Ida May Berry (1884-1959) lived in West Didsbury, near Manchester when she wrote this diary. Here, she describes her 20th birthday.

20 November 1904

My twentieth birthday. Mother gave me a lovely curb bracelet, & a box of beautiful plums, Maud [the diarist’s sister] gave me a box of fried fruits, & Baby [the diarist’s other sister] a box of chocolates, and a box of dates. Aunt gave me a birthday card, and five shillings. My face was awfully swollen, & none of us went to chapel in the morning, but I mended up, & went in the “choir” at night. We sang the anthem “It is High Time to Awake, Out of Sleep”.

Mother had a “cigar” after dinner & it made her awfully ill.