birley at Wren Green.
Wednesday 24th May
See school children& guides maypole dancing on the green. Lunch and motor into Preston.
Speak at meeting of grown ups in City Hall.
Have tea & see several hundred guiders packed in a drill hall. Motor on to Lancaster, about 20 miles away & have early dinner with Bardesley [?] at the Vicarage there & inspect & talk to about 150 local guides under good Bardesley girls. Motor onto Morecombe & speak to good grown up meeting in St. John’s Ambulance hall. Stay night with Mrs Isaac Storey at lovely house Escowbeck about 5 miles from Lancaster.
Thursday 25th May
Stroll around garden & then leave Lancaster at 11.40 & Melkinthorpe arr. 12.24
Stay with Mrs Angelo [CC for Westmorland] at Evenday.[?] Glorious view from there. To tea at Mrs A’s old home with her brother, Mr & Mrs Wakefield & see about 200 Brownies in the park.
Very pretty & they did games & fairy ring etc.
Dinner in club at Kendal & grown up meeting afterwards.
Friday 26th May
Motor to Ambleside through lovely scenery & lunch at the Home of Education with Miss Charlotte Mason [founder of the P.N.E.U.] & hear her 40 girl students who are all guides. They gave a display & I talked. Hence to Windermere & had jolly Brownie Revels & played wild games with them. Dine at Riggs Hotel & spoke with grown ups audience afterwards & then motored to Elmslack .
Saturday 27th May
A most lovely & wonderful drive over the fells to Appleby. Lunch with Dame Irene Tufton & after we had big Westmorland County Rally at Appleby Castle. Perfect grounds & setting for it all. Very delightful day.
Back to dine at Elmslack. Mrs Angelo delightful & kind & much loved. Motor 8 miles to Carnforth & to London by night train arriving at Euston at 5.30. Write letters & had breakfast at Euston Hotel then Waterloo dep. 8.45.
Saturday 28th May
Bentley at 10.19.
Robin meets me, having spent yesterday in London & having reached Pax at about 2am this morning. Dear Helen Whitaker to supper.
Monday 29th May
Take babies to see Dr Hussey about their throats. He says Betty ought to have her tonsils out. They go then to Angus MacNaughton’s tea party.
Tuesday 30th May
Helen to lunch & talk all afternoon.
Mrs Eggar & Cs & Mrs & Miss Circhen [lately come to live at Bentley Cottage] & Miss Redgrave to tea in the garden.
Wednesday 31st May
Motor up to London. Lunch with Mother at the flat & then leave about 12.45. Reach Dane Court for a glimpse of Peter during their lunch hour. Find him very well & happy.
Motor on to ‘inspect St. Mary’s Hill’ girls school & Mother likes it & decides to send Christian & Clare there at Xmas. It is a very nice school & Woking is so handy. Reach Pax after tea.
June 1922
Thursday 1st June
Mr Rodney Wood [Scout]] stayed last night.
Heather’s birthday & she thinks being 7 is being really big ???
Mrs Harrop, Eileen & Michael and Jean, [on her legs at last] to tea.
Lettice Hill to stay.
R leaves after tea for 13th Hussars dinner in London.
Friday 2nd June
Robin in London & goes to do Scouts in Belgium tomorrow.
A ‘troublesome’ scene with Mother over my going away in guide uniform & it is difficult & trying.
Leave Pax 2.13 with Lettice.
Leave Paddington 4.45. Arr. Malvern, & Alice Baird mees me there. Sleep in Raglan House.
Saturday 3rd June Malvern
Enrolment of Cadet & some guides at James’. Inspect guiders camp. Small commissioners meeting ? ? ? & lunch with them all at Westminster Hotel. [just by] Nice lot
Guide County Rally at Madresfield Court. Lovely place. Lady Beauchamp is Cou ty President & is very kind & all four daughters are in local ? Company. About 1000 guides there, chilly good school companies.
Sunday 4th June
Some Vth form girls - dear people- escorted me to the top of the Beacon. Glorious huge view – quite lovely. Inspect camp again.
