Diary Entry: Miss Tonkin came to tea. Diary notes: ‘Miss Tonkin’, was a friend (possibly another Nanny); KPD quite often had tea or went to the cinema with her. In other diary entries she is referred to as ‘Tonk’.
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Diary Date: 30th December [1940]
Diary Entry: Went to Weston to stay Miss Culverwell & Moona. Diary notes: Miss Culverwell was a friend of KPD’s and almost certainly another of her group of women who met whilst training/working as a Nanny. She seems to have lived near Weston-s-Mare. Miss Noyes [aka ‘Moona’] was a friend of KPD’s (they went on …
Diary Date: 29th December [1940]
Diary Entry: Bad raid, & fire in London. Diary notes: The raids of 29th-30th are sometimes called the ‘second fire of London’ as approximately 100,000 bombs fell on the city, dropped by 136 bombers. There were 160 deaths, incl. 12 firefighters. KPD seldom mentions the actual war in her diaries, but the scale of today’s …
Diary Date: 28th December [1940]
Diary Entry: Miss Humber for tea. Diary entry: ‘Miss Humber’ refers to Catherine Lucy Violet Humber (c.1889-1975) who lived next door to the Dells (at 37, Broxbourne Road, Orpington); she remained a friend of KPD until her death and is often referred to in KPD’s diaries.
Diary Date: 27th December [1940]
Diary Entry: Day & night with Lewis’. Diary entry: It’s possible that KPD helped out when she went to stay with the Lewis’ as Orchard Cottage was only 10 minutes on foot from her Mother’s house on Broxbourne Road.
Diary Date: 26th December [1940]
Diary Entry: Orchard Cottage for tea. Diary notes: The Lewis’ were a family KPD worked for as a nanny, who became friends in Crofton, near Farnborough, living at Orchard Cottage. Apparently KPD got to drive their Bentley!
Diary Date: 24th December [1940]
Entry: Returned home afternoon. Home was still Orpington with her mother (and presumably younger sister, Veronica, who still lived at home).
Diary Date: 23rd December [1940]
Diary Entry: Up to see Elaine & children & tea Jerviswood. Diary notes: Jerviswood (a house in Lower Green Road, Rusthall, Tunbridge Wells) was the home of KPD’s Uncle Claude Evershed (1867-1943) and his wife, Clara (1873-1960). Elaine Dell (KPD’s sister-in-law, wife of her eldest brother Martin, 1904-58) also lived in the Tunbridge Wells area; …
Diary Date: 22nd December [1940]
Entry: Went to Tun. Wells to stay A[Aunt] Consie. Diary notes: Aunt Consie was clearly now out of the nursing home. Her full name was ‘Edith Constance Beckwith Evershed’ (1868-1951); she was the unmarried elder sister of Nellie Dell, and perhaps the closest of her Aunts to KPD, who visited and stayed with her on …
Diary Date: 20th December [1940]
Diary Entry: Tea Orchard Cottage. Diary notes: Orchard Cottage, Crofton (near Farnborough, Kent) was the home of the Lewis family, former employers of KPD who became good friends.
Aunt Pamela's War 