Latest issue of War in History

The latest issue of the journal War in History - vol.16, no.1 (2009) - is out and includes the following item of interest to readers of Canadian military history: Erica M. Charters, "Disease, Wilderness Warfare, and Imperial Relations: The Battle for Quebec, 1759-1760". The abstract for the article reads as follows:

"During the siege at Quebec, 1759—60, which followed the battle on the Plains of Abraham, high rates of disease contributed to the British defeat by French forces in April 1760. While historians have not previously discussed military medical preventative measures, a detailed examination of the siege demonstrates sophisticated attempts to adapt to a foreign environment and its disease, as well as how disease contributed to the development of American provincial and British antagonism and perceptions of difference."

My Return

I went back to work today after nearly three weeks on post-deployment leave and thought it's also about time I resumed posting on The Cannon's Mouth. While on leave I finished a couple of books on Canadian military history - both on First World War subjects, which I freely admit is my favourite period of study.

The first book I finished was Mark Zuehlke's Brave Battalion: The Remarkable Saga of the 16th Battalion (Canadian Scottish) in the First World War (Mississauga, ON, 2008). Although a useful introduction to the story of the 16th Battalion, CEF, during the war - and a well written text to boot (as Zuehlke's books are) - I came away wondering what it actually added to the story of the 16th Battalion not already covered in more detail in H.M. Urquhart's The History of the 16th Battalion (The Canadian Scottish), Canadian Expeditionary Force in the Great War, 1914-1919 (Toronto, 1932).

Next, I finished reading Andrew Iarocci's Shoestring Soldiers: The 1st Canadian Division at War, 1914-1915 (Toronto, 2008). I found this to be a very fresh view of the subject (based on his doctoral dissertation), the author openly wondering whether there was more to the 1st Canadian Division than traditionally it has been credited with during the first year of its existence. The text reflects indepth research and many newer approaches to the study of military history. I'd like to see Iarocci continue with his study of the division, carrying its story forward from late 1915 through to the end of the war.

New history of The Royal Canadian Regiment

The Kingston Whig-Standard newspaper recently ran a story on a new history of The Royal Canadian Regiment. Colonel Bernd Horn (not Horne as in the newspaper story) has written Establishing a Legacy: The History of the Royal Canadian Regiment, 1883-1953, published by Dundurn Press. Colonel Horn, deputy commander of Canadian Forces Special Operations Forces Command, an adjunct professor at The Royal Military College of Canada, and prolific author. The intention of this book is reportedly not to produce a dry, regimental history, but, in the author's words:

"From the start, this was going to be a soldier's history. The generals are important, but I didn't want to write another top-down book that is given away as a gift at regimental functions but never actually read. I wanted to write something that a soldier of today could pick up and be interested in." He also writes: "The history of a regiment is really the story of its members - their trials, challenges, disappointments and achievements. [...] For these reasons, when recounting the history of a regiment, it is necessary to tell the stories of its members."

Latest issue of The Canadian Army Journal

Volume 11, Number 1 (Spring 2008) of The Canadian Army Journal is now available online. In addition to a very interesting collection of articles and material on recent operations, this issue also contains some material of particular interest to students of Canadian military history, including:

David R. O'Keefe, "With Blinders On: The Black Watch and the Battle for Spycker, September 12-14, 1944";

Major Andrew B. Godefroy, "Jadex";

Shaye K. Friesen, "Note to File - Reaching into the Oracle: Reflections of a Cold Warrior on the Issues and Challenges in Defence";

as well as several book reviews.

Book review of Humphries' The Selected Papers of Sir Arthur Currie

My latest book review is of Mark Osborne Humphries (ed.), The Selected Papers of Sir Arthur Currie: Diaries, Letters, and Report to the Ministry, 1917-1933 (Waterloo, Ontario: LCMSDS Press of Wilfrid Laurier University, 2008). Thanks to Mark for sending me a review copy.

Everyone reading this review should know who Sir Arthur Currie was, although I’m not sure how well known his name is outside of Canada. Currie was, of course, the first Canadian to command the Canadian Corps during the First World War and, arguably, the best general this country has ever produced. Despite his accomplishments, and three book-length biographies, there still seems to be so much unknown about Currie, his character, his personality, and his life.

Enter Mark Osborne Humphries who, in this work, takes a different route, editing a large amount of documentation produced by Currie so that several aspects of his career can be presented. As Humphries writes:

Currie’s papers present a portrait of a complex individual, constantly changing and evolving. They provide insight not only into the inner workings of the Canadian Corps, but also the evolution of Canadian society and the memory of the Great War. Sir Arthur Currie emerges from his letters and diaries as a flawed personality and a sound battlefield commander. This is his story in his own words.

