WAR DIARIES and TRENCH MAPS of WWI

War diaries contain a wealth of information of far greater interest than the army could ever have predicted. They provide an unrivalled insight into daily occurrences on the front line; they are full of fascinating detail about the decisions that were made and the activities that resulted from them. Some diaries record little more than daily losses and map references whilst others are much more descriptive, with daily reports on operations, intelligence summaries and other material.

The diaries sometimes contain information about particular people but they are essentially unit diaries. Specialist units and military hospitals also maintained war diaries.

Some diaries contain details about awards of the Military Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal and higher gallantry awards.

The information in the daily reports varies from just a few words to a detailed description of life at the front. The reports can include map references, individuals' names, albeit usually only of officers, the award of gallantry medals and the useful casualty reports. The extent of information reflects the type of unit. For example, the diary of an infantry battalion on the front line should record the part it played in a particular action as well as outlining the daily routine including information about training, parades, equipment and sorting out the stores etc.

How are the diaries arranged?

The war diaries are arranged by Operational Theatre (Front) first, then by GHQ, then Army, then Corps, then Division, then by the units within each division. They cover the entire period of the unit’s involvement in the war from their arrival at the front to their departure at the end of the war. The diaries exist for the following theatres of war:

France and Flanders, Italy, Gallipoli, Mesopotamia, Palestine, Salonika and Russia

War diaries often refer to specific locations on maps by grid reference.

Each diary is listed in Discovery under the name of the unit (battalion then regiment) along with a synopsis of the theatre of operation and the division of the British Army within which the unit existed.

The British Army War Diaries were usually handwritten or typed and provided a daily account of the activities of a unit on active service. Sometimes the war diary was designated as an intelligence summary. In any case they were compiled using official diary forms. In addition to the completed official War Diary Army Form, there might also be sketches, messages, maps and operational orders included as appendices.

Responsibility for their completion rested with the commander of every military unit – upwards from a battalion to a division. He was responsible for making sure the war diary was kept up to date by having it written up each evening, normally by an adjutant or junior officer assigned this specific responsibility. Before submission it was signed off by the commanding officer. The war diary was compiled by month for the period of active service.

The purpose of the war diary was to record the part the unit was playing in a battle and would include statistics about the number of men who went into action and the number of casualties as a result of the action. The information in a war diary could therefore be used by the army for intelligence about the enemy and as a historical record.

One original war diary for every British Army unit from 1914-1922 was given to the War Office during the First World War. These are the ones available at the National Archives unless they were lost or damaged or never reached their destination.

A duplicate copy of the war diary was kept by each unit during the war and in many cases have ended up in the regimental museum. There may be a research fee for requests for information from regimental museums but most are happy to accommodate pre-booked personal visits for research. However, please remember these are usually small museums with limited staff or volunteers.

Appendix B. 1/5th Bedfordshire Regiment Move Order No. 1 7 Jan 17.

1. On Tuesday, 9th. Jan. this Battalion will march to SUEZ CAMP.

2. The Battalion will fall in ready to move at 0745 on the open space facing the Transport Stables, and be clear of the Bridge over the Sweet Water Canal, East of KUBRI by 0845. Dress: - Marching Order.

3. All baggage not accompanying the Battalion on the march will be ready for loading on train at KUBRI Siding by 1800 on Monday, 8th. Jan. Times of loading trains will be communicated later.

4. 50 Camels will report to the Transport Officer, KUBRI E. by 0715 on Tuesday [sic], 9th.Jan.

5. Breakfast tomorrow, 8th.Jan, will be at 0630. All tents will be struck at 0700 and will be stacked by the side of the road on "D" Coy camping ground by 0800, and be transported to the Battalion Dump at KUBRI W. Siding before 1800.

6. The Transport Officer will make all necessary arrangements in accordance with the above and communicate with all Commanders and Orderly Room the time and place for stacking blankets, stores, and officers' kits.

7. The Battalion Report Centre will close at KUBRI E. at 0745 on 9th. Jan., and move at head of Battalion opening at SUEZ CAMP on arrival. Acknowledge.

Many maps and plans were included in the original diaries but some confidential material was removed before the files were made available for public research which accounts for the absence of some appendices referred to on the covers of many diaries. Other maps were taken out of the war diaries after the end of the war for the use of the authors of the Official History of the Great War. These are separately classified among the maps in series WO 153 at the National Archives.

The following is an example of the many maps and plans originally with the war diaries.

The National Archives has digitised many (but not all) of the World War One war diaries and these can be viewed at the archive. This saves the originals from being over-used. Copies can be downloaded or printed for a small charge.

Many of the digitized war diaries are now available as part of the subscription on:

www.ancestry.co.uk

www.findmypast.co.uk

www.nmarchive.com

British Army Trench Maps are also an invaluable resource for family history researchers who have ancestors who fought or died on the First World War battlefields.  They enhance the information provided within the war diaries, particularly where the war diary identifies activity in a trench identified by a unique number. Above all they show the location of front lines, communication trenches, enemy positions, strongpoints and defences.

They also show the names of farms, woods and villages where they feature in the regimental histories, personal diaries and official war diaries of the British Army in the various battles and actions.

Most of the Western Front maps are at a scale of 1:10,000.

To find aa relevant map, there is a map index map to locate the sheet number. The key to finding the correct map is usually the trench number or location given in the official war diary. Sometimes trench maps have been preserved even if there is no corresponding war diary record.

On most maps the British trenches are shown in blue and the German trenches are shown in red, but this reversed from July 1918 to be uniform with the French system of mapping, so the date of the map should be noted to enable correct interpretation.

The main collection of trench maps is available at the National Archives. Find the map in Discovery in the following series:

Western Front series WO297 or WO153

East Africa – WO300

Italy – WO369

Gallipoli and Dardanelles – WO301

Mesopotamia – WO302

Palestine – WO303

Salonika – WO298

Unless the war diary specifies the map sheet number as well as the grid reference or trench number, you may need to check the index map to identify the relevant map sheet.

Some trench maps are also available in collections held at:

Imperial War Museum

British Library

Royal Geographical Society

National Library of Scotland (Some military maps are available on their website.)

Some reproductions or published facsimiles also exist including the British Trench Map Atlas (relevant to the Western Front). Very often these give a good idea of and illustrate positions of British forces.

Most of the 1:10,000-scale maps include keys to the symbols and abbreviations used at the bottom of the sheet. Sometimes there is more information on the back.