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10.9.40 [George Orwell]

September 10, 2010 in Cheapside, Criterion, Greenwich, Holborn, Huesca, London Bridge, Madame Tussaud's, Marylebone, Old Kent Road, Political, Spain, Thames estuary, War-time, Westminster Bridge, Woolwich, air raid, bomb, cinemas, delayed-action bomb, docks, fires, homeless, incendiary bomb, letters, milk, naval college, newspapers, noise, power, screaming bombs, shelter, shops, south London, telephone, theatres, traffic, trams, unexploded bomb by orwelldiaries

Can’t write much of the insanities of the last few days.  It is not so much that the bombing is worrying in itself as that the disorganisation of traffic, frequent difficulty of telephoning, shutting of shops whenever there is a raid on, etc., etc., combined with the necessity of getting on with one’s ordinary work, wear one out and turn life into a constant scramble to catch up lost time.  Herewith a few notes on bombs, etc.:-

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1.9.40 [George Orwell]

September 1, 2010 in Barcelona, Home Guard, Paris, Political, Richard Rees, War-time, army, forage cap, shops, soldiers by orwelldiaries

Recently bought a forage cap. . . . . It seems that forage caps over size 7 are a great rarity.  Evidently they expect all soldiers to have small heads.  This tallies with the remark made by some higher-up to R.R. in Paris when he tried to join the army – “Good God, you don’t suppose we want intelligent men in the front line, do you?” All the Home Guard uniforms are made with 20-inch necks. . . . . Shops everywhere are beginning to cash in on the Home Guard, khaki shirts, etc., being displayed at fantastic prices with notices “suitable for the Home Guard.” Just as in Barcelona in the early days when it was fashionable to be in the militia.

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