Fit as Fiddles and as Hard as Nails

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Septr 11th [1914] Friday

Chilly & windy though sunny. Showers in the afternoon. Continued good news. German right wing being turned round & seeming to be now definitely retreating. It is now said that the “Pathfinder” was sunk by a German submarine. Another Russian victory over the Austrian army near Lublin reported. J. heard from Willy Clarke today that there is going to be a great rise in glass & that lamp-chimneys are already hardly to be had. We have only one left for our small lamps! Must try to get some from Sutton tomorrow if possible. Isabel Fitzherbert said her brother had been ordered to the front i.e his detachment of the 5th Irish Horse & got to Dublin on Saty last I think, where the orders were cancelled & they do not know where they will be sent now.

Septr 12th

Cold & rainy. War news continues good. There is some uneasiness about Turkey cancelling the ‘capitulations’ i.e. making foreigners subject to Turkish authority instead of to their own embassies as hitherto. Had tea at Fan-na- Greine. Cousin M. said with great feeling that she always thought it would make such a beautiful interesting story with such a nice end; she had it all laid out in her mind & that was if the Kaiser could be taken prisoner & she would have him put in a cage & displayed!

Charlie heard a startling tale from Evie Barron that it had been discovered that one of the French generals turns out to be a German spy & it was [diary ends here]

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Septr 10th [1914]

to attract shipping or air-craft should be suppressed as far as possible. Mother said the other day Eagar & Andy McDonnell were having a great ‘gosther’ & both agreed that spies in this country did not have their rights or be properly treated at all, why in any other place they’d all be shot out of hand! – There was a day or two ago a conference in London of French Russians & English representatives who agreed that no one of the Allies should make peace without the consent & consultation with the others. We are very sad about the south of Ireland being so backward as to recruiting no doubt owing to politics & mismanagment. There was a deeply interesting dispatch from Sir J. French telling about the campaign so far. It does seem to have been an awful experience practically a 4 days retreating battle, constantly in the most precarious conditions. It seems to have been touch & go that the whole British force was not annihilated & [?word missing such] splendid leading & fighting that they succeeded in retiring safely. It is a very impressive account considering its extreme baldness.

The other day when Father & Mother were parlaying old Mahon he said that indeed this war was all due to that Sir Edward Carson, what a mischievous fellow he was, it was just he & Larkin & the suffragettes that had brought on this war & it must  be true for that was what was “on the paper”.

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Septr 8th [1914]

It is announced that the allies have taken the offensive all along the line, Nanteuil, Sezanne, Vitry-le-Francais- Verdun. It is a great surprise that the Germans have left Paris & not attacked it. It is said on good authority that the King, Mr Asquith & the Russian ambassador denied any truth in the “Russian rumour” but I can’t help thinking that there must be some foundation for it & Birdie <mentions that troop trains are continuously thundering through Manchester>

Sept 9th Nice day though east-wind haziness. Very cheering news the Allies offensive has checked the Germans their right wing has been driven back by the French from Vitry. Further a telegram from Rome the publication of which is sanctioned by the Press Bureau though they take no responsibility for its accuracy states that 250000 Russians are now concentrated in the north of France!! This may very likely have affected the German plan of campaign & caused them to make a change. There seem to be more hopeful indications of a possible arrangement about the Home Rule question also about Irish volunteers.

Septr 10th  News still good. The Germans are being slowly driven back. Nice day. C.W.W. rather miserable with headache. Admiralty has issued instructions urging that bright lights in piers & elsewhere likely

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Sept 7th [1914] Monday

Lovely day. I went off to Dublin, cycling to Greystones & on by rail, leaving at 6.30 a.m. Eagars came up about 1 ocl. They report that 60 more policemen & a detachment of soldiers have been drafted into Arklow. The women & children have been sent out of the coastguard station & the soldiers installed. No one may be out after a certain hour 7 p.m. I think & Ellen Neale who has got a place with Mrs Annesley says you could not go into the street anywhere without tumbling over a policeman & anyone going out of the town is challenged & has to give account of himself & his business. Further on Tuesday last 2 nuns arrived by the 11 ocl. train drove to the ‘meetings’ & back to Redmonds. Miss R. herself served them with tea, she is said to have thought their hands very queer, not what nuns’ hands should be, & was further surprised at their going down to the back yard looking round & then going through the garden & out to the fields beyond. However she said nothing & they went off by the 5 ocl. train to Wexford, where it was discovered that they were men & Germans & were arrested. Jack Kearns is said to have seen or heard or both an aeroplane flying over Conary on Friday morning between 4 & 5 a.m.

The Press Bureau issued a statement of the general proceedings of the campaign. From the 23rd Augt. to Sept 2nd there was constant fighting the Allies slowly retiring to beyond (south) of the Marne

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Septr 5th [1914] Saturday

Dull day. Allies now retired to near Compeigne as far as one can hear. Germans within 20 miles of Paris. All the north of France open to them, it seems doubtful whether Le Harve is safe for us. The Russians have taken Leinberg & Austria seems to be defeated on all sides. Turkey seems likely to join Germany Italy still neutral. Sweden also neutral but her further conduct uncertain. In the afternoon W. & I were down at Hotel to get biscuits for tea when Maude Bayly appeared looking for someone to take a note up to Mother. She had come up in the motor with poor Lady Howarden. It is quite confirmed about her son & she is heartbroken poor thing. She is staying on with the Baylys for the present. M. said the police had been up to ask whether she would put her car at the disposal of the Govt. if necessary & thought that they thought something might happen to the railway line! what we can’t imagine. M. said she would give it with pleasure if she could drive it herself, which they replied would make them very proud! She said all the surrounding people had been similarly asked for their cars.

