Flyleaf inscribed 'Diary of Margaret Smith Beyrout Syria June 1912'. M S remains chiefly in Beyrout until late September 1914 (with the exception of a period of leave in England from June to September 1912, during which she visits family and friends, including Dorothy Tarrant). On leaving Beyrout in September because of the outbreak of the First World War, M S teaches in Cairo for a while, before returning to Preston in May 1915. She then undertakes war work from August 1915, including work for the National Register and staffing the station buffet in Preston for soldiers, before studying for a teaching diploma in Oxford from January to July 1916, which she gains with a distinction.