1918 HANDWRITTEN DIARY OF AN ENGLISHMAN'S WORLD WAR I SERVICE IN CANADA

On offer is an exceptional World War I Canadiana being the handwritten diary of a young Salisbury England man who spends his war service in Petawawa Ontario Canada, near Ottawa. Beginning April 17th 1918 [to April 18, 1919 and then one June 13th 1922 entry from Quebec] he begins stationed in Salisbury England he begins his journey to Canada on the 26th of April 1918. A casual reading suggests that he is a Sergeant in the Signals Corp and while not stated in the book an ephemera piece almost certainly identifies him being an appointment card for the Canadian Army Dental Corps having the name Middleton on it with his rank, SM and his corps RMC [?]. Sgt. Middleton is an excellent diarist being precise, to the point but very dry mannered conveying all his emotions to his Cadet charges and comrades and those other he meets. While taking in the local color he marvels at the fine weather while the countryside is so much like the lowlands of his home. Yet in between making training materials for signalmen, tending horses and the thousand other things he does in service to England and Canada he wishes he were in France showing what he is really capable of doing. Middleton makes this diary a fascinating piece of Canadiana coming from the perspective of this charming Englishman. This 8 x 5 inch notebook style diary is densely filled, quite legible and our author never fails to share his observations and feelings and quite candidly too. Every page is quotable but a perfect example of this fellows charm is his tender goodbye to the one year old diary at the end as he discusses what they have both gone through and how he sends the book back to 'Old Blighty' for safety he closes saying 'Goodnight Old Man.' A few pages have trauma to the edges and some minor loss. The hinges are cracked but overall G.; 8 x 5 Inches; CANADIANA, WWI, WORLD WAR I, SIGNAL CORPS, PETAWAWA, WRITER, HOLOGRAPH, SIGNED, Personal, Memoir, Handwritten, hand written, autograph, autographs, signed, letters, document, documents, manuscript, manuscripts, writers, writer, author, holograph, Travel, personal, antiquité, contrat, vélin, document, manuscrit, papier Antike, Brief, Pergament, Dokument, Manuskript, Papier oggetto d'antiquariato, atto, velina, documento, manoscritto, carta antigüedad, hecho, vitela, documento, manuscrito, Papel,