| StorageSite | UCL Institute of Education |
| Description | Throughout this diary Fry keeps an account of the progress of the Second World War.
Nov 17, Church Farm, Buckland, Aylesbury Margery and Cherry Morris left; someone phoned from the BBC requesting a photograph of Margery; letter from 'A' [possibly an Aunt] who received a visit from a curator at the British Museum who would like to acquire some of her embroideries collection as they have lost a lot of theirs.
Nov 18 Fry spent the afternoon cutting camouflage; Clarke's called and Mrs Wright to tea.
N 19 Fry hears from Ida R that Joan is interested in spiritual seances and is losing influence at the Golder's Green Friend's meetings; Kathleen Nelson to tea, also Dr Lloyd Hart.
N 20 Fry reports that an allied offensive has started in Cyrenaica; Fry is worried about Ladybird's calf.
N 21 agricultural labourers wages have gone up to £3 a week; Libyan offensive has begun.
N 22 Fry mentions that she has raised Wrights' wages; 'NH' dropped in; 2 1/2 hours spent working on camouflage.
N 23 Mr Webb visited, discussed mysticism and psychotherapy; Gerry brought Michael Buchbaum to dinner; afternoon visits from Mrs John Horder and Miss Horder who wanted to buy some of Roger's lithographs
N 24 'TO' [Tory] and 'HW' visited.
N 25 Fry went to the dentist at Tring; Dr Camps visited (advisory inspector for the Spanish children), she talks to Fry about the weight of religion in Spain, and the power of the Gestapo at present in Spain.
N 27 Dr Gillet and her married daughter called on Fry; Jens dropped in.
N 28 Jens visited, his wife is depressed; Fry talks about how the war may last for 20 years.
N 29 Tory came over to fetch a manuscript of a play she is translating; Mr Nielson visited for a chat; Mrs Sine also visited and told Fry about her husband who went to Spain with the 'Intern Brigade'.
Nov 30 Nancy Fitzherbert visited in the afternoon; made butter; Margery went walking and met a man who said he shot a pink legged goose.
Dec 3 M left, unhappy with situation but not with Isabel, Maria unhappy, someone has been stealing cream.
Dec 4 Fry talks about India and Ghandi; Margery did a discussion item for the BBC on Growing Up.
Dec 5 Miss Scott to tea; comments on book 'Roots of National Socialism'
Dec 6 Audrey came to stay; Peggy Marks arrived before tea; many other guests including Norah, Mrs Milton; Audrey talked to Fry about her experiences in the blitz.
Dec 7 Audrey left for an ARP meeting, Fry is impressed by her sense of public obligation; making Christmas cards; talks about reading Peter Warlock by C Gray/Philip Heseltine.
Dec 8 news on Japan's position in the war.
Dec 10 mentions Pearl Harbour.
Dec 11 M returns; Fry mentions the issuing of blackcurrant puree and cod liver oil for babies and describes it as 'pretty direct socialism'; M has sad news about Julian who has sold all his horses and is living away from his wife and children;Tory came to collect some of her furniture; calf was let out for a run in the yard.
Dec 14 Roger's birthday.
Dec 15 Margery returned from London where she was sitting on the Alien's tribunal, with the 'very deaf & fascist Francis Lindley'.
Dec 16 Margery took Maria to the doctors
Dec 17 Fry discusses the far east; Nurse laid up with 'biliousness'; Fry made butter; message from Mrs Pichen suggesting Maria go back to the Spanish colony - Fry feels this will take away her 'raison d'etre'.
Dec 20 Gerry visited and brought two geese to swap for breeding; Jens and Fry went to the woods to get the wood he wants cutting marked; the Bovings are worried about Cecil in Malaya and Peggy in Spain.
Dec 21 problems between Margery and Norah; Mrs Fyleman brought Margaret Whalley to see Fry
Dec 23 To for lunch, much talk about Hitler, and jokes told; news that Polish men are marrying Scottish women; Mrs Fyleman and Miss Guest visited and discussed the case of a German girl staying with Mrs Fyleman who was caught stealing corsets.
Dec 24 Norah and Miss Marston to tea.
Xmas day news that Hong Kong has fallen; Fry invited two airmen from the Camp for the day, Mr Simmons and Mr Page; the Nelsons dropped in.
Dec 26 Avice and Audrey arrived, Avice talking about her new job as Inspector of hotels for girls (and some men) working in government factories where the conditions are terrible, the creator of Butlins holiday camps has been made head of these hostels, Avice is not happy; Audrey lost her job as she is suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Dec 27 Xmas party for the Wrights, also present two Greens, Peggy Marks, Audrey Bromley, Avice and Mrs Vandervelde.
Dec 28 'Lala' Vandevelde discussed her childhood with Fry, she hates 'R. Cism' [Catholicism].
Dec 29 Miss Parsons visited talked about her mother who worked at straw plaiting, brought toffee and eggs for Fry; Lala Vandevelde stayed, they sang Brahms and Lala told stories about the Belgian royalties.
Dec 31 went to Ayles bury to buy Audrey a coat as she lost a lot of her belongings in the blitz; lunch with Norah.
Jan 2 news of Nicole Lembosh.
Jan 3 Margery working on a map to demonstrate the relation between China, Pacific and America; Audrey enquiring about work in Aylesbury.
