Diary Kept

Stubbs, Bernard C., 1891？-1915Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.5

Word count: 34K words
Chapters: 4

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Diary Kept by Rifleman B. C. Stubbs of the Second Draft Sent to the QueenAuthor: Stubbs, Bernard C., 1891?-1915,Language: English, Class: D501: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: World War I (1914-1918), Release Date: Jun 23, 2018

Editor's review

This book is the diary of Rifleman B. C. Stubbs, a member of the second batch of reinforcements sent to the Queen's forces, a firsthand private record of the First World War newly available in the Project Gutenberg public-domain edition. Its value lies in its ordinariness: the diary does not attempt a panoramic view of the war but records training, marches, garrison life, and personal emotions in the hand of an ordinary soldier, allowing readers to experience the rhythm and feelings of low-ranking soldiers in the Great War. The author's birth around 1891 and death in 1915 also remind readers to note the diary's limited timeframe and sense of incompleteness. As a historical source, it is suitable for reading alongside military histories but should not be treated as a complete campaign record. The prose is plain and the text divided naturally by the diary form, suited to slow reading in sections. Readers interested in the social history of the First World War, military diaries, and English public-domain literature can read it day by day in short sessions or use it as primary-source excerpts in classroom teaching.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the social history of the First World War
Readers who enjoy soldiers' diaries and private records
History students and teachers needing primary World War I materials
Learners who wish to practice English reading in short forms

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a systematic understanding of World War I campaigns and strategic analysis
Readers expecting a complete autobiography or long narrative
Readers impatient with the fragmentary records of a diary

Reading tips

Read in diary-date order in sections, covering several days at a time to maintain a sense of time.
Consult a World War I timeline and background on the author's unit for context.
Pay attention to everyday details and emotional shifts; do not insist on a continuous plot.
Excerpt passages that strike you for classroom discussion or writing material.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Does this diary cover the author's entire military service?

Records show the author was born around 1891 and died in 1915. The diary was kept during his service and covers a limited span; it should not be regarded as a complete record of his military career, and readers should note its start and end points.

Does the diary contain detailed descriptions of combat?

The diary focuses on a soldier's daily life—training, marches, garrison life, and personal feelings—rather than a military history centered on campaign events. For specific combat details, consult other military history sources.

Is this book suitable as an introduction to World War I?

It can serve as supplementary material but not as the sole introductory book. It offers a firsthand private perspective without the background and overall context of the war; read a general history of World War I first, then this book alongside.

Why is it recommended to read in date-based sections?

The diary progresses day by day, with limited length per entry and weak causal links between events. Reading in date-based batches suits the genre's rhythm and makes it easier to finish the whole book in short sessions.

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About the author

Stubbs, Bernard C., 1891？-1915 Author

Bernard C. Stubbs (c. 1891–1915) is an author whose birth and death details remain uncertain and whose public record is limited. His birth year can only be inferred from existing records as around 1891, and he died in 1915; fuller biographical details, including nationality and education, cannot be confirmed. Only one work by him is held in the collection, Diary Kept. Judging from the title, it is a diary-form work, likely consisting of personal records and daily observations, and perhaps including fragmentary notes on his times and the people around him. Because of his early death and the scarcity of material, this diary serves as the main clue to his life and thought, and the trace he left in the documentary record is very slight. On the whole, Stubbs is not a widely known author, and his work is better read as diary literature and personal historical material than measured against the standard of a famous writer or systematic author.