News and Events
The Diary of Dorothy Priest, September 11th 1914
On 11, Sep 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
Still good news. We have driven the Germans back 40 miles and captured 1,500 men and guns and maxims.
The Diary of Dorothy Priest, September 10th 1914
On 10, Sep 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
No more news from France. The Oceanic has been wrecked off the north of Scotland, but all were saved. She had been turned into an armoured cruiser to guard the North Sea. Magnificent offers of help of all sorts, men, money and personal service, have come from all over India.
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The Diary of Dorothy Priest, September 9th 1914
On 09, Sep 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
The rumours of Monday night that we were beginning to win were confirmed yesterday.
The Diary of Dorothy Priest, September 8th 1914
On 08, Sep 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
240,000 Russians are in France. A Russian War Office official who sent them from Archangel in the Lusitania and other boats told Daddy and Uncle Will also. We have made the German right flank retreat from Paris, and everything seems brighter at present. We saw a train-load of recruits pass through Kings Norton.
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The Diary of Dorothy Priest, September 7th 1914
On 07, Sep 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
Rumours of good new, but only rumours. A Wilson liner was blown up by a mine. All but 24 were saved.
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The Diary of Dorothy Priest, September 6th 1914
On 06, Sep 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
[HMS] Pathfinder sunk by a mine. Belgians have flooded the country round (Auvers?) by opening the dykes and have half-drowned the Germans.
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The Diary of Dorothy Priest, September 5th 1914
On 05, Sep 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
No news. They fill the papers somehow, but there is nothing worth reading in them.
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The Diary of Dorothy Priest, September 4th 1914
On 04, Sep 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
Bordeaux is the temporary capital of France. The Russians have captured Lemberg.
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The Diary of Dorothy Priest, September 3rd 1914
On 03, Sep 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
Germans 45 miles from Paris. Another “Light Brigade” charge to silence some guns concealed in hayricks. Pat brought home news confirming the report of 38,000 Russians passing through Birmingham.
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The Diary of Dorothy Priest, September 2nd 1914
On 02, Sep 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
Nothing in the papers. We saw trains going past with the Red Cross on each coach; two going towards Birmingham and one the other way.
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The First World War: Nursing – Call for Papers
On 01, Sep 2014 | In Events | By Nicola Gauld
The University of Worcester’s annual Women’s History Conference seeks papers for next year’s event on Saturday 21 November 2015 under the heading of The First World War: Nursing.
The Diary of Dorothy Priest, September 1st 1914
On 01, Sep 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
No news in the papers. I went into town today by train. There was a tremendous crowd outside Suffolk Street recruiting office. It gave me a thrill to see them. There were more crowds outside the Town Hall.
The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 31st 1914
On 31, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
News from France not so black. We have chased the German advance and the “steam roller” is moving on to Berlin much faster than expected.
The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 30th 1914
On 30, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
Special edition of the Mail, Birmingham Sunday Mail, tonight says Germany’s advance is faltering. Russia is winning all along the line and the French are beginning to win in Lorraine. The rumour in the Weekly Despatch that the Germans were in Boulogne is denied.
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The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 29th 1914
On 29, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
We’ve started to sing ‘Kaiser Bill’s whiskers’. Some of our ships went through the mines into Heligoland Bight and finished off some of their ships without having a single one of ours blown up. The Russians are advancing.
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The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 28th 1914
On 28, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
German ship sunk and another blown up. Fighting is going on and our wounded are being sent home, but there is no news of any decisive battle nor of the fleet. The Germans are advancing in France.
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The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 27th 1914
On 27, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
They say our men fought splendidly and cut up the German Imperial Guard.
The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 26th 1914
On 26, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
I haven’t had time to read the papers but it seems that we must prepare for a long war and things are very serious.
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The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 25th 1914
On 25, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
Germans advancing in Belgium and we [are] retreating. The line is now almost the same as the Franco-Belgian frontier. The Russians are advancing though.
The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 24th 1914
On 24, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
News at last but very little. British cavalry were fighting yesterday or the day before and were not beaten but were holding their own. The report is not officially confirmed.
The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 23rd 1914
On 23, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
Hardly any news and yet something must be happening.
Project update: Shot at Dawn
On 21, Aug 2014 | In WW1 Projects | By Nicola Gauld
In May the Central Youth Theatre made an appeal for information for their project, Lest We Forget-Shot at Dawn, exploring the stories of executed First World War soldiers from the West Midlands.