Humphries begins his introduction by writing that this “is not a biography of Sir Arthur William Currie”, the documents being presented with the intention of providing “a window into one of the most tumultuous periods in Canadian history and the life of one of Canada’s most important historical figures.” After discussing some of the historiography – popular and academic – about Currie, the author moves on to present a concise, yet very informative, biography of Currie.

Following the introduction, the remainder of the book is divided into three main parts: diary entries and correspondence from 1917 through 1919; the Interim Report on the Operations of the Canadian Corps during the Year 1918; and, finally, correspondence and personal papers from 1919 to 1933. Aside from the Interim Report – which was published – the documentation presented is taken from three archives: Library and Archives Canada, the Canadian War Museum, and the archives of McGill University. The material mostly originated in the Currie fonds of these institutions, however, the papers of some other notable Canadians were also researched, particularly those of Sir Robert Borden. Humphries is quite up front in admitting that there is very little of a strictly personal, or family nature to be found in the documentation presented. Any personal correspondence between Currie and his wife has not survived and there appears to be little else of a personal nature about Currie surviving in Canadian archives.

Approximately half of the documents presented in this volume are found in the first part – diary entries and correspondence for the period 1917 to 1919. My first thought was that it’s such a shame that this part begins only with May 1917, meaning most of Currie’s time as a brigade and divisional commander is simply not there. Humphries explained the gap earlier in the book, noting that Currie’s personal diary for 1915 and 1916 “is little more than a record of appointments and meetings”. Most of his correspondence for the early years has also not survived, and those letters still extant “offer little insight into the life of the brigade commander.”

That initial disappointment out of the way, the text begins with the category of “Corps Commander, May – December 1917” and provides some very interesting material. Diary entries detailing Currie’s activities and opinions of developments are interspersed with correspondence, typically Currie’s responses to letters received from individuals back home in Canada. A secret message from Sir George Perley, Canada’s overseas minister, to Prime Minister Borden in June 1917 details some of the deliberations going into the choice of the successor to General Byng as Canadian Corps commander. Although they touch on operational aspects of the Corps’ activities, Currie’s own words are already often directed at defending the Corps’ reputation and praising the “fighting qualities” of the Canadian soldier. Humphries also incorporates italicized contextual paragraphs in between some of the documentation so as to provide the bigger picture not specifically discussed.

The next section, “Corps Commander, 1918”, provides more of the same. Of particular note is Currie’s report to Sir Edward Kemp, Canada’s overseas minister, in February 1918 proposing that the divisions of the Canadian Corps not be reorganized as the British army was then undertaking. Currie’s defence of the current Canadian structure is well-defined, well-argued, and insightful as to his understanding of what it was that had allowed the corps to reach the state of efficiency it then enjoyed. Humphries also reprints Currie’s “Special Order” of 27 March 1918 continuing to urge the officers and men of the corps onward as an example of Currie’s inability to really connect with the troops. Despite his devotion to the members of the Canadian Corps – shown, for example, in a letter to Borden on 28 June where he pleads for Borden to spend more time with the troops – Currie simply never had the magnetism that would permit him to be loved by his men. The documents Humphries presents in this section appear to show Currie becoming more comfortable with his position and less concerned about detractors in England or Canada through most of the year. Currie was also clearly becoming more and more interested in protecting and promoting the reputation of the Canadian Corps as a fighting force, for example, railing against the “Canada in Flanders” series of books in a letter in October 1918. Not surprisingly, as the year ends much of his attention is increasingly focused on the repatriation of the Canadians overseas. The last few weeks of documentation also mark the reappearance of Currie’s struggle with his detractors, a fight which would not be “won” for another decade.

Repatriation and the reputation of the Canadian Corps and Currie remain at the core of the final section, “Corps Commander, January – August 1919”, the material here continuing to reveal Currie’s intention to win both of these battles. Increasingly, Currie sees every negative comment on the Canadian Corps as an attack against it and against himself, a belief that perhaps even reached the level of paranoia.

