Full colour facsimile reprint of the original First World War, War Office war diary of the 8th Battalion, East Surrey Regiment, 55 Infantry Brigade, 18th Division, covering September 1915 to April 1919 across 1,022 pages. It names 183 places across 233 dated entries.
Alongside the daily entries the volume carries nine casualty and personnel returns, 126 reports, narratives and plans, 86 Operation Orders, six defence schemes, five appendices, one map and twenty diagrams. Among the papers are: Officers Casualty list 8th East Surrey Regiment; 8th Ser. Bn. East Surrey Regiment. officers Casualty list for the month of February, 1917; 8/Ser. Bn. East Surrey Regiment. officers Casualty list for the month of March, 1917; Report on operations at Cherisy. 3rd May 1917; Report on operations carried out by the 8/Bn. East Surrey R. 18.9.18. Appendix "E"; Patrol report; Patrol report E8.c.5.4; Colony Intelligence Summary 19/5/18; Orders for Relief Cavalry; Operation order 8th Ser. Bn. East Surrey Regiment. Appendix "A"; Fourth Army. special order of the Day. Appendix No. 7; 8th Bn. the East Surrey Rgt. report on the raid made by the enemy on the night Of-The.
The diary opens at Ribemont on 12 September 1915. 1915 is spent at Ville-Sur-Ancre, Trenches-Sub Sector D.3, Trenches: Sector D.3, Ribemont and Sector D.3. 1916 is the most travelled year, 80 places against 61 in the next busiest, and is spent at In Billets at Ville, Y 1. Sub. S, Buire, Picquigny and Canchy. 1917 at Emile Camp, Wittes, Zegers Cappel, Camp Nr. Coigneux and Zeggers Cappel. 1918 at Elincourt, Malincourt, La Haute Tombelle, "H" Camp and Operations. 1919 at Bertry, Troisvilles and Caudry. It closes at Caudry on 15 April 1919. Bertry is where it spent longest, 42 days across three separate stays, it came back to Ville-Sur-Ancre four separate times, and the longest it stayed anywhere without moving was 36 days at Malincourt.
Trench and battlefield features named in the diary include Trenches-Sub Sector D.3, Trones Wood, Trenches: Sector D.3, Chateau Segard Area, Abri Wood, Thiepval Wood, Leuze Wood and Epinette Farm.
In 1915 it is also recorded at Sub-Sector D.3. In 1916 it is also recorded at Dernancourt, St. Gratien, Allonville, Flexicourt, Corbie, Etinehem, Y.1. Sub-Sector, Etineham, Fourdrinoy and A.I. Sub.S. In 1917 it is also recorded at Forrest L'Abbaye, Hanchy, Huezecourt, Terramesnil, Varennes, Warwick Huts Trenches, Wellington Huts, Warwick Huts. Thiepval Wood, Thiepval Wood and Hessian Camp. In 1918 it is also recorded at Abri Wood, Herzeele, Noyon Area, Pontoise, Autreville-Pierremande Area, Pierremande, Buttes De Rouy-Vieville Camp, Vieville Camp, La Haute Tombelle Camp and Haute Tombelle Camp.
