Regent’s Park

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27.9.40 [George Orwell]

September 27, 2010 in Dakar, News Chronicle, Nonconformists, Political, Regent's Park, War-time, bombs, lights, new statesman, peace terms by orwelldiaries

The News-Chronicle to-day is markedly defeatist, as well it may be after yesterday’s news about Dakar[1]. But I have a feeling that the News-Chronicle is bound to become defeatist anyway and will be promptly to the fore when plausible peace terms come forward. These people have no definable policy and no sense of responsibility, nothing except a traditional dislike of the British ruling class, based ultimately on the Nonconformist conscience. They are only noise-makers, like the New Statesman, etc. All these people can be counted on to collapse when the conditions of war become intolerable.

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31.8.40 [George Orwell]

August 31, 2010 in Eileen, Maida Vale, Political, Regent's Park, Spain, War-time, air raid, anti-aircraft guns, bomb, explosion by orwelldiaries

Air-raid warnings, of which there are now half a dozen or thereabouts every 24 hours, becoming a great bore.  Opinion spreading rapidly that one ought simply to disregard the raids except when they are known to be big-scale ones and in one’s own area.  Of the people strolling in Regent’s Park, I should say at least half pay no attention to a raid-warning . . . . . Last night just as we were going to bed, a pretty heavy explosion.  Later in the night woken up by a tremendous crash, said to be caused by a bomb in Maida Vale[1]. E. and I merely remarked on the loudness and fell asleep again.  Falling asleep, with a vague impression of anti-aircraft guns firing, found myself mentally back in the Spanish war, on one of those nights when you had a good straw to sleep on, dry feet, several hours rest ahead of you, and the sound of distant gunfire, which acts as a soporific provided it is distant.

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30.6.40 [George Orwell]

June 30, 2010 in Crooms Hill, Cyril Connolly, Italo Balbo, LDV, Political, Regent's Park, Senussi, Thetis, War-time, hand-grenades, local defence squads, mouse, pacifists, parade, rifles, working class by orwelldiaries

This afternoon a parade in Regent’s Park[1] of the L.D.V.  of the whole “zone”, i.e. 12 platoons of theoretically about 60 men each (actually a little under strength at present.) Predominantly old soldiers and, allowing for the dreadful appearance that men drilling in mufti always present, not a bad lot. Perhaps 25 per cent are working class. If that percentage exists in the Regent’s Park area, it must be much higher in some others. What I do not yet know is whether there has been any tendency to avoid raising L.D.V. contingents in very poor districts where the whole direction would have to be in working-class hands. At present the whole organisation is in an anomalous and confused state which has many different possibilities. Already people are spontaneously forming local defence squads and hand-grenades are probably being manufactured by amateurs. The higher-ups are no doubt thoroughly frightened by these tendencies. . . . The general inspecting the parade was the usual senile imbecile, actually decrepit, and made one of the most uninspiring speeches I ever heard. The men, however, very ready to be inspired. Loud cheering at the news that rifles had arrived at last.

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