Sub-titled, 'Or a short history of the Royal Observatory covering the period from the outbreak of War, Sept. 1939 to the end of the year 1940'.

Wartime diary with table of contents (I. Prelude, II. Evacuation and Blitz, III. The Beleaguered Garrison; IV. General Routine, V. The Garden; VI. A.R.P, VII. LDV and HG'. Inside the front cover is a sketch in black ink by Laurie titled, 'Morning - Oct. 16, 1940' showing bomb damage [on a street in Greenwich?]. Entries are handwritten in ink. The diary has black and white captioned photographs of people and RO buildings stuck onto the pages throughout, with later notes attached by paperclip identifying individuals or places.