Ethel Bilbrough in Chislehurst - December, 1914

from Diary of Ethel Bilbrough, Christmas 1914, page 155:

There was no talk of “a merry Christmas” this year. No one wanted to be merry even. With all the horrors of war, no one could feel “Christmassy”. It sounded so strange the first time we had “God Save the King” sung in church as a prayer – the congregation all kneeling with bowed heads and singing it seriously, slowly and reverently. It usually comes as a finish to mirthful festivities, or as a wind-up to some rollicking entertainment, but now that is all changed, and so has the significance of the fine old national anthem.
cite as

Ethel Bilbrough, Diary of Ethel Bilbrough, Christmas 1914. In My War Diary 1914-1918 (2014), p. 155. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1399561775941 accessed: 2 December, 2024

location of experience: Chislehurst

Listeners

Ethel Bilbrough
1870's-1951

Listening to

hide composers
God Save the King
written by Gerhard, Baron von Bunsen

Experience Information

Date/Time December, 1914
Medium live
Listening Environment in the company of others, indoors, in public

Originally submitted by hgb3 on Thu, 08 May 2014 16:09:36 +0100