Official War Diaries

[jimmie]

In due course I want to ask a specific question about a particular battalion war diary but firstly, it got me thinking about the generality of the subject. Perhaps members can answer some questions for me or direct me elsewhere if the issue has already been dealt with.

Is it a military requirement that all battalions keep an official diary and is a specific officer appointed to do this? Does the diary have to include certain specific matters or is it left entirely to the diarist as to what he includes/excludes? Where are the diaries finally kept and can copies be obtained by interested persons? Are they vetted(by whom?) before they become official and what happens if thereafter people strongly disagree with any particular version of events?

[John_Hartley]

All overseas units were required to keep a diary (and all generally appear to survive except for many Labour Corps companies). It was usually the adjutant or someone designated by him who wrote it. I'm sure there must have been guidelines but it seems that it was pretty much left to the diarist (so you get some brief entries and some quite extensive - even within the same unit).

The originals are held at the National Archives, which is, increasingly, making them available online.

Clearly there was no vetting of the diary. What was written, was written - and occasionally written with the full knowledge that higher command would read it within a few days of the it being submitted at the end of each month.

[Guest]

Good question.

Who's idea was it, had there been diaries before ( Boer war ) and was it done with an eye to history?

Cheers Mike

[sotonmate]

jimmie

Like all good questions there are several possible answers ! I have to say that I am a bit surprised that there appears to be little narrative amendment on the considerable number of War Diaries that I have delved in. I have occasionally seen additions scribbled above or between lines,but also have the feeling that the WD may have been written from other notes taken contemporaneously,and it is possible that these were discussed with/scrutinised by the Diary signatory prior to the official writing on the standard Diary pages,particularly if the Adj.had delegated the task to a more junior Officer. I say this because I have seen the odd small notebook contained in WD files,with such notes shown.

As John says there doesn't seem to be a strict formula,a bit like people having their own ideas about what should be included,or if they themselves are verbose or terse in style.

The National Archives Catalogue is searchable for these Diaries by entering the unit's title and the series WO95. The digital ones can be downloaded for the cost of GBP3.50,this is often good value as some run for two or three years,or the same reference will include other unuits of the same Brigade,all for that price ! Otherwise,if they aren't digital it becomes more of a problem getting a copy.

Sotonmate

[JimSmithson]

If anyone has a copy of Field Service Regulations Part II Paragraphs 174-177 there will be answers there. I found a copy of 'Notes on War Diaries a Kew (in which it quotes those regulations) but unfortunately the photos I took of the 2 page document are not good and I have not transcribed the text yet. It is a complaint about some poor quality diaries and it is clear that the information they wanted was centrally for historical purposes. I will try and get a transcription done at the weekend and post it here for interest. Unless somebody has an easily readable image they can post on here.

Jim

[Rockdoc]

Not all Diaries were written contemporaneously. I have a copy of a very short one for AA Sections serving in Italy that was clearly written after hostilities had ceased. Another has an O/C signing pages covering the nine months or so before he was appointed and during which time there were four or five other officers in that post. A third is similar, with the sharp note from the DAAG asking where the missing pages were pinned in the front of the file. The previously-missing entries are in a slightly different style to later ones, suggesting they were made up from memory.

Although there were regulations covering the writing of Diaries, these had to be enforced. If HQ wasn't bothered then the units would soon stop bothering. Some of the AA Section Diaries for Salonika start off in great detail before suddenly writing in a much-reduced format. That makes me wonder whether the bod checking them over saw things differently.

Keith

[Guest]

On the actual form (Form C 2118) that the War Diaries and Intelligence Summaries were written (in WWI) the top left corner states "Instructions regarding War Diaries and Intelligence Summaries are contained in F.S. Regs., Part II and the Staff Manual respectively....."

