Monthly Archives: April 2015

Kittie’s story

As I have said before, none of George and Kittie’s letters to each other written whilst he was at Fort Brockhurst has survived (there is an envelope addressed to her by George and postmarked Gosport 3 May, but no letter … Continue reading

Posted in Edwardian marriage, Personal commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The biographer discombobulated

I am greatly entertained by Mistress Ruth Scurr’s new book John Aubrey: My Own Life. It contains 433 pages. My honoured friend Mr William Harvey warns me that I shall acquire an impostumation if I sit reading it much longer. I … Continue reading

Posted in Personal commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

28 April 1915: The First Battle of Krithia

Yesterday a general advance began at Helles, occupying the ground vacated by Turkish forces the day before. The Allied line now extended from coast to coast about two miles up from the tip of the Cape. Simultaneously, Turkish reserves streamed … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

George Calderon’s ‘magnum opus’

27 April 1915 was a Tuesday, so George was presumably back at Fort Brockhurst, having returned from weekend leave yesterday. The only other literary work that he may have tinkered with when he was home at weekends was a book … Continue reading

Posted in Edwardian literature, Personal commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

26 April 1915

By one o’clock this morning all the remaining first-wave troops had been safely landed at V Beach, Helles. They began to dig themselves in and cut their way through the heavy barbed wire up the beach. The navy battered the … Continue reading

Posted in Edwardian character | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

25 April 1915: The bloodbath begins

At 4.30 this morning the first ANZAC troops began landing at Z Beach on the Gallipoli Peninsula. They were not strongly opposed, as von Sanders’s strategy was to keep a light screen around the coast until it was clear where … Continue reading

Posted in Edwardian character, Personal commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

24 April 1915

The 23rd and 24th April were days of matchless beauty, and the glistening splendour of the sea and sky was a picture such as can only be found in the Aegean, and there only in days of early spring. To … Continue reading

Posted in Edwardian character, Edwardian English | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

St George’s Day 1915

This morning the weather in the Aegean was fine and clear. Admiral de Robeck therefore ordered the smaller craft in the harbour of Mudros to move to Tenedos — the first step towards assembling the fleet for landings at Gallipoli … Continue reading

Posted in Edwardian literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The note darkens

I did not notice it when I got to this point in writing the chapter in my biography, but the day-by-day ‘real time’ of the blog has brought it home to me: the note has definitely darkened by this date … Continue reading

Posted in Edwardian marriage, Personal commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

21 April 1915

Fortis est veritas 9th Batt. Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry Wednesday My dear Mother,           Haven’t I been writing regularly? Well, you know there’s plenty to do here, and once I’ve got off a sheet to … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

20 April 1915

Brinsop Court. Hereford. (Statn Credenhill. Tels Burghill.) Tuesday Darling Dina, It’s absolutely unthinkable that you are not here, and I do know how you are feeling about it, but time and space are nothing, and your dear spirit just wraps me round … Continue reading

Posted in Edwardian marriage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘The Lamp’ (Concluded)

Today, 18 April 1915, was a Sunday. Kittie doubtless went to church (we don’t yet know which one), with Nina, Jim Corbet and her god-daughter Lesbia very much on her mind. Perhaps George thought further about what he was going … Continue reading

Posted in Edwardian literature, Modern parallels, Personal commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

17 April 1915

This morning, at Brinsop Court in Herefordshire, Nina Astley (Lady Corbet by her first marriage) received a telegram from the War Office informing her that her son Sir Roland James Corbet (Jim) had been killed at Givenchy (see my post … Continue reading

Posted in Edwardian character, Personal commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

15 April 1915

April 15. 1915 [France] Dear Mrs Astley — it is with the greatest grief that I write to you to tell you of your son’s death which took place at 8 a.m. this morning. It was very foggy, and your … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘The Maharani’: A postscript

Read The Maharani of Arakan yourself to decide whether it is (just) ‘A Romantic Comedy’, as George playfully subtitled it, or a ‘Symbolist Mystery Play’ (allegory)!  Having re-read it over the weekend, I increasingly feel it’s the latter. If it is … Continue reading

Posted in Edwardian literature, Personal commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What is ‘The Lamp’ about? (2)

Presumably George was home again at 42 Well Walk, Hampstead, for the long weekend of 9-12 April 1915, so he may have done more work on leaving various literary projects in a publishable state in case he did not come … Continue reading

Posted in Edwardian literature, Personal commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment