LOOKING BACK
gentleman, he has had a pretty hard life
and somehow or other everyone seems
to look on him as a relative.
The other bad thing is the news that
Mr Rudyard Kipling died last night. And
so passes another queer link with that
strange sunlit late Victorian age which
always mysteriously fascinates me.
MONDAY 20.1.36
Rose at lunchtime and have been fairly
busy ever since. It is ten to ten and the
mater, Boys and I are in the drawing
room. We have just heard on the
wireless that “The King’s life is drawing
peacefully towards its close”.
No one has said a word here. The
mater seems heart broken, and the
Boys uneasy and shocked.
I went up to the post to post a letter
and an old gentleman at the pillar box
was in tears. It is a beautiful, clear cold
night; one can visualise Sandringham
lying in the quiet countryside waiting.
It is 10 o/c and Big Ben solemnly
tolling the hour.
This waiting is horrible. Nobody
in the room has spoken a word. The
wireless of late years has brought the
King very intimately into the lives of
us all. Somehow it now makes us all
members of the family assembled to
witness his passing.
And then came the final news bulletin,
just before 12.20.
His Most Gracious Majesty King
George V passed peacefully away a few
minutes after midnight. God rest and
reward him, and bless and comfort
the Queen.
So now we have a new King; I wonder
if he is to be Edward VIII or David?
FRIDAY 3.4.36
Eden made a very good speech in
the House today explaining things.
Personally, I am filled with foreboding
over the situation. I think Germany is
“Personally, I am filled
with foreboding over the
situation. I think Germany
is in the grip of a madman,
and sooner or later we
will all be involved in the
bloody and futile mess.”
in the grip of a madman, and sooner
or later we will all be involved in the
bloody and futile mess.
TUESDAY 7.4.36
Again another 6 am to bed, and did
not rise until 3pm. Thereafter put in
two hard hours on the map and then
went to Acton for the Mater.
Incidentally, saw there the new
trolleybus service in operation.
WEDNESDAY 6.5.36
Went for a walk before dinner and after
it went to Lyon’s where J.D. and I had
coffee, afterwards taking a walk over
Hanger Hill.
Today a hot debate in the House
on foreign policy. From which several
interesting points emerge. Sir A.
Chamberlain says that at the beginning
he was quite prepared to enforce
sanctions to the point of war, but
neither the country nor the Opposition
would have stood for it. Now he thinks
the whole thing should go by default.
Eden says that really effective sanctions
never had a chance to be imposed owing
to the bad faith of several nations;
meaning, of course, France. Sir S.
Hoare says we should now abandon
the League and all its commitments and
return to our traditional independence,
guaranteeing only the Low Countries
and the French channel ports.
The Pater thinks that Eden on Monday
will at the League demand more and
stricter sanctions, and if the French
do not back up this Britain will then
formally abandon the League and all her
treaties under it. Rather one in the eye
for the French. Of course such a course
would mean retarding the establishment
of international law and sanity for half a
century; but it certainly is the only course
we can take. If on the other hand France
backs up sanctions it means finis to
Mussolini and his brigands.
A third possibility, an unpleasant one,
is a combined hostile France and Italy in
the Mediterranean. But that would mean
universal war, I think. The Scandinavian
powers are so disgusted at the position
that they are meeting among themselves
to consider leaving the League.
At a sitting of the Arms Commission
today Mr Lloyd George affirmed that
broken promises and contracts by
British armaments firms had gravely
handicapped Russia in the war and led
in great measure to her collapse.
Alexander Goodlet
BRICKS, MORTAR AND
MORTALITY
There are a number of houses
in Ealing where murders have
occurred. Read an article on it at
ealingnewsextra.co.uk/history –
and Dr Oates is also giving a talk
on this subject at Ealing Central
Library on Tuesday, 21 June at
6.15pm. It will cost £3 for library
members and £5 for non-members.
around ealing
Summer 2016
49