The National Archives publication "First World War Army Service Records - a guide for family historians" by William Spencer has a chapter (Chapter 7) on Unit War Diaries and Operational Records. The relevant instructions are in Field Service Regulations Part II (as mentioned by Jim below). Spencer says the relevant parts are Chapter XVI, para 140 of FSR Part 2....The instructions states that the aim of a War Diary is:

1. To furnish an accurate record of the opeartions from which the history of the war can be subsequently prepared

ii. To collect information for future reference with a view to effecting improvements in the organisation, education, training, equipment and administration of the army for war

In my experience of studying War Diaries (I currently have over 4,000 digital pages of WWI diaries), there was an enormous range of approaches. Some units kept diaries from the beginning of hostilities (from 4th Aug 1914 in WWI in some cases) and others only kept them when "On Active Service". What constitutes "Active Service" was open to interpretation, hence the wide variation in quantity and quality of war diaries. For example, of the 14 Yeomanry regiments that landed in Suvla Bay in Aug 1915, only one kept a Diary from the first day of the War. It seems unlikley that the diaries of all other 13 were lost. Also I have seen examples of diaries being 'suspended" between "Active" parts of the service i.e. between campaigns. In my experience, Regular Army units kept more detailed diaries that non Regular, but of course there are great exceptions. The best dairies are the ones sent to the Official Historians as they very often contain a mass of related material - maps, sketch maps, personal accounts, narratives, brief unit hsitories and impotant correspondence between (then) serving officers and the historians.

I wonder if there were instructions prior to 1909? The Army reorganisation in 1908, particularly the establishment of the Territorial Force may well have accompanied an overhaul of instructions for record keeping. Any thoughts?

Lastly, if you are going to delve into the National Archives and start searching, I would strongly recommend reading William Spencer's book as it will save you much time and energy. There are many tricks to searching the archives

MG

[Guest]

One other minor point - If the diaries contained senstive information (often military executions), they were supressed. They were removed from the WO 95 Series (now held at the National Archives) and put into WO 154 as War Diary Extracts.

[Ron Clifton]

To amplify Martin's comment a little, it was only the sensitive bits which were removed (sometimes simply by cutting them out) rather than the whole diary being suppressed.

Skipman -

As Martin has said, the instructions for compiling War Diaries are in FSR Part II which was first published in 1909, as part of the Haldane reforms. I have been unable to trace any War Diaries for the Boer War although I believe that prior to WW1 regiments were required to keep records of there activities. Being regimental records rather than Army records, these have not been transferred to Kew.

War Diaries were also kept in WW2 and for the rest of the 1940s were continued as "Quarterly Historical Reports." If they continued beyond 1950, they have not been transferred to Kew.

I believe that diaries were supposed top be signed off by the CO before being sent to the Base at the end of each month. It is not impossible that some of them were re-written at this stage, which might explain why only some diaries show alterations.

The quality of the diaries varies enormously: I once came across the diary of a tank battalion in which, for days on end, the only entry was a note of the numbers of officers and men on strength that day.

Ron

[JimSmithson]

I agree Ron. I have seen a large number of diaries now and some are pretty useless for any post action use at all. I would also add that many of the regular units I have seen or have are pretty mediocre and in my experience some of the most detailed and useful to the historian are those of the New Army. Many of these short-lived battalions clearly wanted their part in history to go down for posterity in a very vivid manner.

Jim

[headgardener]

That's my experience too; I had wondered if the new army units were simply new to the game, and felt that there was a purpose to writing the diary (i.e. someone else was going to read it) while the regulars were familiar with the convention and saw it as a nuisance that was imposed upon them from above for no obviously worthwhile purpose.

[Tyneside Chinaman]

Hi

In the DLI archive there survives the "Adjutants war Diaries" for 13/DLI, these are the notebooks recoding the days events as they happened. Most useful in that they, up until 1917 record all casualties by number rank and name and often company. When the main diary was written up these casualties were given as X wounded Y missing Z killed so it is a very useful source.

In the Lowe papers at Durham University, Colonel Lowe, in 1914 then adjutant of 18/DLI kept large portions of the "Home Service" war diary ready to write his battalion history at the end of the war. Some sheets are clearly marked "Destroy before Embarkation", I would think this would have been common to many units acounting for why so few survive.

22/DLI War diary in June 1918 lists all the MM citations for the battalion actions on the Aisne.