The second part of this book contains the Interim Report on the Operations of the Canadian Corps in the Year 1918, a document submitted to the Minister, Overseas Military Force of Canada, in 1919. Humphries writes that it was a “narrative account of the final year of the war. It is laudatory, but is demonstrative of Currie’s deep admiration for the men fighting under him.” I would also suggest that, in addition, it might have been an attempt by Currie to sustain or protect his reputation as the Corps commander. Humphries seems to agree, noting that Currie also “seemed to hope that the achievements of the Corps would protect him from revelations about the 1914 theft. With this in mind, Currie’s Report to the Ministry is a telling document, a study as much in the psychology of the Corps’ commander as it is a historical account of military operations.” Humphries does explain the document’s place in history and how such an attempt by Currie to explain the triumphs of the Canadian Corps wasn’t successful.

As history, the inclusion of the Interim Report is interesting but, not surprisingly, much of it has been overtaken by later research on the operations of the Canadian Corps. As psychology, which is likely a more important reason to include it in this book (as Humphries alludes to above), it is definitely revealing about Currie’s intent to trumpet the accomplishments of the corps. However, I’m not sure that it adds much to the overall book. The history is outdated and the psychology could be summed up in a few paragraphs – as Humphries did in his narrative. It’s quite possible that my opinion is tainted in that I was already familiar with the Interim Report in its full published version (with all of the mass of appendices attached), but I have no way of knowing how many other readers of Humphries’ book will also have had the opportunity to see the report before this.

The third part of this book returns to the format of the first, this time turning to correspondence and personal papers from 1919 to 1933. Within the section “Inspector General of Militia, August 1919 – April 1920”, Currie continues his struggle to maintain the reputation and memory of the Canadian Corps and also provides some interesting insight into the post-First World War struggle to integrate the Canadian Expeditionary Force units returned from overseas into the Militia units that never left Canada.

Protecting the Corps’ accomplishments from apathy and his own reputation from attack continues in the next section, “Principal of McGill University, April 1920 – November 1933”. It was early during these years that Currie seems to have been able to finally relax, to escape Ottawa, and to move ahead with his post-war life. Topics of discussion in the documents presented range from his work and circumstances to the reconstruction of the former battlefield areas of Europe to the fate of friends and colleagues he served with during the war. Increasingly, he also takes on the role of advocate for Canadian veterans in the face of what he feels is inadequate government support. Meanwhile, some of these documents discuss his disillusionment over politics, some context regarding the Port Hope libel trial, and his protests against the drafts of the British official history of the war.

My only complaint about this section is its length. Despite covering fourteen years, it’s less than half as long as the 1917 to 1919 documentation, which is somewhat disappointing. I do not believe, however, that this is in any way Humphries’ fault. The fact that 1919 to 1933 are peacetime years, as opposed to the wartime years of 1917 to 1919 (and the massive amount of document production that entailed), the fact that Currie did not keep a post-war diary, and the lack of personal correspondence doesn’t give the editor in this case much to work with.

In the end, there were a few typographical mistakes and misspellings in this volume that might have been caught in the penultimate draft, but certainly not enough that they truly detract from the overall benefits of the book.

All in all, I found this to be a fascinating work. Despite three biographies and several articles, I think there's still so much about Sir Arthur Currie we don't know. This book goes a long way toward adding more to the picture of the man - both positive and negative. Like the Canadian Corps he commanded, Currie was complicated, and Mark Osborne Humphries has provided further insight into the intricacies of his character and accomplishments.

Latest issue of Canadian Military Journal

Volume 8, number / numero 4 (Winter / hiver 2007-2008) of the Canadian Military Journal / Revue militaire canadienne has been published online. As usual, this issue contains several items of interest to readers of Canadian military history, including:

Ian Gooderson, "Assimilating Urban Battle Experience - The Canadians at Ortona" / "Assimiler l'expérience du combat urbain - les Canadiens à Ortona";

Bernd Horn, "'Love 'Em or Hate 'Em': Learning to Live with Elites" / "Qu'on les aime ou qu'on les déteste, il faut apprendre à vivre avec les élites";

Adam Lajeunesse, "Sovereignty, Security and the Canadian Nuclear Submarine Program" / "La souveraineté et la sécurité canadiennes et le projet d'acquisition de sous-marins nucléaires";

as well as a handful of book reviews.

Book review of Craig B. Cameron's Born Lucky: RSM Harry Fox, MBE: One D-Day Dodger's Story

This review, my latest of a recent (in this case, relatively recent) Vanwell Publishing Limited release, is of Craig B. Cameron's Born Lucky: RSM Harry Fox, MBE: One D-Day Dodger's Story (Vanwell, 2005). This book - recorded as a memoir by Harry Fox and rewritten for publication by Craig Cameron - consists mostly of stories of Fox's service during the Second World War spread out over a timeline of Fox's wartime military career.

