The Henson Journals

[178]

4th Sunday in Lent, March 30th, 1930.

A bright, beautiful morning, mild and springlike. I celebrated the Holy Communion in the Chapel at 7.45 a.m. We numbered but 6 commts Including Pattinson.

Ella accompanied me when I motored to Sunderland in order to preach in Christ Church at Mattins. We lunched with Canon and Mrs McCullagh. Them we motored to Castletown, where I confirmed 45 persons in the parish church. After service we had tea with the Vicar and Mrs Clark. His son, who is in the merchant service, had been in the Russian ports. He said that he had himself witnessed the destruction of a Russian Church. He was astonished at the quantity of grain which was being exported from the Southern Russian ports, although there were persistent reports of the shortage of food in the country. We returned to Auckland, and then I wrote a number of private letters, including one to the mother of Michell Pierce, the Canadian soldier whom I picked up in the Bailey in 1917, and had some correspondence with during the War.

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