The Long Sadness: World War I Diary of William Hannaford Ball

At age seventeen, William Hannaford Ball left his native Cornwall, England, and immigrated to Canada, where at age twenty he enlisted in the Canadian Army, joining the 37th Overseas Battery, Canadian Field Artillery. During his nearly three years in the trenches of France and Belgium, Ball kept a diary of his experiences, recording the high drama and harsh, brutal realities of World War I. While participating in the Canadians’ assault on Vimy Ridge, witnessing the aerial battles of Bloody April and the daring feats of the Red Baron, and enduring the muddy, lice-infested trenches, he suffered the tragic loss of most of his comrades and was ultimately—and miraculously—one of few survivors. Nearly one hundred years later, his granddaughter, Susan C. McGrath, transcribed and annotated Ball’s diary, adding historical relevancy and poignant perspective to Ball’s firsthand account of “The War to End All Wars.” The diary is further enhanced by interwoven stories penned by Ball’s son, Donald Herringshaw Ball, which chronicle Ball’s life after the war, sharing an intimate and heartfelt view of Ball and his family. More than simply a war diary, The Long Sadness is a moving testament to the redemptive powers of love, faith, and family.

Susan C. McGrath was born and raised in southern California. Some of her fondest childhood memories are of visiting her grandparents, Daddy Bill and Pie, who lived but a short walk away. Susan holds a degree in history from UCLA and has always loved to read stories of real men and women, often finding events of the past far more compelling and dramatic than anything in fiction. She and her family live in Thousand Oaks, California.