Protocol

Sunday, December 6th., Comarques, Thorpe-le-Soken.

Major Danielson asked me on Tuesday to write to the Press about behaviour of civilians in case of a raid. I did so, and sent the letter to, inter alia, The Times, where it made a great effect. Major-General Heath, G.O.C. South Midlands Division, wrote me on Friday saying that he agreed with every word of the letter, but that I ought not to have written it in my capacity of Military Representative, or to have mentioned him as my authority. This is very characteristic of the official fear of responsibility. The military are really very anxious for their views to prevail, but they don't want anybody to know!

Meeting yesterday of Emergency Committee at Colchester. Representative of police there - an awful, beefy, decent piece of stupidity. I paid for maps for Parish Councils. Badges for Special Constables simply cannot be got.

Returning to Emergency Committee we haven't yet been able to get out of Headquarters what roads they will want if there is a raid, nor to settle with police what signal is to be.

I am now fairly in the last part of the third Clayhanger.

Additionally for December 6th., see 'Influences' -
http://earnoldbennett.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/influences.html

This afternoon, reading in the New Review (which this month ceases to exist) the conclusion of Joseph Conrad's superb book, "The Nigger of the Narcissus", I had a mind to go on at once with my Staffordshire novel, treating it in the Conrad manner, which after all is my own, on a grander scale.