More MA theses and PhD dissertations

Renald Fortier, Curator of Aviation History at the Canada Aviation Museum in Ottawa, kindly sent me a long list of recent Canadian military history MA theses and PhD dissertations for my ongoing list. Many thanks Renald! The material is as follows:

Begin, Maxime Steve, "Des radars et des hommes : mémoires inuit de la station Fox Main de la Dew Line (Hall Beach, Nunavut)", MA thèse, Université Laval, 2004;

Bergen, Robert W., "Balkan Rats and Balkan Bats: The Art of Managing Canada's News Media during the Kosovo Air War (Serbia)", PhD dissertation, University of Calgary, 2005;

Brandon, Laura E., "The Canadian War Museum's Art Collections as a Site of Meaning, Memory, and Identity in the Twentieth Century", PhD dissertation, Carleton University, 2002;

Christensen, Kyle D., "Out of the Sun and into the Ground: An Assessment of the Decline of the Canadian Air Force", MA thesis, Dalhousie University, 2002;

Cook, Tim, "Canadian Official Historians and the Writing of the World Wars", PhD dissertation, University of New South Wales, 2005;

Dillon, Terrence M., "The Unification of the Canadian Armed Forces: A Recipe for Disaster", PhD dissertation, Alliant International University, 2003;

Godefroy, Andrew B., "Defence and Discovery: Science, National Security, and the Origins of the Canadian Rocket and Space Program, 1945-1974", PhD dissertation, Royal Military College of Canada, 2004;

Goette, Richard E., "The Struggle for a Joint Command and Control System in the Northwest Atlantic Theatre of Operations: A Study of the RCAF and RCN Trade Defence Efforts during the Battle of the Atlantic", MA thesis, Queen's University, 2002;

Gordon, Hugh A., "The End of the Big Ship Navy: The Trudeau Government, the Defence Policy Review and the Decommissioning of the HMCS BONAVENTURE", MA thesis, University of Victoria, 2002;

Gucciardo, Dorotea, "A Force for Change? The Integration of Women in the Canadian Forces, 1970 to Present", MA thesis, University of Ottawa, 2005;

Halladay, Laurel, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Soldiers and Artists: Canadian Military Entertainers, 1939-1946", MA thesis, University of Calgary, 2000 (direct PDF link);

Heide, Rachel L., "The Politics of British Commonwealth Air Training Plan Base Selection in Western Canada", MA thesis, Carleton University, 2000 (direct PDF link);

Horn, Bernd, "Bastard Sons: An Examination of Canada's Airborne Forces, 1942-1995", PhD dissertation, Royal Military College of Canada, 2000;

Jackson, Paul, "Courting Homosexuals in the Military: The Management of Homosexuality in the Canadian Military, 1939-1945", PhD dissertation, Queen's University, 2002;

Lawrence, Keith M., "Cautious Steps: The Development and Use of Tactical Air Power by the RAF during the Second World War", MA thesis, McGill University, 2001;

Paquette, Dirk, "Organizational Change and Canada's Air Force", MA thesis, The University of Manitoba, 2001 (direct PDF link);

Plamondon, Aaron, "Casting off the Imperial Yoke: The Transition of Canadian Defence Procurement within the North Atlantic Triangle, 1907-1953", MA thesis, Royal Military College of Canada, 2001;

Pletsch, Mary C., "The Guardian Angels of this Flying Business: RCAF Ground Crew in 6 Group", MA thesis, Royal Military College of Canada, 2002;

Ruffilli, Dean C., "Operational Research and the Royal Canadian Air Force Eastern Air Command's Search for Efficiency in Airborne Anti-Submarine Warfare, 1942-1945", MA thesis, Wilfrid Laurier University, 2001 (direct PDF link);

Stone, J.C., "The Canadian Armed Forces and the Economics of Strategy", PhD dissertation, Royal Military College of Canada, 2005; and

Stouffer, R.W., "An Expression of Canadian Nationalism: The History of the No. 1 Royal Canadian Air Force Air Division and RCAF Cold War Air Power Choices, 1952-70", PhD dissertation, Royal Military College of Canada, 2005.

