Tommy’s War: A First World War Diary 1913–1918. Andrew Marr

and family. Called in at Bow’s Emporium²¹ and arranged for a man to fit in the room grate. Went up to the new house in afternoon and whitewashed the kitchen press and bunker. The flitting starts tonight. To help we had Sam and Donald, Mr McCort, Mrs and Miss Gordon and Josephine.²² We ceased operations at 10.30 and had supper.

       Friday, 24 January

      Putrid wet day. Man came up and fitted in room grate. It was a hard job and he lost his chisel, so Agnes gave him a ‘tanner’. Cost of grate fitted in was 4/6. The piano was removed for 4/-. The plaster men [came] in the morning. Man up to measure us for a gas stove. Agnes got a gas stove from her aunt.

       Saturday, 25 January

      Agnes at the painter in the forenoon arranging about our kitchen. Went up to the old house in the afternoon and took off the Yale lock, name plate and letter box. Man here sorting the kitchen gas. At night whitewashed ceiling and walls of the closet and put up the kitchen pulley.

       Saturday, 1 March

Out at the Barrows²³ before tea and bought an awl and a wee wally bow-wow²⁴ for the cherub.

       Wednesday, 12 March

Today’s advertisement: ‘Children’s Fancy Dress Ball. Mr J. B. McEwen’s Juvenile Pupils, St Andrew’s Halls, Granville St, at 5p.m. Carriages at 9.30 p.m. Spectators’ tickets 1/6. Tickets to be had at 29 St Vincent Crescent.’²⁵ I did not manage to the above.

       Monday, 24 March

      ‘Men must either be the slaves of duty or of force.’ (Or the wife.)

       Tuesday, 25 March

      Was at library at night for my usual good moral book.

       Monday, 14 April

Cold, wet day. National strike started in Belgium today.²⁶ King of Spain shot at yesterday.²⁷ He was not hurt.

       Wednesday, 16 April

      Got a note from the factor. Cuss him that the rent is raised 22/- in the year. Now we’ll starve.

       Monday, 21 April

Telephoned the factor about the rent and found to my delirious joy it was only advanced 4/- in the year, to wit £3 15s 3d per quarter.²⁸

       Friday, 25 April

Fresh sort of day. National strike in Belgium fizzled out. Agnes still got toothache. Poor Agnes. Her bottom teeth are up the pole.²⁹

       Saturday, 26 April

Very cold and windy. Wet. In the afternoon I went to the Stirling’s Library³⁰ and on my way back saw the start of the Great Territorial March Out. I went into a doorway and saw it all. Rain coming down in buckets. Poor ‘sojers’. They were wet.

       Monday, 5 May

Lord ‘Bobs’ in Glasgow today to make us all ‘sojers’.³¹

       Wednesday, 7 May

      Paid the cussed factor his cussed rent. Cussed cold and cussed windy.

       Saturday, 10 May

      Took the wife of my bosom and my son also heir out for a walk by Hangingshaws and back by Mount Florida. Saw the Boys’ Brigade inspection on our way home.

       Friday, 16 May

      Beautiful summer day. Took the wee man a walk to Queen’s Park at night. Agnes met us there. Saw the recruits drilling in the recreation grounds.

       Sunday, 18 May

      Played hymns on the piano and amused our good selves in divers ways.

       Sunday, 25 May

Broke the clasp of my wally teeth today.³²

       Tuesday, 3 June

      I went straight from my work to the man who pulls teeth and got my renovated set. Seeing it was my first offence he charged me nothing. I did not press the good man.

       Wednesday, 4 June

Lost my usual bob on the Derby.³³ Got my hair cut. This is my birthday.

       Thursday, 5 June

      ‘Every step of life shows how much caution is required.’

       Tuesday, 10 June

This is the anniversary. ‘Marriage notice. 10 June 1910. At 39 Whitefield Road was spliced Agnes Smart Cook, spinster, to Thomas Cairns Livingstone, bachelor. MOSC.56 SCA. 7,053. God save the King. Ora Pro Nobis. Let Glasgow Flourish.’³⁴

       Thursday, 26 June

[On holiday in Rothesay.] We saw two blessed warships, one of which anchored in Sweet Rothesay Bay.³⁵

      As well as the war clouds gathering over Europe, in 1913 there was another battle raging in Britain as the supporters of equal votes for women staged spectacular protests to win publicity for their cause. On Wednesday 2 June, Emily Wilding Davison ran onto the racecourse at Epsom during the Derby and was struck by Anmer, King George V’s horse, and its jockey Herbert Jones. The seasoned campaigner may have intended simply to disrupt the race and to unfurl the banner of the Women’s Social and Political Union, but she died of her injuries and became a Suffragette martyr.

       Friday, 27 June

      Rothesay’s full of sailormen now.