Harry Fox was a member of the pre-war The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada in Toronto and deployed overseas with that regiment, ultimately serving as regimental sergeant-major of the unit in the United Kingdom. He was then transferred as regimental sergeant-major of The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment, seeing combat in Italy and North-West Europe from 1944 through to the end of the war. Although his fighting career was solely with the Hasty P's, it is clear from the memoirs that Fox's heart lay with the Queen's Own, whom he served with again following the war.

Possibly the greatest aspect of this book - there are, after all, many memoirs from serving Canadian soldiers out there (and there should be) - is that Fox was regimental sergeant-major (the senior non-commissioned rank) of infantry units during the training years in the UK and in combat. That makes his "take" on the war a little different than most and goes a long way toward presenting the view of the fighting from the man typically responsible for supplying ammunition, evacuating casualties, enforcing discipline and generally providing a sounding board for officers and men of all ranks. In that sense, this is not really a book about combat operations - although they are discussed - as Fox was not typically at the forefront of regimental attacks. That was not his job, although that's not to say he didn't face his share of dangers. He did, and willingly recounts his close calls throughout the text.

The book, first and foremost, contains a multitude of snippets about army life - information well known to the troops at the time, but often less-discussed sixty years later. What are puttees and why did the soldiers wear them? What was with all the inoculations? How does one interpret an individual soldier's disciplinary record? What are the different kinds of infantry patrols? What was the proper way to use a flare pistol? How exactly were the troops fed and what was a compo ration anyway? What was German barbed wire really like?

Fox and Cameron recount interesting stories such as the work of the Queen's Own on "overseas" duty in Newfoundland in 1940 and amphibious landing craft training in the UK in 1943. The latter subject lead to the following story:

We were at Inverary, on the west coast of Scotland, in the fall of 1943, to do advanced amphibious-landing training for the upcoming invasion of France. One concern was how to keep the vehicles afloat once they hit the water. The answer was to make them waterproof, and a paste-like substance was invented for this purpose. The men in the Mad Four (Carrier) Platoon applied it to a jeep and once they had finished, it needed to be tested. Rifleman Harry Baxter volunteered for the trial and drove the jeep into the water. Marvel of marvels, it worked! But once again, inspiration went ahead of practicality in Mad Four: someone had forgotten to take the tide into consideration (they were definitely not Maritimers). It was going outy, and Harry and the jeep were being taken out to sea. Fortunately there was a small Royal Navy vessel nearby, and some of the sailors spotted Harry in the water in his jeep. What a sight that must have been!

Stories on numerous other subjects - many of them readily laced with a soldier's sense of humour - find their way into the book, including several discussions on the duties of a wartime regimental sergeant-major; the difficulties, frustrations and triumphs of casualty evacuation; dealing with the deaths of soldiers; opinions of Zombies, the lack of reinforcements and life on the forgotten front; and the Thompson versus Sten gun debate.

This is not an operational history of the Hasty P's at war in 1944-45. There are certainly discussions of some battles, some in detail, but Fox's role did not place him front and centre in most of the fighting. Any reader looking to get a clearer grasp of what the Canadian infantry was up to in terms of operations in the Italian campaign would best start with an overview of the campaign such as Daniel Dancock's The D-Day Dodgers. On the other hand, books like Born Lucky put the meat on the flesh, as it were, providing the human element to the operational story, telling us how Canadian officers and men lived (and died) in the nightmare that was the Italian campaign.

In terms of less than desirable aspects of the book, they are certainly few. Sometimes the book seems scattered, but it is a collection of stories after all, the central thread being Fox himself. The handdrawn maps are helpful, but don't always provide enough information in my view to assist in the geographical placement of the stories.

These, however, are very minor points and certainly don't distract from the overall presentation of the book. Born Lucky is an interesting and educational collection of tales from a wartime Canadian soldier in a less-than-typical role in the fighting. I highly recommend it.

Latest issue of The Canadian Army Journal

Volume 10, Number 4 (Winter 2008) of The Canadian Army Journal is now available online. In addition to a very interesting collection of articles and material on recent operations, this issue also contains some material of particular interest to students of Canadian military history, including:

Mike Bechthold, "Army Biography Frank R. MacMackin, MM - Brave Young Warrior";

Andrew Iarocci, "Opening the North: Technology and Training at the Fort Churchill Joint Services Experimental Testing Station, 1946-64";

as well as book reviews of The Canadian Battlefields in Northwest Europe, 1944-1945: A Visitor's Guide; Behind the Glory: Canada's Role in the Allied Air War; Paras Versus the Reich: Canada's Paratroopers at War, 1942-45; and We Move Only Forward: Canada, the United States and the First Special Service Force, 1942-1944.