The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 21st 1914
On 21, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
Germans are in Brussels. Possibly it is because the Belgians have retreated to Antwerp and are acting in the best possible way in conjunction with the English and French and we ARE GOING TO BEAT THE Germans in another place. I hope so.
The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 20th 1914
On 20, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
Rumours of ‘liveliness’ of the Germans in the North Sea. Germans nearing Brussels. Belgian scouts on the fields of Waterloo. The Pope is dead.
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The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 19th 1914
On 19, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
I couldn’t read the papers properly today. They say the French have a firm footing in Alsace Lorraine, that our soldiers were very warmly welcomed in France and that there have been skirmishes in the North Sea.
New project: The role and experience of soldiers of colour in the First World War
On 18, Aug 2014 | In WW1 Projects | By Nicola Gauld
This new project by Footballfineart, ‘The role and experience of soldiers of colour in the First World War’ (funded by the HLF’s ‘Understanding the First World War‘ programme), aims to focus upon the contribution made to the First World War by manpower from Britain’s colonies.
The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 18th 1914
On 18, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
Kitchener has kindly permitted the Press to publish the news that our Army landed in France about Saturday. The whole thing was magnificently arranged.
The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 17th 1914
On 17, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
No news yesterday. News came today that three French ships beat some Austrian ships in the Mediterranean. More fighting between outposts of the French and German armies.
Black Poppies
On 15, Aug 2014 | In Events | By Nicola Gauld
Stephen Bourne, who will be joining us at the Library of Birmingham on November 29 to celebrate the launch of his new book, Black Poppies, has recently written two blog posts about his research.
The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 15th 1914
On 15, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
Reports of more Belgian (English?) victories and German cavalry defeated.
The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 14th 1914
On 14, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
Still no news. It’s Kitchener who’s stopping it.
Voices of War & Peace Autumn events
On 13, Aug 2014 | In Events | By Nicola Gauld
Seven new events for the autumn have been added to the events listings: http://www.voicesofwarandpeace.org/events/
The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 13th 1914
On 13, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
Little news in the papers. Liege’s forts still holding out.
The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 12th 1914
On 12, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
The Diary of Dorothy Priest
August 12th
This evening’s paper says there will soon be a great battle on land and our ships are guarding the North Sea.
The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 11
On 11, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
The Diary of Dorothy Priest
August 11th
No news. The Birmingham Mail says it is the lull before the storm. It seems to me that the great battle that is going to be fought will be in Belgium. Read more…
The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 10
On 10, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
The Diary of Dorothy Priest
August 10th
The news in the papers. Daddy says that some of the soldiers in Liege can only speak English. They have been going over since a week ago. Read more…
The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 9
On 09, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
The Diary of Dorothy Priest
August 9th
Special edition Evening Dispatch with news of a French victory in south Alsace. Read more…
The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 8
On 08, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
The Diary of Dorothy Priest
August 8th
Very little news. Austria won’t help Germany, Portugal will help us. Nearly all the King’s Norton doctors are gone. How I long to help! But I must learn to stand by and watch others do. We have taken a German colony in Africa. The 8.35 arrived at King’s Norton at 10.20 instead of 8.55 tonight. This is our first local upset; it may be due to people returning from their holidays.
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The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 7
On 07, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
The Diary of Dorothy Priest
August 7th
The first sad news. HMS Amphion sunk by a mine, 130 lives lost. There were rumours of a great naval battle but Winston contradicted them. Germany is beginning to see what a hornet’s nest it has raised. The Prince has issued an appeal for funds to relieve distress and is Treasurer for it. This is his first big public work and the first published document signed Edward P. He has joined the Grenadier Guards and is going on active service.
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The Diary of Dorothy Priest, August 6
On 06, Aug 2014 | In Priest Diary | By Nicola Gauld
The Diary of Dorothy Priest
August 6th
Nothing much has happened today. They say our fleet is XXXXX for the Germans and chasing them near Sheringham and that a battle is imminent. If only we can win a great victory the sooner we fight the better. We are in the right. “Thrice is he armed that has his quarrel just” [Henry VI part 2]. They say there is to be plenty of food if only people won’t get frightened. Liege was still holding out this morning. We and the French have captured 15 or 16 German ships. The Colonies are helping splendidly. We seem to almost forget this is only the 2nd day of war in England. Yesterday morning seems such a long time ago.
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