Читать книгу Tommy’s War: A First World War Diary 1913–1918 - Andrew Marr, Andrew Marr - Страница 10

Walking has long been a Glasgow way of life. Car ownership has always been lower within the city boundaries than in the richer suburbs and countryside beyond. Even today, the 2001 census shows that Glasgow has the highest percentage of car-free households of all local authority areas in Scotland. This is partly because of the high levels of public transport in the city and partly because of the high levels of relative poverty. Neither of these factors has changed significantly since Thomas’ day.

Necessity aside, most Glaswegians enjoy the communal aspects of public transport and the street, where chance encounters and opportunities for conversations and exchanges of news abound. Just as Glasgow in the early twentieth century was a great city for teashops and public houses, it was also a great city for ‘windae hingin’, the practice of leaning out of tenement windows, forearms crossed on a blanket or pillow, taking part in the life of the street from one’s window on the world. Times have changed, but Glasgow remains a friendly city – this aspect of city life has even been enshrined in a tourist marketing slogan – and life in the fresh air, however bad the weather, seems to encourage and nurture this.

Thomas seems to find solace, strength and inspiration in his walks. When his family are away from him, he writes that he feels unsettled, then takes to the open countryside. He walks to visit his father in Bridgeton, his brother in Rutherglen and other family members and friends across the city. But primarily he walks for pleasure, whether it is his regular turn around Queen’s Park before breakfast on Sunday mornings in the summer, his frequent trips through Pollok Estate or over Cathkin Braes, or his solitary rambles to East Kilbride or Barrhead.

Many of his walks were in public parks. Glasgow may have had horrendous overcrowding problems in some inner-city areas (see ‘Housing and Factors’,), but the ‘Dear Green Place’ was well-served with parks and green spaces. It has often been said, but never quite proved, that Glasgow has more green space per capita than any city in Europe. In Thomas’ day, the city had 31 parks, several outside the city boundaries. The outlying recreational areas included Ardgoil, a ‘Highland ridge of a wild and picturesque nature’ between Loch Long and Loch Goil, according to one guidebook of the period; Balloch Castle and its estate on the shores of Loch Lomond; Cathkin Braes Park; Rouken Glen; and the Linn Park. Thomas mentions walking over Cathkin Braes and having tea in Rouken Glen, but he would be aware of the other parks and estates, even those beyond the reach of the tram network.

Queen’s Park was opened in September 1862, on the 143 acres of Pathhead Farm that the Glasgow Corporation (the city council) purchased five years earlier. English architect and garden designer Sir Joseph Paxton advised on the layout, and much of the work to turn the farm into a park was carried out by the unemployed. The queen of the title is not Victoria but Mary Queen of Scots, whose forces were defeated in 1568 at the Battle of Langside, on the southern boundary of the park.

Rouken Glen was gifted to the city by Archibald Cameron Corbett, later Lord Rowallen, in 1906. Its celebrated features include a ‘Highland Glen’ complete with falls, cliffs and crags. The picturesque waterfall, which is surrounded by steep woodland, was formed from a smaller natural waterfall, which was doubled in height in the early part of the nineteenth century to feed a reservoir that supplied a print works on the Auldhouse Burn at Thornliebank.

Cathkin Braes, a large expanse of natural hillside, is sited five miles south of the city centre. It includes one of the highest points on the south side of the city and affords spectacular views over greater Glasgow and as far north as Ben Lomond and Ben Ledi. The natural environment of the park includes ancient woodland, grassland, heath and scrub, with many long-established paths through the park giving a constantly changing environment and view. What is now the eastern portion of Cathkin Braes Country Park was gifted to the city in 1887 by James Dick, who had made his fortune in rubber soles, with the condition that it should be kept in a natural state and open for public enjoyment. The western portion was added in 1940.

Pollok Estate, although not gifted to the city by the Maxwell family until 1967, was a popular haunt of the citizens of Glasgow’s south side in Thomas’ day. Sir John Stirling Maxwell, whose family had owned the estate since the middle of the thirteenth century, gave the people of Glasgow access to the enclosed parkland around Pollok House from 1911. Ramblers such as Thomas would have been attracted by the natural woodlands, farmlands and the activity along the White Cart Water, which flows through the estate and was used to power a sawmill in Thomas’ time. Pollok

Postcard of Queen’s Park Gates and Victoria Road.

