William E. Short was born in Tottenham, England on Dec. 18, 1878. He enlisted with the 34th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Jan., 1915 in Galt, Ont., trained in Canada and England, and arrived in France on Aug. 3, 1915, where he was attached to the 1st Battalion. He was promoted to Corporal on Oct. 11, 1916 and to acting Company Quartermaster Sergeant on Feb. 1, 1917. William Short married Lilly Meechum August 7, 1918, while on leave in London, England, a fact not noted in his diary. W.E.Short returned to Canada in May, 1919. (Source: attestation papers, diary contents.)
Published
The title on the inside of the first page of the exercise book is "Diary of CQMS Short, W.E. : from leaving Canada 18 June 1915 to returning 24 May 1919".
Contains one exercise book used as a diary by W.E. Short from 1915-1917, recorded in ink, ruled, with numbered pages and daily entries. Includes details of daily life in the trenches, training activities, weather, places billeted, battle details, camp events and leisure activities, parades and marches, and the difficulties of procuring rations and mail.