Diary Entry: ” Peggy for night”. Diary entry: Peggy was KPD’s sister-in-law, married to her brother Anthony (the closest to KPD in age). Presumably Anthony, who was in the Royal Artillery Corps (anti-aircraft guns), was on duty this Christmas.
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Diary Entry: 23rd December [1939]
Diary Entry: ” Spent night Orc.[hard] Cottage”. Diary notes: Orchard Cottage, Crofton (near Farnborough, Kent) was the home of the Lewis family, former employers of KPD who became good friends.
Diary Date: 21st December [1939]
Diary Entry: ” Peggy left. Spent day Lewis’”. 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! (For ‘Peggy’ – see the entry for the 19th December).
Diary Date: 19th December [1939]
Diary Entry: “Went home. Peggy staying”. Diary notes: ‘Peggy’ was Peggy Dell; Anthony (KPD’s closest brother) had married Peggy (1910-1991), his first wife and mother of his two children, Grahame & Jennifer in 1936.
Diary Date: 16th December [1939]
Diary Entry: “Children all left”. Diary notes: I suspect one can almost feel the relief of the end of term- KPD had been away at Rossholme for 3 months…as had the pupils, of course!
Diary Date: 15th December [1939]
Diary Entry: “Broke up”. Diary notes: The rhythms of the school year were perhaps more noticeable at a boarding school than a day one, and the end of terms were always important. Interestingly the school broke up the day before the pupils left!
Diary Date: 14th December [1939]
Diary Entry: “Prize Giving. Packing”. Diary notes: Another good example of the termly school routines at Rossholme (& many similar schools): the termly or annual Prize Giving. Photographs of Rosshome pupils from KPD’s period there are not easy to find, but the renowned actress Deborah Kerr was a pupil there shortly before KPD’s time, and …
Diary Date: 12th December [1939]
Diary Entry: Went to “Professor Mamlock” with Hull. Diary notes: ‘Hull’ was one of KPD’s colleagues as Rossholme. “Professor Mamlock” was a Soviet film from 1938 that was one of the first anywhere dealing with Nazi persecution of the Jews. Due to pressure from the German embassy it was refused a certificate before the start …
Diary Date: 8th December [1939]
Diary Entry: M [Moona] & I went to “Confessions of a Nazi Spy”. Diary Notes: Miss Noyes [aka ‘Moona’] was a friend of KPD’s (they went on some holidays together); She was, like KPD, a Nanny/Matron, and was also at Rossholme. She was with KPD on the latter’s birthday in April 1954, but died 9 …
Diary Date: 5th December [1939]
Diary Entry: “Went to tea & supper Miss Kidner”. Diary Notes: Miss Kidner was a friend who lived (& worked) in Weston-super-Mare; – the first mention of her in the diary is in 1938. Later KPD stayed with her when visiting the school after having left employment there. Given her previous jobs as a children’s …
Aunt Pamela's War 