Olave's diary for Sept 1921 Index
For other months click on the Year above. All years
Transcriber’s notes are in [square brackets].
[?] indicate something which could not be transcribed.
If you can help, please click here.
Click for People she mentions
or Glossary of terms she uses
< August 1921 October 1921 >
September 1921
Our grateful thanks to Rosie Healy for the transcription.
X
Thursday 1 September 1921
Robin went partridge shooting with [us?] & old R. & B. Eggar.
Lettice leaves
Pat leaves also.
Friday 2 September 1921
Up to London early. See Mme Malkowska (guide in Poland)
See Miss Miall for her to write articles on guides
See Mrs Stourton, (Tasmania Guide V.P.)
See Mrs Cartlidge, who has done wonders with organising Guides in China.
Lunch at the Club. See Miss Balfe re C.W. League
Pat Richards & I leave Liverpool Street 4.55 for Ipswich.
Stay with Guide Commr. Mrs Paul. Meet & talk to all her excellent nice Guiders in the evening.
Saturday 3 September 1921
Pat Richards & I motor off to call on old Mrs Everett (Mother of our Treasurer Percy) & Lady Cranworth – to talk with latter about Guides in East Africa. Also call on Guider Miss Wolton laid up ill. Large lunch party of all Suffolk Guide Commrs. Rally in the afternoon – Excellent.
Rush off to catch train to London. Dine with Monty at her lent house, & stay too. She, Pat & me & her friend to the play “Threads”. Good.
Sunday 4 September 1921
Robin picks up Pat & me at Monty's house (Regents Park way) in big car & off we all go to Gilwell Park. Lovely place it is: Scoutmasters training course going on. See all over the place, chat with the men, see the new Scout film, & then off home – dropping Pat at Sunning hall Guide Camp on the way.
Monday 5 September 1921
Went in to Farnboro with babies to watch flying.
Friede to stay. Poor old dear, she does love coming for her little holiday from Bexhill. It is a real treat to her.
Mrs Pyne & her niece Mary Gibbons (County Sec. for Guides in Lincs) to call.
Tuesday 6 September 1921
Miss Wears[?] (Secretary at H.Q.) came for the morning to short hand letters for me.
Got through about 25.
Wednesday 7 September 1921
Took picnic tea out to ruined house beyond Berstead[?]. Called on Mrs Furneau (Worldham Manor) but she was out.
Thursday 8 September 1921
Took Friede & babies in Jimmie & paid calls on Mrs Scott (Rotherfield Park) & Mrs Whatton at the Vicarage at East Tisted. Both at home.
Picnic on hill near there & picked blackberries.
R. to London for the day.
Friday 9 September 1921
Lovely hot day.
Black-berrying picnic near Binsted, with all the children and darling Robin and old Friede.
It reminds her and me of the old very long ago days when we used to blackberry together at Pixton (1898!) and Cranborne (1899) and I was so young! [Olave would have been 9&10]
Saturday 10 September 1921
Robin to shoot with Col. Booker at Chawton.
Take Heather with me to lunch at Silwood & help with the film that is being done of Guide work.
Heather “adopted” for the afternoon by delightful Finchampstead Brownie Pack. She took part in the Brownie dance for the film & I did “scenes” too. Dorothy Cordes (the Comr doing the film) is
[Continues on next page Sun 11 Sept]
excellent & has worked awfully hard.
Sunday 11 September 1921
All went blackberrying beyond Chawton. Caught in rain showers, but returned home, picking en route, by the “Golden Pot” & “High Pull”.
Pickie motored up from
26 Christchurch Road
Bournemouth
arriving before tea.
Monday 12 September 1921
Pickie left early.
Friede also left
Olivia Burges to stay. Robin went shooting with Mr Paine – who lives at The Welches, in Bentley.
Tuesday 13 September 1921
Robin to London for Mercers. Back in time for tea party here.
Miss Mackenzie & Miss Grimston, Mrs Thompson, Mrs Ogilvie (Benstead)
Miss Milman
Wednesday 14 September 1921
Did letters. Went over the hill & picked blackberries.
Olivia left after lunch. Dear nice good guide.
Tea party here.
Mrs & Miss Young,
Mrs & Miss Whatton,
Mrs Lempriere & two boys,
Sir Reginald & Lady & Miss Tupper
Thursday 15 September 1921
Up early to London.
H.Q. Committee meeting.
Lunch at Club with Mrs Cassie, Pat Richards etc.
Mrs Brady (Girl Scout Treasurer from America) to see me. Also Mrs Foster Baillie (Canda)[sic]and Miss Beeman (who will probably help our guide development fund with the usual annual victory ball. Home to Pax taking Helen Whittaker with us.
