I feel like we have written more blog posts this year then all the other years combined. I am definitely wrong about that, but it feels like a lot. This time our task was to create a diary entry in the perspective of a now deceased Canadian soldier that fought in WWI. The diary entry has to take place before the soldier died. Each of the soldiers that everybody in the class chose lost their life due to the war. If you want to check out some other amazing soldier Diary entries check out my friend Alanah’s blog post.
To start off this writing piece, we first went to a website where you can find all of the deceased Canadian soldiers. From there we chose someone to write about and researched more about their time in the war. I chose a man named Lance-Bombardier Frederick Arnold. He was enlisted in the Canadian Field Artillery in 1914. Almost two years later he dissaperead on June 5, 1916 and was later found at a nearby port in civilian clothes and was then arrested. On July 5, 1916 he was court-martialled and executed. An unfortunate end after surviving so long in the war. 
This wasn’t my first attempt at writing this Diary entry. I first started off writing it with a completely different person, but it ended up being very challenging since the first person I had chosen didn’t have much information available. It took me quite a while to find someone who had enough information on him, but I finally got there. Writing the diary entry itself was a little difficult since it kept ending up looking more like a letter home then a diary entry. Overall this small project took longer for me to complete then it should have, but I really enjoyed writing it. Below is the diary entry.
Diary entry #27
It’s been a tough journey. This whole war thing. Who knew I would be here, on the battlefront, and missing my family. I hate everything about this war. The fighting, killing, long nights lying restlessly listening to other soldiers around me dying. Think of the worst scenario possible and then times it by ten. That’s war. This isn’t my first battle though. I initially served in the US Army before enlisting in the Canadian Field Artillery in September 1914. That was almost two years ago now.
I have been planning my escape from this dreadful war. Currently I am lying in the hospital bed with people around me dying. Tomorrow I will get discharged and that is when I will make my great escape. As soon as night falls I will grab my things and run as far away as my legs can take me. This probably won’t be very far since I have had my fair share of troubles in this battle. First I was admitted to the hospital for a simple illness, and then to be treated for shell shock, which is why I am here now.
There has been stories going around of people who leave the war. Rumour has it when someone leaves the war unannounced and they are caught they will be court-martialled. I’m smarter then all the other fools and know how to hide well enough that I won’t get caught. I just have to hide out until the end of the war and then I am home-free. Finally I will have a chance to live a normal life again and be reunited with my family who I miss dearly. Hopefully everything goes as planned.
Sincerely, Lance-Bombardier Frederick Arnold