Lunch at St. James’. Alice Baird gave a lecture on Coue ? most interesting. Tea with 6th form in garden. Leave at 5.0 & have ‘Guards of Honour’ at every station till I get out of Worcestershire. Too sweet.
Monday 5th June
Stayed at Mother’s flat & leave early for home.
Find Mother still upset & have anxious time managing her! She recovers in the evening altogether.
Tuesday 6th June
Off in the car with picnic lunch with Mother & Betty. Pause & have our meal in the woods by the Huts Hotel. Betty sees Dr Harmen, throat specialist & he says tonsils must be removed. Tea at flat & then I took her to a nice nursing home in Fitzroy Square. Hateful leaving the darling mite there & she was as good as gold about being left in new surroundings.
Wednesday 7th June
To nursing home early & played with Bettykins till the operation time. Saw her safely under chloroform without any fuss or fear from B. Dr Harmen did tonsils & adenoids in 20 minutes. Robin arrived back from Belgium at the nick of time too.
To see Lady Carmicheal re India. Lunch & tea at flat. See Betty after tea & home to Pax.
Thursday 8th June
Robin to London& sees Bettykins too. She is naturally a bit weak.
Aunt Mabel Townsend [mother’s younger sister] to lunch at Pax, on her way home to Oxford.
Friday 9th June
Take heather to London by train. She had only been in one once before & loved it. To see Betty in home, looking as well as could be expected & so good & happy. Fetch Mother in the car from the dentist, lunch at flat & then run out to Bushey & have tea with Misses Kemp Welch at their studio & see R’s old black charger, Black Prince. See Betty again in the evening. All stay at flat. Great fun to see Mrs Mrs Arbuthnott after dinner re Malaya G.G.
Saturday 10th June
R takes Heather home to Pax, after seeing B. again in Nursing Home where she is doing well. I run up to Doncaster. Lunch at Mansion House with Guide Commissioners, Vice Presidents at the West Riding County Rally on the Race Course. About 2000 there. Inspected them all & they did displays. Good show. All very jolly & enthusiastic. Leave Doncaster at 6.23. Dinner on train and sleep at flat again.
Sunday 11th June
Take Betty home in the car to Pax. So sweet she is. Lovely being back again.
Monday 12th, Tuesday 13th & Wednesday 14th June No entries
Thursday 15th June
Guide H. Q. Committee. Lunch at the club with all the others. Always a jolly time if hectic.
See Mrs Dobson re Tasmania & Mrs Lang re Canada. She wanted to make trouble.
Miss Busbey [?] to come to tell about guides at Tenerife.
Travel home to Pax with Oliva Burgess.
Friday 16th June
Olivia left. She goes to Canada for us next week.
Saturday 17th June
Robin runs over in Jimmie to Dene Court & picks up Peter & takes him to the Charterhouse 50th anniversary [of the school’s moving from London to Godalming ] celebrations.
Monty to stay.
Sunday 18th June
Ernest Young to lunch & tea & talk about scouts.
Monday 19th June
Miss Sam, a possible governess for some friends of Mrs Storrow’s in America came over to be seen & for tea – sister of the matron at St. James’ school at Malvern.
Robin to London for Old Carthusians dinner & returning after midnight.
Tuesday 20th June
Garden party her, a lovely day luckily.
Mrs Anderson, Anneseley, Mr & Mrs Ashton, Miss Belgrove, Lady Budford, Miss Beavington[?], Col & Miss Chriptie [?] Col. Circhen Bishop & Miss Chandler, Mr Castle, Mr & Mrs De Spallier, Mrs & Miss Dutton, Mrs & Miss Daniell, Maj & Mrs Bradshaw, the Eggar family, Miss Greniston [?] Miss Mackenzie, Dr & Mrs Hussey, Capt & Mrs Jeffreys, Mrs & Misses Lee, Mrs Lesizee [?], Mrs & Mrs Paine, Mrs Knox, Wades, etc. About 65.
Wednesday 21st June
Second garden party.