Latest issue of Legion Magazine

The March/April 2008 issue of Legion Magazine (www.legionmagazine.com) is out and contains some material of interest to students of Canadian military history, including:

John Boileau, "Battle Honours of the Canadian Forces", Part 2: "Fenian Raids";

Terry Copp, "Breaching the Hitler Line";

Hugh A. Halliday, "For Service Volunteered" [Canadian Volunteer Service Medal];

Hugh A. Halliday, "Cameras Take Flight" [photography in the interwar RCAF];

Marc Milner, "The Wolf Packs";

Steve Pitt, "Cogwagee the Runner" [Tom Longboat];

Greig Stewart, "Right Stuff, Wrong Time" [Avro Arrow];

as well as various book reviews by J.L. Granatstein.

Program for the 19th Military History Colloquium

The program for the 19th Military History Colloquium, to be held at the University of Waterloo from 1 to 3 May 2008, has been issued. Papers include (in alphabetical order, not according to the schedule):

Russ Benneweis, "Training as per Syllabus: Readying the South Saskatchewan Regiment for War, 1939-1944";

Pat Brennan, University of Calgary, "Major-General David Watson: A Critical Appraisal of Canadian Military Leadership in the Great War";

Graham Broad, University of Western Ontario, "Rosie Reconsidered: Reassessing Canadian Women's Home-Front Employment in the Second World War";

Deb Bulmer, University of New Brunswick, "Lieutenant J. Chester MacRae, MC: The Civic Ethos of a Canadian Infantry Platoon Commander";

Neil Chuka, Department of National Defence, "An Overview of the CF's First COIN Doctrine";

Andrew Cogswell, University of New Brunswick, "'Mission Creep' and Mandate Enforcement: Command & Control in the CF in Former Yugoslavia, 1992-1995";

Terry Copp, Wilfrid Laurier University, "Fighting to the Last Canadian?: Casualties in 21st Army Group";

Sarah Cozzi, University of Ottawa, "Killing Time: Canadian Expeditionary Force in England, 1914-1916";

Rob Dienesch, University of Ottawa, "Limited War: A Re-Assessment";

Renald Fortier, Canadian Aviation Museum, "Montreal Newspapers and the Image of Aviation at War, March - November 1918";

Bertram C. Frandsen, Wilfrid Laurier University, "Air Transport - The Forgotten Dimension of Air Power";

Richard Goette, Queen's University, "The RCAF and U.S. Northeast Command";

John R. Grodzinski, Royal Military College of Canada, "Much To Be Desired: The Campaign Experience of British General Officers of the War of 1812";

Dorotea Gucciardo, University of Western Ontario, "Why drop bombs, when you can drop rattlesnakes?: Popular invention ideas from the Second World War";

Stéphane Guevremont, University of Calgary, "1938 - A Critical Year for Canadian Aircraft Manufacturers and the RCAF";

Ian Haight, University of New Brunswick, "Getting Troops to England: The Directorate of Movements and the Department of Munitions and Supply";

Tavis Harris, Wilfrid Laurier University, "C.P. Stacey and the Use of Oral Accounts in the Dieppe Narratives";

David Heidt, University of Waterloo, "The Making of a Peacemonger? Howard Charles Green in the First World War";

Richard Holt, University of Western Ontario, "Canadian Railway Workers in Northern Russia, 1915";

Andrew Iarocci, Canadian War Museum, "From Iltis to Nyala: The Evolution of Canadian Forces Utility Vehicles";

Paul Johnston, Department of National Defence, "Continuities in the Evolution of Tactical Air Power: WWI to the Present";

Sheila Johnston, "The Shrieking Sister: Venereal Disease in the Victorian Military";

David Kielstra, St. Jerome's University, University of Waterloo, "NATO's Thorn, Canada's Opportunity: Canadian Decision-making during the First Cyprus Crisis, 1963-64";

Bjorn Lagerlof, University of New Brunswick, "Diefenbaker and UN Peacekeeping";

Craig Leslie Mantle, Canadian Forces Leadership Institute, "An Auspicious Start: The Leadership of S.V. Radley-Walters during the Second World War";

William A. March, Royal Military College of Canada, "The Conquering Leaf: Canadian Occupation Forces in Germany, 1945-46";

Eugene Miakinkov, University of Waterloo, "Can conventional forces prevail in the age of asymmetry? The case of Chechnya, 1994-2001";

Aaron Miedema, "Bayonets and Blobsticks: The Canadian Experience of Close Combat in the Great War";

