Don Martin diary entry for Monday, January 7, 1918:
Went
to Fleet St. and wrote a couple of stories for mailing. Walked up to Piccadilly
and about a half-mile on Regent St. London is certainly a great city. The
magnitude of business is very impressive. Met Martin Green of the Evening World
at the Savoy. Had dinner at Simpson’s with Klacher
of the A.P. and a N.Y. lawyer named Nash. Then went to Herald office and talked
with the office boy for an hour. Returned to hotel and sat in the big
restaurant till midnight. Wrote
a long letter to Dorothy.
Weather pleasant. Some sunshine
The letter Don Martin wrote to his daughter
Dorothy was newsy, telling her about what he has found in London. And there is mention of his going to France, but not in winter. He made a copy of the letter and sent it
with a friend leaving for New York; both copies survive. Here are excerpts:
Dorothy,
I have just come from a walk through Piccadilly,
Regent Street (the Fifth Avenue of London) and
Trafalgar Sq. and will now write you a more or less brief letter. Writing seems
unsatisfactory because there is no telling when the ships leave and then there
is no certainty that one’s letters will be on the first ship that starts. You
see Dorothy every letter that leaves England has to be read by the government
and it takes time. This is done because spies might send important information
to America and in that way get it to Germany. All letters leaving America have
to be read by the government too so there is delay at both ends...
... I shall no doubt stay in England for quite a
while. There is no use trying to do any war correspondence at the front in the
winter. The weather is cold, the ground frozen and the killing has ceased till
spring. It is likely that in the spring I will go over to France for a while. I
can’t exactly say I like it here. London is a wonderful city. There are miles
and miles of business and millions of people. Even though all the younger men
are in the army and navy, London streets are crowded and from the appearance of
the stores, restaurants, etc. one would not know there is any war on. Still the
streets are filled with men in uniform. I daresay if I should go down to the
lobby of this hotel now I could count at least fifty officers standing about.
The streets are filled with them. Some are home on leave, as they call it; some
are wounded; some are on sick leave and a great many are passing through London
on the way to France. There are evidences of war everywhere. I see Americans
everywhere. At least twenty are staying in this hotel now... A New York
newspaperman named Martin Green, of the New York World, arrived today also. I
haven’t seen him yet but he is looking for me and I am waiting to hear from
him.
The city seemed terribly cold during my first few
days here but it is better now. I got some heavy underwear and have become used
to the raw air. I took a little cold but got quickly over it... I walk many
miles every day just to look the city over. For breakfast I get two soft boiled
eggs. They are as fresh as any eggs to be had anywhere. Then I have a cup of
coffee – no cream but hot milk – with two tiny pieces of sugar; two small
slices of bread or toast (that is all the law allows during war time) and some
jam, jelly or marmalade. Everyone eats jelly and jam here and I rather like it.
You see young lady it is not possible to get
supplies here because of the large number of ships sunk and people are
curtailing. Still no one goes hungry. I get dinner usually at a famous
restaurant called Simpson’s. They have staples of beef and mutton. A carver
wheels a table around with the roast and cuts off a slice of whatever you
order. Now they can serve only so many ounces... For about a dollar a person
can get plenty to eat at Simpson’s... There is practically no fruit. Grapefruit
is unheard of. Oranges cost 25 cents each. Apples cost as high as 30 cents.
That is because little fruit is raised in England and all the room on the
available ships is used for transporting supplies more necessary than fruit.
Regent Street is like one continuous jewelry
store. I never saw such displays of diamonds and jewelry of all sorts. The
stores for women’s dresses, coats, etc. look about as they do in New York or
any other city and the shoe stores – of which there are a great many – have
about the same kind of displays as other cities.
... I am invited on Friday to a luncheon at this hotel,
by the American Luncheon Club, and I expect will meet quite a few persons of
whom I have heard. The Savoy is a very large and very fine hotel... I should
say it is about like the Waldorf Astoria in New York. .
... There has been no air raid yet by the Germans
but I expect some day I will see one...
With love and a kiss,
Dad
Pasted on the first page of the letter was an
announcement:
LIGHTING
TIMES TONIGHT
Lamps to be
lighted, 4.36 p.m.
Blinds to be
drawn in London, 5.30 p.m.
Sun sets 4.6
p.m.; rises to-morrow, 8.6 a.m.
Moon rises
2.3 a.m.; sets 12 p.m.
New Moon on
Saturday
- - - - -
On January
7 James Gordon Bennett, owner of the Herald, wrote a letter from his Villa
Namouna in Beaulieu, Alpes Maritimes, France, concerning what he expected from
Don Martin in London. Don Martin noted receipt of this letter in his diary
entry for January 14.
Dear Mr.
Martin
I confirm my telegram of Saturday to
the effect that you have charge of the London office as Mr. Burke had. With
regard to the news correspondence you will naturally be guided by circumstances
and will seize every good opportunity to develop news features of personal,
social, political, or financial interest. Your chief aim should be to keep in
close touch with Americans, both new arrivals and residents. To facilitate
this, it would perhaps be well that you stop at one of the good hotels most
popular with Americans. There are three which are particularly favoured -- the
Ritz-Carlton, the Savoy, and Claridge’s ... find out which of the three hotels
would be best adapted for your purposes, and what terms you could obtain for a
stay of some length ...
 |
Letter from Bennett dated January 7, 1918 |
As regards the London office, I wish
you to arrange the work as you think best for the Herald’s interests. ... You will, therefore,
reorganize the hours of service as you may think necessary, keeping solely in
view the necessity of assuring for the Herald the best possible news service. ...
you will go to the Fleet Street offices when you like, bearing in mind that I
wish you to be an active news correspondent, not a part of the office fittings.
...
Yours truly,
J. G.
Bennett
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