On August 5, 1914 Montgomery wrote in this volume of her journals: “England has declared war on Germany! Good God, I cannot believe it! It must be a horrible dream. It has come up like a thundercloud.” Five years later, Montgomery began writing Rilla of Ingleside. She relied heavily on her wartime journals written in Leaskdale, Ontario to recapture the events and ethos of the years of conflict. A complete set of Montgomery’s journals are housed in Archival & Special Collections. Written between 1889 and 1942, they are comprised of ten legal size notebooks, illustrated with photographs and memorabilia.