So it is very hit and miss what is recorded and what has survived from unit to unit.

regards

John

[Terry_Reeves]

With regard to Field Service Regulations, Part II, 1909 (amended to October , 1914) the following extracts may be of interest in respect of War Diaries:

Their object was to:

i . Furnish an accurate record of the operations from which the history of the war can subsequently be prepared.

ii. To collect information for future reference with a view to effecting improvements in the organisation, education, training, equipment and administration of the army for war.

The following points were to be recorded:

i. All important orders, dispatches, instructions, reports and telegrams issued and received, and decisions taken.

ii Daily situation, ie arrival at, departure from, or halt at a place; all movements and dispositions on the march, in camp, bivouac and billets.With large units a "Table of Marches" should be given. At places on the L of C, arrivals and departures of officers and men, animals,stores, transports ect, should be given.

iii. All important matters relating to the duties of the staff under their respective headings.

iv. All important matters relating to the administrative services and departments under their respective headings.

v. Detailed accounts of all operations noting connection with other units in the neighbourhood, formations adopted, ranges at which fire was opened ect. The hour at which important occurrences took place should be entered with exactitude. the state of the weather, condition of the roads and ground, and general description of the locality should be recorded. Clear sketches should illustrate or amplify the account in order to show the position of troops at important phases.

vi. Changes in establishment or strength. As regards casualties, the names and ranks of officers, and the number of other ranks and followers, and animals should be noted.

vii. Nature and description of field works constructed or quarters occupied.

viii. Meteorological notes

ix. Summary of information received and of all matters of importance, military or political, which may occur from day to day.

x. In what respect organisations and regulations stood the rest of war.

This is a summary of what was required, much depended on the level of command. Many units did not appear to keep War Diaries, or if they did, they have not survived. These include Road Construction Companies and Railway Operating Companies of the RE, or Ordnance Companies and so forth. I am sure that others will be able to point out gaps in these instructions for infantry units for instance, often coinciding with the times of greatest stress. The scale, and sometimes the intensity of WW1, often outran the instructions that were formulated in the immediate pre-war years.

TR

[jimmie]

Thanks everyone for their comments and I'll be following up the pointers raised. Just one further point: I'm particularly interested in the Royal Scots and their time in Salonika. Would there be any copies of the war diaries at Edinburgh Castle, because I'm going there soon.

Regards, Jimmie

[JimSmithson]

With regard to Field Service Regulations, Part II, 1909 (amended to October , 1914)

TR

Thanks Terry - I knew someone would have access to this. Interesting to have all the detail.

Jim

[27thBN]

Not all Diaries were written contemporaneously. I have a copy of a very short one for AA Sections serving in Italy that was clearly written after hostilities had ceased. Another has an O/C signing pages covering the nine months or so before he was appointed and during which time there were four or five other officers in that post. A third is similar, with the sharp note from the DAAG asking where the missing pages were pinned in the front of the file. The previously-missing entries are in a slightly different style to later ones, suggesting they were made up from memory.

Although there were regulations covering the writing of Diaries, these had to be enforced. If HQ wasn't bothered then the units would soon stop bothering. Some of the AA Section Diaries for Salonika start off in great detail before suddenly writing in a much-reduced format. That makes me wonder whether the bod checking them over saw things differently.

Keith

contemporaneously.... is that a real word

I will get my coat and hat on the way out :innocent:

MC

[Rockdoc]

Oh yes, it's a real word all right. So is penecontemporaneously, which means at about the same time! I first came across that in a report by a geologist I knew and asked him why he'd used it. "To baffle the mining engineers!" he said with a grin.

Keith

[Ron Clifton]

I'm particularly interested in the Royal Scots and their time in Salonika. Would there be any copies of the war diaries at Edinburgh Castle, because I'm going there soon.

Regards, Jimmie

Jimmie

War Diaries were kept in duplicate, the "top copy" being sent monthly to the relevant base office. These are the set which are now at Kew.

The duplicates stayed with the units, and many of these have survived in regimental museums. I think the Royal Scots Museum is in Edinburgh but it would be wise to check before you go, as the Castle probably will not have the records of the other Scottish regiments.

