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Diary 7: August 1939 - April 1940 Item 24
TRANSCRIPTION
Left page
Elizabeth, while serving at the table, said she had
been in town and had met some other German people. They
were, she said, even more wretched than she; Iasked how
and she replied "Oh, about whether Germany is in the right
They were crying". I did not know what to say .
Right page
Tuesday 19th Sept. Lunched with Avenol and the
Supervisory Committee yesterday. There are many
problems, financial, personal, and political. Hambro
is very good. He is realist but confident in the
future and decent relations between nations. He flew
from Oslo to Amsterdam over the North Sea and found the
train service very disorganised in Holland. Got a car to
The Hague where he picked up 'Olivan, the Intl. Court
Registrar and both motored to Paris. They did that
journey in record time owing to the roads being almost
clear of traffic, and caught the train- Orient Express,
to Lausanne.
He played bridge with Sweetser, Wrong, and
me last night at Miremont. Very strongly anti-German
whose history and character he knows . Asked me if
Devalera would remain neutral forlong; said he was afraid
of Ireland being made a base for espionage and even
U-boats. I tried to reassure him on these two
points and said that most of the Germans had actually
left Ireland, even forsaking lucrative businesses and
posts. I feel somewhat reassured that Tommy Coyne
is Assistant Censor, (Joe Connolly being his chief).
Sending a letter to Elsie tomorrow by Sir
Cecil Kisch who is returning to London. It is quicker
and safer.
Yesterday morning got letters from Elsie and
Dorothy Mary, the first since the war began. Posted
on 11th. which wasnt bad. Elsie had picked up at
Ardagh Lodge, in a hired car, the war stores she had
bought last Easter. Gen. Sir Chas McMourrough-Kavanagh
the September tenant had not apparently arrived. She
is trying to let the house. Elsie was lyrical
about the place, its peace and comfort and simplicity,
and awoke all our dreams of settling down there if and
when we can. Alas, the resources are so very
slender. This changing life has given us much but
no pension prospects .
Hitler is just now speaking over the wireless
from Danzig, where he is celebrating. The dear
Forster led off. The speeches were interspersed
with natural applause but that is not enough, they must
introduce sandpaper effects. Julius Streicher is
reported under arrest in Germany; embezzlement- and
indiscreet remarks about Goring's income. Hope it
is true. He is a stinking brute. Goebells has not
been heard from since the war began and there are ru
rumours about him too.
Language(s) of Transcription
LOCATION
Gdańsk (Poland) (54.3612, 18.5499)
Story Location
ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT
Document Date
Document Type
Document Description
Language of Description
Keywords
External Web Resources
People
Julio López Oliván
Description: Spanish diplomat, Registrar of the International Court of Justice
Wikidata Reference: Q1712368
Thomas Joseph Coyne (Birth: 22/01/1901, Dublin)
Description: Irish civil servant, deputy controller of censorship
Joseph Conolly (Birth: 19/01/1885, Belfast)
Description: Irish politician, businessman and civil servant
Albert Forster
Description: German politician (NSDAP), MdR, Gauleiter of the NSDAP and Reich Governor in Danzig
Wikidata Reference: Q704305
Julius Streicher
Description: German politician (NSDAP) and publisher of "Der Stürmer"
Wikidata Reference: Q76984
Hermann Göring
Description: German poltician (NSDAP) and military leader
Joseph Goebbels
Description: German poltician (NSDAP) and Propaganda Minister
Wikidata Reference: Q41749
STORY INFORMATION
Title
Diary 7: August 1939 - April 1940
Creator
Lester | Seán | 1888-1959
Contributor
Seán Lester
Lester, Seán, 1888-1959
Date
August 1939 - April 1940
Type
Text
Rights
This collection has been digitised and made available by Dublin City University Library. Please credit Dublin City University Library when using these images, creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Language
eng
Identifier
#hq388c59q
LandingPage
https://www.europeana.eu/item/707/_hq388c59qCountry
Ireland
DatasetName
707__Dublin_City_University
Begin
1936-05-01
End
1937-02-28
Language
en
Created
2022-03-23T16:13:34.244Z
2022-03-23T16:13:40.137051Z
2022-03-23T16:13:40.137645Z
Story Description
Handwritten and typed diary entries relating to Lester's time as Deputy Secretary General of the League of 12 Nations in Geneva, the outbreak of the Second World War, and the evacuation of his wife and three daughters from Geneva to Ireland. Includes letters and cards to Lester from: Jack T Mayo ['an English fishing companion']; Ambrose B Wareing, the Danzig correspondent for the Daily Telegraph newspaper (letter dated 16 June 1937); Isidro Fabela, Mexican diplomat; Pierre Stoppani, League of Nations Economic Relations Section; Eóin MacNeill, Professor, National University of Ireland; Vladimir Sokoline, Under Secretary General's Office, League of Nations; Stephen Gwynn, former MP for Galway city, academic and journalist; S Pelychuoniades, Hellenic Delegation to the League of Nations; Joseph MN Jeffries, author and journalist; Phyllis Manning, a friend who it seems, also holidayed in Connemara and who worked at the Agricultural Economics Research Institute in Oxford, and GC Greene, 'British Sporting Agency Ltd, Digswell Vale, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, UK. Includes extract from letter written by Raymond Fosdick, Rockefeller Foundation, to Arthur Sweetser, League of Nations' Public Information Section. Also includes a handwritten 'note for talk with S.G.' [?Secretary General, Joseph Avenol], dated September 1938, newspaper cuttings, poems by Patricia E Lester [Seán Lester's daughter], and black and white photographs. First photograph features the following individuals chatting beside a bench in a garden or park 'at luncheon to [?Iroguiera' Luis Podestá Costa, League of Nations Under Secretary General; Frank P Walters, League of Nations Under Secretaries-Generals in charge of Political Section Office; Lester, and Isidro Fabela, Mexican diplomat. Second photograph features Lester, Alberto Guani, Uruguayan Foreign Minister, and [?Iroguiera] in Lester's office. There are two gaps in the diary when Lester did not record entries for months at a time. This diary opens with '[n]ot a line written in a notebook for months', and an entry on 31 January 1940 notes that '[n]othing written for 2 months'.
