Latest batch of First World War unit diaries now online
22 May 2014 11:51 AM
Today The National Archives is making a
third batch of 724 digitised First World War unit war diaries from France
and Flanders available online via its First World War 100
portal
The
unit war diaries provide interesting accounts of battles and events, as well as
insights into the daily routines of British troops on the Western Front. This
third tranche (WO 95/2432 - WO 95/3154) contains the diaries from the Kitchener
Divisions and those of the Territorial Force (later The Territorial
Army).
Amongst this batch are the unit war diaries for the 36th
(Ulster) Division, which had many casualties on 1 July 1916, and the 66th (2nd
East Lancashire) Division, which was the last division to leave the UK for
France in March 1917.
Also included in the diaries are accounts of troops'
sports activities (WO 95/2524) which helped keep them motivated and
continue fighting until the end of the war.
William Spencer, author and principal military records
specialist at The National Archives, said: 'Now that this latest batch of
unit war diaries is online, people all around the world can read the official
army accounts to discover more about the troops on the Western Front. The
diaries note successful battles, such as 46th Division breaking the Hindenburg
Line, as well as failures and casualties in key battles such as those on the
Somme in 1916. They also provide rare insights into how the troops maintained
the environment in the trenches as well as the sports days which helped to keep
them motivated.'
Highlights from the third batch unit war diaries
include:
- a sports day programme dated 31 October 1917, which
notes pillow fighting, wheelbarrow races and wrestling on mules (WO
95/2524)
- sketch of a 'snapshot' view from the front
(which notes 'dead animals' and even a 'dead Frenchman') (WO
95/2970/3)
- two photos giving a 'how to' and 'how
not to' guide to laying trench boards (WO 95/2670)
- three photos of battalion officers from 7th
Battalion Black Watch Fife (one of these photos is shown above) (WO
95/2879)
Join Operation War Diary
As
part of the digitisation of the Unit War Diaries and to engage people in the
centenary, The National Archives is working with Imperial War Museums (IWM) and
Zooniverse on Operation War Diary. Launched at the beginning of 2014, this
innovative crowdsourcing history project enables the public to get involved in
capturing information, tagging names, places and activities, from The National
Archives' unit war diaries.
Go
straight to the website to take part in Operation War Diary now.
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