This is a complete manuscript copy (358 pages) of Sitwell's diary with the same pagination as the original, made by H.B. Thomas, 1936-1937. Its entries are telegraphic. Some notes on Sitwell by Thomas, including a family tree, are inserted loose, and a record of his military service has been tipped onto the rear flyleaf.

Sitwell's diary narratives his journey from London to East Africa, where he arrived in June 1895. He was soon after engaged in military expeditions against the Kitosh, Kabras, Kikelwa and Nandi peoples. In May 1896 he travelled to Fort Gerry, taking charge of the Toro district and command of its company of Sudanese infantry, one section of which garrisoned Fort George. In addition to more routine administrative duties, Sitwell’s diary touches upon wider events. In 1896, Sitwell played a role in the establishment of the Toro border between Uganda and the Belgian Congo. During 1897-8, he was involved in a number of military operations: against mutinous Congolese troops who ventured into British territory; Mwanga II, the deposed Kabaka of Buganda, who attempted to regain his throne; and Sudanese troops who had mutinied at Eldama Ravine and Fort Lubwa. Sitwell’s dairy ends with his return to London in May 1899.