6. Much greater detail is contained in the Battalion War Diaries which are held in the Public Record Office (WO95). Every battalion completed a daily record of activities for the full period of active service. It is possible to trace the movements of battalions using the war diaries and to obtain details of what was happening when a soldier was killed, injured or won a decoration. Officers are named but totals are usually given for "other ranks". Copies of individual pages may be bought but, at present (1999), there is a maximum of 15 pages per hour while you wait. Information about obtaining a reader's ticket, opening hours, etc., are available on the Internet at www.pro.gov.uk. The diaries are stored in files with the general classification for the War Office, WO. Brief descriptions of every document and the reference numbers are given in the class lists. The relevant reference numbers for the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, all prefixed WO95/, are:

The 3rd, 4th, 5th and 11th Battalions were reserve units which were used to train recruits for the battalions on active service. Copies of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers diaries are being acquired by the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association for local use.

Each brigade and division also maintained war diaries.

7. Actual locations can be pinpointed using the trench maps which were drawn on a scale of 6 inches/mile. They can be bought from the Western Front Association. [www.westernfront.co.uk].

8. The Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association is interested in hearing about your experience. You can contact the Association, c/o The Dublin Civic Museum, William Street South, Dublin 2, Ireland or at rdfa@eircom.net.


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