Category Archives: Uncategorized

Diary Entry: Biked Dorchester am & over Abbey Church. Lilian R & A [Rosemary & Anthea] & I biked Abingdon & had tea there. Left 6pm train. Diary notes: KPD was a keen cyclist throughout her life. She clearly borrowed a bicycle from the Pitts and used it during this short family visit. The ‘Dorchester’ …

Continue reading “Diary Dates: 5th April [1944]”

Diary Entry: Walk Anthea & Rosemary am. Biked Style Acre, Wallingford for tea Morphews. Saw Nan & her two George & Selina & Jan’s Gillian & Susan. Diary notes: Anthea [Pitt] was then 9 years old, and KPD had often looked after her and her sister Rosemary (a year older). The Morphews were part of …

Continue reading “Diary Date: 4th April [1944]”

Diary Entry: Went to stay Pitts – Long Wittenham. Diary notes: The Pitts were friends of the Dells, and were related by the marriage of Martin (KPD’s eldest brother) to Elaine Pitt. ‘Long Wittenham’, in south Oxfordshire, is not far from Wallingford, the home of the Wells branch of KPD’s family (her paternal grandmother, Catherine, …

Continue reading “Diary Date: 3rd April [1944]”

Diary Entry: Capt Oldham to Colchester. Home for leave. Diary notes: Home for KPD was still 35 Broxbourne Road, Orpington.

Diary Entry: Started meals men’s mess. Breakfast 7am. Took Houndall to Frinton for lunch. Met daughter Chelmsford. Diary notes: Did KPD eat in the ‘men’s mess’ because there were few other A.T.S. women there? NB The ‘daughter’ referred to must be that of Colonel Houndall.

Dairy Entry: Went Ingatestone to stores am. Saw “Man in Grey” Diary notes: ‘The Man in Grey’ is a 1943 British made film melodrama starring James Mason, Margaret Lockwood, Stewart Grainger and Phyllis Calvert. It was a huge public (but not critical) success, and made all four of its main actors stars.

Diary Entry: Car to W/S. Diary notes: ‘W/S’ presumably means ‘Work Shop’

Diary Entry: Took M.O.’s on “latrine inspection”. Diary notes: “M.O’.s” presumably refers to ‘Medical Officers’.

Diary Entry: Looked round Walden on way back. Diary notes: Yesterday’s diary entry said that KPD spent the night at ‘Linton’. Today’s reference to ‘Walden’ is probably ‘Saffron Walden’, which is on the route back from Linton, Cambridgeshire to Felsted.

Diary Entry: Group Warley – lunch there. Night at Linton. Diary notes: There are several possible ‘Lintons’ KPD is referring to here, but (using tomorrow’s diary entry), the one near Cambridge is probably the correct one.