Sir John & Lady Atkinson, Col & MRs & Miss Clay, Mrs Joy, Col & Mrs Knight, Admiral & Mrs Molteno, Mrs MacNaughton, Maurice Macintoch, Major & Mrs Mitchell, Mrs Payne & fer friend Mrs Church, Maj & Mrs Pole, Mrs Ridley, Mr & Mrs & Miss Scott, Mr & Miss Seth-Smith, Mrs Sedgewick, Mrs Aldwin [?] Soames & her sister in law Mrs Arthur S. Tuppers, Torkingtons, Tanners, Mr Vincent, etc about 60.
Thursday 22nd June
Eileen, Wade & Dym….[?] Green up early to prepare for the party.
The party arrived in motor busses from London about 12.0 – the staff of the Scout & Guide offices, about 90 of ‘em. They had picnic lunch on the lawn, played games. A scare [?] of small [?] rain sent us into hut & house for tea. Then more games & they left with arms full of flowers. Quite jolly.
The staff were accompanied by Col De Burgh, Mr Nevill, Mr Power, Col Childers, Mr Martin, Capt & Mrs Gidney, Mr Chapman, Cap Stokes etc & Pichie came over with his sister.
Friday 23rd June
Robin to June
Gardened. Hilda B-P to stay.
Betty is improving already quite a lot since having her tonsils out.
Saturday 24th June
Robin, Hilda, Gammy & I & all 3 babies take picnic lunch & eat it near Pyrford in the valley by the stream. Pick up Peter at Dene Court & go off into the pine woods near the Hutts Hotel. Tea there & visit lovely horticultural gardens. Drop Peter & then home.
Nice Mrs Percy Birley [CC Lancs] to stay.
Sunday 25th June No entry
Monday 26th June
Mrs Birley left early. Robin & I to London, lunch at Scout Club & then to International Conference at Cambridge. Scout Rally in pouring rain & tea at Queens College. Then adjourn to Newnham. About 40 County Commissioners & delegates from foreign countries & overseas Dominions. R spoke splendidly to open the conference. Very jolly.
Tuesday 27th June Cambridge
Margaret Prior spoke on camping, Becky Manser [?] on interesting people & guides.
Wednesday 28th June
International delegates gave their reports all the morning. Long but very interesting. Special sessions for them too in the afternoon with Robin in the Chair.
They elected me as Chair of International Council again, etc. R left.
Thursday 29th June
[Conference at Cambridge - Page left blank]
Friday 30th June
[Conference at Cambridge - Page left blank]
July 1922
Saturday 1st July 1922
Conference ends & all these jolly people go their several ways filled with new enthusiasm.
Lunch with Mrs De Beaumont. Cambridge County Rally at Jesus College grounds. Splendid guides, good displays, public arrangements not good but all very guidey. Tea on the train & reach home for dinner & bring Marie Cyprus [Holland] with me.
Sunday 2nd July
Really feel a bit tired! A week like this one is pretty strenuous & there is a feeling of responsibility though ‘my’ commissioners are rippers[?]. They agreed to my asking Dame Katherine Furse to be my ‘assistant’ Chief Commissioner & that will help a lot.
Monday 3rd July
Madame Cyprus leaves. R & I run into Farnham to see Mr Nash [solicitor] about handing capital sums over to the babies.
Dear old Bar [Sybil] Mousey[?] Heysham who was almost my greatest friend years ago – 1903 onwards- to stay.
Tuesday 4th July
Robin to London & Gilwell Park for the day. Mrs Eggar, Ainsworths, to help me feed for lunch & motor bus party of the International guiders who came over for Cambridge Conference.
Darling B. Hefferman & Rosie brought them on their way to Foxlease. Poured with rain so we sandwich lunched in the house & they were as jolly as could be.
Poland [3] Norway [4] Latvia [1] Hungary [1] America [4] Sweden Denmark [2]
Finland, Canada etc.
Wednesday 5th July
Poured with rain but take Heather & Yvonne to Chawton Fete as they are to process as ‘flowers’ looking very sweet. All the children did the processing squashed into the house & the whole fete was spoiled. Though people turned up wonderfully & bought things.
Thursday 6th July Foxlease
Robin & I run down by train to Foxlease for lunch. Lots of the foreign delegates who came over for the experience are training there & love it. The place is perfectly charming & nicely furnished now. Alice Behrans is of course perfect as the head.