Postcard of Rouken Glen Park bandstand.

House, the stately former family home, is now in the care of the National Trust for Scotland. This is singularly appropriate, since the informal meeting that set up the trust was hosted by Sir John Stirling Maxwell here in 1931. The district of Cowglen, through which Thomas walked on his way to Barrhead, was part of the Pollok estate.

Barrhead, in Thomas’ day a thriving industrial town, sits eight miles south-west of Glasgow on the slopes of the Gleniffer Braes. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries its industries included iron founding, tanning, making porcelainware and carpet weaving. The road between the outer suburbs of Glasgow and the town travelled through farms and open countryside, with fresh winds blowing from the west and south-west, free from industrial pollution.

Thomas talks of sitting in the parks and listening to music. The Glasgow Corporation had Parliamentary powers to spend £4,000 each year on providing music in its city parks, although the annual bill often amounted to more than £10,000, with the difference coming from the sale of reserved seats. The city fathers no doubt thought this was money well spent on ‘civilising’ the population, just as the city libraries offered ‘improving literature’. Thomas seems to derive as much pleasure from walking as from music and reading, all of which he enjoys several times a week.

Tuesday, 21 April

Men up today to sort our ‘lum’. They took it away.

Wednesday, 22 April

Tommy cracked his skull in the back green today, fell off the kitchen table and again cracked his skull on the door. We were glad to get his remains safely to bed. Got Tommy a jar of ‘Virol’ as he is not as well as might be.²⁸

Thursday, 23 April

Got our lum put up today.

Monday, 27 April

Went out to Ruglen at night to consult my tailor for a new suit. Bought four clay pipes and broke three of them on the way home.

Monday, 4 May

Got the doctor’s little bill today.²⁹ £2 14s 0d.

Wednesday, 6 May

Factor here and got his blood money.

Saturday, 9 May

In the afternoon Agnes and I went out to the green fields and beat the room carpet.³⁰ Great fun. And then I laid it well and truly.

Sunday, 10 May

This is the day the Aquitania leaves the Clyde, so I met Andrew at 9 a.m., walked into the town and managed to get on to a Renfrew car and walked from there to Langbank and watched the boat passing.³¹ And then we walked back to Renfrew. Rained all the time. About half a million folk helped us to watch.

Monday, 11 May

Agnes at Ruglen in afternoon. Josephine and Small Lily here at tea time and after that Lily and John and Pa arrived.³² We played whist.

Saturday, 16 May

Agnes up nearly all last night with toothache, jaw-ache, earache etc., and has it all day today.

Sunday, 17 May

Agnes still got neuralgia, and I took a very sore throat and sore head. Wonder what’s going to happen.

Monday, 25 May

Agnes got a very sore head. Says it will be the bile. ‘Ora pro nobis.’

Thursday, 28 May

This is the day we all flit but I didn’t.³³

Friday, 29 May

Pubs don’t open now till 10 a.m., which does not affect me.³⁴

Saturday, 30 May

Empress of Ireland CPR rammed yesterday. 1,024 lives lost.³⁵

Wednesday, 3 June

Thought we were in need of a little amusement so off we went to the Cinerama.³⁶

Thursday, 4 June

At 10 India Street, Rutherglen, on this date 1882 T. C. Livingstone was born.

Sunday, 7 June

We noticed burglars had been at work opposite us. A policeman came up and interviewed us on the matter but we had no clue.

Friday, 12 June

Very busy tonight packing up, as we go our holidays to Rothesay tomorrow. Hallelujah. Agnes got a new pair of corsets today.

Saturday, 13 June

Beautiful day. Very warm, sunshine. Agnes and Nannie Gordon sailed by Lord of the Isles at 11.30, which was too crowded for comfort.³⁷ Mrs Gordon and Ella helped them on with the luggage. I followed in ease and comfort by 4.3 GSW and arrived Rothesay 5.55.³⁸ Agnes and the boy and Nannie met me. After tea we all had a look round.

Sunday, 14 June

Took a walk in the morning to the pier. After dinner we went by Ardbeg and met John and Lily Duncan and the two Jones girls.³⁹ We took them all up for their tea. Beautiful day.

Monday, 15 June

After breakfast went myself to Bogany and back by Skippers Wood.⁴⁰ We hired a pram for 4/- and after dinner we all went to Bogany Point. After tea I paid my twopence and listened to the band. Tommy got a pair of sandshoes (1/11). Weather perfect.