Lori Maziarz, Wilfrid Laurier University, "An Assessment of the South Alberta and Algonquin Regiments in Phase Four of Operation Blockbuster";

Michael S. Neiberg, The University of Southern Mississippi, "The Second Battle of the Marne: Turning Point of 1918";

same, "Towards a Transnational History of the First World War";

Gareth Newfield, Canadian War Museum, "Beyond Tiger Dunlop: British Army Medical Operations in Upper Canada during the War of 1812";

Jeff Nilsson, University of Waterloo, "The Power to Influence: Junior Leadership in the Canadian Corps during the First World War";

Jeff Noakes, Canadian War Museum, "The Mercedes and the Museum: Presenting a Problematic Artifact";

Alan Parrington, University of Denver, "Outbreak of World War I: A Philosophical Perspective";

Andrea Quaiattini, University of Ottawa, "From Headline to Sidebar: Canadian Media Portrayal of the Korean War, 1950-1953";

John Rickard, University of New Brunswick, "We Were Adrift: McNaughton and the Training of the Formation Commanders, 1940-1941";

J. Andrew Ross, University of Western Ontario, "Arenas of Debate: Hockey and the Second World War in Canada and the United States";

Roger Sarty, Wilfrid Laurier University, "'To be or not to be politically correct': C.P. Stacey and the Writing of Military Problems of Canada, 1938-40";

Simon Theobald, University of Ottawa, "A False Sense of Equality: The Recruitment of Black Canadians in the Second World War";

Robert Thompson, "'We Need You!': The Coast Artillery Corps on the Western Front, 1917-1918";

Nicolas G. Virtue, University of Western Ontario, "Italiani brava gente? Italian Occupation on the Eastern Front, 1941-43";

Michael Whitby, Directorate of History and Heritage, Department of National Defence, "'Doin' the Biz': Canadian Submarine Patrol Operations Against Soviet SSBNs, 1983-1987";

Brent Wilson, University of New Brunswick, "The Rise and Demise of a CEF Infantry Battalion: The 236th Overseas Battalion (New Brunswick Kilties); and

Michael J. Wong, University of Western Ontario, "The memorization and commemoration of the soldiers of C Force who fought in the Battle of Hong Kong".

Latest issue of Canadian Historical Review

I've had a chance to look through the latest issue (vol.88, no.4, Dec 2007) of The Canadian Historical Review. No articles in this issue on Canadian military history subjects, but Donald R. Hickey's Don't Give Up the Ship: Myths of the War of 1812, Yves Tremblay's Volontaires : Des Québécois en guerre (1939-1945) and James A. Wood's We Move Only Forward: Canada, the United States, and the First Special Service Force 1942-1944 are the subjects of book reviews.

Michael D. Stevenson's "Recent Publications Relating to Canada", as usual, reveals several books and articles in Canadian military history recently published, including:

Tim Cook, "The Politics of Surrender: Canadian Soldiers and the Killing of Prisoners in the Great War", Journal of Military History, vol.70, no.3 (2006): 637-665;

Paul Dickson, "The Tragedy at Puys", MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History, vol.18, no.2 (2006): 70-80;

Phil Giffin, "A Family Memoir: The Men of #2 Company, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, 1915", Manitoba History, vol.53 (2006): 45-49;

Joseph T. Jockel, Canada in NORAD, 1957-2007 (Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2007);

Paul Morley, "An Air Gunner's Story", Journal of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society, vol.44, no.2 (2006): 54-59 and 72-73; and

Jon Parmenter and Mark Power Robison, "The Perils and Possibilities of Wartime Neutrality on the Edges of Empire: Iroquois and Acadians between the French and British in North America, 1744-1760", Diplomatic History, vol.31, no.2 (2007): 167-206.

Upcoming book on Sir Arthur Currie

Mark Humphries, a PhD candidate at the University of Western Ontario, sent me a message to let me know about an upcoming publication of his about to hit the streets. Mark has edited The Selected Papers of Sir Arthur Currie: Diaries, Letters, and Report to the Ministry, 1917-33 (Waterloo: Laurier Centre of Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies, 2008). As the press release notes:

Sir Arthur Currie is Canada's most famous military commander. Probably the best corps commander of the Great War, Currie was also paranoid, insecure, and aloof. His personality won him few friends and many enemies. At the same time he was a devoted husband and father and protective of the reputation of the men who had fought under his command. Introduced and edited by Mark Humphries, this collection brings together selections from Currie's private diary (1917-1919), his correspondence (1917-1933), and his complete final Report to the Ministry.

