17th April 1945

Tuesday

Glorious cloudless day, very hot.  Penny came up from the Control Room and said he had “found” one of our tables in the ARP depôt in Barton Road – the County people have made very free with anybody’s property which they wanted.

Mrs. Munday called, and left her scrap books for me to see.  Spoke of knowing Col. Manson of Walpole St Peter, who is said to own descendants of the Shales.

Writing nearly all day.  Little Miss Torey came in, and I showed her the Dickens autographs, which she enjoyed.  Saw Woodgate, who emphasised the need for absolute secrecy in the matter of the Jackson Diary and other MSS.  Regret that I mentioned the matter to Curtis Edwards, who came in this morning and was most anxious to know where I had been all yesterday.

The six o’clock news announced that Churchill had “postponed” his end-of-the-war statement for Thursday.  No reasons given, but this morning’s papers say that Eisenhower has made a statement that he will say when the war ceases, and nobody else.  Great to-do in Parliament today because MacIntyre, the new Scottish Nationalist member refused sponsors when he entered the House, and the Speaker, (most enthusiastically backed by Churchill) refused to allow him to take his seat.  Without doubt Nationalism in Scotland and Wales is going to be a force to reckon with.  Interesting to see results of the Caernarvon election on Thursday week.

Wrote to Ann tonight, and arranged to go to Inverness on 12 May.  How I am to afford all this I have no idea.

Cycled to Elm in the cool of the evening, and talked to Mrs. Coulter and her sister-in-law for an hour or so.  Ought to have worked.  More air manoeuvres tonight, the sky a mass of search-lights, with a pale watery crescent moon, and red and yellow flares falling.