Tuesday, 16 June

We are all getting tanned. Weather perfect.

Monday, 29 June

Started my work today.

Saturday, 4 July

Their Royal Holinesses the King and Queen are coming to Glasgow next week, so Tommy got a flag.⁴¹

Sunday, 5 July

I was at church in the forenoon.⁴²

Tuesday, 7 July

Lovely day. Got away from my work at 10 a.m. as we have a royal visit today. Agnes met me with the boy so we hied us to Parliamentary Road and saw the King and Queen and the Princess Mary. We took off our hat and went on our way duly elevated. After tea I went myself to Cathkin Braes and saw a glorious sunset. Met an old school mate (Tom Davidson) there and we came down to Ruglen together. Home 10.30.

Thursday, 9 July

‘There is many a married-looking man who is only worried.’

Monday, 13 July

Agnes and Tommy away to Lamlash today, so I met them at Central Station and put them on the 12.40 train to Ardrossan.⁴³

Thursday, 16 July

Got a P. C. from my spouse letting me know when she would be home. The ‘Society’ man here at night. He took some of my hard-earned money with him.⁴⁴

In late July 1914, a severe diplomatic dispute between Serbia and Austro-Hungary was threatening to boil over into war. Austro-Hungary was demanding that Serbia hand over the leaders of the Black Hand Gang, who had killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand in June 1914. On 28 July the two countries went to war. The conflict rapidly escalated, with Russia agreeing to defend Serbia if it was attacked by Austria, and Germany in turn threatening to attack Russia if it intervened in Austria.

Sunday, 26 July

Gun running in Dublin today. Mob knocked up against the military (KOSB). Three killed, about 80 injured.⁴⁵

Monday, 27 July

War clouds in Europe.

Tuesday, 28 July

Austria and Servia at war now.⁴⁶ Things looking bad.

Wednesday, 29 July

Belgrade, capital of Servia, bombarded by the Austrians. Things getting worse and worse.

Thursday, 30 July

Agnes made jam and put it in jars. Russia mobilising. Things very grave indeed in Europe.

Friday, 31 July

Tommy got a bath tonight. All the stock exchanges closed now. Bank rate up to 8%. Germany in a state of war. All Europe mobilising. Things are very bad.

Saturday, 1 August

Fine day. We went to Queen’s Park in the afternoon and at night we went round by the boating pond, Aitken Head Collieries, and Mount Florida and took the car home. Bank rate up to 10% today. Germany has sent an ultimatum to Russia and France.

Sunday, 2 August

Very wet forenoon. Very heavy rain. Took a walk into town in the afternoon to see the latest war news.⁴⁷ Germany has declared war on Russia. Russia has crossed into Austria. Germany has crossed the French frontier. Our government considering today whether to fight or not. Royal Naval Reserves mobilised. The war of the world. We wonder what tomorrow will bring forth.

Monday, 3 August

I went to Sam’s shop at night and brought home half a stone of flour at 1/-. We are doing a bit of speculation in the provision way owing to the war. Agnes got a stone of sugar at two and a half pence per pound. Sugar selling today at 4d. Unprecedented scenes. Bank holiday extended three days extra. Germany, France, Austria, Russia, Servia all at war. British army and fleet mobilised. Germany warned by Britain. The climax is approaching.

Tuesday, 4 August

Provisions getting dearer every day. Serious times ahead. Germany declares war on Belgium. Official declaration of war with France and Germany. Britain sends ultimatum to Germany. The King has called out the Territorials. Government has taken over the railways. Germany has appealed to Italy. Every paper is now a ‘war speshull’.⁴⁸

Wednesday, 5 August

Town full of Territorials. Getting ready for our country’s defence. Britain declared war on Germany last night at 11 p.m. Now fighting: Britain, Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, Servia and Russia. The biggest war in the world’s history.

Thursday, 6 August

Took a run into Sam’s shop at night to talk over the ‘war news’. All sorts of rumours are going about. The soldiers are lifting horses all over the town.⁴⁹

Friday, 7 August

Germans have lost 25,000 men at Liège and have asked for a 24 hours armistice. Wild rumours going about. Seems to be a great naval battle in the North Sea. Austria and Russia formally at war now. We indeed live in stirring times. A month ago I would have said impossible.