TRANSCRIPTION
LOCATION
DESCRIPTION
PEOPLE
STORY INFO
TUTORIAL
Left page
Elizabeth, while serving at the table, said she had
been in town and had met some other German people. They
were, she said, even more wretched than she; Iasked how
and she replied "Oh, about whether Germany is in the right
They were crying". I did not know what to say .
Right page
Tuesday 19th Sept. Lunched with Avenol and the
Supervisory Committee yesterday. There are many
problems, financial, personal, and political. Hambro
is very good. He is realist but confident in the
future and decent relations between nations. He flew
from Oslo to Amsterdam over the North Sea and found the
train service very disorganised in Holland. Got a car to
The Hague where he picked up 'Olivan, the Intl. Court
Registrar and both motored to Paris. They did that
journey in record time owing to the roads being almost
clear of traffic, and caught the train- Orient Express,
to Lausanne.
He played bridge with Sweetser, Wrong, and
me last night at Miremont. Very strongly anti-German
whose history and character he knows . Asked me if
Devalera would remain neutral forlong; said he was afraid
of Ireland being made a base for espionage and even
U-boats. I tried to reassure him on these two
points and said that most of the Germans had actually
left Ireland, even forsaking lucrative businesses and
posts. I feel somewhat reassured that Tommy Coyne
is Assistant Censor, (Joe Connolly being his chief).
Sending a letter to Elsie tomorrow by Sir
Cecil Kisch who is returning to London. It is quicker
and safer.
Yesterday morning got letters from Elsie and
Dorothy Mary, the first since the war began. Posted
on 11th. which wasnt bad. Elsie had picked up at
Ardagh Lodge, in a hired car, the war stores she had
bought last Easter. Gen. Sir Chas McMourrough-Kavanagh
the September tenant had not apparently arrived. She
is trying to let the house. Elsie was lyrical
about the place, its peace and comfort and simplicity,
and awoke all our dreams of settling down there if and
when we can. Alas, the resources are so very
slender. This changing life has given us much but
no pension prospects .
Hitler is just now speaking over the wireless
from Danzig, where he is celebrating. The dear
Forster led off. The speeches were interspersed
with natural applause but that is not enough, they must
introduce sandpaper effects. Julius Streicher is
reported under arrest in Germany; embezzlement- and
indiscreet remarks about Goring's income. Hope it
is true. He is a stinking brute. Goebells has not
been heard from since the war began and there are ru
rumours about him too.
- English (English)
Left page
Elizabeth, while serving at the table, said she had
been in town and had met some other German people. They
were, she said, even more wretched than she; Iasked how
and she replied "Oh, about whether Germany is in the right
They were crying". I did not know what to say .
Right page
Tuesday 19th Sept. Lunched with Avenol and the
Supervisory Committee yesterday. There are many
problems, financial, personal, and political. Hambro
is very good. He is realist but confident in the
future and decent relations between nations. He flew
from Oslo to Amsterdam over the North Sea and found the
train service very disorganised in Holland. Got a car to
The Hague where he picked up 'Olivan, the Intl. Court
Registrar and both motored to Paris. They did that
journey in record time owing to the roads being almost
clear of traffic, and caught the train- Orient Express,
to Lausanne.
He played bridge with Sweetser, Wrong, and
me last night at Miremont. Very strongly anti-German
whose history and character he knows . Asked me if
Devalera would remain neutral forlong; said he was afraid
of Ireland being made a base for espionage and even
U-boats. I tried to reassure him on these two
points and said that most of the Germans had actually
left Ireland, even forsaking lucrative businesses and
posts. I feel somewhat reassured that Tommy Coyne
is Assistant Censor, (Joe Connolly being his chief).
Sending a letter to Elsie tomorrow by Sir
Cecil Kisch who is returning to London. It is quicker
and safer.
