gb0551ms-33-17

Transcription

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be related in many a printed book for years
to come as I need not dwell on it here. This
country from being split up into numerous
waring political factions became in:
:stantly welded together by the breaking
out of war; parties and creeds were laid
aside and patriotism, which one had
begun to deem a lost virtue sprang to
the fore. There was no undignified ebullitions;
the country kept its head nobly, everyone
realising what a serious condition of affairs
had arisen. There was a somewhat of a
rush to lay in stocks of flour and other
provisions by a few people, but calmer
councils soon prevailed and, with our
magnificent fleet controling the trade
routes, prices advanced very little. Now
after 10 weeks of a condition of war, with
perpetual fighting going on first across
the North sea, the country is going about
its business in the usual way. The town
is full of territorials and red cross motors
& conveyances of one sort or another are
dashing hither & thither. The poor-house
at the gates of Fettes is now the Craigleith
Military Hospital and there my assistant

curator Mr Edwards occupies an important
post as Sergt. [Sergeant] Major. The hospital is already
full of wounded heroes. All the attendants from
the Museum have returned to the ranks and
I am left with George Archibald & Miss
Dennison my typist. Although the Museum
was vacated months ago there are no signs
yet of the workmen commencing to the
structural alterations. As the building is
closed to the public I have few visitors and
not many objects are being offered for sale.
We closed the excavations on Traprain at
the end of August. Our success in relics of
first class importance was very remarkable
and with the exception of the Roman fort at
Newstead, no single site (in Scotland) has yeilded anything
like as much: further I am sure we may work
for many years to come with excellent prospects.

25th June 1915
War! War! All the civilized world nearly is at war,
and now after eleven months of it, we are just
awakening to the fact that our supplies of am:
:unition are inadequate and also our guns. All
which we knew some months ago, but the
late government lamentably failed, either to impress
the fact on the people and so rouse them to put
forth their best efforts, or to take other steps to
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