Reference
Z1606/10
Title
Personal diary labelled 'vol. VIII'
Date free text
2 October 1950 - 14 May 1952
Production date
From: 1950 To: 1952
Scope and Content
Volume focuses primarily on domestic life in Bedford at 66 Marlborough Road in the early 1950s. There are some pencil annotations/corrections in Leah's hand.
Includes:
Letter being published in the Beds Times (20/10/1950)
Visit to a 'mock zoo' at Cambridge with humans dressed as animals, and acted bull fight and tea with her neice (11/11/1950)
Trip to London with the Townswomen's Guild (8/12/1950)
Detailed description of Christmas celebrations (26/12/1950)
Pantomime in Bedford (28/12/1950)
Child with shingles having its hands tied to prevent scratching (20/1/1951)
Taking up a clerical post with a plumber in Pembroke Street (23/1/1951)
Discussion of the theft of the Coronation Stone (30/1/1951)
Friend having 'all female organs removed' (11/2/1951)
Ramble near Ampthill in which Leah loses a shoe in the mud (2/4/1951)
Mentions not revealing her inmost thoughts, explaining that she hopes people will read her diaries after her death as she' ha[d] never read any published diary written by a working-class person' (2/4/1951)
Ramble at Dead Man's Cross to Cople, including tea at the Five Bells, Cople (1/5/1951)
Visit to the Chilterns (22/5/1951)
Report of a holiday at Holcombe Hall, South Devon (1/7/1951)
Folk Dancing Festival at Ickwell Bury (22/7/1951)
Rambling Club supper party at Queens Park Lido (27/7/1951)
Visit to Hinchingbrooke House (7/8/1951).
Toothache and dentist (17/8/51).
Harvest with combine harvester (24/8/51).
Boat trips on Longholme boating pool and the river (30/8/51)
Tailoring course at night school (24/9/51)
Town firework display (5/10/51)
King's operation, Princess Elizabeth and Duke of Edinburgh flew to Canada (5/10/51)
Laxton Superb apples are ripening (20/10/51)
Masque performance of Pilgrim's Progess at the Corn Exchange (23/11/51)
Jim's motorbike, Jessie had another girl (23/11/51)
Gas board and carpets. Jim requested to teach folk dancing at Pavenham (2/12/51)
Christmas preparations, Christmas Day hunt (25/12/51)
Listening to Tchaikovsky brings to mind feelings re. Russians (7/1/52)
Death of king (6/2/52) 'I have been nauseated by the preoccupation of BBC & newspaper with King Geo VI death. It seems to me that death has given a party much enjoyed by a good many. It may have een the same when previous kings died but as we had not radio in this house I was not so aware of it...'(15/2/52)
Fire at Turner's furniture shop (20/3/52)
'posted a PC to Bone of Luton saying they can have F's old violin for 10/-, which they offered when their rep called 2 weeks ago. All my life there has been a violine in the house & now I've had a qualm as to what will it feel like without one!' (22/3/52)
Level of description
item