I promise that I will eventually come up with a solution as to how to combine the first two, and later, lists of MAs and PhDs in one central location for future reference.

Newspaper piece on the Canadian War Museum

I've been intending for some time to write some posts on various military museums in this country. After all, not all Canadian military history projects undertaken appear in print or on the internet, much of it being presented to the public in the exhibits and displays of military museums from coast to coast. So let's start with the biggest one. I found a piece from Alan Hustak, CanWest New Service, on Saturday titled "A sacred place: Evocative Canadian War Museum - full of inspirations, experiences - will have you coming back for more". The article provides some background on the new Canadian War Museum, some highlights, and contact information. The new museum, in my opinion, is definitely worth seeing. It's huge, so if you visit, be prepared for a long stay - probably an entire day.

New book notice by Library and Archives Canada for October 2006

Library and Archives Canada has released its new books list for October 2006. Of interest to readers of Canadian military history are the following: Jonathan Moore, Archaeological and Historical Investigations of three War of 1812 Wrecks at Kingston, Ontario: Report for Province of Ontario: licence to conduct archaeological exploration or fieldwork 1999-096 at sites BbGd-6, BbGc-45 and BbGc-46 (Ottawa: privately published, 2006); Raymond Collishaw with R.V. Dodds, The Black Flight (2nd edition, Ottawa: CEF Books, 2006, special edition reprint of 1973 edition of Air Command); Cynthia Faryon, Incredible Tales of the Royal Canadian Air Force (Canmore, AB: Altitude Publishing, 2006); Donald Harry Laird, Prisoner five-one-eleven (Ottawa: CEF Books, 2006, special edition reprint series); Jack Monroe, Mopping Up! (Ottawa: CEF Books, 2006, special edition reprint series); Stephen Brumwell, Paths of Glory: The Life and Death of General James Wolfe (Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2006); Cuthbert Gunning, North Bay: World War I and the Decade that Followed (North Bay, ON: privately printed, 2007); and Parks Canada / Parcs Canada, Halifax Citadel, Georges Island, Fort McNab, Prince of Wales Tower and York Redoubt National Historic Sites of Canada Management Plan / Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada de la Citadelle-d'Halifax, de l'Ile-Georges, du Fort-McNab, de la Tour-Prince-de-Galles et de la Redoute-York, plan directeur (Halifax, NS: Parks Canada, 2006).

New book by Jeffrey Keshen and Serge Durflinger

Jeffrey Keshen and Serge Durflinger, two Canadian military historians at the University of Ottawa, have published a textbook for war and society courses entitled War and Canadian Society through Thomson Nelson publishers. As the publisher's blurb puts it, the book "seeks to sensitize readers to selected topics in Canadian military and social-military history and to familiarize them with some important and often emotive writing about the effects of war on Canada in the post-Confederation era. The readings, drawn from the recent and not-so-recent historiography, are grouped around themes, or modules, which convey some measure of war's often transformative effect on Canada and Canadians." The themes or modules covered include "The Northwest Campaign", "Manliness, Militarism, and Imperialism", "Managing the Truth: Home and Front in the First World War", "Remembering Vimy", "The Second World War: Community, Family, and Youth in Montreal"; "A Nation Transformed", "The Air War: Canadian Participation in Bomber Command"; "Becoming Seasoned Soldiers - Canada's Campaign in Normandy", "Veterans of the World Wars", "Canada during the Cold War", "Aid to the Civil Power: The October Crisis and Oka October Crisis"; and "Peacemaking and Stability Operations: Somalia and the Balkans".

