The Diary of Dorothy Priest

For the next year we will be publishing the diary entries of Dorothy Priest. Dorothy was a young woman living with her family in Kings Norton at the outbreak of war. Aged 19, she had been a pupil at King Edward’s High School for Girls and would later study Metallurgy at the University of Birmingham. Dorothy’s diary provides a fascinating insight into what life was like in Birmingham during that first year of global conflict.

The Diary of Dorothy Priest

August 1914

August 2nd, Sunday

The crisis in Europe is getting very serious.  Last week’s Dublin gun running affairs are quite forgotten now, it seems much worse than a week ago and yet it was the beginning of last week that Austria sent an ultimatum to Serbia and a day or two afterwards declared war.  Then we didn’t think much about it except that mother was sorry for the Emperor.  Then Russia started mobilising and Germany didn’t like it and said so and there was talk of European war.  That woke us up and we began to think of what would happen to England if we should have to fight.  On Thursday came news of the taking of Belgrade.  War was declared about Tuesday or Wednesday.  On Friday Russia and Germany got restless.  Russia started mobilising.  Saturday France was disturbed and Germany sent an ultimatum to Russia. (These are the days we got news of the events).  Today the paper says that France and Germany are mobilising, the Kaiser made a speech and said the sword was being forced into their hands.  The bank rate was raised to 10 per cent.  They say there is no need for a panic in England.  Sir Edward Grey was still doing his best to keep peace.  Italy will most likely remain neutral.  Holland and Switzerland are mobilising.  Russia’s answer to Germany’s ultimatum is to be given by 12 tomorrow.  Last night Daddy said he thought England would keep out; today he thinks we shall fight on the sea.  He says we shall see sugar at six pence a pound soon and also it will be down by the jam-making time.  He says that if France and Germany do fight it will end by there being no Germans or Empire left.  I hope so. And I hope Serbia will not be conquered and Italy will not need to fight.

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