1926 Original Handwritten Diary of a Young Norfolk Man Who Provides an Entertaining Glimpse of Post-WWI Life, Mildly Inconvenienced by the United Kingdom General Strike and Scandalized by Local Theatre

On offer is a detailed 1926 diary that belonged to a 23-year-old Englishman named John E. Gibson. Gibson was born in 1903 in London, and lived and worked in King's Lynn, a town in Norfolk, at the time his diary was written. The authors engaging observations touch on many of the significant events of the year. "Went with Mum to the Theatre to see 'White Cargo', a story of life out in West Africa, & the result of a white man marrying a black . . . The strongest language I've ever heard on a stage was used & one especially made everyone sit up & I was a bit flabbergasted myself: one said to another, & it just fitted to a T 'poor bloody fool'" (January 13, 1926). Gibson references a May 2nd plane crash that occurred during an air show that featured stunt flying, referred to at the time as "crazy flying." Included with the diary is a photocopy of a newspaper article that discusses the crash, as well as a copy of a photograph that shows the plane itself. (These were added later by an individual researching Gibson. ) "Yesterday afternoon, an aeroplane that had been taking up people for flights, crashed in the old cemetery. The pilot was killed" (May 3, 1926). The diary also chronicles the beginning of the 1926 United Kingdom general strike, the largest industrial dispute in Britain's history: "At midnight last night all the coal miners came out on strike, & the railway men have come out too. There were no trains running this morning, & we therefore had no newspapers. My sister had to cycle to Walpole. Everybody seems excited, & they all listen round wire-less broadcasters for news" (May 4, 1926). The diary measures 5 inches by 3.35 inches. It contains 365 pages and is 100 percent complete. The book itself has a red cover and was created by John Walker & Co. Ltd. , And the preliminary pages of this Walker's Diary give information specific to 1926, such as the time of the rising and setting of the moon in London, postal regulations, and important dates such as English law sittings and university terms for Oxford, Cambridge, and Durham. The book is in excellent condition and the handwriting is quite legible. Included with the diary is a collection of extensive genealogical and biographical notes about Gibson and his family, and copies of seven black-and-white photographs. The pages confirm Gibson's identity, identify immediate family members, and shed light on the circumstances of his life. Gibson's diary offers an excellent look at life in Norfolk, England, in the years following the First World War. The entries are substantial and rich in detail about what was important to those living a century ago. ; Manuscripts; 5" x 3.25"; 365 pages; Keywords: John E. Gibson; post-WWI England; General Strike of 1926; 1920s; Norfolk; King's Lynn; White Cargo; Crazy Flying; Stunt Flying; Aerobatics; United Kingdom General Strike; United Kingdom; 1920s UK; HANDWRITTEN; MANUSCRIPT; DOCUMENT; LETTER; AUTOGRAPH; WRITER; HAND WRITTEN; DOCUMENTS; SIGNED; LETTERS; MANUSCRIPTS; DIARY; DIARIES; JOURNALS; PERSONAL HISTORY; SOCIAL HISTORY; HISTORICAL; HOLOGRAPH; WRITERS; AUTOGRAPHS; PERSONAL; MEMOIR; MEMORIAL; ANTIQUIT, CONTRAT; VLIN; DOCUMENT; MANUSCRIT; PAPIER ANTIKE; BRIEF; PERGAMENT; DOKUMENT; MANUSKRIPT; PAPIER OGGETTO D'ANTIQUARIATO; ATTO; VELINA; DOCUMENTO; MANOSCRITTO; CARTA ANTIGEDAD; HECHO; VITELA; DOCUMENTO; MANUSCRITO; PAPEL