War diaries

[Seany]

Can anyone tell me who usually wrote the entries in a war diary?

A clerk?

An officer?

Anyone just passing who had with terrible handwriting so as to frustrate future researchers?

many thanks for your thoughts.

[talismanic]

Normally an officer, maybe the Adjutant. In my father's 101st Field Ambulance unit in the RAMC, they were often kept by a Captain John Wright Malcolm (about whom I have written in another Forum). He included names and service numbers of most of the ORs who arrived, were wounded or died. This makes the War Diary a really useful resource. When he was relieving as an MO with another Field Ambulance or regiment the diary was far more sketchy.

John

[dfaulder]

I suspect practice varies.

In respect of my Grandfather (Harold Faulder 14th Y&L - 2nd Barnsley Pals), he was appointed Intelligence Officer (a role often combined with Sniping Officer) on 3rd August 1916; from the 1st September 1916 he was initialling the War Diary (it was a very weird experience turning over the pages of the diary and suddenly noticing my Grandfather's initials which were in a very similar hand to that of the son (my father) that he never knew).

He ceased to be the "officer initialling" on 28nd October 1916 (although he remained IO). The new "officer initialling" was CFM - believed to be C F Moxon. On this day the hand that writes the main entries of the diary changes so it is possible that the officer signing was also the person writing. (Unfortunately we have no other examples of my Grandfather's hand-writing.) On the 27th the diary reports the gazetting of the promotion from Sec Lt to Temp Lts of C F Moxon (Aug 31st), H Faulder (Sept 1st), C R Cran (Sept 2nd). Presumably this made C F Moxon marginally senior to my Grandfather - although whether this was the reason for the change of initials is not known. In October 1916 the Diary was signed at the end of the month by the Captain & Adjutant (Hutt) on behalf of the Lt Col. I noticed that earlier in 1916 the diary had been initialled each day by WBH - the Lt Col (W B Hulke).

On the 1st November 1916, the war diary confirms that "Lieut. H Faulder (Intelligence Officer) is attached to 94th Brigade HdQuarters as Intelligence Officer". During November and December, the 94th Brigade War diary is initialled each day with the familiar HF initials. (The Brigade Diary was type-written)

Later when he was battalion adjutant (from 16th May 1917) he had a clerk (Edward Strachan).

David

[rflory]

For Royal Artillery battery war diaries the entries are generally initialed and signed by the officer commanding the battery, but frequently they are signed by lieutenants and captains with the notation "for Major, commanding . . .). I assume in this case the subaltern actually wrote the entries. Dick Flory

[Seany]

The diary of interest, for me, appears to be signed off by the officer commanding the battery but that handwriting differs from the actual entries. Would an NCO ever make entries do you think? or a junior officer.

For Royal Artillery battery war diaries the entries are generally initialed and signed by the officer commanding the battery, but frequently they are signed by lieutenants and captains with the notation "for Major, commanding . . .). I assume in this case the subaltern actually wrote the entries. Dick Flory