1953 January - March

January. Eel Pie Island, Ham House. Dr Heath on Casualty. Mrs Pakenham-Walsh. Truman - a brave, honourable man. Eisenhower takes over.
 

Thursday, Jan  1st

    A very cold, dull, nasty day. However set out with Hilary by bus to Reading and electric train to Twickenham. We had a cheap lunch in a teashop at 12 and then crossed the river in a chain ferry. It was bitterly cold. We imagined we were near Ham House, but actually we found ourselves wandering round a collection of shacks.

1952 December

December. Smelly adjudicator. Fog: Sir Thomas Beecham goes by tube. John Griggs, Harman. Eric Attrill's mask. Snowballing permitted. A good year on the whole.

    

Monday, Dec 1st

    House Music Competition in morning. A Lancashire man from the Music Department at Reading - a rather coarse man who stank badly, but gave quite a good adjudication.

1952 November

November. "The Sound Barrier." Stevie, Pat, Angela Atkins, Myles at Wellington. Miss Milbanke. Stolarow. Freda Cripps. Pre-1914: halycon days.

 

Sunday, Nov 2nd

    Yesterday and today we had what the meteorologists call a warm front - hot and damp with a high wind and everything went limp as blotting paper left outside.

1952 October

October. Night walks on Downs. Terrible train accident. Diarist reassured, Mary surprized. Miners cash in at Reading. U.S. election. Giles and N. Smith. Fawley Court demolished.

 

Friday, Oct 3rd

    Barrack room lawyer on staff spreading dissatisfaction because when on general duty does not have free dinners. Much legal subtlety and quibbling. What queer folk some teachers are!

1952 September

September. Farnborough Air Show disaster. Coal and Steel Union. Leighton Park at £93 per term. Sir Ronald Davidson. Mavis Wheeler marries.

 

Monday, Sept 1st

    Went into Reading to buy Hilary clothes. Got a suit, 2 flannel trousers, a jacket for £20.  Klaus Boehm arrived from Long Dene, a nice person.

1952 August

August. Cuckmere Haven. Long Man at Wilmington. Ditchling Beacon. Regency Exhibition at Brighton. Edith Evans, Miles Malleson and Michael Redgrave in "The Important of Being Ernest".

 

Saturday, Aug 1st

    Rained in night. Started in earnest about 10 o'clock and by afternoon simply poured down. Hilary arrived about 2.30 like drowned rat.

1952 July

July. Regatta, regatta crew and gents in Edwardian dress. Donald Heath's depression.  George Dunn leaves for Canada.

 

Thursday, July 1st

    Another really scorching day. Had a letter from Mary this morning; "I changed from pyjamas to one of my nighties, which are cooler, but the effect was disastrous and I was overcome by desire and woke up in a very excited state." Bless her heart!