21st February 1945

Wednesday

Another glorious fine day.  Working in Library again.  A delightful surprise by the second post – a cheque from Colchester Corporation for £100-12-1, my superannuation refund, quite £30 more than I expected.  Felt quite overjoyed, relieved, delighted, yet what this really means is that I now have no pension, and must die in miserable old age in some workhouse, just as my mother did.

This evening went round to Clarkson Avenue, and saw Mrs. Burnett, a very pleasant woman, who was most willing to let me have a room – obviously Jessie Swift had fixed the whole business.  Arranged to go there the week after next.  She charges £3.3, all in.  At the moment only one other boarder, Miss Dorothy Brewer, Headmistress of the Queen’s School, very tall and handsome, and remarkably young to be a headmistress.  Jones, the deputy surveyor, has been there too, and is just leaving.  He was in this evening, so stayed talking to him and Mrs. Burnett about Wisbech affairs.  He tells me he is sure Ollard wil never relinquish his hold on the Museum rooms until he is absolutely forced to do so.

“Colchester Gazette” came today – young Turner, the submarine commander is dead.  Now three of them are gone.  His brother was torpedoed while being taken as a prisoner to Italy, by a British submarine.  Often wondered if it was his brother’s.