Yesterday morning got letters from Elsie and
Dorothy Mary, the first since the war began. Posted
on 11th. which wasnt bad. Elsie had picked up at
Ardagh Lodge, in a hired car, the war stores she had
bought last Easter. Gen. Sir Chas McMourrough-Kavanagh
the September tenant had not apparently arrived. She
is trying to let the house. Elsie was lyrical
about the place, its peace and comfort and simplicity,
and awoke all our dreams of settling down there if and
when we can. Alas, the resources are so very
slender. This changing life has given us much but
no pension prospects .
Hitler is just now speaking over the wireless
from Danzig, where he is celebrating. The dear
Forster led off. The speeches were interspersed
with natural applause but that is not enough, they must
introduce sandpaper effects. Julius Streicher is
reported under arrest in Germany; embezzlement- and
indiscreet remarks about Goring's income. Hope it
is true. He is a stinking brute. Goebells has not
been heard from since the war began and there are ru
rumours about him too.
Language(s) of Transcription
English Translation
Transcription History
Left page Elizabeth, while serving at the table, said she had been in town and had met some other German people. They were, she said, even more wretched than she; Iasked how and she replied "Oh, about whether Germany is in the right They were crying". I did not know what to say . Right page Tuesday 19th Sept. Lunched with Avenol and the Supervisory Committee yesterday. There are many problems, financial, personal, and political. Hambro is very good. He is realist but confident in the future and decent relations between nations. He flew from Oslo to Amsterdam over the North Sea and found the train service very disorganised in Holland. Got a car to The Hague where he picked up 'Olivan, the Intl. Court Registrar and both motored to Paris. They did that journey in record time owing to the roads being almost clear of traffic, and caught the train- Orient Express, to Lausanne. He played bridge with Sweetser, Wrong, and me last night at Miremont. Very strongly anti-German whose history and character he knows . Asked me if Devalera would remain neutral forlong; said he was afraid of Ireland being made a base for espionage and even U-boats. I tried to reassure him on these two points and said that most of the Germans had actually left Ireland, even forsaking lucrative businesses and posts. I feel somewhat reassured that Tommy Coyne is Assistant Censor, (Joe Connolly being his chief). Sending a letter to Elsie tomorrow by Sir Cecil Kisch who is returning to London. It is quicker and safer. Yesterday morning got letters from Elsie and Dorothy Mary, the first since the war began. Posted on 11th. which wasnt bad. Elsie had picked up at Ardagh Lodge, in a hired car, the war stores she had bought last Easter. Gen. Sir Chas McMourrough-Kavanagh the September tenant had not apparently arrived. She is trying to let the house. Elsie was lyrical about the place, its peace and comfort and simplicity, and awoke all our dreams of settling down there if and when we can. Alas, the resources are so very slender. This changing life has given us much but no pension prospects . Hitler is just now speaking over the wireless from Danzig, where he is celebrating. The dear Forster led off. The speeches were interspersed with natural applause but that is not enough, they must introduce sandpaper effects. Julius Streicher is reported under arrest in Germany; embezzlement- and indiscreet remarks about Goring's income. Hope it is true. He is a stinking brute. Goebells has not been heard from since the war began and there are ru rumours about him too.
Elizabeth, while serving at the table, said she had been in town and had met some other German people. They were, she said, even more wretched than she; Iasked how and she replied "Oh, about whether Germany is in the right They were crying". I did not know what to say . Tuesday I9th Sept. Lunched with Avenol and the Supervisory Committee yesterday. There are many problems, financial, personal, and political. Hambro is very good. He is realist but confident in the future and decent relations between nations. He flew from Oslo to Amsterdam over the North Sea and found the train service very disorganised in Holland. Got a car to The Hague where he picked up 'Olivan, the Intl. Court Registrar and both motored to Paris. They did that journey in record time owing to the roads being almost clear of traffic, and caught the train- Orient Express, to Lausanne. He played bridge with Sweetser, Wrong, and me last night at Miremont. Very strongly anti-German whose history and character he knows . Asked me if Devalera would remain neutral forlong; said he was afraid of Ireland being made a base for espionage and even U-boats. I tried to reassure him on these two points and said that most of the Germans had actually left Ireland, even forsaking lucrative businesses and posts. I feel somewhat reassured that Tommy Coyne is Assistant Censor, (Joe Connolly being his chief). Sending a letter to Elsie tomorrow by Sir Cecil Kisch who is returning to London. It is quicker and safer. Yesterday morning got letters from Elsie and Dorothy Mary, the first since the war began. Posted on IIth. which wasnt bad. Elsie had picked up at Ardagh Lodge, in a hired car, the war stores she had bought last Easter. Gen. Sir Chas McMourrough-Kavanagh the September tenant had not apparently arrived. She is trying to let the house. Elsie was lyrical about the place, its peace and comfort and simplicity, and awoke all our dreams of settling down there if and when we can. Alas, the resources are so very slender. This changing life has given us much but no pension prospects . Hitler is just now speaking over the wireless from Danzig, where he is celebrating. The dear Forster led off. The speeches were interspersed with natural applause but that is not enough, they must introduce sandpaper effects. Julius Streicher is reported under arrest in Germany; embezzlement- and indiscreet remarks about Goring's income. Hope it is true. He is a stinking brute. Goebells has not been heard from since the war began and there are ru rumours about him too.
English Translation
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