War diaries online

[Krazykat87]

Anyone know of places I can read two war diaries?
Thanks in advance

[MaxD]

Most of them for the Great War can, where they exist, be downloaded for £3.50 from the National Archives.  They are also on Ancestry if you have a sub.

MaxD

[newburychap]

Some are not available online - generally those from the smaller theatres of war.

Ancestry only has some of those available from TNA - and the Ancestry indexing/search is somewhere between dire and appalling.

They are all available if you visit TNA (providing they still exist).

[MaxD]

There are also a small number of transcripted war diaries to be found (usually by chance in my case) on regimental museum web sites or those devoted to a particular regiment or battalion (including the Berkshire and Wiltshire regiments at the Wardobe which Newburychap is well acquainted with).  One recent find being a London  Heavy Brigade RGA.

MaxD

[familydar]

I think the war diaries on Ancestry aren't name indexed although you can apparently search on unit, date etc.  Use the card index to see what's available - put the word diaries in the keyword field.

Jane :-)

[MaxD]

A search on diaries only brings up the very top level of two sets of war diaries - the France/Belgium/Germany set and the Gallipoli/Dardanelles set.  Each one then requires you to navigate from regiment or corps or brigade, to division to the specific unit.

While I agree with newburychap that the Ancestry filing system (for want of a better word) is eccentric, like everything else, once one understands the eccentricities then it becomes relatively easy.  The National Archives catalogue headings are not without fault.  I have in the last week downloaded a diary that was mis-titled - to their credit, NA acknowledged the error and provided the right one.

If you need help finding the ones you are after you know where to come!

MaxD

[Krazykat87]

The two main ones at the moment are the 1st 5th duke of wellingtons and the 8th border reg.

I have just gained a little more evidence on my great grandad that he was in the 6th platoon, B Com, 8th Battalion ( knew he was 8th borders from medals) and he was captured so i wanted to see for myself what they doing and where abouts as to him being captured.....

the DWR one i am looking for area hints for 2 family members.
Iv had certain info sent on here by people but im a little OCD when it comes to the 'source' so i like to see it myself and if poss print the piece i need so its there for future generations :-)

[MaxD]

8th Border have just one diary here: http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7353391 covering the whole of their time in France.

1/5th Duke of Wellingtons have 5 diaries covering April 1915 to April 1918 all here:
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_aq=1%2F5%20duke%20of%20wellington&_ep=diaries&_nq1=2&_cr=WO&_dss=range&_ro=any&_p=1900&_st=adv.  Need to choose your time frame

Do you have an Ancestry sub?  If so I can direct you on there (need the time frame for 1/5th).

MaxD

PS Have you found GGrandad's POW record?

[Krazykat87]

Yes max I downloaded the 2 POW records you sent the link to :-)

I can use my friends ancestry but my issue is I can’t always read the writing on there when trying to look at the diaries so that’s why I wondered if there was anywhere else. I mainly also use my phone so obviously the writing is tiny.
For the 1st 5th one of the dates relative died is October 1916 and the other is sometime in 1917 but can’t remember which month exactly without getting my file out.

Kk