Septr 6th Sunday   Nice day, cool but sunny. Post O. notice says Russian victory at Leinberg overwhelming. C. went off to Scarr & Lough Dan returning at suppertime. V. J. May, Monty & I went out on the lake after tea which was glassy & so pretty.

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Sept 2nd [1914] continued

seem to object & I sorely fear the whole thing will fizzle out in efficiency & squabble. Mrs FitzH has told them here that a friend of hers actually saw the Russians in Scotland & helped to give them water poor things. She says there are 100000 of them

Sept 3rd Lovely day. The Aunts arrived in the evening after an unfortunate journey as no-one knew that the 3 ocl. train had been stopped, they had to wait for the later one 4.30 & did not get out till after 8p.m.

Septr 4 <French Govt. moving to Bordeaux & Paris preparing for seige.>                                                              Lovely day. C & I took luncheon & went to the top of Derrybawn. On the way up we looked in at the Lodge. E.B. read us a letter from Mr B. saying that it was a fact that Lord Kitchener when this war began had sent off for Russians & that 100000 had arrived at Cromarty [&] been rushed through England (we heard from another source that railway traffic was closed to the public for three days on account of coal being wanted for the navy; the Russians were the ‘coal’) & were to arrive at Ostend the day he wrote, Wedy. He also said that the Indian troops has arrived at Marseilles. First bit of casualty [news] <Genl. Arthur’s 2nd son Graham killed & Lord Howarden believed to have died in hospital, Major Pack Beresford killed, over 4000 missing, it is heard to think> of the misery it all means

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Augt 31st [1914] continued
Poor Lady Howarden had a telegram on Thursday saying that her son was dangerously wounded though not officially confirmed. The Government are bringing over about 50000 Indian troops, a new & thought to be a very wise step.

Septr 1st Tuesday
Glorious day
Seeing Mrs Cosgrave in the evening she told us that the Church towers at Kingstown were being removed & all the inhabitants of towers facing the sea were turned out etc. etc!! (This of course is not true).

Septr 2nd
Returned to Glendalough in the evening. Mr Dargan in the morning said Mr Harrington had heard the Russian rumour in Dublin. She also said she had seen in the paper that it was all Sir E. Carson’s fault that this war had broken out, he had lunched with the Kaiser at Homburg! & led him to believe that the Ulstermen would like him over to save them from Home Rule! – It is sad that Ulster has absolutely declined to make any advance or relax their attitude of suspicion of the South in the least after Mr Redmond’s speech. I fear that the volunteers are come to a split, the larger part (I imagine) would like to be regularly trained under the War Office but Col. Moore & the Provisional Committee

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Augt 29th  [1914] Satdy

Letter from Francesca mentioning that Richard has got his promotion & is very busy at Fort Nugent which is being prepared against all contingencies. (We heard the other day from Connie that Richard is a midshipman 9 months earlier than would have been the normal time). F. also said they were excited over a rumour they had heard but it was inadvisable to write it. It seems that fighting in Belgium was raging from Satdy to Thursday last, the British force retiring by degrees from the Mons district towards Cambrai. Splendid naval engagement in Heligoland Bight where our ships sunk 3 cruisers – did other damage

Augt 30th Sunday

Damp & dull raining at times Letter from Fred saying they could not come over as the Yorkshire landlady kept them to their bargain He apologized for delay owing to the landlady’s letter having been opened & consquently delayed by censor.

Augt 31st

Lovely day. C & I rode down to Tigroney. Found Win diligently making jam. Statement by Lord Kitchener about war saying there had been no fighting since Thursday – that the general position in France was satisfactory. W. had heard yesterday at Ballyarthur a rumour that 27000 Russians were coming from Archangel & landing at Cromarty. This is no doubt F’s rumour as it is said they are to pass through Manchester.

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Augt 27th [1914]

Rather more cheerful tone about papers. The French seem holding their own down south. Much dissatisfaction is being expressed as to the Press Bureau giving such absolutely bald statements & so little of them while it seems the French & foreign newspapers are giving all details. Nice letter from Fred, it is very sad that they cannot go to Tigroney. They said their landlady’s letter had been opened re-sealed & “passed by censor” hence the delay. She kept them to their bargain & no excursion tickets are being issued for Ireland so they so they could not afford it. Fred has been very busy preparing for wounded men & helping to train & teach to shoot a detachment of “over 40”. He was much pleased with Veronica’s article on ‘War time in Ballyarthur’  & has re-organised & sent it to Manchester Guardian. V. very enterprizingly went off to the ambulance class at Laragh but between bolting her dinner & [?] off all the way on foot, hot room & probably trying to [?] got rather faint & was kindly sent back by Mrs Hanley in her motor-car.

28th. Nice day mild inclined to drizzle in afternoon. Papers disquieting. The British force have been engaged again battle probably still raging. They fought splendidly but in face of superior numbers of the enemy had to be withdrawn a short distance. The Fan-na-greine party returned. Maude looked in in afternoon & reported that several houses near the Barrons in Essex had been blown up that they might not interfere with guns. Letter from H.T. Irish Times warns against possible invasion.

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Augt 26th [1914]

J. & I worked hard getting house ready yesterday & this morning. F.M.V & Merry arrived about 3.15 driven by Maude [?&] [?Dick] in the [?]. Went to Camaderry saw Maude & Miss [?Galgey] & FitzHerbert girls account of [?]