Cloudless sky + touch of frost. Lovely all forenoon. Saw the half doz. cases on my list. Sat + read in the garden + then did some clerical work, chiefly on the record + Summary cards. Jack1 + the children2 left for Alnmouth, Jock on his motor bike + the rest in the car.3 Joan Robertson4 arrived at Wellwood.5 Wrote Jean.6 After being only barely a fortnight empty a case of Scarlet was admitted to Hospital today from Ettrickhaugh Road.7
1 John ‘Jack’ Roberts junior (1876-1966), husband of Agnes Amelia ‘Nancy’ Roberts née Muir (1878-1948), Dr Muir’s second daughter.
2 By this date it is not clear that all of the young people would have gone (Barbara in particular had already travelled abroad independently and later diary entries suggest that this was a ‘boys’ only holiday) but the ‘children’ were Andrina Barbara Henderson ‘Barbara’ Roberts, later Thwigg (1902-1996), John Stewart ‘Jock’ Roberts (1904-1950), Louisa Jane Roberts, later Rutherford (1906-1982), Stewart Muir ‘Little Stewart’ Roberts (1908-2003) and George Edward ‘Tim’ Roberts (1911-2005).
3 The Editor has emended this text after working on Dr Muir’s diary for 24 September 1922 where it is clear that it was John Stewart ‘Jock’ Roberts (1904-1950) who was riding the motorbike.
4 Joan Robertson is (so far) unidentified.
5 Wellwood, Ettrick Terrace, Selkirk, home of the Roberts family (see footnotes 1 and 2).
6 Jane Henderson Logan ‘Jean’ Pike née Muir (1877-1941), Dr Muir’s eldest daughter.
7 Diphtheria and Scarlet fever had been prevalent locally for a long time by late August 1922 though latterly the outbreak had almost completely stopped.
[Source: Scottish Borders Archives & Local History Service SBA/657/25, Dr J S Muir of Selkirk, medical practitioner, journal for 1922]
Rumbling Clint's Scottish Notes 