Ron

[Guest]

I missed this, sorry am late. Thank Ron, and everyone. More excellent information.

I have all the 2nd Bn Australian Diaries. The detail is superb, and there are entries every few minutes in some.....Pity you can hardly read them

Mike

[momsirish]

jimmie

Like all good questions there are several possible answers ! I have to say that I am a bit surprised that there appears to be little narrative amendment on the considerable number of War Diaries that I have delved in. I have occasionally seen additions scribbled above or between lines,but also have the feeling that the WD may have been written from other notes taken contemporaneously,and it is possible that these were discussed with/scrutinised by the Diary signatory prior to the official writing on the standard Diary pages,particularly if the Adj.had delegated the task to a more junior Officer. I say this because I have seen the odd small notebook contained in WD files,with such notes shown.

As John says there doesn't seem to be a strict formula,a bit like people having their own ideas about what should be included,or if they themselves are verbose or terse in style.

The National Archives Catalogue is searchable for these Diaries by entering the unit's title and the series WO95. The digital ones can be downloaded for the cost of GBP3.50,this is often good value as some run for two or three years,or the same reference will include other unuits of the same Brigade,all for that price ! Otherwise,if they aren't digital it becomes more of a problem getting a copy.

Sotonmate

I agree with Sotonmate: some diaries are written at the end of the day or asap, and then completed with corrections before final sign-off by the Adjutant, or whoever had that responsiblilty. I believe I recall reading the 1 RDF's for Sept 28, 1918, the original apparently was written on the 30th of September and mentions a CSM being killed by name. That I thought was unusal in that that death would normally fall under ORs killed. The final version was written or signed off on 3rd October 1918, and the killed NCO's name did not appear in that final entry.

momsirish

[momsirish]

I missed this, sorry am late. Thank Ron, and everyone. More excellent information.

I have all the 2nd Bn Australian Diaries. The detail is superb, and there are entries every few minutes in some.....Pity you can hardly read them

Mike

Mike you might try to find someone who is familar with Photoshop, I think there is a photoshop "Camera Raw" program that supposedly does wonders with reconditioning old photographs, and they may be able to render your faded diaries readable.

momsirish

[lostinspace]

Just came across this footnote (page 2) while reading A.F. Becke's "The Royal Artillery at Le Cateau" and thought it might be a useful addition to the thread:

"It must be stated quite frankly that in very few Diaries is a rough sketch,

or tracing, appended to show the position in action occupied by the Battery or

Brigade. Very few Diaries give the ammunition expenditure. In hardly any case

(except in tlie Diaries of the R.H.A. Batteries) is a nominal role furnished of the

officers serving with the Battery, or Brigade, when it landed in France. Many

Diaries are not even signed, and thus this means of identification of the Battery

Commander is not available. In other words, impressed by the necessity for

Jacksonian secrecy, officers have too often carried it to excess. For instance, in

one case an officer described the position of his Battery as "In France". The

probabilities were strongly in favour of the general accuracy of this maddening

statement which the officer had the effrontery to label "confidential"! It is also

most unfortunate that all Batteries did not keep Diaries, particularly for this

early period. Valuable Battery Records are therefore missing for ever."

Regards,

Dave

[Ron Clifton]

Thank you for a very useful post, Dave.

Major Becke was an officer of the RFA and after the war was part of the Official Historian's team. Many Forum members will be familiar with his "Order of Battle of Divisions" series which accompanies the Official History, and from which much of the information on units and formations in the parent site, "The Long Long Trail" is taken.

IIRC the War Diaries were supposed to indicate the location of the unit, and in particular were supposed to record the map sheet used for geographical locations mentioned in the text. Without this information it is difficult to see how the purpose of a War Diary could be achieved. I quote from Post #13 by Terry Reeves:

"Their object was to:

i . Furnish an accurate record of the operations from which the history of the war can subsequently be prepared.

ii. To collect information for future reference with a view to effecting improvements in the organisation, education, training, equipment and administration of the army for war."