Saturday, 8 August

Went to the Stirling’s Library in the afternoon for a book. Liège still holds out against Germans. Armistice refused. French have invaded Alsace-Lorraine. Britain has taken two German colonies. No fight yet in the North Sea. Portugal and Montenegro are reported at war with Germany. Italy still neutral. A nightmare of a war.

Sunday, 9 August

Tommy three years old today. Went into town in forenoon and got a war paper. After dinner we all went to Queen’s Park and heard the band playing where the Territorials are quartered in Coplaw Street.⁵⁰ After tea we all went into town and got another paper. Wild fighting in Alsace-Lorraine. Germans routed.

Tuesday, 11 August

Greenlodge mobilised their forces and invaded us tonight. They went away about 10.15. Germans still getting killed in Belgium. I’m beginning to forget all who are fighting.

The United Kingdom parliament passed the Defence of the Realm Act on 8 August 1914, days after declaring war. This gave the government powers it believed it needed on the home front, such as the right to censor all communications and to requisition buildings or land. The Act also banned the public from flying kites or lighting bonfires (which might attract Zeppelins), buying binoculars (which could be used for spying), feeding bread to wild animals (which wasted food), discussing naval and military matters (which could benefit spies) or buying alcohol on public transport (which wasted resources). The Act also gave us British Summer Time, which was intended to boost wartime production. Pub opening hours in Scotland were restricted to from 12 noon to 2.30 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and all alcoholic drinks were produced at a lower strength, both to conserve food stocks and to reduce alcohol consumption.

Thursday, 13 August

Beautiful day. Very warm. We all went to Queen’s Park at night and heard the band. Britain declares war on Austria. Germans getting slaughtered in Belgium. Brilliant Belgian victory. Britannia still ruling the waves.

Friday, 14 August

All sorts of rumours about British soldiers killed and wounded. Food prices getting easier. The scare is over in that respect.

Sunday, 16 August

Brilliant summer day. Took a walk into town before dinner to get a ‘war special’. After, we all went to Queen’s Park and admired the scenery from the flag pole. After tea we all went to town and got another special. Some French and Belgian successes reported. The Big Battle is coming on. A few million men to fight extending 250 miles.⁵¹

Tuesday, 18 August

Beautiful day. Agnes staying in the wash-house in the forenoon. I helped her to fold some articles at night, then she washed the marble staircase.⁵² The British army has landed in France. Magnificent welcome.

Thursday, 20 August

Nice day. Very warm. Agnes and Tommy out at Ruglen in the afternoon. Lily not well. Getting no news from Belgium. War Office very reticent. Russian successes in Russia and Germany. We all went to the pictures at night.

Friday, 21 August

I did some joiner work to the kitchen table at night. I am putting an extra leaf on it. Brussels is taken by the heathen Germans.⁵³ The Allies have some little game on, I think. Looks like a trap for Germany.

Thursday, 27 August

Nice day. Agnes bought a fancy pair of (the last part of this message is censored).⁵⁴ Bloody fighting in Belgium.⁵⁵ Enormous German losses.

Friday, 28 August

Dirty wet day. Germany seems top dog this week, but at a fearful cost. It is reported that they have 200,000 killed.

Sunday, 30 August

Up early this morning (7.20 a.m.), walked into the town in pouring rain to see the latest sad reading. British army badly cut up bearing the brunt of the fighting. Took a walk to Ruglen to see Lily. Disagreed with John’s socialistic views of the war. Father here at night. Agnes not well at all.

Thursday, 3 September

The new recruiting office in Cathcart Road seems to be doing business. About 10,000 men have enlisted in Glasgow for the war.

Friday, 4 September

Went out to the shop at night to see Sam and then we went to a recruiting office. Sam taking down figures and I watched the recruits having their eyes tested. Germans about 20 miles from Paris. Glasgow has enlisted 15,000 for ‘Kitchener’s Army’.⁵⁶

Monday, 7 September

A naval action in the North Sea last week. We sunk nine destroyers and damaged seven. This is private information. It has never been published yet, and very few, in fact, nobody, about here knows.⁵⁷

Wednesday, 9 September

Brilliant successes all along the Allied Line, about 180 miles in extent.⁵⁸ Things are looking more hopeful.

Friday, 11 September

Nice bright day. Wholesale arrests of Germans in Scotland.

