Why are there references and entries of British War Diaries amongst the Canadian ones and why do they cover only very limited periods of time?
The Director of the Historical Section of the Canadian Army, Colonel A.F. Duguid, who was appointed to write the official history of the First World War, was painstakingly thorough. When he found certain parts of War Diaries missing, or was studying 'controversial' subjects (like the Battle of St. Eloi) he asked his British counter part for extracts of the British War Diaries. Hence the rather motley and diverse selection of British War Diary extracts. This collection might be limited in range and time-scale, however, it is surely of interest as part of it covers the Second Ypres Battle and the first gas attacks by the Germans on the Western front, seen from the perspective of the British Units.
Of particular interest are the Sketches and locations - Extracts, Flank 1915/03-1918/01 , as these entries contain a multitude of highly interesting maps and sketches of dispositions of units at certain locations and dates. Also notes taken by Duguid from information found in the British War Diary extracts, etc., etc.
BRITISH WAR DIARIES
1st Army
Report on Vimy Ridge Operations (missing)
Attack on Vimy by 1st Army
1917/03/20-1917/05/17
First Army
1915/02/07-1918/11/11
General Staff
1915/03/01-1915/06/30
Administrative Branches of the Staff
1915/02/01-1915/06/30
First Army Operation
1918/08/26-1918/11/11
2nd Army
Conferences
1916/01-1916/08
Battle of Messines
1917/06
War Diary
1916/02/01-1916/05/31
Diary
1916/06/01-1916/08/31
Second Army
Second Army
1915/04/01-1917/11/30
1916/07/01-1916/10/31
Sketch Maps
1915/10/11-1917/11/18
Administrative Branches of the Staff
1915/02/01-1917/11/30
General Staff
1915/02/01-1917/11/30
1916/01-1917/11
1917/09 (No LAC Entries Currently Exist)
Orders and Summaries
1915/11/22-1916/09/21
1915/09/15-1915/11/21
1915/12/24-1916/07/22
Reports, 3rd Division
1916/03/18
Quartermaster General
1916/02/01-1916/08/31
4th Army Note: Attatched to the Canadian Corps
Fourth Army
Administrative Branches of the Staff
1918/08/01-1918/08/31
General Staff
1918/08/01-1918/08/31
Reserve and Fifth Army
Reserve and Fifth Army, Administrative Branches of the Staff
1916/08/01-1916/11/30
Reserve and Fifth Army General Staff
1916/08/01-1916/11/30
1st Corps
Cavalry Corps Nos. 1 to 5 Cavalry Divisions
1915/04/01-1915/05/31
Administrative Branches of the Staff
1915/05/01-1915/05/31
General Staff
1915/05/01-1915/05/31
2nd Corps
Organization and Supervision
1915/05/01-1915/08/31
General Staff
1915/07/01-1916/11/30
Deputy Adjutant and Quartermaster General
1915/07/01-1916/10/31
Administrative Branches of the Staff
1915/09/01-1916/11/13
Headquarters
1915/03/01-1916/10/31
3rd Corps
3rd Corps, General Staff
1915/05/01-1915/07/31
Cavalry Corps Nos. 1 to 5 Cavalry Divisions
1915/04/01-1915/05/31
4th Corps
General Staff
1915/03/01-1915/06/30
Administrative Branches of the Staff
1915/03/01-1915/06/30
5th Corps
Precis of Units Attached
1915/04/01-1915/04/30
General Staff
1915/04/01-1915/05/31
Administrative Branches of the Staff
1915/04/01-1915/05/31
Divisional Boundaries, 5th Corps
1915/04
XIV Corps
1916/06/16-1916/06/22
XVII Corps
1918/09/01-1918/09/30
Cavalry Corps Note: Canadian.
Lahore Division
Lahore Division
1915/04/01-1915/05/31
Lahore Division Brigades and Battalions
1915/04/01-1915/05/31
3rd Division Note: mainly Canadian references.
3rd British Division
1916/03/01-1916/04/30
28th Division - Miscellaneous
1915/04/01-1915/05/06
3rd Cavalry Division
1918/08/01-1918/08/31
3rd Division - Artillery
1916/02/01-1916/04/30
Report on St. Eloi, 3rd Division
1916/03/27
4th Division Note: mainly Canadian.
