Chronology

April 6: Enlisted in the 128^th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, in Moose Jaw, Sask.
May – August 10: Trained in Camp Hughes, Manitoba
August 10 – 29: Travelled to Halifax, took steamship to Liverpool, and train to Godalming, Surrey
October – December 31: Trained in Witley Camp, Surrey, as a machine gunner

January – May: Continued training at Witley Camp, Surrey
May 24: Crossed the Channel to France. Stationed near Lens, France. Just missed the Battle of Vimy Ridge, which may have saved his life. In the platoon with him are friends from Hazenmore – Mitchel Burns, Bob Banks and Bob McKeith.
June 1-30: Dug communication trenches and erected barbed wire entanglements
July 6: Battle of Hill 70, Lens. First time he saw a battle scene.
July – August – September: Spent time on work parties between Vimy and Passchendaele Descriptions of bombing and shelling of trenches.
October 26: Battle of Passchendaele. Mitchel Burns wounded. Laurie writes to his mother.
November 6: Scout for one day – liked it.
November 9: McKeith and Banks getting to be better friends.
November 18: Description of life in the trenches
November 21: Description of life when billeted with a French family
November 31: Picture of Banks, McKeith and Campbell with Laurie. Started training to be a Stretcher Bearer
December 7: Full-fledged S. B.
December 26: Dressed his first casualty

January 2: His birthday.
January 20: Duty to keep men from getting trench foot – inspection, etc. Bob McKeith wounded.
January 24 – 25: To London for 14 days leave.
January 28: To Scilly Isles
January 29: Story of Passchendaele, written from Scilly Isles. No censorship of letters on leave.
February 2: London – Victoria and Albert Museum
February: France. Billeted behind front. Work parties. More S.B. training.
March 1: Bob McKeith in convalescent camp – may get back May 1
April 13 – 27: Trenches. Shelling. Funk holes. McKeith and Banks still okay. Description of shrapnel fire.
May 28: Good conduct stripe.
July 6: South of Amiens
August 7: Dressed the wound of a German soldier.
August 27: Dressed first really bad wounds.
September 2: Advance south of Arras, along the Cambrai Road. Laurie was dressing a wounded soldier, when a bullet went through his right hand.
September 7: Mile End Hospital, London England
September 19: Buxton, Derby
October 16 – 23: Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness, Glasgow, Scotland
October 29: Buxton, Derby
November 1: Liverpool
November 27: Vivid description of the hardships of life in the trenches
December 7: Halifax, Nova Scotia
December 11: Chapleau, Ontario