The diary, recorded in "De La Rue’s improved Indelible Diary and Memorandum Book, 1855", describes the March through Fatehgarh, Cawnpore, and Unao to Lucknow, with the capture of the Martinière and the Begum's Palace in Lucknow.

The diary is held in a leather travel writing set in the form of a wallet, produced by Thomas De La Rue and Co., London, which contains: a blotting pad, an ink bottle, a pen, pen-nib box and 2 spare pen-nibs, read sealing wax, 6 unused envelopes, an ivory stylus.

In a pocket of the writing set is a lock of hair enclosed in a paper wrapper annotated, “The Mum’s Hair 1876”.