4 bottles of a white wine arrived probably from Jean.
A sprinkling of snow on the ground + roof this morning + a dry frosty day with less of the N.N.W. wind. Duller in afternoon + like more snow. Walked to Bridge Street + round the town after. Wrote Willie Rodger1 + Julia Pringle.2 Ordered some Bard Parker knives3 for David4 + Päëjamas5 for Mrs Mack.6 Send £10 for “Save The Children Fund”.7 Mrs Mack was in Edinburgh + brought cream, sausage, chicken, jelly, gloves [and] sealing wax.
1 William Brydone ‘Willie’ Rodger (1880-1959), son of George Rodger (about 1843-1885), solicitor, and Isabella Margaret or Maggie Rodger née Brydone. Born Selkirk, he was later a stockbroker (admitted to the London Stock Exchange, 1904, at which time he lived at Redcliffe Square, Earls Court, Kensington). He was at Sevenoaks, Kent, 1911 Census and at Trey Lodge, Malling, Kent, 1939 England and Wales Register.
2 There is a good chance that this is Dr Julia Letitia Pringle (1878-1960), M.B.; Ch.B., the daughter of the late Robert Pringle, Writer to the Signet, who studied medicine at the Medical College for Women, Edinburgh, graduating in 1903. Her wartime service appears to have commenced with her signing of a form for the Medical Recruiting Scheme 1916 in which her details are, in summary “Dr Julia Letitia Pringle, MB ChB Edinburgh, of Wellington Street, Dundee, serving on the General Practitioner Panel.” [The Editor has the source of this information and would be happy to share it].
3 A reusable handle for surgical blades which have different shapes and sizes but a standard fitting compatible with that handle. Archives often have them as part of their conservation toolkits.
4 David Charteris ‘Dav.’ Graham (1889-1963), M.B., Ch.B., medical practitioner and Dr Muir’s business partner.
5 The Editor has included Dr Muir’s diacritics though the reason for their presence here is lost on him.
6 Dr Muir’s good friend Agnes Mackintosh née Watson, formerly Harper (1859-1946) of Elm Park, Selkirk.
7 “After the First World War ended, Britain kept up a blockade that left children in cities like Berlin and Vienna starving. Malnutrition was common and rickets were rife. An eye witness reported that “in the hospitals there was nothing but paper bandages.”
“Save the Children’s founders, sisters Eglantyne Jebb and Dorothy Buxton, were part of the Fight the Famine movement, spreading information about what was happening in Europe.”
“In 1919, Jebb was arrested for distributing leaflets in Trafalgar Square. They bore shocking images of children affected by famine in Europe, and the headline: ‘Our Blockade has caused this – millions of children are starving to death’.
“Jebb was tried for her protest and found guilty. But the prosecuting counsel was so impressed with her that he offered to pay the £5 fine himself.
“Soon, the sisters decided that campaigning alone would not be enough – direct action was needed. In May 1919, the Save the Children Fund was set up at a packed public meeting in London’s Royal Albert Hall.” Source: Save The Children Our History.
[Source: Scottish Borders Archives & Local History Service SBA/657/26, Dr J S Muir of Selkirk, medical practitioner, journal for 1923]
Rumbling Clint's Scottish Notes 