28th November 1918: More angst for Adela about the family home, Broadgate. The journey home is a disaster – the lift in the Tube breaks down and Adela is not very impressed with her fellow travellers. She also doesn’t think much of her work colleagues at the moment as they disturb her filing system. In two days time Edgar will be 30 – she muses on what he looked like as a baby … “When we have a little Edgar, you’ll know what you looked like won’t you?”
Commission Internationale De Ravitaillement
India House
Kingsway WC2
Thursday 28th November 1918
… It’s pouring with rain as usual & filthy. Coonie and I have just been round the corner to have a cup of coffee!! We do work hard here when we’re on our own!!
I’m very fed up about Broadgate… I’m going to write a very straight letter to Gilbert today. Winifrede seems to imagine she is doing me a favour staying at Broadgate. I’m going to work now,
58 Howitt Road, Thursday night,
… I laughed tonight when I got your letter about the old man’s teeth because I’d just arrived & went into the smoke room & he was there alone & went out and brought me your letter & the whole time I was reading it he was dropping his teeth up & down… Clatter clatter clatter clatter (teeth!!) & he takes malt after his meals & he has a beard. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination!!!
Oh! But another man has arrived & I always expect him to ride into the room on a bike or he’s just left it outside the door. His get up is wonderful! Nothing very exciting otherwise. We had a concert tonight, sang & played. I was very tired tonight. The lift stuck in the tube & we were there ages. A dirty lot of smelly people.
They won’t have me in the tennis club, but in any case I shouldn’t have time. I never get home before 6.30 … I expect you will get this on your birthday darling. So I’ll wish you many happy returns. I wonder if you’ve got my pin yet. They said they would send it right from the shop. 30 years ago you were a tiny ball of nothing, yelling I expect. When we have a little Edgar, you’ll know what you looked like won’t you?
I do long for you to come home darling. Time does so drag when I think about it. I do think they might let you come home for Xmas, don’t you? Send the proofs back soon dear, as I must return them before they will do them.
We’ve got a lot of Committee people coming to the office tomorrow to see what we are all doing. If they ask me they’ll get a shock. I was with the Belgians for half an hour this afternoon. They asked me to have tea there, dirty old bounders some of them.
I got into an awful temper today, when out of the room, people come in & mess about with a cupboard that I’m in charge of, & muck it about, so I put up a notice. If anybody wanted anything out of the cupboard would they kindly apply to me, & if they didn’t there would be a row. It’s very annoying when you’re looking for one jacket out of 15,000 & somebody has put it in the wrong place isn’t it? …