Friday 7th July
Do work in the office. Lunch with Mr Everitt at Reubens Hotel. Shop. Interview at H.Q. with Lady Asser re Bermuda, Lady Manning re Ceylon.
Catch train down to Maidstone, travelling by chance with Miss Ross Thompson [Kent County Sec]. Stay with old Mrs Wolsey, mother of Mrs Copley [?] Hewitt [DC] at The Friars at Aylesford- a wonderful old Carmelite monastery. Big party in the evening & lovely music.
Saturday 8th July
Walk round gardens & had interesting talk with A… Jones the pianist & Christine [?] E her sister the cellist.
With Mrs Meade [?] Waldo to lunch with Cornwallis at Liston Park [?].
Kent County Rally at Mote Park. Splendid muster of about 3000 from all over the county, good displays, & inspected them all & quite a good show …….. …….[?]
Just after tea again the rain came in buckets!
Travel to London with Mrs Fairweather. Dine & afterwards enrol & talk to almost 20 Guides – potential guiders – [ W.R.N.S.] & sleep at the club.
Sunday 9th July
Home to Pax early.
R returns home in time for tea from doing scouts in Northamptonshire & Bucks.
Monday 10th July
Baden came to stay.
Gammy took Heather, Betty & Yvonne to tea with Deborah Castle at Seale. A Miss Miller [?] & Mrs Eggar to tea to talk about our ‘plaque’ for Foxlease that she is going to carve.
Tuesday 11th July
Lovely & hot & Robin clipped hedges & I weeded the veg garden. Baden gardened reluctantly too. Lettice left early.
Wednesday 12th July
R does Sussex Scout Rally at Lewes, returning to Pax at midnight.
Call on Belts, newcomers at Mill Court & then tea with Helen at the charming little house at Headley.
Thursday 13th July
Robin to London for the day.
Mr & Mrs Storrow from America to stay the night. Came down by road in sumptuous car!
Friday 14th July
R to London again & Mr Storrow goes up with him. Mrs Storrow takes me [ & 2 maids] in her car to Foxlease, pausing enroute at Chawton for her to see the Knights’. Lovely home & for lunch in Romsey where we explore the abbey. Tea at Foxlease which is busier than ever & then tea. Home in the car.
Saturday 15th July
Take Mrs Egger in Jimmie to small district Guide Rally at Adhurst St. Mary in Petersfield, under Miss Barton. Good displays.
Sunday 16th July
Gammy out in the afternoon & R and I had the babies all to ourselves for nursery tea. Great fun.
Monday 17th July no entry
Tuesday 18th July
To London & go to see H.R.H Mary & give her three statuettes of guides, guide & a Brownie – the remainder of the guides wedding present. She is very pretty & charming.
Lunch with Monty at the club.
Home for tea.
Wednesday 19th July
Mary Storey comes for the day to talk over plans for the Swanwick Conference.
Thursday 20th July
Lunch at club with Alice, Helen etc. after H.Q. Committee.
With Mother to see ‘The 2nd Mrs Tanqueray’ at the Playhouse. Good play but not well acted.
Robin went back alone to Pax for the night. Mother very well & I told her that Dame Katherine Furse is going to do my work in the guides & she is elated at my giving it up.
Friday 21st July
Meeting with Indian G.G. workers [?] to talk over the future there. All very difficult as opinions differ.
Talk with Pichie & some American Girl Scout people.
Lunch at flat with Mother & her new found friend Prebendary Gough of Brompton Parish Church.
Joined R & went together to garden party at Buckingham Palace. Huge crowd lots of people here [?] to talk to & rather fun.
Robin had a Scout dinner & I stayed with Mother
Saturday 22nd July
Shop & see Monty at the office. R went to Paris.
Marylebone dep 12.15
Princes Risboro’ 1.5. Met there & whirled[?] in quite open car in pouring rain to lunch with Oxleys at Stowe. Bucks County Rally at Aylesbury & all completely spoiled by downpours of rain.
Very bad arrangements & most disappointing. Stayed night with dear old Aunt Connie Smyth at St John’s Lodge, Stowe [Robin’s mother’s father’s home!]
