Before the war John Breed worked in a mill in Leeds that made flags and banners. This was the family mill (E.Riley and Co Ltd, Marsh Lane, Leeds.) His address was 4 Methley Mount, Chapeltown, Leeds. According to his war diary, John Bennington Breed arrived in Le Havre on 30th January 1917 with the Royal Garrison Artillery, 236th Siege Battery. He kept a daily diary of his experiences, including on every page how many shells were fired every day as he was in charge of armaments. He talks about the gas and the planes and airships going over and talks about shooting them down. He was killed on 31st July 1917 - after he had made a last entry in his diary at around 9pm. He was 35 when he was killed. He is presumed to have joined earlier due to his age. It is likely that he enrolled around 1915 as his training diary is dated 1915-16 and includes lots of drawings of guns, ammunitions and instructions for firing distances. He was a Second Lieutenant when he died. A memorial service was held in York on the 12th November, 1921 at Elmfield College York. A memorial card shows that he was buried in Klein Vierstarrt Cemetery, South West of Ypres. He left three children of which the contributor's mother was the middle one, aged seven when he died. The diary makes sad reading due to the references to people getting killed and gassed. Occasionally he got a weekend off in a local town for rest and recouperation. In one exert the general tells them off for shooting when he was passing on his horse and he intends to report them. John Breed wrote that he would tell someone first. There is a great deal in the diary about conditions in the trenches over the 6 month period near Ypres on the Western Front. || Daily trench diary, 1917, Training diary, dated 1915-16, Memorial Service Sheet 1921, Photograph of John Breed, Bronze memorial plaque, Buckingham Palace letter that accompanied the Bronze memorial plaque. Black edged Memorial card || || Following images are of pages from the trench diary kept by John Breed in 1917 || Trench Life || John Breed || Diary || John Breed's daily trench diary || || John Breed || Letter sent by Buckingham Palace (with George R.I. signature) to John Breed's family to accompany the bronze Memorial plaque. || Letter from Buckingham Palace to John Breed's family || Letter || || John Breed || Memorial sheet detailing the service and death date of John Breed, together with the location of his grave. || John Breed memorial sheet || Memorabilia || || Black edged memorial sheet (reverse) for John Breed detailing family's thanks for sympathy on their loss. Dated September 1917. || John Breed || Memorabilia || John Breed memorial sheet (reverse) || || 2 images of the Order of service for the ceremony to unveil a memorial to the WWI dead of Elmfield College, York. The service took place on Saturday November 12th, 1921 at 2pm. || Deutsch || Elmfield College, York war memorial service sheet || Memorabilia || Elmfield College, York service sheet || || Next 90 images are pages from John Breed's training diary dated 1915-16. They include lots of drawings of guns, ammunitions and instructions for firing distances. || Diary || John Breed || John Breed's Training diary || || John Bennington Breed || Photograph || Photograph of John Bennington Breed || || Memorabilia || Memorial Bronze plaque for John Bennington Breed || John Bennington Breed || Bronze memorial plaque. This large bronze memorial plaque was sent with a parchment scroll to the next of kin of those who lost their lives on active service in World War I. They became known as the Dead Man's Penny. The plaque shows Britannia bestowing a laurel crown on a rectangular tablet bearing the full name of the dead in raised lettering. In front, stands the British lion with dolphins in the upper field, an oak branch lower right and a lion cub catching a fallen eagle at the base. The inscription round the circumference reads He died for freedom and honour.

My Grandfather Arthur Newstead served with the 225th and 101st Field Company Royal Engineers from July 18th 1916 until he returned home to Norwich April 4th 1919. His diary details hair-raising day to day events, names and addresses of fellow soldiers, formulas for demolition and for bridge building, a record of his pay etc. he was the youngest of eight brothers who served in WW1. Amazingly all of them survived. || 33 Diary scans and various documents relating to demob and war pension || || Diary || Diary page July 18th 1916 - Sept 26th 1916 Joins 225th company R E. at the Somme. Present at the offensive of 3rd September. Heavy losses || Joins 225th RE || || Goes over the top, 400yds of trench captured || Diary page September 26th - Oct 28. Digs communication trench through no mans land. Goes over top 28th October. 400yds trench captured || || Major offensive Beaumont Hamel? || Diary entry November 13th 1916 - big offensive 5000 prisoners captured || Diary || || Comparatively quiet Friday || Diary entry November 15th - 26th 1916. Troop movements || || Diary || Ypres. 6000 prisoners. || Diary entry Dec 21st 1916 - June 7th 1917. June 2nd bombardment. Slightly gassed - in hospital for 26 days. Runs into a brother Ernie || || Diary entry June 11th - July 24th (page order is confused) || Diary || Ypres. Mines. Hill 60 || || Carnage in the open. Only cover shell holes || Diary || Diary entry July 28th - August 20th 1917 || || Intense bombardment, company loses, 30 horses killed. || Diary entry August 21st - September 4th 1917 || || Fed up with this front 15,000 prisoners taken || Diary || Diary entry September 14th - October 14th 1917 || || Diary entry October 18th 1917 - February 16th 1918 || Arrives Italian front Dec 2nd || Diary || || Diary entry February 22nd - March 22nd 1918 || Home leave March 2nd - 16th || || Osiago Plateau ? || Diary entry March 27th - June 15th 1918 || || Major Offensive, gas shells || Diary entry June 15th - 18th 1918 || Diary || || Diary || Diary entry July 20th - Sept 27th 1918 || Various billets || || Diary entry October 13th - 27th 1918 || Big attack October 27th || Diary || || Diary || Diary entry November 4th 1918 || Armistice to be signed by Austria || || Earthquake. Germany signs Armistice || Diary entry October 6th - November 11th 1918 || || Diary entry November 21st 1918 - March 4th 1919 || Attached to 101st || || Arrives home || Diary entry March 23rd - April 4th 1919 || || Starts work || Diary entry May 5th 1919 - October 24th 1919 || Diary || || Diary || Diary entry no date || Calculate load bearing capacity of temporary bridges || || Addresses and map of GB || Diary || Diary entry no date || || Diary entry figures for 24/2/18 to 23/3/19 || Diary || List of monies || || Diary entry March 14th 1919 The 6 Points of the 101st || Diary || Rebellion in the ranks? || || Diary entry no date || Diary || List of authors, notes about leatherworking? || || Diary entry no date || List of french towns, addresses || Diary || || Diary entry no date || Addresses and map of GB || Diary || || Diary entry no date || notes and figures || Diary || || Pvte F Soames? || Diary || Diary entry no date || || Remittance home, notes on commencement of war || Diary entry no date || Diary || || Diary entry no date || Diary || Addresses, notes on demolition || || Last page, largely indecipherable || Diary || Diary entry no date || || Official document || Birth Certificate || || Official document || Recruit's Identity Slip || || Demob Document Cover || Official document || || Official document || Demob Account || || Identity Certificate || Official document || || Official document || Transfer to Reserve || || Pension Award || Official document || || Pension Certificate || Official document || || Pension Certificate || Back || Official document || || Official document || Pension Stopped

The last few months of the war through the eyes & pen of my grandfather Bertie Bond, sailor on board HMS Fury || His personal diary