This diary covers Regimental Sargent Major W. R. Watson's service in German East Africa during World War One. Watson was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his service during this campaign. He was bon in Yorkshire, England and in 1900 volunteered to fight for Britain against the Boers in South Africa where he later settled. When the Frist World War broke out, he volunteered to fight with the South African Forces in German South West Africa (now Namibia) and in German South East Africa (now Tanzania). His diary tells not of manoeuvres but of the personal thoughts and feelings of a family man providing a glimpse not only of his values and his time but also of the life of soldiers in the field.