Description
Object description
Immensely detailed ms diaries with daily entries (circa 1800 pp) for January 1914 – September 1919 covering: his employment at a firm dealing with animal hides and pelts and social life in his home town of Chesterfield (January 1914 – August 1916) with interesting references to the impact of the outbreak of war, his decision not to join up, based in part on family pressure, and the long drawn out procedure to maintain his exemption, which was finally rejected in May 1916, his membership of the local rifle club, Belgian refugees (one of whom, a schoolboy, lived with his family for a year) and life on the Home Front; his military service as a Gunner in the RGA during training, principally in Bexhill, Lydd and Bristol and on the Western Front with the 151st Siege Battery (99th Howitzer Brigade), August 1916 – 1919, principally in the Somme sector with references to the fighting at Beaumont Hamel (November 1916), Vimy Ridge and Arras (both April 1917), Messines (June 1917), Third Ypres (1917) and the German Spring Offensive (March 1918) and tremendously detailed descriptions (in uncensored language) of all aspects of his life as a soldier both positive and negative, including camaraderie, the technical operation of the guns, duties as a canteen orderly (from May 1918 onwards), living conditions, food, vermin, equipment issue, reaction to the horrors of war and being under fire, attempts to evade front line duty, off duty activities including gambling, drinking and amorous adventures, both in England and overseas, home leave and Armistice celebrations; service on the HQ Staff, RA with the Army of Occupation in Cologne, Germany (April – September 1919) including references to his duties, fraternisation with German civilians and civilian conditions as well as a description of his demobilisation at the Crystal Palace on 2 September 1919; together with a list of the letters he received while away, service records and a few other papers.
Content description
Immensely detailed ms diaries with daily entries (circa 1800 pp) for January 1914 – September 1919 covering: his employment at a firm dealing with animal hides and pelts and social life in his home town of Chesterfield (January 1914 – August 1916) with interesting references to the impact of the outbreak of war, his decision not to join up, based in part on family pressure, and the long drawn out procedure to maintain his exemption, which was finally rejected in May 1916, his membership of the local rifle club, Belgian refugees (one of whom, a schoolboy, lived with his family for a year) and life on the Home Front; his military service as a Gunner in the RGA during training, principally in Bexhill, Lydd and Bristol and on the Western Front with the 151st Siege Battery (99th Howitzer Brigade), August 1916 – 1919, principally in the Somme sector with references to the fighting at Beaumont Hamel (November 1916), Vimy Ridge and Arras (both April 1917), Messines (June 1917), Third Ypres (1917) and the German Spring Offensive (March 1918) and tremendously detailed descriptions (in uncensored language) of all aspects of his life as a soldier both positive and negative, including camaraderie, the technical operation of the guns, duties as a canteen orderly (from May 1918 onwards), living conditions, food, vermin, equipment issue, reaction to the horrors of war and being under fire, attempts to evade front line duty, off duty activities including gambling, drinking and amorous adventures, both in England and overseas, home leave and Armistice celebrations; service on the HQ Staff, RA with the Army of Occupation in Cologne, Germany (April – September 1919) including references to his duties, fraternisation with German civilians and civilian conditions as well as a description of his demobilisation at the Crystal Palace on 2 September 1919; together with a list of the letters he received while away, service records and a few other papers.
History note
Cataloguer AC