Saturday, 12 September

Hetty here in the afternoon. We all went out and saw Fancy Dress Parade in aid of War Fund.⁵⁹

People were quick to volunteer for Army service. By late September 1914, some 2.25 million men had enlisted and 1.5 million were classified as being in reserved occupations. However, almost 40 per cent of all volunteers were found to be unfit for military service because of poor health.

Sunday, 13 September

Very cold, showery, windy day. Took my usual walk into town before breakfast.⁶⁰

Monday, 14 September

Not feeling well at night. Bathed my feet and took something ‘hot’ and so to bed.

Tuesday, 15 September

Stayed in bed all day. Dead to the world. Not worth even half a German.

Tuesday, 22 September

Agnes doing some baking at night. Tommy still got a bad cough. Disaster in North Sea. Three British cruisers sunk by German submarines: HMS Aboukir, HMS Hogue, HMS Cressy.⁶¹

Wednesday, 23 September

Agnes out seeing Lily at night. I stayed in and watched the child. About 200 wounded British soldiers arrived at Stobhill Hospital last Monday.⁶² Some British aviators flew over Cologne and fried a Zeppelin shed.

Thursday, 24 September

Nice day. All the Cormacks (and the lodger) up at night. We had a musical evening.

Saturday, 26 September

Wee Lily here in the evening and went away about nine. Agnes not well at all. She fainted at night. Tommy got new shoes (4/6). Some more German colonies going under.

Sunday, 27 September

Very windy day. I was not out except for war specials. Typhus broken out among the Germans at Brussels.

Tuesday, 29 September

Beautiful day. Agnes and Tommy over at Greenlodge seeing Lily (who is staying there to be nursed) in the afternoon. Cholera has broken out among the Austrians at Vienna.

Wednesday, 30 September

Allies pressing the Germans strongly in the Big Battle.⁶³

Saturday, 3 October

Big Battle still raging. German attacks shattered the London Scottish at the front. The first Territorial regiment to be in action. Antwerp besieged. Vienna preparing for a siege. All of us in town in afternoon. This is Belgian Flag Day, so we donned our flags.⁶⁴

The two great battles of 1914, the First Battle of the Marne and the First Battle of Ypres, were both successes for the Allies. At the beginning of the war a German force advanced through Belgium on its way to France, with the intention of capturing Paris. It was halted after crossing the River Marne, and in September the battle named for that river forced its retreat to the River Aisne. This joint French-British victory, one of the most decisive of the entire war, saved Paris and showed the Germans that they were not an unstoppable force. The Battle of Ypres followed in October and November as the Germans moved towards the French ports in the north of the country. Fierce fighting by the British forces around Ypres saved Calais and other ports from being occupied by the Germans.

Thursday, 8 October

Another 100 wounded arrive at Stobhill. 1,500 Glasgow tramwaymen with the colours.⁶⁵

Monday, 12 October

Agnes went to Greenlodge at night to see Lily. Andrew came up to keep me company.

Wednesday, 14 October

Agnes says Tommy is growing too quick, so we got him another bottle of emulsion.⁶⁶

Thursday, 15 October

Agnes and Tommy over at Greenlodge in the afternoon to see Lily, whose condition is very grave. Hopeless, I think, but can only hope for the best. Fleet of liners arrives in England from Canada. Hunt for German submarines on Scottish coast. We sunk one. 3,000 Belgian refugees are coming to Glasgow.

Friday, 16 October

Fine day but nippy, foggy morning. Saw crowds of the Belgian refugees today, a moving sight. I take my hat off to them.⁶⁷

Sunday, 18 October

Beautiful day. Agnes at communion today. After dinner we all went to the Sighthill graveyard.⁶⁸

Thursday, 22 October

Wholesale arrests of Germans all over Britain.

Saturday, 24 October

Most bloody fighting on the Belgian coast, by earth, air, water and under the water.

Wednesday, 28 October

Got a telephone message from John today that Lily was sinking rapidly and that the end was expected any moment. I went out before dinner to see her. She was breathing and no more. Agnes went out in the afternoon and I went at 6 p.m. but the end had already come. My father had been telegraphed to come home and Agnes and Nellie met him at the station.⁶⁹

Friday, 30 October

Took the day off my work. Nannie Gordon came here in the forenoon and took Wee Tommy away to Ibrox, and then we went to Greenlodge. The funeral left after 3 p.m. and in Rutherglen Cemetery we finally laid poor Lily to rest. It was a cold, wet day, a fit end to this tragedy, for the more I think of it, the more I realise the bitter tragedy of it all. Agnes went down to Ibrox at night for Tommy, and I went home with father. I was more than pleased to see my wee man again. I missed the little rascal more than I could have thought. He seems more precious than ever now.

