Thus begins the World War I diary of Private John Mould, 19th Battalion, 2nd Canadian Expeditionary Force. In this, the Year of the Veteran, we would like to share with you some portions of John’s diary, a hand-written memoir contained in eight small volumes, dating from 1914 to 1919. It tells the story of an ordinary man from St. Catharines, Ontario, driven by patriotism and the hatred of oppression.

John participated in some of the worst battles of the War, and is particularly moving in his description of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. He survived this and worse, and in time returned to Canada.

In the final volume of his diary, John recounts his return voyage in 1936 to the battlefields of France and Belgium with some 11,000 other “pilgrims.” Here he witnessed the unveiling of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, Walter Allward's imposing tribute to Canadian soldiers.

Please join us in reading some of John Mould’s diary. In his own words, he will help us to remember “the war to end all wars”.

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