Bert Spires was an insurance office manager and "joined up" at the end of 1916 at the age of 32. He was assigned to the Royal Field Artillery to be trained as a signaller. In 1917 he embarked for France, on draft for 23 Division in the Ypres salient in Belgium. He kept a diary during his service in Belgium and later in Italy, and this is the subject of this site. He describes his experiences in note form, from the day he landed in France. He mentions unit casualties with dates and locations as well as a wealth of information on his movements. He survived the war, dying in 1940, after a successful post war career in the insurance industry.