One of the official War Diaries of the First Infantry Division of the 16th Battalion (The Canadian Scottish), Canadian Expeditionary Force that cover from the time the Regiment went overseas at the start of the First World War to the time it returned to Canada in April 1919. War diaries are official records kept by the Battalions during a one month period. The diary provides a daily summary of events, actions, activities, etc. The diary begins with the Battalion moving from the Haynecourt area to the Sains-lès-Marquion area, Lewis Gun training, Company Intelligence Officers reconnoitering defence posityions, Operation Order No. 283 regarding a "Chinese" attack, breaking the Drocourt Queant Line between Fresnes-Brebieres and Dan Trench, fighting on the front lines, receiving and overwhelming welcome from the civilian populace as they moved, receiving information that the enemy are likely to withdraw, move to Lewarde, and then to Bruille-lez-Marchiennes, the platoon Cyclists moving forward and occupying Wallers, taking prisoners, moving back to Somain through Valnciennes-St. Amand Road, and the diary ends with the Battalion training in Somain, a list of casualties and decoration awarded during the month. The diary includes Operation Orders, narratives of actions on the 11th and 12th and action at Cuvillers on the 1st.

In Collection:

• Military History Collection

Creator

• Canada. Canadian Army. Battalion, 16th

Subject

• Intrenchments
• Soldiers--Social conditions
• Battle casualties
• Soldiers--Conduct of life
• Military hygiene
• Soldiers--Billeting
• War casualties
• Military cycling
• Military decorations
• Military supplies
• Weather
• Drill and minor tactics
• Fortification, Field
• Soldiers--Training
• Canada. Canadian Army
• Military history
• Soldiers--Training of
• War
• Battle of Cambrai (Cambrai, France : 1918)
• Canada. Canadian Army. Battalion, 16th
• War diaries
• Military camps
• World War (1914-1918)
• Trenches
• Soldiers--Health and hygiene
• Soldiers

Language

• eng

Date created

• October 1, 1918 to October 31, 1918

Resource type

• Text

Rights statement

• No Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Only

Extent

• 27 pages ; 21 x 34 cm

Geographic Coverage

• France--Cambrai
• France--Arras--Éterpigny
• France--Cambrai--Cuvillers
• France--Sains-lès-Marquion
• France--Somain
• Western Front (World War (1914-1918))

Coordinates

• 50.17596, 3.23472
• 50.19417, 3.07278
• 50.22278, 3.2375
• 50.35961, 3.28108
• 50.25806, 2.97972

Additional physical characteristics

• The 1918 diaries are 12 months in one bundle with a blue cover and with sub-bundles inside. Most diary pages are handwritten on template pages made of lightweight vellum paper or heavier bond (rag?) paper; some are typewritten; some leaves are not on template pages, size varies.

Physical Repository

• University of Victoria (B.C.). Library

Collection

• Military History Collection

Provenance

• Transferred to UVic Special Collections and Archives from BC Archives, May 2006.

Provider

• University of Victoria (B.C.). Library

Genre

• personal narratives
• diaries
• typescripts
• journals (accounts)
• manuscripts (documents)

Archival item identifier

• Accession Number: 2006-011

Fonds title

• 16th Battalion (The Canadian Scottish) fonds

Fonds identifier

• SC338

Is referenced by

• Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/16th-battalion-canadian-scottish-fonds

Date digitized

• March 2025

Technical note

• Scanned on Plustek Opticbook A-300 600 DPI tiffs (gamma 1.20, no color correction) by PD. Metadata by KD.

Rights

• Contact Special Collections and University Archives for access to the original. This material is made available on this site for research and private study only.

DOI

•  https://doi.org/10.58066/w8cs-jr61

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