This is the first time that Currie's papers have been published together in a single collection. What emerges is a vivid, human portrait of Sir Arthur Currie the individual and the troubled times in which he lived. Max Aitken (Lord Beaverbrook), Robert Borden, Harry Crerar, A.F. Duguid, Douglas Haif, Arthur Meighen, Edward Kemp, J.H. MacBrien, Mackenzie King, Victor Odlum, and George Perley are just some of the important figures with whom Currie maintained a voluminous correspondence. Currie's letters to them as well as various provincial premiers, religious, and political figures illuminate not only events at the front, but also Canada's war at home and the legacy of the Great War for Canadian society.

The book will be available for the LCMSDS Press of Wilfrid Laurier University and definitely looks like a must read.

Programme for the 87th Meeting of the Canadian Historical Association

The Canadian Historical Association has published the programme for its 87th Annual Meeting, to be held at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, from 2 to 4 June 2008. The programme includes the following presentations of note to those interested in Canadian military history:

Andrew Burtch, Carleton University / Canadian War Museum, "Selling Canada: The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation International Service, the Cold War, and Psychological Warfare, 1950-1970";

Mike Carroll, Grant McEwen College, "From National Self-Interest to International Peace: Canada and the United Nations Emergency Force";

Christian Champion, McGill University, "Colonial masculinities, military intellectuals, and the construction of national sentiment, 1925-29" (in category titled "Masculinity and Canadian Politics");

Tim Cook, Carleton University / Canadian War Museum, "Antiheroes, Soldiers' Culture and Negotiations of Power among Canadian Soldiers in the Great War";

Helen Dewar, University of Toronto, "Canada or Guadeloupe?: Conceptions of Empire in French and British Discussions of Peace Terms during the Seven Years' War";

Mark Humphries, University of Western Ontario, "On the Border of Cowardice: Defining Deviance during the Great War";

Chris Madsen, Royal Military College of Canada / Canadian Forces College, "Organizing a Wartime Shipyard: The Union Struggle for a Closed Shop at West Coast Shipbuilders Limited 1941-44";

Craig Leslie Mantle, University of Calgary, "Negotiating the Parameters of Power: Disobedience in the Canadian Expeditionary Force";

Colin McCullough, York University, "'No Axe to Grind in Africa': Violence, Racial Prejudice and Media Depictions of the Canadian Peacekeeping Mission to the Congo, 1960-1964";

Francine McKenzie, University of Western Ontario, "Peacemaking before the Second World War: Canadian Intervention in the Ethiopian Crisis of 1935";

Victor Rabinovitch, Canadian Museum of Civilization, "The Bomber Command Controversy and the Canadian War Museum: Perspectives of a Museum Administrator";

Kevin Spooner, Wilfrid Laurier University, "Race, (De)Colonization, and Canadian Peacekeeping in the Congo";

Meryn Stuart, University of Ottawa, "Military Nursing Sisters and Sexuality: The Letters and Diaries of F.W.W. Nurse Helen Fowlds";

as well as the business meeting of the Canadian Committee on Military History.

Military History Speakers' Series at WLU for Winter 2008

Note: Whitney Lackenbauer's presentation below has been delayed and will be rescheduled at a later date.

The Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University and the Department of History at the University of Waterloo are co-sponsoring their Military History Speakers' Series for Winter 2008. The presentations in Canadian military history include:

Dr. Roger Sarty, Wilfrid Laurier University, "Forgotten Battles: Recovering the Story of Canada's Fight Against the U-Boats in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 1942-1944", 31 January, 7.00 p.m., University of Waterloo, Centre for Environmental and Information Technology, Room 1015;

Dr. Whitney Lackenbauer, St. Jerome's University, University of Waterloo, "Battlegrounds: The Canadian Military and Aboriginal Lands", 4 March, 7.00 p.m., Laurier Military Centre, Wilfrid Laurier University, 232 King Street;

Major Brent Beardsley, Canadian Forces Leadership Institute, "Lessons Learned from the Rwandan Genocide", 26 March, 7.00 p.m., University of Waterloo, exact location TBD.

