Bennett's of Ballinacurra Descriptive List (Ref. B609)

B609/

B609/9/E/2 Diary, 1937. On 29 July, Dorothy McNeill married Timothy West, principal of Midleton College. From this date on, the diary becomes a general business one, with hardly any personal information recorded.

B609/9/E/3 Diary, 1938. On 5 March, Mrs West notes ‘this has been a very heavy week in the Office with orders & queries re Seed Oats every day’ [see also B609/1/E/3]. There is much reference to farm and dairy activities. Many of the entries appear not to be in Mrs West’s hand.

B609/9/E/4 Diary, 1939. In January, JHB began to malt barley for the new AGS Brewery at Park Royal, London. By September, however, there were shortages of malting barley owing to the war.

B609/9/E/5 Diary, 1940. The entry for 18 June refers to a Workmen’s trust fund created by John H Bennett (see B609/9/E/10 below). On 16 November, Mrs West notes the loss of the Ardmore with 500 barrels of malt on board, through an explosion probably caused by a mine. B609/9/E/6 Diary, 1941. In January there is much trade in seed oats, the war fuelling demand. There are references throughout the year to war-related shortages and a black market in barley [e.g., 16-18 September; see also B609/1/A/26]. On 19 August the birth of James McNeill West is recorded. On 19 October, Mrs West notes army manoeuvres in the area, with fifty-five soldiers on Charleston grounds from 5am. On 28 November it is recorded that the Cloyne Collodial Clay Company is to be sold, although litigation over dust nuisance by JHB is still pending [see also B609/1/D/5]. B609/9/E/7 Diary, 1942. On 30 April Mrs West gave a lift to Mr Navratil, who told her of property in the Sudetenland and a pension from the Czechoslovak Sugar Institute ‘which both went wallop (he presumes) when the Germans took over’ [see also B609/1/D/7]. On 6 May, four long-serving employees informed Mrs West they were leaving for England, and were reassured by her that the departure ‘would not mean a black mark against them’, although it was understood that other men would not be put out to make way for them, if they returned. Inserted beside the entry for 30 December is a statement read to maltsters and storemen regarding wages and bonuses, in which it is stated ‘Our object is to give everyone a turn at the high rate as well as the low rates, which seems to us more fair than having some men always at the lower rate’. A page signed by several workers [otherwise blank] is also inserted.

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