A small dark green leather hardcover book bound by string inside a larger dark brown leather cover sleeve. The book’s title page has written on the top “Gift of the Canadian Red Cross Society” and the rest of the page is a calendar for the year 1945, under the left sleeve are two pieces of paper: the first has printed on one side with a “1941 Calendar” and the back is printed with “Weights and Measurements”, the second has printed on one side with “Useful Information” and the back with “Addresses” and is lined but blank. In the first part of the book is an address book with the names and addresses of various individuals including family members, Pte. Harold C. McKay has himself written first and is from Kincardine Ontario, in the middle of the book are three sections of charts listing out parcels and cigarettes and gum received, also a paperclip holding a few pages together from the side, and the end of the book is a diary titled “army travels” and written upside down from the rest of the book’s contents.

The details of this section, “army travels”, are: Pte. Harold McKay was first in No 32 B.T.C in Peterborough, Ontario from March 21st to May 22nd, 1941, and then went to Camp Borden until July 25th 1941, and then went to Halifax, Nova Scotia arriving July 27th, staying there until Sept 30, 1941 when he went to “8th AABty 22 AARegt RCA” in Saint John, New Brunswick and was there until August 28th, 1943, then was sent to Windsor, Nova Scotia on draft until September 30, then was sent to Camp Aldershot in the United Kingdom until November 18th, returned to Windsor, Nova Scotia, then on November 25th went back to the United Kingdom on the Mauretania and landed in Liverpool on December 3rd, 1943, went back to Camp Aldershot until April 18th, 1944, then sent to Italy and landing in Naples on “March the 3d” (date does not make sense here), then went to straight to Avellino until July 25, 1944, then joined the 48th Highlanders on the same day at “Peadmonty” (location as written in diary should be Piedmont d’Alife), on August 22 went to fight in the Gothic Line until September 22, on September 25, 1944 went to the 1st C.S.H. for diphtheria, then was moved to 14th C.S.H on October 6th, was released from hospital on February 15th, 1945 and arrived at “Tangonno” (location as written in diary but may not be accurate) same day, then left to Salerno, Italy on February 20th, stayed there until March 12th then went back to Avellino until April 6th, left Italy by ship from Naples on April 7th and arrived in Glasgow April 18th, then went to Camp Aldershot arriving on April 19th, went onwards to London and returned to Aldershot on April 22nd, then left to Burgess Hill Camp “on the fifth” (month not written here), on May 9th, 1945 (the day after VE Day) he “went to Brighton for a day”, and the diary ends here.