New Books (February 2008) at Library and Archives Canada

Library and Archives Canada has released its new books list for February 2008. The list includes the following items of interest (including some that had not yet been released for sale) with respect to Canadian military history:

Peter Anderson, I, that's me: Escape for a German Prisoner-of-War Camp, 1915 (Reprint) (Ottawa: CEF Books, 2008);

Karen D. Davis, Women and Leadership in the Canadian Forces: Perspectives and Experience (Winnipeg: Canadian Defence Academy, 2007);

Robert Malcomson, Capital in Flames: The American Attack on York, 1813 (Montreal: Robin Brass Studio, 2008);

John Ernest Skuce, CSEF: Canada's Soldiers in Siberia, 1918-1919 (Reprint) (Ottawa: CEF Books, 2008); and

Andrew Theobald, The Bitter Harvest of War: New Brunswick and the Conscription Crisis of 1917 (Fredericton: Goose Lane Editions, 2008).

Book review of Hoffmeister biography

Geoffrey Hayes, Department of History, University of Waterloo, has written a very interesting review of Douglas E. Delaney's The Soldiers' General: Bert Hoffmeister at War (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 2005) on the H-Canada discussion network.

Latest issue of the Canadian Military Journal

The Autumn 2007 (vol.8, no.3) issue of the Canadian Military Journal / Revue militaire canadienne has been published and, as usual, contains some material of particular interest to readers of Canadian military history, including:

Major Alex D. Haynes, "The Development of Infantry Doctrine in the Canadian Expeditionary Force: 1914-1918" / "Le développement de la doctrine de l'infanterie au sein du Corps expéditionnaire canadien : 1914-1918";

Commander Ian C.D. Moffat, "Forgotten Battlefields - Canadians in Siberia 1918-1919" / "Les champs de bataille oubliés - les Canadiens en Sibérie, 1918-1919";

as well as a couple of book reviews of note.

Museum exhibit on The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery

Tina Peplinskie, a reporter with The Daily Observer, has written a piece on the newspaper's website noting the opening of a travelling exhibit on the history of The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery. The exhibit, titled "Canada's Gunners: The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery", is now open to the public at the CFB Petawawa Military Museum in Petawawa, Ontario. The exhibit includes artefacts and interactive technology from the collection of The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery Museum in Shilo, Manitoba. The CFB Petawawa Military Museum website has further details about opening hours and the length of time the exhibit will be hosted in the museum.

75th Annual Meeting of the Society for Military History

The draft program for the 75th Annual Meeting of the Society for Military History, to be held at Weber State University from 17 to 19 April 2008, has been posted online. Much to chose from, many very interesting looking sessions and papers. With respect to scheduled presentations in the field of Canadian military history, the pickings are pretty slim, but include:

Alexander Herd, University of Calgary, "Normative Rules, Pragmatic Rules: The Intellectual Development of Canadian Army Training from the Second World War to the Korean War";

Roch Legault, Royal Military College of Canada, "Confrontation in the Making: The Path to Insurgency and Counter-Insurgency in Lower Canada, 1821-1837"; and

Tabitha Marshall, Memorial University of Newfoudland, "Frontier Health: British Soldiers at Forts Niagara, Detroit and Michilimackinac during the American Revolution".

Conference on the Seven Years' War

The Omohundro Institute of Early American History, Niagara University, and Brock University, are preparing to host a conference titled "Contest for Continents: The Seven Years' War in Global Perspective" from 22 to 24 October 2009 "to examine the Seven Years' War (the French and Indian War, 1754-1763) as a global conflict." As the press release continues,

With nearly one million battlefield deaths and fighting on four continents and in three oceans, the Great War for Empire stands as the first world war. The conference will address the conflict as one that transcended the national and imperial categories that have traditionally been used to evaluate it. The object is to study the war both globally, involving North America, South Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, West Africa, and the Philippines, and in transnational perspective, including its military, diplomatic, political, cultural, economic, and social aspects.

The organizers are seeking to have a conference crossing multiple disciplines, nationalities, and imperial boundaries "and will welcome paper proposals from a variety of disciplines and scholarly approaches." Sessions of the conference will be held on the university campuses of Brock (St. Catharines, Ontario), Niagara (Niagara Falls, New York), and Old Fort Niagara (Youngstown, New York).

Proposals for papers are invited from "advanced graduate students as well as more more senior scholars" for both complete panels and individual papers "on any aspect of the Seven Years' War in any of its theaters, especially submissions that treat the war thematically across geographic boundaries." The organizers stress that the geographic element includes North America, Eastern and Central Europe, and South Asia. Submission details from the organizers: "To apply, send a 500-word synopsis of your proposal along with a short c.v. to ieahc1@wm.edu, as an attachment in MS Word. You may direct questions to program co-chairs Thomas A. Chambers (chambers@niagara.edu) and David Schimmelpenninck van der Oye (dschimme@brocku.ca). The deadline for submissions is June 30, 2008."