The Unearthed Diaries of World War I Soldiers

The Internet just inherited a treat for history buffs. More than 300,000 diary pages written by British troops during World War I are now available online.

This initial release from the UK National Archives includes the diaries of three cavalry divisions and seven infantry divisions deployed in France and Flanders. They cover the units' entire involvement in the war.

While the diaries, which are better described as "activity logs," don't contain soldiers' innermost thoughts, readers still get a sense of what daily life was like for these troops. For example, a Sept. 14, 1917 entry chronicling an infantry division that was part of the South Wales Borderers illustrates just how long a day was for these soldiers: Read more...