The 2004 issue of the Journal of the Canadian Historical Association

I recently ran across the index for volume 15, issue 1 (Winnipeg 2004) of the Journal of the Canadian Historical Association on the Canadian Historical Association's website. It contains the following items of note: Larry Hannant's "'My God, are they sending women?': Three Canadian Women in the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939"; P. Whitney Lackenbauer's "The Irony and the Tragedy of Negotiated Space: A Case Study on Narrative Form and Aboriginal-Government Relations during the Second World War"; and Rachel Lea Heide's "Allies in Complicity: The United States, Canada, and the Clayton Knight Committee's Clandestine Recruiting of Americans for the Royal Canadian Air Force, 1940-1942".

Recent MA theses and PhD dissertations

I mentioned in a previous post how I'd like to gather the titles of recent (say past five years or so) master's theses and doctoral dissertations on Canadian military history. This is not the simplest thing to do, several sources being needed to try and gather together the information. What I figured I do, then, is occasionally post on this subject, listing my latest findings with links to their entry on the Library and Archives Canada database (where you can ILL these items from if you're interested). This time around I have found:

Legare, Jennifer Michelle, "'From the Ashes': The Niagara District in the War of 1812", MA thesis, University of Guelph, 2003;

Field, Vincenzo, "Explaining Armageddon: Popular Perceptions of Air Power in Canada and Britain and the Destruction of Germany, 1939-45", MA thesis, UNB, 2003 (UNB theses are not listed in the Library and Archives Canada listings);

Fitch, Benjamin Thomas E., "Doing their Duty: Politics and Recruitment in the Maritimes during World War I", MA thesis, University of Calgary, 2003;

Hunter, Jennifer, "'Is it even worthwhile doing the dishes?': Canadians and the Nuclear Threat, 1945-1963", PhD dissertation, McGill University, 2005;

Lackenbauer, Paul Whitney, "Vanishing Indian, Vanishing Military: Military Training and Aboriginal Lands in Twentieth Century Canada", PhD dissertation, University of Calgary, 2004;

Morin, Mélanie, "Lire entre les lignes : témoignages d'infirmières militaires canadiennes en service outre-mer pendant la Prèmiere Guerre mondiale", mémoire de maîtrise, Université de Moncton, 2005;

Wilford, Timothy, "Canada and the Far East crisis in 1941: Intelligence, Strategy and the Coming of the Pacific War", PhD dissertation, University of Ottawa, 2005;

Wilson, John Jason Collins, "Soldiers of Song: The Dumbbells and other Canadian concert parties of the First World War", MA thesis, University of Guelph, 2004;

Toman, Cynthia, "Officers and Ladies: Canadian Nursing Sisters, Women's Work, and the Second World War", PhD dissertation, University of Ottawa, 2003; and

Burianyk, Kathyrn Vera, "The Home Front in Regina during World War II", MA thesis, University of Regina, 2004.

Latest issue of the CHA Bulletin

I just received the latest issue of the Bulletin of the Canadian Historical Association (volume 32.3, 2006) which contains a couple of items relevant to Canadian military history. Desmond Morton makes the front page in a section on "History Debates the Issues / L'Histoire dans le débat public: 1" under the title "Some Military-Historical Reflections on Afghanistan. R.H. (Bob) Caldwell provides an "Exhibition Review: Clash of Empires: The War that Made Canada, 1754-1763", on the exhibit currently on at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

18th Military History Colloquium at Wilfrid Laurier University

Mike Bechthold, at the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies, has sent me a copy of the call for papers for the 18th Military History Colloquium, to be held at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, from 4 to 5 May 2007. The document notes: "The primary focus will be on all periods of Canadian military history - pre-1914, First and Second World Wars, the Korean War and post-1945 developments including peacekeeping. Proposals for papers advancing new and innovative perspectives will receive first consideration. Papers addressing all facets of military history, including tactics and operations, social and cultural issues, economic impacts, and the home front, from the colonial era to the present day will be considered." Any scholar is welcome to submit but a proposal, but the colloquium's organizers have always particularly encouraged graduate students and recent PhDs to submit proposals. One-page proposals (e-mails preferred) can be sent to Mike Bechthold at the centre at mbechtho@wlu.ca. Update: Mike has let me know that the banquet during the colloquium will be held at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, with a tour of the museum being conducted before the banquet begins.