Aunt Connie drove me in her tiny pony cart to Aylesbury Station. To London; hurried lunch at Waterloo & home in time for nursery tea with dear babies.
Monday 24th July
Took Heather in Jimmie to shop & have my hair washed in Farnham.
Gladys Ainsworth came to tea.
Tuesday 25th July
Took all 3 babies in the big car over to Peppard & picked up Christian & Clare & Buty [brother Arthur’s girl] & went off for a picnic on the common near. They loved it. Betty slept in my arms coming home, dear wee treasure.
Wednesday 26th July – no entry
Thursday 27th July
To London. See Lettice & do letters at the office. Shop at Gorringes. To Mother in time for tea & stay there for the night.
Friday 28th July
Leave Victoria 8.45 on boat train to Folkestone. Beautiful calm crossing. The obliging Thomas Cook reserved a seat for the train down to Paris. Arrived 2 hours late, owing to crowds travelling to London. Robin met me at Gare du Nord.
Stay at Hotel du Cedre near Jardin des Plantes. All delegates from 30 different countries staying about there. R & I dined in a little café near The Madeleine. Afterwards to Scouters’ concert at Y.M.C.A. Robin did funny song etc.
Saturday 29th July Paris
Attended long conference session. Saw a British Guider Miss Yates, & a few French guiders.
Lunched with all the Scout delegates.
Afternoon Robin spoke quite splendidly as a wind up & most of them took the ??? enrolment – American, Dane, French, Italian, Spanish, Swedes, Austrian, British, Finnish, Poles, Czechs, Belgians, Dutch, Romanians, etc all together. Most impressive.
Big dinner for them all with presentations of awards.
Sunday 30th July
Drove with Mr Martin to see Les Invalides – all german guns & aeroplanes etc. Then to see wonderful circular picture of the war & all the leading people of each country in the war. Wonderful good painting.
By train to Versailles. Lunch at little café & then wander about in that vast palace seeing furniture, table & room where Peace was signed & then explore lovely gardens.
Awfully fine but we were tired so could not really walk much.
Back to Paris & leave by night train
Sunday 31st July Geneva
Arriving at Belle Garde, the frontier before 6am train[?] Out to breakfast there. Then onto Geneva. Very pretty.
Stay at Villa Lannermoor with Mrs Benton [ Aunt Nellie Soames’ sister] Hoards of scouts & guides at the station.
Rest all morning at this jolly villa on the lake. So clean & nice & posh here after stuffy dirty sordid Paris.
I go to tea with Guiders at their Headquarters. Nice lot. Dame Katherine Furse & Dame Rachel Crowdy [?] there too. Motor run with lovely view of Mont Blanc. Large dinner party of Scouters & guiders & rally round huge camp fire afterwards.
August 1922
to follow
[1] Olave elder sister Auriol (26/9/1885 - 5/4/1919)
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LV3C-KM3.
had three daughters, Christian (b. 1912), Clare (b. 1913), Yvonne (b. 1918)
Auriol flung herself under a train; her husband Robert Davidson was a tea-planter in Ceylon, so Olave took in the three girls.
[2] James J Richardson of the 13th Hussars and Rachael E Booker at St. George’s Hanover Square.
[3] The Mercers Livery Company – B-P was Master in 1912.
[4] Ernest J Court (chauffer) married Hilda Austen (nursemaid) in Eastbourne. See footnote for 24th January 1922 below.
[5] Headmistress of St. James’s School, West Malvern, Worcs, to which Heather and Betty went later. In 1956 she published “I was there”.
[6] https://www.thepeerage.com/p553.htm#i5523
[7] Geoffrey E. J. Scofield. Annie was Annie Court. I THINK she was the sister of the Chauffer whose surname was Court (by which he was known to the B-Ps).
Possibly -
Births Sep 1891 COURT Ernest John Bromsgrove 6c 373
Births Mar 1895 Court Annie Bromsgrove 6c 415
or
Births Jun 1887 COURT Ernest John Islington 1b 416
Births Dec 1893 Court Annie Norah Islington 1b 415
