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has been more surprised at this than the
German, who thought them of no account, and
yet the other day in a bayonet engagement
the Prussian Guard was beaten. One of the
young assistant keepers from the Royal
Scottish Museum has fallen. I never saw
him but he seems to have been a promising
youth. Today I saw the Roll of Honour
of the W. S. [Writer to the Signet] Society. Including apprentices
it appeared to run to hundreds of names.
Young men of the better classes one never
sees now, and of the working classes the
few one meets bear the Munition worker's badges
Many a face I miss from the Queensferry Road
that I used to encounter on my walks
In offices and shops there is increasing
difficulty in carrying on business, and women
are being more and more employed. For months
girls have been acting as tram conductors; now
a "post-missie" delivers our letters. A few
thoughtless folk talk of the war being over
by September but those with deeper insight
regard another winter as certain,
and its duration till this time next year as
almost certain. We all know that the
price of victory will be a heavy one, many

of these brave youths who have answered their
country's call will return no more, but the
people do not flinch, and everywhere is a
spirit of absolute confidence in the victory
of the allies. There is no doubt that the Germans
are beginning to show signs of breaking down,
and the Austrians are much further gone.
We are going back to our former quarters at
NethyBridge on 1st August, but for one month
only this year instead of for two. Many people
are not going away for a holiday & some are
devoting their holiday time to the making of
munitions. Children must have a change, and
as I have not been away practically since
last September except for a day or two at
Christmas, I feel I need one too.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced yester:
:day that the war is now costing us £6,000,000 a day!!
(This statement was misleading as he included the sum paid for American securities)

30 July 1916.
Since my last entry was written the character of
the weather has changed and we have had ten
days of real warmth & sunshine, the shade
temperature varying from 70° to 80°. My old
Uncle Robert has been staying with us, a truly
wonderful octogenarian. Eighty four I think
is his age, yet his faculties are quite acute.
He neither suffers from deafness nor extreme
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