Until the war-time period, these diaries contains entries for almost all days, some of them extensive. They contain descriptions of, or shorter references to: his day cycle rides, usually on Sundays and sometimes totalling over 100 miles, to parts of Essex and other counties within reach of his home; his more extensive cycle tours to other parts of the country; mechanical details about his bicycles; his home life; his interest in the technical aspects of radio and in railways; outings with his family and friends, including cinema, theatre, concert and museum visits; his reading and radio-listening habits; his attendance at night school classes in French, Mathematics, English and construction; the weather; commuting by public transport. There are occasional references to current affairs. There is little detail about his jobs.
During the Second World War he was secretary of his street fire-watching committtee and the diaries contain references to the sometimes frustrating tasks of recruiting and organising fire watchers and dealing with the vagaries of officialdom. Duing this period he also rode with his father on a tandem.