WW1 Diary of A W Miller

This extract is the diary of a solider which is important as it shows their first hand experience of the on-going suffering and traumatic situations in which they were continuing to endure. 'This has been a day of violence and death.' This simple sentence is the opening line of the extract and is used to present the writer's first thought of the events which had only previously occurred. This is important as when writing a diary people commonly sum up their overall message in the first line and this shows the day in which this was wrote was one of mass destruction and devastation. 'we took up our position...' These 2nd person pronouns are used to highlight how he viewed his fellow soldiers to be a unit as they were all in this same situation together and despite the horrific brutality they were living amongst they continued to battle through as a team. ' The Germans had put up a terrific counter barrage and I was caught in the open.' The usage of personal pronouns in this show the soldiers first hand experience of this horrendous experience. This connotes to the reader how alone these men felt and how vulnerable they were to attack at all times. As well as this it shows when they are alone nobody can save them but themselves, it also indicates how the opposing teams were always ready to attack despite your current disadvantage. The amount of events included within this small extract is important due to the date it was written on 29th September 1918 as this was only 6 weeks before the end of the war and the armistice was signed. Throughout the extract an underlying message of the difference between the soldiers current situation and reality in which they live at home is portrayed. 'Muttering half a forgotten prayer.' The word 'forgotten' could be used to explain how these men have become so accustomed to life in the war they have forgotten normal things that would occur at home including praying. Although, an alternative interpretation could be the word 'forgotten' indicates how this could be implying how this soldier has lost his faith whilst in the war due to the on-going deaths and trauma he has faced, but has decided to return to God for help in what he believes could be his final moments.