DIARY of the 61st BATTERY CANADIAN FIELD ARTILLERY 1916-1919

This slim volume was originally published as a paperback, primarily for the men of the battery. It is, according to the foreword, a partial record of the daily activities of the battery, written from day to day under circumstances and conditions of a widely varying kind, all demanding brevity – no room for literary excellence. The battery came into existence on 3 April 1916 at Lethbridge, Alberta. It did its training at Petawawa Camp and embarked for England on 11 September 1916 where it was located in Witley Camp. It was now in 14th Artillery Brigade 5th Canadian Division. All this is narrated as an introduction (with dates) to the main part which begins on 21 August 1917 when the brigade embarked for France, and at this point the complete nominal roll of the battery (7 officers and 92 other ranks) is given. The diary now begins and thereafter there is an entry for every day- even as brief as “1st September. Raining. Cleaning up” – right through to 4th March 1919. Lists at the end include the Roll of Honour (six dead twenty wounded), Honours and Awards, nominal roll of reinforcements, officers and other ranks struck off strength (other than casualties) and reason, and finally the nominal roll of the battery on 11 November 1918. A picture of daily life of a field battery on the Western Front and one that will certainly have awakened the memories of its members. For their benefit a space has been left between daily entries for them to record any of their own experiences