Sunday, 1 November

Very dull day. None of us out at all. I’m afraid our thoughts were gloomy, and the day lasted a hundred years. Agnes not feeling well at all. Everything is wrong.

Monday, 2 November

Wee Isa here in afternoon and evening.⁷⁰ Sam, Nellie and John came at night. Poor John. A sad, weary figure. He has got to plough his lonely furrow now. Great bayonet charge by the London Scottish, the first Territorial regiment in action.⁷¹ Bavarians routed.

Wednesday, 4 November

Father off to Edinburgh today for a little before he settles down in Greenlodge. The Elder’s wife, Mrs McCracken, here today, to see if we needed any charity owing to the war.⁷² So far, we don’t. The factor called today and robbed us of some money.

Sunday, 8 November

Tommy very sick today. We find at night that he has got the

chicken pox.

Friday, 13 November

British casualties to 31 October: 57,000.

Saturday, 14 November

Hard frost today. After dinner, I went part of the ‘complete’ walk, a memory of my courting days, but I was alone, the pleasure was gone. When I came in, Lily was in. No need now, alas, to say wee Lily. It’s hard yet to realise that Lily is gone for ever. British army to be raised to over two million men.

Monday, 16 November

The war is costing us £1 million a day. My salary won’t pay it.

Tuesday, 17 November

We are now the proud possessors of a new hall clock, a sewing machine which Agnes does not know how to work, and a bed we don’t know what to do with.⁷³ We spent the night stowing them away, and I put up the clock. I will need to increase my insurance policy.

Wednesday, 18 November

Tommy’s chicken pox seems to be on the wane (this is not a pun).⁷⁴

Thursday, 19 November

Working late. This is stocktaking day.

Friday, 27 November

Dirty wet day. An old girl of mine, Mrs Robertson, dropped in at night.⁷⁵ British army in Belgium ‘covered with honour and glory’. Outlook for Allies ‘very good and full of promise’. Russia’s great triumph ‘colossal and decisive’.⁷⁶

Wednesday, 2 December

Tommy got a bad cough. Made him a wee bridge at night and bought him a new slate.⁷⁷ Glasgow Territorials now in the trenches in France.

Members of the Black Watch in the trenches.

Thursday, 3 December

Wild, stormy, wet day. Tommy still got a bad cough and Agnes greatly worried thereby. I put up a shelf in the pantry for the household boots. Belgrade taken by the Austrians.

Friday, 4 December

Stormy day. Some rain. Tommy’s cold much worse. Agnes in the depths of despair. All German attacks repulsed in Flanders.

Saturday, 5 December

Bitter cold day. Tommy a little better and Agnes is thusly in a better frame of mind. German trenches captured.

Sunday, 6 December

The ‘lum’ went on fire while breakfast was being made, which delayed the breakfast somewhat. We took it in the dining room, and then I cleaned all the flues, which seemed badly needing it.

Wednesday, 9 December

Hetty here tonight, which pleased us greatly. We are always glad to see her. Nellie arrived about 9 p.m. with some pictures from John for us.⁷⁸ Allies progressing in Flanders.

Monday, 14 December

Agnes and Tommy went in the afternoon to Tollcross to see an old girl of mine (Mrs Robertson) and I went straight from my work.

Wednesday, 16 December

My father and Isa here at tea time. German raid on east coast of England – Hartlepool, Scarborough, Redcar and Whitby shelled by the devils, and then they ran back to their kennel. 130 people killed and 300 wounded.

Thursday, 17 December

We arranged the pictures in the room at night.⁷⁹ I wrote to the factor about our lum, as it has struck work.

Sunday, 20 December

The ground white with frost today. Took a big walk before dinner. Through Queen’s Park to Shawlands Cross, then car to Pollokshaws West and walked along Cowglen Road and down past Crookston Castle and on to Half Way House and car home. Agnes very ill at night, and I had to apply hot flannels to her.

