February. Coup in Prague - who's next: Greece, France Italy? Robert Morley. Ghandi assassinated. Clem protects his manhood. Proud of Miss Hunter. Doctor trouble. Van Hassel Diaries. Tailor trouble.
Sunday, Feb 1st
Yesterday went up to London. Taken by Margaret Burton to see Edward my son, written and acted by Robert Morley, the story of the rise of a business bandit from small beginnings to a biscuit king and the ruthless way he dealt with his wife, his mistress, business friends and others, all in the interest of Edward, my son, who in the end is killed in the war.
The play ends with the departure of the biscuit king, now Lord Holt, for Florida. We sat in the second row of the stalls where I had not been since I saw Children in Uniform with Con in 1932. Robert Morley excellent at the acting of these selfish and unscrupulous gamblers. Children came back from lunch at 2 o’clock on Friday with a story that Ghandi had been assassinated. Alas, this proved to be true. Whether it will lead to a further outbreak of communal fighting and killing or whether the Mahatma dead will be as powerful as the Mahatma alive remains to be seen.
Tuesday, Feb 3rd
Nora went to see Aunt. Aunt well but explained that she had never been left alone after dark. Considering that she has lived through two world wars, this I feel a pretty good effort, but tough on her companions and present nurse.
Talking to Clifford today mentioned Uncle Toby and the Widow Wadman in Tristram Shandy as we have an ex-army student who was badly wounded in Normandy. Clem (Clifford) said that when the runway of an aerodrome was bombed he always ran holding his helmet over his testicles and not his head, as he felt he would rather be killed than come home to a wife full of desire and be unable to lie with her.
Thursday, Feb 5th
Went over to Oxford with Miss Hunter and Clem to a meeting of senior masters and senior mistresses. The S.M.s (senior mistresses) sat together in a row like a lot of school girls. We were the only school to sit together. And Lord! what a mothy lot, you could have grown potatoes in one woman’s hat, and dowdy …. Not a well dressed woman among them. I felt very proud of Marjorie Hunter, fur coat, smart hat, earrings, frock and silk stockings and shoes to match. And all so earnest and serious, all examination and results.
Sunday, Feb 8th
A poor day dull and drizzly. Had lunch with Mary, then went to the Bladebone, Bucklebury, and walked to Bucklebury Church and back to tea. After tea read her parts of my 1945 diary.
Tuesday, Feb 10th
Debate in Parliament on refusal of British Medical Association to work new Health Act, which comes into force on July 5th. Government got a big majority. Their point valid that doctors cannot defy Parliament; they can agitate for change if they like, but the Bill is now law and to set themselves up as a professional body superior to Parliament won’t do. We have drawn the teeth of the clergy in the 16th century; now it seems we shall have to do the same with the doctors. Much talk of the sacredness of the relation between doctors and patients; not much sacredness when you know how they go on with their panel patients.
Wednesday, Feb 11th
Had tea with Mary and took some prunus bud. Everything very early this year. Bees to be allowed extra sugar ration owing to mild weather.
Thursday, Feb 12th
Birthday, 48. Reading The Order of Release, an account of John Ruskin’s marriage with Effie Gray, a grisly story, for John a genius but absolutely neurotic, and Effie a fine woman. The old Ruskins horrors, both of them, and ruined John in body and mind. Also Van Hassell Diaries, of resistance of generals, intellectuals and Christians to Hitler. But generals very slow to get going and more talk than action. Still, great courage shown by all, and Von Hassell the fine flower of the old diplomatic service, a scholar and gentleman.
"The longer the war lasts the less I think of the generals. They have undoubted technical ability and physical courage, but little moral courage, absolutely no broad world vision, no spiritual independence or that strength of resistance which rests on a genuine cultural basis…. All those we set our hopes on are failing, the more miserably so since they agree with all they have been told and permit themselves to indulge in the most anti-nazi talk, but are unable to summon up enough courage to act." Von Hassell, April, 1943."No one can contest the proportions of the success achieved by Hitler, but that does not alter the real nature of his deeds or the cruel danger threatening all our higher standards. A demoniac Spartacus will wreck nothing but destruction if the opposition does not act in time." Von Hassel, May, 1940.
Friday, Feb 13th
Half term. Visited a cottage along Fairmile where old women with bees in bedroom wall. She had put some brown paper over them but could hear them very clearly. Said I would remove them later.. Then to Reading to meet Hilary on 3.45 from Totnes, well and cheerful but very shaggy. Put him on bus and went to L.S.O. concert with M.
Had some barrage balloon fabric to make flysheet for tent. Put up tent in morning and cut up fabric, but it was not very satisfactory, although it cost £3.
Government trying to get trade unions to call a halt to wage demands in order to check inflation and reduce prices, but T.U.C. not very enthusiastic and asks what about dividends and profits.
Sunday, Feb 15th
A lovely spring day. Gardening morning and afternoon. Saw the first dandelion in flower, prunus out, aconites and snowdrops and chinonanthus aster, daphne in blossom. Everything very early.A moving review tonight of Von Hassel’s Diaries. “These men were our allies and comrades none the less because we did not know of their existence.”
I had apathetic letter from my German schoolmaster. I had told him small food parcel was on the way. His thanks were overwhelming. God would reward me etc. I wished I could send him a bit more but the postage is very heavy and we are so rationed and pointed ourselves that we have not very much over.
Been reading another book on German resistance by Hans Bernd Giserius, To the Bitter End. Not as good as Von Hassell, for not such a fine man and book suffered very much from being too full and long winded, 595 pages! But as the writer was in the Gestapo at one time very detailed on all the inside scandals, especially the framing of Fritsch and Blomberg. What a crew! What a collection of crooks, thugs and confidence tricksters. Good too on the Reichstag fire.
A spell of extremely cold continental weather began on Thursday and at the weekend some snow. No green woodpeckers to bore into the hives this winter; they had it last winter!
Considering a new suit. If I get tweed from Ireland I have to pay customs and purchase tax for the making and lining, and coupons for those. Tired of the cheap tailors in Reading. What was in the window was not obtainable inside! They would not make a jacket and trousers without waistcoat; they would take four months, but when in spite of all this I said I still wanted a suit, I was told orders could only be taken on Saturday morning and I must queue then. Said I would rather be in rags and walked out! So we are ground down by taxes and coupons
A melancholy week which reminds me of Munich. Another lamp put out in Europe. A communist coup d’etat in Czechoslovakia. The non-communist ministers of a coalition government forced to resign, communists appointed to the police force, the press controlled, etc, etc, all the familiar and hateful technique. The position of the president, Beňes, a convinced democrat, not known…. I am glad to say that the democracies have not been silent although they could not do much; a joint note had been sent by the U.S., G.B., and France denouncing the swindle….Who is next? Greece? Italy?
What can be done in Prague can be done in France and Italy. They both have centrally directed communist parties who have staged one attempt to overthrow their governments. It is true that in neither France nor Italy are they inside the government with opportunities of controlling the army and the police, but they might be strong enough to start a civil war, and where will the Marshall Plan be then. There will be no western Europe to unite without France and Italy. Germany is ruined. We should then in a few weeks pass from 1939 to 1940 and find ourselves lying off the shores of a hostile Europe.
How tragic that all our hopes of a fairer and better, a freer and richer world, have sunk on the rock of Russian fear, suspicion, paranoia and Stalin’s consequent steady refusal to cooperate with other nations.
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