First World War Poetry Digital Archive

Edward Thomas: War Diary

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Page description

AuthorThomas, Edward (1878-1917)
TitleWar Diary: Page 19
NotesIt's cold and wet. Thomas travels to Fosseux to pick up cash and gas helmets. Notes troops of turbaned Indians with Hun prisoners Laments doing office work whilst the troops go out to the trenches. Records the sound of artillery fire nearby and that the blast of 18-punders near his billet blow the mortar from ruins against the window linen. Discussed the wildlife.
Item Date20th February 1917 - 23rd February 1917
Creation placeFosseux, France (Google Maps)
File typeImage
Item sourceNotebook
Item mediumPaper
Writing mediumPen
ContentDiary
Item height132
Item width76
Page18 of 34
Collection IDEdward Thomas War Diary
Repository nameThomas Family Private Collection
CataloguerKate Lindsay and Everett Sharp
FilenameETFAMDIA-09.jpg
Digital repositoryThe First World War Poetry Digital Archive
Reference URLhttp://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/document/1693/1358

Document description

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AuthorThomas, Edward (1878-1917)
TitleEdward Thomas: War Diary
NotesThis is the private diary kept by Edward Thomas the last three months as a soldier. It is written in a small Walker's Back-Loop pocket-book, bound in pigskin and priced at two shillings. The cover and the pages are concaved and creased suggesting that he was carrying the diary when he was killed at an observation post on the 9th April 1917 by a shell blast during the opening barrage of the Battle of Arras.

The diary was given to his son Merfyn and rediscovered by his son Edward in 1970 amongst various papers and documents belonging to his father.
Item Date1st January 1917 - 8th April 1917
Creation placeEngland and France
File typeCompound Object
Item sourceNotebook
Item mediumPaper
Writing mediumPen
ContentDiary
Item height132
Item width76
Repository nameThomas Family Private Collection
CataloguerKate Lindsay and Everett Sharp
CopyrightThe Edward Thomas Literary Estate
Digital repositoryThe First World War Poetry Digital Archive
Reference URLhttp://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/document/1693