A localised, intimate and absorbing first hand account of the reality of life on the home front written by 41 year old [Miss] M V Davie (b. May 24th, 1900) of 2 Durham Road, Brancepeth Village, County Durham. Written between March 16th 1941 and 1st Jan 1942 her entries capture the mundanity, privation and profound unease of wartime alongside small moments of joy, ‘what a sameness there seems to be in my days week after week, the same old grind’...... ‘there are lambs in the pasture just now - poor little helpless things, they look so innocent of life and its terrors’ (March 22nd).
Miss Davie lives with her father. Life is very busy. Washing day is every Monday, many hours are given to volunteering at the depot and the YWCA, the garden needs to be dug and planted, the jam making committee doesn’t run itself and the dog is walked every evening, ‘life seems one long line of drudgery these days always plenty of work to be done especially voluntary’. The erosion of pre war routines means beloved literature classes have been suspended and trips shopping to Newcastle with her sister are constant reminders of the impact of the war ‘we were lucky to get off without a raid’ and ‘the PCs on point duty were wearing their gas masks while directing traffic’. Spelling bees, W.I. meetings and whist drives provide the only entertainment.
Snow falls in March interfering with the land work. There are air raids night and day along the coast, ‘a particularly bad night, I was up through the night with the noise of guns, it sounded dreadful and I was shaken in bed’ (Wed 9th April). Next day news arrives that that considerable damage has been done to Sunderland, Jarrow and North Shields, ‘Binns big shop burnt out’. Bad casualties and destruction in London fill the news headlines, ‘Today is Hitler’s Birthday - I hope he has horrid nightmares all night and writhes in torment’ (April 20th). A dreadful night is recorded on May 7th as bombs fall nearby on fields at Bale Hill, Wades Farm and Brawn’s Den, ‘lots of people have been along viewing the bomb craters’. A matter of fact entry in late June records the death due to diphtheria of the little 6 year old girl next door named Avril.
The struggles of maintaining the household under rationing are taken in our writer’s stead, ‘when the green grocer came last night he let me have one orange - I had nearly forgotten what they looked like - I dried the skin and am chewing bits of it to make myself believe I’ve had more’ (April 27th). The win of 2 ‘precious eggs’ at a beetle drive is noted on July 8th. The butcher’s shop is empty on July 21st, only half a pigs head available when [Miss] Davie goes to seek her rations. An abundance of lettuce and rhubarb is put to good use, ‘we seem to be living off those 2 things accompanied by bread’. The first clothing coupons are introduced in late July, ‘what a farce it is’ (August 5th).
Small moments of joy are welcomed, ‘the great wedding day has dawned.... the bride a radiant figure in white crepe with 3 green clad maids with gold head dresses carrying daffodils’ (April 12th). Two trips to the cinema are made - to Newcastle to the Embassy cinema to see New Moon and to Durham to see The Prime Minister featuring John Gieigud in July. Birthday presents in May include a satin apron, a pair of stockings, a photograph, some writing paper, a pair of gloves, a china jug and some Virginia cigarettes, ‘I viewed these with some misgivings but they will come in useful I daresay - it is the first present of cigarettes I have ever received in my life’. A friend, Mrs Surtees welcomes some good news from her son, a prisoner of war in a camp in Germany who tells her he had received 25 letters in one day - 14 of hers. Our writer replaces literature classes with reading and gets through Rudyard Kipling’s, Him; Oleander River by G B Stern; The life of CH Spurgeon by J C Carlyle and the second volume of Gertrude Bell’s letters. Diary entries end on New Years Day 1942 ‘ A real hard days work have I put in today - 10 solid hours on duty at the YWCA canteen.... Had eggs, bacon for breakfast !!!!!!!! Girls had a distinct hangover due to being merry on New Year’s Eve. Was our own First Foot’.
DESCRIPTION: Small quarto bound in red cloth over black paper covered boards with Davie’s name and address on the upper cover. On the front pastedown the writer records that this is the ‘Continuation of my Diary by M.V.Davie’; 86 manuscript pages with a few ragged stubs to the rear. c12,000 words.
