Walter Draycott left his entire life-time\u2019s set of diaries (1907-1985) to the North Vancouver Museum and Archives. Our staff have long been intrigued with his life and documentary legacy, and particularly with the volumes which record Walter\u2019s years with the Princess Patricia\u2019s Canadian Light Infantry in World War I. The 100th<\/sup> anniversary of the outbreak of the Great War provides an opportunity to share his war-time diaries with Canadians, through this website – \u201cWalter Draycott\u2019s Great War Chronicle” – that will grow over time until November 11, 2018. After that date, the blog will no longer be updated.<\/p>\n Each of Draycott\u2019s 1,500 or so wartime (1914-1918) diary entries is posted exactly 100 years to the day after it was written from 2014 through 2018. The most significant entries are brought to life with voice-over readings by North Vancouver actor Gordon Roberts, veteran of the musical \u201cBilly Bishop Goes to War\u201d. The website is also illustrated with photographs<\/a>\u00a0 and battle-field drawings<\/a>\u00a0 from Draycott\u2019s archives, and related holdings of the North Vancouver Museum and Archives. The \u2018Albums\u2019 section<\/a> of the website includes scans of all the original diary pages, so users can appreciate the look and feel of the little volumes, and try their skill at deciphering Draycott\u2019s handwriting.<\/p>\n Yearly essays by BC military historian, David Borys<\/a>, place Walter\u2019s personal experience as a self-described \u2018pawn\u2019 in the broader context of the unfolding conflict. There are also links to related websites, educational materials, and resources for teachers and students.<\/p>\n We invite not only your comments<\/a> and questions about the project, but also contributions<\/a> to it.\u00a0 If you have family stories you would like to share with us, to add to the story of North Vancouver\u2019s experience of the Great War, we would be glad to post them. If you have photographs to share, we will include them in a contributor \u2018album\u2019 on our \u201cAlbums\u201d page.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n