An Autobiography of an Ancient Athlete & Antiquarian

AUTOBIOGRAPHY Mr. Harry Brittain on bis "Bonny" from Wroxbam to· Acle. Just then I bad lent the cottage to Captain Copeman,. ne Haggard, who though well over age has since joined,, as has his brother, the :fighting forces at the present War, it not having occurred to him nor to any other of my friends to seek exemption ! On the 8th I unluckily missed Dr. Furnivall, who had called and lunched whilst I was away, but bad better luck. when Dr. Venn came on the 12th. Another good sail on the " Bonny" over Hickling (I bad ridden over to the Bower Farm there on the 18th) was somewhat spoiled by the caterer having forgotten the salt and the whiskey in packing up an otherwise excellent lunch! The Norfolk and N orwicb Arcbceological Society Meeting this year was at Belaugb, and several came to lunch at my cottage, hut the meeting was spoiled by incessant rain. The only little cycling which I had this year was from the 13th to 18th September. I went through Reydon· (sleeping at an archer friend's), Wood Norton, looking at W. E. Norris' MSS., and on to Dereham, Lynn, Burnham, Wells, Cley, and failed to get accommodated at the "Runton Golf House," when, however, I scored against an impudent German manager, who not being impressed. with my seedy outfit and spare baggage declined to let me have a room, for I asked him to forward any letters to Lord Harris) leaving him to assume falsely my identity with that excellent cricketer, and he became at once obsequious to a degree, but I rode on obdurately to the "Roman Camp" at Aylmerton, and the next day by Cromer to Lammas, :finishing up on the 20th by a ride round Smallburgh, Stalham, and Catfield, lunching at Horning, and by the ferry to South Walsham. The New Barracks (site) on Mousehold was opened on the 5th October (a very ·windy and wet day). I was not impressed with Mr. Arnold Forster, the War Minister,. whose outward appearance and manners were those of a successful linen draper. The scheme of building having been abandoned under the Radical Government I took the opportunity when I was Mayor in 1908-9 to ask Haldane (whose ludicrous fat appearance in a tight uniform I shall