Friday 16 September 1921
Robin, Helen & I early to London. All motor down to Ealing & see the Guide film.
Very good & nice.
Talked over alterations to it. 1.20 train back to Pax. Miss Bewley came too to hold enquiry with Heather & Mrs Eggar into troublesome Miss Chicheley Plowden's camp at Hayling Island.
R. seedy with chill & fever & went to bed for dinner.
Saturday 17 September 1921
Mrs & Miss Daniell[?]to tea yesterday.
Typed Helen's report of her “Plowden Enquiry”.
She left. Sweet dear thing she is. Mrs Ffoulkes (D.C. Bedford) camped on drive last night.
Admiral Tupper to lunch & went off with Robin in big car to Gilwell where a great camp of 200 S.M.s who have done training there is to take place. R. not at all fit but so plucky & would go.
Sunday 18 September 1921
Robin returned in afternoon, having had a splendid gathering at Gilwell. Had Belgian “Order of Crown of Belgium” given him there. Lady Tupper etc. to tea to fetch Admiral T. away on his return with R.
Monday 19 September 1921
[page left blank]
Tuesday 20 September 1921
Run into Farnham alone in Jimmie to shop.
R. & I pull weeds in the river all afternoon.
Wednesday 21 September 1921
I start early with small maid Grace by train, Mabel (cook) & Kathleen (nursemaid) follow later train & nurse & babies go by road to “The Croft ” Bransgore – nice little house lent by kind Eve Fisher Rowe. Heather’s temperature 104 with excitement!! & had to go to bed on arrival.
Thursday 22 September 1921
All the babies & nurses & household spend whole day by the sea at Highcliffe, where we have hired a little bathing hut.
Bathed & stayed in an hour it was so delicious & warm.
Friday 23 September 1921
Bransgore
[Pencil note:] Mother takes Yvonne to stay with Gerger’s[?]
[Continues in pen:]
Ditto like yesterday
Robin by night train to Scotland for some shooting & fishing.
Saturday 24 September 1921
Took babies to sea & left them there for the day. R. stays at Ormidale, Argyllshire with Mrs Low.
Took maids to Bournemouth, lunched & left them there. Ran on round by Parkstone & look at Lyme Regis. Call at Sykes' on Canford Cliffs & saw Mother there, staying with them for week end.
Sunday 25 September 1921
Bransgore
Household to church.
Took babies alone to sea in morning.
Peter rather seedy – just tired & did nothing all day.
Mother & Sykes came to tea, bringing also poor sister Auriol's youngest baby Yvonne – who cries on every occasion poor mite.
[On 5 April 1919, Olave’s sister Auriol Davidson, nee Soames, committed suicide while her husband was living abroad. B-P's took in her children – 3 nieces, Christian, Clare & Yvonne]
Monday 26 September 1921
Took babies to the sea. Peter quite jolly.
Then ran over to Canford Cliffs - took Mother to spend an hour by Auriol’s grave.
Lunched with Sykes.
Got back about 4.0 to Highcliffe beach & bathed. Tea there with babies. Meant to return to Pax but missed train, so stayed on in this nice little lent home.
The babies radiantly happy.
Tuesday 27 September 1921
Home to Pax early.
Robin stays with the Nobles at Ardkinglas near Inveraray & is having a jolly change.
Miss Plummer, Deputy Chief Commissioner for Guides in Canada, to stay.
Wednesday 28 September 1921
Miss Plummer & I left Pax early. Foggy, so train late. Saw Mrs Gilbert (Girl Scout from U.S.A.) & Mrs Kennedy (Comm. for Constantinople) at Guide Office.
Catch train for Butterley [Derbyshire] & get to the Hayes (Swanwick) before tea ready to receive the big mass of jolly Commissioners for the Conference. Nearly 400 came – old & young, fat & thin, grave & gay!
Thursday 29 September 1921
Swanwick
Perfectly excellent sessions all day practically.
Dorothy Trafford spoke on commissioners' work. Margaret Prior on camps, Miss Rogers on Country Dancing, Olivia Burges on badges.
Practical training work done too & all so cheery & happy & nice.
Friday 30 September 1921
Rosie Kerr spoke on competitions etc. & Loelia Buchan Hepburn had model inspection.
Tea with Scottish Commrs.
Hockey match.
Mrs Ravenshaw spoke quite charmingly on Thrift – ie National Savings. Lady Goold Adams, Alice Behrens, Miss Plummer & I all spoke in evening on Guiding overseas.
Very delightful day.