General Staff
1915/04/01-1915/05/31
Administrative Branches of the Staff
1915/04/01-1915/05/31
10th, 11th, 12th Brigades
1915/04/01-1915/05/31
4th Division
1918/08/26-1918/09/04
5th Division
5th Division - 13th Brigade, Headquarters and battalions
1915/04/01-1917/05/12
5th Division - Miscellaneous
1915/04/01-1917/05/22
11th Division
4th Division 10th, 11th, 12th Brigades
1915/04/01-1915/05/31
11th Division
1918/09/01-1918/09/30
20th Division
1916/06
24th Division
24th Division (Maps)
1916/04
27th Division
Miscellaneous
1915/04/01-1915/05/31
General Staff
1915/04-1915/05
Administrative Branches of the Staff
1914/12/19-1915/07/21
Headquarters
1914/11/13-1915/11/15
Intelligence
1915/01/07-1915/01/30
Headquarters, Royal Regiment of Artillery, 27th Division
1914/11/17-1915/11/21
28th Division
General Staff
1915/03/31-1915/05/28
Miscellaneous
1915/04/01-1915/05/06
50th Division
Miscellaneous
1915/04/19-1915/05/04
55th Division
Miscellaneous
1915/10/01-1915/12/31
9th Infantry Brigade
1916/04/01-1916/04/30
80th Infantry Brigade Note: various entries
27th Division - Miscellaneous Note: various entries
1915/04/01-1915/05/31
80th Infantry Brigade
1914/11/17-1915/06/30
1915/07/01-1915/11/30
Royal Welsh Fusiliers
1916/03/01-1916/03/31
Lahore Divisional Artillery
British War Diaries; Lahore Divisional Artillery
1915/12/01-1916/11/30
Lahore Divisional Artillery
1916/12/01-1917/07/31
Lahore Divisional Ammunition
Reserve Divisional Ammunition Column (Lahore)
1916/02/01-1917/07/31
1st Section Lahore Divisional Ammunition Column
1916/02/01-1916/06/31
West Lancs Divisional Artillery
55th West Lancs Divisional Artillery
1915/10/01-1915/11/30
West Lancs Brigade
1/1 West Lancs Brigade
1915/10/01-1915/11/25
1/2 West Lancs Brigade
1915/10/01-1915/11/24
1/3 West Lancs Brigade
1915/10/01-1915/11/30
Royal Artillery
Headquarters, Royal Regiment of Artillery, 27th Division
1914/11/17-1915/11/21
32nd Division, Royal Field Artillery
1918/08/01-1918/08/31
18th Army Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
1915/12/01-1917/07/31
72nd Army Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
1917/04/01-1917/04/30
179th Army Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
1917/05/11-1917/09/30
277th Army Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
1918/03/02-1918/03/31
1st Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
1914/11/23-1915/09/30
5th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
1915/12/01-1917/07/31
11th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
1915/11/01-1917/07/31
15th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
1915/01/01-1915/01/31
19th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
1914/12/19-1915/09/30
20th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
1914/11/16-1915/10/31
26th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
1917/04/01-1917/04/30
93rd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
1917/04/01-1917/04/30
129th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
1915/08/01-1915/10/31
52nd, 95th, 99th, 131st Batteries, Royal Field Artillery
1914/10/15-1915/04/29
67th Battery, Royal Field Artillery
1914/11/26-1915/09/30
364th Battery, Royal Field Artillery
1914/11/26-1915/09/27
118th Howitzer Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
1915/02/16-1916/04/30
131st Howitzer Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
1915/12/01-1916/06/30
9th Brigade, Royal Garrison Artillery
1916/03
18th Brigade, Royal Garrison Artillery
1916/03
30th Brigade, Royal Garrison Artillery
1916/03-1916/04
31st Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery
1915/11/01-1915/12/31
5th Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery
1917/04/01-1917/04/30
Royal Field Artillery, Lahore
1915/02/16-1916/10/30
Reserve Divisional Ammunition Column
Reserve Divisional Ammunition Column (Lahore)
1916/02/01-1917/07/31
Reserve Divisional Trench Mortar Group
1916/10/01-1917/06/30
Trench Howitzer Battery
35th Trench Howitzer Battery
1915/07/01-1915/07/31
Royal Engineers
215th Army Troops Company, Royal Engineers
1917/05/01-1917/09/30
11th Labour Company, Royal Engineers
1916/02/01-1916/03/31
55th Labour Company, Royal Engineers
1918/09/01-1918/09/30
152nd Labour Company, Royal Engineers
]1918/09/01-1918/09/30
Royal Army Service Corps
74th Divisional Motor Transport Company Royal Army Service Corps
1918/05/01-1918/05/31
6th Reserve Park, Royal Army Service Corps
1917/07/01-1917/09/30
49th Ammunition Sub-Park, Royal Army Service Corps
1917/10/01-1917/10/31
402nd Motor Transport Company, Royal Army Service Corps
1917/10/01-1919/07/31
