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| Description | Substantial parts of this diary record Fry's feelings and thoughts on the First World War, stories she has heard about the conditions of soldiers, developments regarding territory and battles. Many early entries mention Ypres. Another topic much discussed is the political situation in Ireland. The diary was kept during the period Fry ran a farm school, so many entries describe aspects of this educational farm environment, physical labour, weather, and the affect of the War on their lives. Names mentioned have been recorded where description would not be adequately representative. many entries from October 1918 discuss members of Fry's household being ill with influenza, this may have been "Spanish flu". coal and Railwayman strikes are mentioned
Ap 8 Boar's Hill Oxford - discussion on political situation re Turkey and Greece with young Greek man; buried Aunt Bessie
Ap 9 Mayortorne, interest from Tasmanian dental student in farm and garden work
Ap 22 Nelly Claridge received letter from friend fighting at the front - story of having to flee
Ap 24 went to market to sll a calf; saw German prisoners of war working in station but was not allowed to talk to them
Ap 26 spent day being driven round north London in a 'W.O.' car, was with Mr Guy and Captain Doulton (non-war days young member of Doulton Earthenware firm)
May 5 talks about the children in her school, and the farm being under pressure with regards to Government regulations
May 7 talks about public letter written by Major General Maverice re. untrustworthyness of Bonas Law and Lloyd George
May 14 visit from a young officer interested in keeping rabbits (he was unnable to use his leg for three years previously), a note states that later his wound opened up again and he could not keep the rabbits as planned
May 17 visit from Lady Buckmaster and daughter; a large storm
May 18 the effect the storm on people's crops and livestock, roads etc.
May 25 talks about reported suspicions that Sinn Fein were in alliance with Germany; conscription; Home Rule
May 26 calf born
May 28 talks about receiving a letter from a soldier who has been at the front for two years whoses handwriting is deteriorating due to his nerves being worn out by the continual strain; Fry describes a standard day at the farm school
June 4 visit from Mrs Sidney Ball and a lady named Oona
June 12 Mrs Balfour visited; Lionel Curtis mentioned
June 15 family named Gordon came to see the school
June 29 Supped at Cobbler's Hill; talked to a man who heard Kerensky speak at the Labour Congress
July 12 went to London, saw G Rendel, talked about gossip that Prince of Wales may marry Rosemary Leveson Gower; went to chinese restaurant for dinner, saw zonave band; 1917 Club to see Miss Durham and heard a Chinese man talk about the position of women in China
July 18 "Mab's" is ill
July 25 talks about visit from Lewis
July 27 talked with Mr Lawrence; Lewis Masefield
Aug 3 Lady Heron Maxwell, talked about conditions in Petrograd
Aug 5 Mrs Haden Guest to talk about putting her children in Fry's school.
Aug 6 visited the Ashmolean
Aug 13 talks about imminent death of Mabs and thinks about family life "while as children we were made to feel we were too many girls, as women we have been made to feel criminal for deciding to live lives of our own"
Aug 14 day spent sewing in company of Alec Miller and his wife and children
Aug 16 Beatrice Orange; Alec Miller
Aug 17 New Ideals in Education Conference; Jon Masefield; Miss Faithful of Cheltenham
Aug 18 heard speakers Bertram Hawker re. Freud; Kenneth Richmond
Aug 19 Miss M Matters
Aug 24 describes a story of buying food for the animals, the difficulty of convincing the shopkeeper to giver her some, and her success in the end
Sept 14 Ali Akbar
Sep 25 railwaymen strike
Sep 29 Tory d'Orfernow guest
Sep 30 progress of the War re. Bulgaria, Turkish prisoners in Palestine, riots in Germany
Oct 1 Judith was to come back but cried off, "she appears to be suffering from a mental illness arising from her absolute unaccustomedness to control herself to do the thing she does not like"
Oct 6 Sir Richard Paget visited
Oct 19 Fry hears of her father's death
Oct 28 Fry discusses her disappointment of a member of staff potentially leaving "I must make up my mind to accept such reverses- just when the school looked a little like succeeeding - quietly."
Nov 2 Tory d'Orfenow
Nov 9 thinks about Halide Edib and what may have come of her
Nov 10 Charlie Sanger
Nov 11 armistice was signed, much celebration
Nov 14 confusion over whether the Crown Prince is dead or not; mentions how the HMS Audacious was sunk in 1914 but the information was kept back due to the consternation it would cause
Nov 19 to London with League of Nations Education Committee, present Canon Lyttleton, Goldie Dickinson, Melian Stowell, Graham Wallas
Nov 20 Alex Johnson
Nov 22 Hazell Watson and Viney's Printing works visit
Nov 23 Fry hears that her sister (Margery) was to stand for Parliament for West Bristol, she thinks about how much has changed for women in a few years
Nov 26 Norah Laycock
Nov 30 Margery retired from the election |