Book reviews in The Globe and Mail

Lieutenant Steven Dieter, an officer with The Princess of Wales' Own Regiment in Kingston, Ontario, and a grad student in the War Studies Programme at The Royal Military College of Canada, published three book reviews on Canadian military history in last weekend's edition of Books in The Globe and Mail. Yes! Military history in the Globe's review of books. Steven reviewed Kenneth Radley's We Lead, Others Follow: The First Canadian Division, 1914-1918 (he writes: "Radley, a former military officer, begins with the mobilization of Canadian men in 1914 and follows through to the war's end, examining the pains and trials faced by that First Division. It was the mould from which Canada's remaining three divisions would be created. One key theme comes through: First Division wasn't just a unit; it was a family."); Tim Cook's Clio's Warriors: Canadian Historians and the Writing of the World Wars (he writes: Cook "writes of the challenges faced by Canada's military historians after both world wars"); and Colonel Bernd Horn's (ed), The Canadian Way of War: Serving the National Interest (he writes that Horn has "collected and edited a series of essays about how and why Canadians have served in the military - and how that has affected the development of our country").

McNorgan and Lock's "Black Beret"

Today I had a chance to finish reading Major (ret'd) Michael R. McNorgan and Lieutenant-Colonel Douglas A. Lock's Black Beret: A History of The Windsor Regiment (RCAC) 1936-2006. You might not have even been aware that a history of the Windsors was underway. I admit to having advance knowledge as Mike McNorgan is a friend and former co-worker of mine and I was fortunate to get ahold of the copy from work that Mike gave our library. This regimental history was privately published by The Windsor Regiment Association and I'm really not sure how it's being sold, but anyone interested could contact them through the association's website. Update: Mike McNorgan sent me an e-mail with details on how to purchase the book. You can send a cheque to the WR Association - Kit Shop, Major F.A. Tilston, VC Armoury, 4007 Sandwich Street, Windsor, ON, N9C 1C3. You can also e-mail the association directly at wr_assoc@canada.com. The cost of the book is Cdn$ 50.00, tax included, plus Cdn$ 15.00 for shipping and handling in Canada. Foreign sales are also possible - send the association an e-mail message.

That said, and my connection to Mike announced, I'd like to give a bit of a book review on this history. My first thought, and I'll admit this might not sound all that charitable, is how interesting would a regimental history be of a (honour bearing) regiment which has no battle honours? Mike and LCol Lock, fortunately, proved my initial thought wrong, for which I am mightily glad. After all, in my own work on The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa, I duly noted that for most of the regiment's history, the officers and soldiers were involved in peacetime activities. It's just that wartime is easier to write (in my opinion) and, well, more intriguing and exciting to most readers. This history of the Windsors is an interesting mix of the regiment's wartime and peacetime roles. Operations, training, the ups and downs of militia life (for individuals and the regiment itself), the regimental family, and ties to the community all tie together to provide an interesting story. Almost as interesting as the narrative are the abundant number of appendices covering everything from prominent members to buttons and bows to short memoirs. The book is also well-illustrated and obviously the product of a regimental family willing and able to spend money to have the job done right.

