Thirty Canadian V.Cs., 23d April 1915 to 30th March 1918


Book Description

The anthology 'Thirty Canadian V.Cs., 23d April 1915 to 30th March 1918' stitches together an illuminating tapestry of bravery, sacrifice, and heroism through the harrowing times of World War I, as seen and experienced by Canadian soldiers. With a diverse array of literary styles, from firsthand accounts to meticulously researched historical analyses, this collection magnifies the personal valor and collective might shown by Canadians during a significant period in military history. By providing a varied literary contextranging from soldiers diaries to academic essaysit invites readers to explore the multifaceted nature of war and valor, making it a seminal compilation in the study of Canadian military history and the Victoria Cross recipients. The authors, including seasoned military historian Stuart Martin, alongside contributions from the Canadian War Records Office and notable writers such as Theodore Goodridge Roberts and Robin Richards, bring to life the era's geopolitical tensions, societal values, and the individual's role within these grand narratives. Together, they form a chorus of perspectives highlighting the cultural and historical significance of the Canadian forces' contributions, rightfully positioning them within the broader discussions of World War I's legacy. This anthology, therefore, is not merely a collection of war stories but a critical examination of the Canadian identity in times of conflict. 'Reading 'Thirty Canadian V.Cs., 23d April 1915 to 30th March 1918' will transport the audience into the trenches with the soldiers, allow them to grasp the gravity of the sacrifices made, and understand the immense pride these actions instilled back home. It is an essential volume for anyone keen on exploring the vast landscapes of military valor, Canadian heritage, and the stark realities of war through a prism of varied literary forms. This collection offers an unprecedented opportunity to engage with history, learn from it, and appreciate the breadth of perspectives it encapsulates. It is highly recommended for scholars, students, and any reader eager to delve into the depths of Canadian military history and its heroic figures.




Bulletin [1908-23]


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Surviving Trench Warfare


Book Description

The horrors of the First World War were the product of a new and unprecedented type of industrial warfare. To survive and win demanded not just new technology but the techniques to use it effectively. In Surviving Trench Warfare, Bill Rawling takes a close look at how technology and tactics came together in the Canadian Corps. Drawing on a wide range of sources, from interviews to staff reports, Rawling describes the range of new weapons that the Canadians adopted, including tanks, trench mortars, and poison gas, making it clear that the decisive factor in the war was not the new technology itself but how the Canadians responded to it. Only through intensive training, specialization, and close coordination between infantry and artillery could the Canadians overcome the deadly trinity of machine-guns, barbed wire, and artillery. Surviving Trench Warfare offers a whole new understanding of the First World War, replacing the image of a static trench war with one in which soldiers actively struggled for control over their weapons and their environment, and achieved it. Released to coincide with the centenary of the First World War, this edition includes a new introduction and afterword reflecting the latest scholarship on the conduct of the war.










Book Bulletin


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The Canadian Experience of the Great War


Book Description

Although the United States did not enter the First World War until April 1917, Canada enlisted the moment Great Britain engaged in the conflict in August 1914. The Canadian contribution was great, as more than 600,000 men and women served in the war effort--400,000 of them overseas--out of a population of 8 million. More than 150,000 were wounded and nearly 67,000 gave their lives. The war was a pivotal turning point in the history of the modern world, and its mindless slaughter shattered a generation and destroyed seemingly secure values. The literature that the First World War generated, and continues to generate so many years later, is enormous and addresses a multitude of cultural and social matters in the history of Canada and the war itself. Although many scholars have brilliantly analyzed the literature of the war, little has been done to catalog the writings of ordinary participants: men and women who served in the war and wrote about it but are not included among well-known poets, novelists, and memoirists. Indeed, we don't even know how many titles these people published, nor do we know how many more titles were added later by relatives who considered the recollections or collected letters worthy of publication. Brian Douglas Tennyson's The Canadian Experience of the Great War: A Guide to Memoirs is the first attempt to identify all of the published accounts of First World War experiences by Canadian veterans.




The Victoria Cross at Sea


Book Description

Naval VCs have been won in places as far apart in time and distance as the Baltic in 1854 and Japan in 1945, in the trenches from the Crimea to the Western Front, in harbours from Dar es Salaam to Zeebrugge, from the Barents to the Java Sea, from New Zealand to the North Atlantic, and from China to the Channel. They have been won in battleships and trawlers, in submarines below the water and aircraft above it, on horseback and on foot.Age and rank meant nothing. Boy Cornwall was not seventeen at Jutland, and Frederick Parslow was in his sixtieth year when he earned his VC on board a horse transport ship. William Hall was the son of a freed slave; Charles Lucas, awarded the Royal Navys first VC, became a Rear Admiral. Neither were all the recipients of Britains highest gallantry decoration British, and men from Canada, Australia and New Zealand were included in those whose actions were recognised by the awarding of the VC. Yet every one of them had one thing in common uncommon valour.