Ja 4 Fry talks of account in Sunday papers of German women being shot as they lie on train tracks in Berlin to stop their husbands being taken to Russia; mentions Eden's report on condition of German prisoners.
Jan 5 N Barlow came to ask for advice on an evacuee she has staying, brought a present of block chocolate; the water board hope to buy Fry's land from her.
Ja 6 M left for town, Fry mentions the Brain's Trust of which Margery is a speaker.
Ja 9 Maria's 14th birthday; Joan and Ida visited; Joan and Fry talked about Joan's feelings towards Germany.
Ja 10 preparing for Maria's departure; evacuees from outer London having billeting money stopped, so many are moving back; called to see Mrs Milton.
Ja 12 Maria left; Margery returned, had visited Aubrey Fry family; Miss Bennett came to lunch.
Jan 14 arrival of two new students, Audrey Hancock and Margaret Whalley.
Ja 15 Margery on the radio in conversation with Tom Harrison 'mass observation man'; Aston barber came to give nurse a haircut at 9pm.
Ja 17 M returned; French not happy with de Gaulle
Ja 19 Edward Ashcroft staying due to bad weather, he is resigning his agricultural job and enlisting in the tank corps
Ja 28 Jens and Hilma came to report the potato crop is ruined; Norah visited for the afternoon
Ja 29 invalids are wearing Fry out (everyone in the house is ill); Jens visited for an hour
Ja 30 difficulties involving Nurse and SM; Helen Barlow brought her father to visit
Ja 31 Norah for tea; Fry is impressed with the children who are behaving very well
F 1 Wright helped with farm work; war news regarding Singapore; Betty Ralph spent the night, Fry describes her as a "plucky little woman"
Fe 3 difficulties with Mrs Milton
F 4 things are difficult at home for Fry with staff threatening to hand in their notices; news that "JMF" has flu; M reluctant to go to town
Fe 5 SMF went to tow ; Joan also better
Fe 6 mainly news regarding the war, and day to day work
Fe 8 Peggy Marks came over and Violet to tea; Fry mentions Stafford Cripps' talk on Russia
Feb 9 worries regarding the military effort; mentions Stafford Clifford
Feb 10 worrying news about Singapore, Fry talks about the problems with events happening far away, and the difficulty in judging their weight and direct influence; Donald Wright, builder visited, Fry talks about his role at a government building camp for 1000 men at Woodlands Park, and at a food stoarage place at Saunderton; Margaret's 14th birthday; SMF did Empire broadcast; Fry mentions events in India
Fe 11 & 12 Fry talks about Singapore, Burma, and India; mentions that Ellen Burton's "affair" with Mr Liem is over
Fe 13 mentions Scharnhorst/Greisenau/Prince Eugen [Operation Cerberus]; she talks a lot about war developments in Singapore and India; went to dentist in Tring, couldn't buy grate polish anywhere as Reckitt's factory has been bombed, no fish available except smoked cod, and no torch refills
Fe 14 M returned, reports of indignation at the escape of the Scharnhorst; Gerry came to dinner and took Fry to Tringford and to Miss Parson's, Fry talks about her being "full of sense of life" and mentions straw weaving that she did in earlier days
Fe 15 Singapore has fallen; discusses a lot of war developments; K Ratcliffe to dinner, and Miss Dudah took them to the Borstal
Feb 16 Edward Ashcroft visited, he told Fry about his problems looking after his family on his army pay; a goose got half stuck in ice
Fe 17 Churchil tried to play down the seriousness of the escape of the warships; M left; nurse returned; Mrs Moss came to collect books
Fe 18 visit from "'Jews'" school children
Fe 19 Fry receives thank you letters from children who visited yesterday; Miss Archer from Mayortorne visited and offered farming advice, Fry mentions that "I wish I had had her with me @ [at] Mayortorne"; phone call form Helen Winslow; Fry hears from the Turkish Embassy that Halide is still in the Istanbul University and hasn't left Constantinople
Fe 20 Stafford Cripps made leader of the House of Commons; received brave letter from Hilma Boving regarding Cecil who is in Malaya, he says that being in the army there is really "just a joke"; also letter from Peggy who has just had her second child
F 21 tea with the Benson's, he is expecting a typhus invasion, and talks about developing a chemical to replace the vitamins in vegetables that are difficult to import; first goose egg
Fe 22 Fry talks of geing glad to go to sleep in her bed with no bombing, and not shivering in a shelter; two airmen Page and Simmons came to call; Nelson's to tea
Fe 23 Anne turner to lunch, she is now in the WRNS [Women's Royal Naval Service] but doesn't know what she is listening, and talks about the men she works with; M returned, says that Stafford Cripps will offer a big concession; more news regarding invasion of Bali
F 24 Jens came for a chat on his way to Sheffield, mentions that they beleive Cecil may be a prisoner of war
F 25 Mi8s Mallanby to tea, Fry's visit to the borstal as part of "Brain's Trust" was satisfactory; Margaret and Miss W to the doctor's to see if she had consumption
F 26 Nurse's birthday, children excited about putting on a play, Fry talks of the "ludicrous climax" reached when she and Edward presented a Black Prince of Wales as it was the only doll available
The last entry is for the 28 February 1942 |