Colonel Bernd Horn's "The Canadian Way of War"

Dundurn Press has published a series of essays edited by Colonel Bernd Horn entitled The Canadian Way of War: Serving the National Interest which I was able to purchase a copy of yesterday. This is an interesting collection of articles from Canadian military historians, mostly members of the Canadian Forces and/or employed by the Department of National Defence. The essays include: Bernd Horn's "La Petite Guerre: A Strategy of Survival"; John R. Grodzinski's "'They Really Conducted Themselves Remarkably Well': Canadian Soldiers and the Great War, 1783 to 1815" and his "A Modicum of Professionalism: The Canadian Militia in the Nineteenth Century"; Bernd Horn and Ronald G. Haycock's "The Primacy of National Command: Boer War Lesson Learned"; Andrew Godefroy's "Canadian Military Effectiveness in the First World War"; Stephen J. Harris's "A Canadian Way of War: 1919 to 1939"; Douglas Delaney's "When Harry Met Monty: Canadian National Politics and the Crerar-Montgomery Relationship"; Ronald G. Haycock and Michael Hennesy's "The Road from Innocence: Canada and the Cold War, 1945 to 1963"; Howard G. Coombs's (with Richard Goette) "Supporting the Pax Americana: Canada's Military and the Cold War"; Sean Maloney's "In the Service of Forward Security: Peacekeeping, Stabilization, and the Canadian War of War"; Andrew B. Godefroy's "The Intangible Defence: Canada's Militarization and Weaponization of Space"; and Scot Robertson's "Years of Innocence and Drift: The Canadian Way of War in the Post-Cold War Era".

Lest We Forget

If you have a moment today, take a look at this video.

Dominion Institute poll on our knowledge of Canadian military history

I've yet to delve into the media's coverage of Canadian military history, but this story is different. CTV.ca reported today on a survey carried out by the Dominion Institute on our "collective knowledge of Canadian military history", only to find that it was "eroding". According to the report, the survey "found that only 42 per cent of Canadians received a passing grade on a simple test of First World War knowledge." Not only were the results of the survey pitiful (my opinion, not theirs), the institute fears for the future of Remembrance Day at this rate.

I doubt this blog does particularly much to educate the public on Canadian military history - nor is it really intended to. But, as a member of the Canadian military history online community, I feel the need to do more. And this is not just something that I resolved to do after reading the CTV story. I made one small step for my part yesterday when I initiated a second blog - Soldiers of the 38th - where I intend to present biographical information that I have gathered (and will, hopefully, continue to gather) on the officers and men of the 38th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, during the First World War. Hopefully this will bloom into a place where visitors can read about some of our past warriors, their accomplishments, and sacrifices.

What other ideas do any of you have? How do we bring Canadian military history to the "masses" by using the technology now at our fingertips?

Legion Magazine for November/December 2006

The Legion Magazine issue for November/December 2006 is out and contains some material of interest. These include articles on a pilgrimage to Dieppe, entitled "Dieppe: Return to Red Beach"; Arthur Bishop's "Canada and the Victoria Cross", instalment 18 of 18, describing the awards for David Vivian Currie, Aubrey Cosens, Frederick Albert Tilston, and Frederick George Topham; Terry Copp's "Overcoming the Moro"; Hugh Halliday's "The Flying Newfoundlanders"; Marc Milner's "The Roots of Expansion" [of the Royal Canadian Navy]; as well as a series of book reviews on historical publications by J.L. Granatstein.

Changes to my blog

Those of you who've visited The Cannon's Mouth / Par la Bouche de nos Canons before have probably noticed the change in appearance of the blog. Not only did I change the template (appearance) of the blog - hopefully making it more readable - but I have also added some additional items. Note that at the bottom of each post there is an icon letting readers comment on any individual post - feedback is great if I'm ever going to know what you readers would like to see on the site. There are also "labels", tags of a generic nature I've given to each post. This feeds into an index of sorts, which appears on the right "sidebar" of the blog, linking the reader from any one "label" title to all the posts which dealt with that topic.

