1945 June

May. Miss Wilkinson goes home. School election. Churchill a bad third. Tory scaremongering. Donald Heath - a  man of destiny? Miss Auty's Rumanian. Excursion by charabanc. Packed meeting of WEA.

Tuesday, June 5th

Another milestone to peace reached to-day. Miss Wilkinson, who has lived with us since the Alps, our 1939-42 evacuees went, returned to her flat [Ed: 61 Market Place, I think] and our fourth bedroom was free and the house our own for the first time since Sept 1939. This very nice feeling, though Miss Wilkinson quite inoffensive and a long way from the days when we had Grandma and the Alps as well as ourselves. Touched bottom in the winter of 1941 and 1942.

The first of the election speeches on the wireless last night. The P.M. - and gosh wasn’t he bad – told us that if the socialists got in we should have currency depreciation and secret police – election poppycock with a vengeance.

The return of prisoners not always plain sailing. Had some reason to complain that a boy in the fourth form did not do his homework and spent his evenings hanging about the streets. Mother rang me up and very abusive, accused her son of walking the streets, her aim to do the best by the boy when father, a P.O.W., away etc. Heard to-day that father turned up to find that wife had disappeared leaving no address but his own children plus a baby by another man. Boy to go to an aunt in Reading as father naturally very knocked out by this discovery.

We are having our play readings with the W.E.A. The first, Geneva, went very well, but the second Sleeping Clergyman  by James Bridie is causing trouble. It is considered ”sordid, not nice, unsuitable and immoral” by some of the members. However, as Miss Hunter said, if it is good enough for the censor it is good enough for us, so we are going to read it with what following we can muster. Rather surprised by this outbreak of squeamishness among the staff.

 

Wednesday, June 6th

Casualties since D Day to VE Day announced to-night, 90 000 Americans killed, 40 000 British.

Churchill a very bad third on the wireless. Attlee good last night, and Samuel excellent this evening. Should think Churchill has done himself a lot of harm.

Friday, June 7th

A very busy and rather trying day. My school candidates for election were to address everyone above the 2nd forms. Just before the time a swarm of bees was reported in the walled garden! It was on a pear low down and impossible to shake off. Had no time to waste, so scooped it off and swarm turned nasty and stung my right ankle about six or eight times. Just managed to make election meeting. It was a great success, much cheering and booing, but good speeches, especially by Labour candidate, a little Belgian evacuee. Question time was lively. Everyone enjoyed it.

After this ankle like a football and could hardly walk. However made it down to Miss H’s and read Sleeping Clergyman. It went very well in spite of gloomy prognostications. My illegitimate sixth former, Heath, turned up and read very well. Hope like Charlie Cameron II he is a man of destiny!

Friday, June 8th

Polling day at school went off very well with very heavy, almost 100% vote. Made my first staff appointment under new Education Act with one governor present. However he did not say anything much and there was only one candidate picked by me, so that was all right.

Saturday, June 9th

Counted votes. Liberal 26, Labour 68, Conservative 108. This probably pretty representative of Henley; hope not of the country.

Tuesday, June 12th

Went to cinema to-night and saw newsreel with some pretty disgusting shots of the corpse's of Mussolini and his group being kicked about by an excited crowd in Milan. Then saw him strung up by his heels..... Don’t know exactly why these shots shown.

Eisenhower to-day lunched with the Lord Mayor, tea with the King and dinner with Churchill. We heard some of his speech when he was given freedom of the City. A very modest and a very ordinary chap he seemed. The sword of honour was not ready so the one Wellington carried at Waterloo was lent by the Imperial War Museum.

Friday, June 15th

Hilary home for half term to-day; met by three baby rabbits, two varieties of caterpillar and a new bicycle..... said he had learnt to swim.

To-day the longest parliament since the Cavalier Parliament of Charles II has been dissolved. It was a bad parliament, top heavy... .its docile yes-men of the Conservative Party made non-intervention in Spain, the fiasco of Abyssinia, the selling out of Czechoslovakia and appeasement with all its humiliations a possible policy for the party bosses and the egregious Neville Chamberlain, and only in the nick of time did they bestir themselves to overthrow one of the worst and most complacent and incompetent governments we have ever had.

Monday, June 18th

Took a day off to take Hilary up to London at the end of his half term. After lunch at the club went to St James’s Park to feed the ducks and see the pelicans, then walked to the Abbey where we went up the nave and out by the south transept. Saw the tomb of the Unknown Soldier and “the place where the King was crowned”, also the cloisters. Then to Charing Cross for the 3.15 for Tonbridge. Hilary wept a little, but cheered up when I took him to see the engine.

I went to have my haircut. The barber pointed out that it was exactly a year ago that the flying bombs started. He should remember as the roof of his house in Wimbledon was blown off. It certainly does not seem a year ago. Nice to stroll, about London and know nothing will drop and no enemy nearer than Singapore!

Wednesday, June 20th

Up in London for a Beethoven concert; Egmont Overture; Violin Concerto and 5th Symphony – a magnificent performance. No bombs, however queues. Queued for a meal, but decided in the end would be late for concert, so gave it up and walked through Green Park to Albert Hall; had to queue for bus to Hyde Park; after concert joined an immense queue for another bus; finally reached Marble Halls to stand in another queue for supper and by the time we got in only an omelet and a cup of coffee left. Four queues between tea and supper. [Ed: Concert ticket preserved; concert at 7.15, ticket for stalls cost 7s 6d]

Sunday, June 24th

Phyllis down for weekend. She and her Rumanian engineer making heavy weather of it. She said he was nothing but a monster of selfishness and really beginning to think that this characteristic of whole male sex! Still has an unexpelled worm lying low somewhere. Is now going to Hospital for Tropical Diseases, but so far all the fancy drugs they try of no avail. They deal will all varieties from Middle and Far East, but say the South Italian are the worst of the lost.

Election speeches on wireless continue.... The penny dreadful press continues its scares of dictation to Labour Party government by Prof. Harold Laski, the head of the party executive, depreciation of savings, etc. I have never known the Conservatives fight cleanly; they always try to import some kind of scare or stunt, ”making Germany pay”, ”the Red Letter”; the savings bank bogey, etc etc. Meanwhile the electors seem unruffled and continue to be most interested in plans for the provision of housing, of which they stand so desperately in need.

Wednesday, June 27th

The wet and showery weather with a good deal of wind continues. It rained steadily to-day. Unfortunately I had arranged for a party to visit the open air theatre at Bradfield to see Twelfth Night. This was the first excursion in a charabanc and I had to get permission, which would not previously have been given, from the Ministry of War Transport.

M and I have been able to have a few picnics this summer.

Friday, June 29th

To-night a W.E.A. meeting addressed by Jack Wray in the Council Chamber at the Town Hall. We expected a man and his dog, but it was packed with teachers and parents. In proposing a vote of thanks I said that when the community does answer the challenge to accept responsibility for the growth of its children, the sacrifices it makes will be repaid, for in the process the lives and personalities of adult society will be enriched and in that enrichment we all shall have a share. Hope so indeed.

It looks as if it will be a bumper year for honey like 1939, when I was in hospital and Nora was left to