The Henson Journals

[339]

Monday, August 16th, 1915.

378th day

A great rain: and still the demoralizing thunderous atmosphere. I attended Mattins & Evensong in the Cathedral, & besides did scarcely anything. Cummings gave me some account of his experiences in the Government service. He says that at Birmingham a factory worked mostly by women is turning out 5000 shells daily for the Russian Government: & that an immense accumulation of these shells is awaiting the downfall of Constantinople. Then, & not till then, it can be sent to its destination.

The lowest wage paid to these women is at the rate of 28/– weekly. Will the girls be easily persuaded to go back to the smaller earnings of normal times?

Bryce was due to arrive at 6.23 p.m.: & I was on the platform to meet him. But in vain. The connexion at York had been missed, & there was no train earlier than 7.59 p.m. This very provoking contretemps upset both our plans for dinner, & our tempers!! However Bryce & his wife arrived a few minutes before 9 p.m. when we had just gone in to the dining room, and the rest of the evening passed without any unfortunate incidents save that a maid precipitated the mint sauce over Lord Durham, whereupon his Lordship gaily observed that it was very proper that mint sauce should go with a Lambton! Bryce looks very white and wizened but he is as wiry & active as ever, & talks with all his old vivacity.

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