On the right sidebar, at the top, you'll find an "about me" section with a picture of me and my daughter, a brief blurb, and a link to a more extensive profile incorporating several categories and providing a link to my personal website (www.kenreynolds.ca). Below that is "Subscribe to this blog by e-mail" - essentially, there are three ways to read this blog on a regular basis: (1) by visiting the blog site on the internet at one of the three gateway addresses (cmhistorians.blogspot.com; www.cannonsmouth.ca; or www.bouchedenoscanons.ca); (2) by using an RSS reader in your web browser (Google Reader, Netvibes, etc., etc.); or (3) by entering your e-mail address into the "subscribe to this blog by e-mail" link (it sends a verification message which, when responded to, automatically begins sending each post I place on the blog to you as an e-mail message. Below that is a photograph (art for art's sake) of my daughter and the camp flag of The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa during a regimental open house. I'm the regiment's museum curator and current regimental historian and I think she's already decided to join up when she get's old enough (in fifteen years or so). Below the blog archives is the list of labels I mentioned. Then follows my blogroll, a list of other blogs which I frequent (I need to add several more historical and technological titles) and links to some interesting websites (ditto). Then follows an idea I "borrowed" from someone else's blog (I forget who now), listing the last ten books I've read (just for pure interest sake). Then we have advertising, some search engines, etc. (running this blog is cheap - Blogger is free, the domain names are not - but some income would help). Along the bottom I have a "links to this site" section and a visitor counter.

You may be wondering, with reference to an earlier message, when can you expect more en français, from Michel Litalien. Michel's still helping with the blog for the francophone military history community, but it turned out to be easier logistically for me to post his material (I'll always note it came from him) and retain the blog as my own little fiefdom.

Some talks coming up....really soon

Late notice on these ones. Terry Copp, from Wilfrid Laurier University, will speak on "From Courcelette to Kandahar: The Canadian Infantryman at War" at the University of Waterloo, Centre for Environmental and Information Technology, room 1015 (off Phillip Street), on Wednesday, 8 November, at 7.00 p.m. The following evening, Thursday, 9 November, at 7.00 p.m., Mike Bechthold, Communications Director at the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies, will speak at the Main Library, Auditorium, Waterloo Public Library, on the subject of "Vimy Ridge". A little further into the future, Lieutenant-Commander Albert Wong, of the Canadian Forces, will speak on "Reflections on a Year in Afghanistan" at the University of Waterloo, Centre for Environmental and Information Technology, room 1015 (off Phillip Street), on Wednesay, 22 November at 7.00 p.m.

The 7th Book of Remembrance

One year ago about this time I was getting increasingly excited to see a project I was part of - and still am - come to fruition. On Remembrance Day 2005, In the Service of Canada, the 7th Book of Remembrance was unveiled during a ceremony held in the Hall of Honour on Parliament Hill. As Veterans Affairs Canada - the department responsible for the project - noted, the book "was created to honour the valiant men and women in the Canadian Forces who gave their lives in service to Canada since October 1947, with the exception of those commemorated in the Korean Book of Remembrance." Background on the project can still be found on the Legion Magazine website in a very thorough article by Natalie Salat titled "Bound by Remembrance".

The 7th Book of Remembrance is similar to the six that preceded it, but different in one major respect. It's open ended. It's meant to be, as Veterans Affairs put it, "a living document". When launched there were about 1,300 names in the book, dozens more have been added since, and more will continue to be inscribed in its pages. Some of these are names of military personnel who died in the 1940s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s who have been accepted for the book after further historical research or submissions from the public. Some of the names are more recent, and reflect deaths from combat, peace support, or domestic service.

I have been honoured to play a small part in this project and expect to be part of it well into the future. During the production phase I worked as part of the inter-governmental team led by Veterans Affairs to design the style and content structure of the book. My role, based on some of my duties at the Directorate of History and Heritage, revolved around historical information but, primarily, on my ability to research (and verify) ranks (they've changed a lot from 1947 to present), post-nominals abbreviations, and unit and formation titles. It doesn't sound like much, perhaps, but historical accuracy (to an historian at least) is my small way of paying respect to these men and women by trying to get it as right as possible.

