Guest rsduffett Posted 13 September , 2006 Share Posted 13 September , 2006 I have repeatedly come across the assertion that rankers were forbidden from keeping diaries whilst on active service, although of course many of them did. Does anyone know if this was an official Army Regulation and if so where I might find details of it?? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Take on me Posted 13 September , 2006 Share Posted 13 September , 2006 I have repeatedly come across the assertion that rankers were forbidden from keeping diaries whilst on active service, although of course many of them did. Does anyone know if this was an official Army Regulation and if so where I might find details of it?? Thanks. Welcome to the forum! I believe that it was an official Army Regulation because of the fear that a diary, potentially containing valuable intelligence, could be captured by the enemy. Yet when a regulation is ignored by the Commander in Chief himself it leads one to think that it was probably not enforced quite as rigourously as it might have been. Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petroc Posted 13 September , 2006 Share Posted 13 September , 2006 Welcome to the forum! I believe that it was an official Army Regulation because of the fear that a diary, potentially containing valuable intelligence, could be captured by the enemy. Yet when a regulation is ignored by the Commander in Chief himself it leads one to think that it was probably not enforced quite as rigourously as it might have been. Jon How true! I haven't come across any specific regulation banning the keeping of diaries (or the asociated order prohibiting the use of personal cameras), I'm sure other members can elaborate. But it is an interesting point; does the proliferation of diaries in archives around the country reflect the fact that a lot of men kept them , or simply that the relatively few that did, and survived, thought them worthy of preservation (or publication), likewise their families? Were many diaries 'lost in the mud' or were there few to start with? From what little I do know, it does sem that diary-keeping was far less common amongst the old Regulars of 1914 vintage....a reflection of the 'civilian soldier' mentality amongst duration-boys? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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