It is apparent that many officers did not fully appreciate these purposes. Whilst I think it is true that, on the whole, the diaries of Regular units are kept more "reliably" than those of TF or newly-raised units, I am not sure that much of this can be attributed to pre-war experience, as the regulations covering War Diaries were only introduced in 1909 and few Regular officers with home-based units (which in 1914 constituted the bulk of the BEF) would have expeienced the process. Units at home were not required to keep War Diaries.

As regards Major Becke's comments on the scarcity of Battery War Diaries, I suspect an element of special Gunner pleading here but many Forum members will have shared his opinion, especially in respect of the Heavy and Siege Batteries RGA, whose independent diaries often cease in 1917, or even earlier, when their allocations to HAGs and the later Brigades RGA, became more permanent. It was presumably felt by someone high up that these diaries should be kept at (artillery) Brigade level, in order to relieve the batteries of the duty. There was a standing instruction in FSR Part II that office work in the field was to be kept to a minimum, and the amount of admin and clerical support within a battery was much less than in a brigade.

Ron

[Mrstocking]

The main problem I've encountered with War Diaries for the Great War is they were mostly done in pencil (for the yeomanry regiments I've researched) and over time these become virtually unreadable.

[Borden Battery]

Having transcribed a couple complete sets of war diaries for units in the Canadian Expeditionary Force with GrandsonMichael and others, I can report there can be a wide variation in the level of detail described and in the completeness of the material. This variance relates to both the person recording the events and their senior officer who signs off on them. As you get to the higher echelons, the style and content starts to become more uniform, often more boring - at least in the case of the CEF.

Borden Battery

PS Here are some websites where one can access a large number of scanned and now transcribed war diaries.

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Library and Archives Canada - War Diaries of the First World War

This database contains the digitized War Diaries of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) units. From the start of the First World War, CEF units were required to maintain a daily account of their “Actions in the Field.” This log was called a War Diary. The War Diaries are not personal diaries, rather they are a historical record of a unit’s administration, operations and activities during the First World War. [CEF Study Group - Updated July 2006]

http://www.collectionscanada.ca/archivianet/020152_e.html

First World War Official Histories

The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918 is a 12-volume series covering Australia’s involvement in the First World War. The series was edited by the official historian Charles Bean, who also wrote six of the volumes, and was published between 1920 and 1942. The books, with their familiar covers, “the colour of dried blood” in the words of one reviewer, rapidly became highly regarded internationally. Bean’s work established the tradition and set the standard for all subsequent Australian official war histories. [CEF Study Group - Sept 2010]

http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/first_world_war/

The following volumes can be accessed directly by double-clicking the item of interest:

• Preface by Professor Robert O’Neill This preface was written for the University of Queensland Press editions and are applicable to all volumes.

• Volume I – The Story of ANZAC from the outbreak of war to the end of the first phase of the Gallipoli Campaign, May 4, 1915 (11th edition, 1941)

• Volume II – The Story of ANZAC from 4 May, 1915, to the evacuation of the Gallipoli Peninsula (11th edition, 1941)

• Volume III – The Australian Imperial Force in France, 1916 (12th edition, 1941)

• Volume IV – The Australian Imperial Force in France, 1917 (11th edition, 1941)

• Volume V – The Australian Imperial Force in France during the Main German Offensive, 1918 (8th edition, 1941)

• Volume VI – The Australian Imperial Force in France during the Allied Offensive, 1918 (1st edition, 1942)

• Volume VII – The Australian Imperial Force in Sinai and Palestine, 1914–1918 (10th edition, 1941)

• Volume VIII – The Australian Flying Corps in the Western and Eastern Theatres of War, 1914–1918 (11th edition, 1941)

• Volume IX – The Royal Australian Navy, 1914–1918 (9th edition, 1941)

• Volume X – The Australians at Rabaul. The Capture and Administration of the German Possessions in the Southern Pacific (10th edition, 1941)

• Volume XI – Australia During the War (7th edition, 1941)

• Volume XII – Photographic record of the war

Note: the above volumes have live hyperlinks in the text.