As a result, I reviewed the information for each name originally going into the book, conducted further historical research, made corrections, and drafted recommended entries for the book. Often, this was, well, just plain sad. After all, each of these people shared a common fact - they died while serving their country. Honourable, yes. Worthy of remembrance, absolutely. Still sad, nonetheless. Sometimes, it was even harder for me. During my review of the bulk of the names in the spring and summer of 2004 there were several names I was investigating whose documents would note next of kin as a wife (now a widow), several months pregnant. That was heartbreaking as it was, but I found it more difficult at that time as my own wife was due to give birth in the summer of 2004. I couldn't imagine leaving them without a husband and father. Neither, I expect, would have the deceased husband and father whose case I was researching.

I continue to work on the 7th Book of Remembrance, doing historical research and recommending individual entries for Veterans Affairs. Although now it is only sporadic in terms of my work time and effort, it is still close to my heart and, I feel, of great importance. In the week before the book was unveiled last year, Veterans Affairs held a dinner thanking all those who had worked on its production. The 7th Book of Remembrance was there, open so we could look at it. The feeling was beyond description. I have not yet gone to see it since it's been installed in the Memorial Chamber on Parliament Hill. The truth is I'm waiting, waiting until my daughter is old enough to have some understanding of what it means (she's two), some understanding of why her daddy is standing there with tears in his eyes.

New History of The Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment

Sandy Antal and Kevin R. Shackleton have co-written Duty Nobly Done: The Official History of The Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment, published by Walkerville Publishing Inc. The book is billed as the "first comprehensive examination of one of Canada's most storied militia units, whose history spans more than three centuries. From their origins as the first militia organizations in what is now Ontario to the present, the units of Essex and Kent counties have loomed large in the history of their province and nation." The two authors combine to cover the period of the War of 1812, the 1838 rebellion, the years up to and including the First World War, the Second World War, and more recent years. Coming in at 854 pages, the book also includes more than 220 photographs and illustrations, and can be ordered by phone or via e-mail. Please note that all proceeds go to The Scottish Borderers Foundation for the benefit of The Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment.

2007 Military History Symposium at Royal Military College

The Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston will again host its Military History Symposium next year. The 27th such symposium will be held on 22-23 March 2007 with the theme of "Strategic Planning and the Origins of World War I: New Perspectives for the Centenary of the July Crisis". Professor David Stevenson, London School of Economics, has agreed to be the keynote speaker and other scholars such as Annika Mombauer, Eugenia Kiesling and Bruce W. Menning will also present. For further details, please contact B.J.C. McKercher (tel 613-541-6000 ext 6007 or mckercher-b@rmc.ca) or R.A. Prete (tel 613-541-6000 ext 6238 or prete-r@rmc.ca).

Latest issue of the Canadian Historial Review

The latest issue of the Canadian Historical Review (volume 87, number 3, September 2006) contains an article from Timothy Balzer, a doctoral candidate at the University of Victoria, called "'In Case the Raid is Unsuccessful...': Selling Dieppe to Canadians". The journal also has its usual list of "Recent Publications Relating to Canada" which lists several items of Canadian military history interest. One of those is an article by Linda J. Quiney, PhD, a professional historian based in British Columbia, in the online journal History of Intellectual Culture (volume 5, number 1, 2005) titled "'Bravely and Loyally They Answered the Call': St. John Ambulance, the Red Cross, and the Patriotic Service of Canadian Women During the Great War". The recent publications list also provides references to numerous master's theses and doctoral dissertations in Canadian military history, ranging in completion from 2003 to 2005. I don't want to type these references out into this blog, but would like to be able to present this information in some format. I'm considering adding a sidebar on my blog site listing MA's and PhD's from, say 2000, onward, that I can gather references (and abstracts) for. This would probably be a link to a page on my personal website (www.kenreynolds.ca), where I could set up a page for the information. I know some of this information is available on the Library and Archives website and other locations. If any reader has comments or a preference on this, please let me know.