Thursday, 24 December

Tommy got his first Xmas present of the season, a book of boats from Hetty and we got cards. Nannie and Ella here at night, and they gave Tommy a motor car. I sent off a few hundred Xmas cards tonight. ⁸⁰ German airplane drops a bomb on Dover. No damage done.

Friday, 25 December

Got away today at 12.30. We got a few more cards and Tommy got a teddy bear from his uncle John, and a wee card like a horse from Jenny Roxburgh. Agnes not in good form. She has a sore head, so we did not go out at all. Big Russian victory.⁸¹

Saturday, 26 December

Took a walk to Paisley and car back. German aeroplane off Sheerness but it got chased. Rumours of great naval activity by Germans getting ready for ‘Der Tag’.⁸²

Monday, 28 December

Mr Crozier sent Tommy a big wooden horse today. Cuxhaven, the German naval base, bombarded by seven British waterplanes, assisted by the cruisers Dauntless and Arethusa, and submarines and destroyers. These were attacked by two German Zeppelins and some aeroplanes, but were easily driven off. The first fight of its kind in the world’s history.

Wednesday, 30 December

My niece Lily here at night. Bought a new hat for my Ne’erday.

Thursday, 31 December

After dinner we went into the town and bought Tommy a new coat (15/-) and cap (1/6). Not out again. We will now sit up and watch the New Year come in.

1 Thomas’ father, Joseph Livingstone, lived at 3 Greenlodge Terrace, Bridgeton.

2 Lily was Thomas’ sister, married to John White.

3 Lum is a Scottish word for chimney.

4 Duncan was Thomas’ brother, who lived between Belfast and Glasgow.

5 Castor oil was used to ease constipation and induce vomiting. ‘So help me bob’ is a bowdlerisation of the Christian oath ‘So help me God.’ Usually rendered in Scotland as ‘Help ma boab.’

6 ‘Going for the messages’ is a Glasgow expression for going out for grocery shopping.

7 The equivalent temperature in Celsius is 38°.

8 Mrs Carmichael was a neighbour in the same tenement as the Livingstones.

9 Tommy usually walks his visitors to their tram or train, often travelling long distances. In this case, he and Hetty presumably walked from Govanhill to Central Station, in the centre of town, so that she could catch her train home. Hetty was Agnes’ cousin.

10 Nell Ruth was probably the wife of Frank Ruth who lived at 20 Morgan Street.

11 Andrew Hamilton was a former office boy in Paterson and Baxter, where Thomas worked. John and Margaret Carmichael lived at 14 Morgan Street and were neighbours and good friends of the Livingstones. Mrs Brown was likely to be Catherine or Charlesina Brown who lived at 14 Morgan Street. John McCort was the son of the painter, Daniel McCort (see 23 January, 1913).

12 Nannie Gordon.

13 Josephine was Thomas’ older sister.

14 ‘Thanks be to God’.

15 The Hundred Acre Hill, also known as the Hundred Acre Dyke, was a hill in Cathcart, now part of King’s Park.

16 The scullery was a small area off the kitchen generally used for washing and storing dishes and kitchen equipment.

17 The wash-house was a stone or brick structure at the rear of a tenement, used by all of the tenants in rotation. It contained a boiler, a number of sinks and a wringer or mangle.

18 Jenny Roxburgh was a family friend who lived in Clydebank and worked as a nursing sister in Maryhill.

19 Dalmuir is to the west of Glasgow, on the River Clyde near Clydebank.

20 Nannie Henderson was probably one of Agnes’ aunts.

21 ‘I don’t think so’.

22 Hampden, the Scottish national football stadium, is in the district of Mount Florida in south Glasgow. It had the largest capacity of any ground in Scotland, and one of the largest in Europe.

23 The game was one of six in the British Home Championship, which was won by Ireland.

24 Thomas’ brother-in-law.

25 ‘Of sound mind’.

26 Kingston Halls was a public hall in the Kinning Park district of Glasgow. The German word ‘Kinderspiel’ means children’s games.

27 Pollok Estate was owned by the Maxwell family for more than 700 years. It was gifted by them to the city of Glasgow in 1966. Part of the estate is now known as Pollok Country Park. The estate also contains the Burrell Collection gallery, opened in 1983.

28 Virol was a health food made from bone marrow.

29 Presumably for the tonsillectomy.

30 In the days before vacuum cleaners, spring cleaning involved taking the carpets outdoors, laying them on grass or hanging them on washing lines, and beating them to remove dust and dirt.