Mary Russell’s War
Mary Russell’s War (eight): the wickedness of dogs
Young Mary Russell’s journal of the Great War, which began on August 4, 1914 continues. Her previous entries are here. 22 September 1914 Disaster! Calamity! Oh, how I loathe dogs! Who’d have expected a German spy to have a poodle? Father shouted at me—shouted!—and said that I was fortunate it hadn’t been an Alsatian, which might have…
Read MoreMary Russell’s War (seven): My war work
Mary Russell’s journal of the Great War has come to light, beginning on August 4, 1914. This is week seven (For the other weeks, click here.) 15 September 1914 Last week, Levi circled an article in the news concerning a boy of fourteen years and eleven months who was serving in the German army, and left it…
Read MoreMary Russell’s War (six): Tutors and trenches
Mary Russell’s Great War journal has come to light, beginning on August 4, 1914. This is week six. (For the other weeks, click here.) 8 September 1914 School is now fully under way. Not that Levi and I are directly concerned with classrooms, but our tutors follow the schedule of public school, so we are now…
Read MoreMary Russell’s War (five): a letter from the War Office
On the centenary of the Great War, a journal has come to light with weekly entries from a very young Mary Russell. It begins, appropriately enough, on August 4, 1914, when Russell is living with her parents and brother in San Francisco. This is week five. (To read from the beginning, click here.) 1 September…
Read MoreMary Russell’s War, part four
On the centenary of the Great War, a journal has come to light with weekly entries from a very young Mary Russell. It begins, appropriately enough, on August 4, 1914, when Russell is living with her parents and brother in San Francisco. This is week four. (The journal illuminates that portion of Miss Russell’s memoirs…
Read MoreMary Russell’s War, week three
On the centenary of the Great War, a journal has come to light of weekly entries from a very young Mary Russell. It begins, appropriately enough, on August 4, 1914, when Russell is living with her parents and brother in San Francisco. This is week three. (To read from the beginning, click here.) 18 August 1914…
Read MoreAbout Miss Russell’s War
Yes, Mary Russell’s War is officially a Thing. Every week from now until, well, until I run dry, we will read an excerpt from Miss Russell’s childhood diary, gathered together under the title of “Mary Russell’s War”. This week, the Germans are battering at the gates of Liege, a part of the Schlieffen Plan (which…
Read MoreMary Russell’s War, week two
On the centenary of the Great War, a journal has come to light, containing weekly entries from a very young Mary Russell. It begins, appropriately enough, on August 4, 1914, when Russell is living with her parents and brother in San Francisco. This is her second journal entry. (To read from the beginning, click here.)…
Read MoreMary Russell’s War, week one
On the centenary of the Great War, a journal has come to light, containing weekly entries from a very young Mary Russell. It begins, appropriately enough, on August 4, 1914, when Russell is living with her parents and brother in San Francisco. 4 August 1914. I was fourteen when I first heard about the…
Read More