*Canadian Great War Project

This massive database and reference website enables one to research Canadians who participated in the Great War – perhaps the first place to begin any serious research. The website is very extensive and the features are beyond a short abstract - the reader should allocate several hours to fully appreciate it. At present there are over 116,000 database records of individual soldiers in the database. In addition, a significant data base of some Nominal Rolls has also been developed. Not all entries have full details but these are being built up soldier by soldier. In addition, there is now a “GrandsonMicheal” section which greatly facilitates the access and reading of many of the digitized CEF war diaries and now a section of BEF war diaries. Marc Leroux is always looking for a few dedicated volunteers to assist in expanding the records base. [A Marc Leroux website][CEF Study Group – Updated Aug 2010]

http://www.canadiangreatwarproject.com

*The Matrix Project - Canadian Expeditionary Force Study Group

The Matrix Project is a unique element of the CEF Study Group. Initially developed and hosted on an associated CEF member's website, the project is an integral part of the CEFSG. The Matrix is a web-based database of collective information provided by the CEFSG Members and provides information on all of the structure and components of the CEF during 1914 to 1919. The main CEF Matrix (the Army Corps and Army Troops) is supported by a number of "Utility Functions" for both the inexperienced and seasoned researcher. The Utility Functions are: Matrix Updates, Navigation Chart, Unit Summary Tables, Great War Maps, CEF Study Group Recommended Websites, Common Abbreviations, ORBAT Directory, and War Diary Links. The Matrix presents most of the information in a "loosely defined" Order of Battle [ORBAT] format. In addition, the Matrix Section has re-transcribed Official History of the Canadian Army in the First World War Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1914-1919, Colonel G. W. L. Nicholson, and C.D. as a true facsimile of the original document. [CEF Study Group – Jan 2007 – Updated]

• http://www.cefresearch.com/matrix/

NOTE: A correctly paginated document at with maps and a Google Earth overlay is now available at http://cefresearch.com/matrix/Nicholson/ For detailed information on The Matrix please see : http://www.cefresearch.com/matrix/

The First World War. Com - The War to End All Wars

The purpose of this extensive website is to provide an overview of the First World War and a number of its elements. The site contains a drop-down menu of key battles and major themes across the masthead. In addition, there is a wide selection of sections and sub-sections which are too numerous to list. A summary of the site-metrics best outlines the details of this site: 4,600 Photographs, 5,100 Audio Files, 155 Video Files, 140 Battle Summaries, 140 Biographies, 700 Encyclopedia Entries, 3,100 Diaries & Memoirs, 100 Feature Articles, 110 Poems, 140 Propaganda Posters and 650 Primary Source Documents 520. This was one of the first sites selected by the CEF Study Group. [A Michael Duffy website][CEF Study Group - August 2006 - Updated]

http://www.firstworldwar.com

First World War Diaries - AIF

The war diaries generally consist of war diary or intelligence summary sheets located at the beginning of each diary which record the date of each entry, the unit’s location, a summary of events and any remarks or references to appendices. The material is listed in some 35 class categories and the sub-class categories. At present, the amount of original manuscript material is minimal, however, the reader will obtain a general idea of the organization of the AIF from the categories provided. The Canadian Archives work is still the standard. [CEF Study Group - Sept 2010]

http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/war_diaries/first_world_war/

*6th Brigade & 2nd Battalion - Canadian Machine Gun Corps

Objective is to collate resources relating to the history of the 6th Brigade Canadian Machine Gun Company, later becoming part of the 2nd Battalion Canadian Machine Gun Corps, during the First World War, and make them available on the Internet. In addition, the website includes war diary transcriptions, the complete transcription of A History of the Canadian Machine Gun Corps by Lt.-Col. C. S. Grafton, (1938) and other personal letters from the Great War. [A Brett Payne website][CEF Study Group]

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~brett/cmgc/cmgc_contents.html

War Diary of the Fifth Seaforth Highlanders, 51st (Highland) Division

Sutherland, D. [CEF Study Group]

http://www.archive.org/details/51stseaforth00sunduoft