The Cannon's Mouth / Par la Bouche de nos Canons

Upcoming Presentation by Norman Leach

2011-09-06T21:24:00.002-04:00

Norman Leach has sent me an announcement for an upcoming presentation he will be giving:

"The Winnipeg Press Club Presents: Bringing Canada's Military History to Life Military Storytelling: It is Possible to Make History Interesting

The Winnipeg Press Club is proud to host a luncheon featuring our Ambassador at Large, author of best-seller Passchendaele: Canada’s Tragedy and Triumph on the Fields of Flanders, and a historian on the Paul Gross movie by the same name.

Join us for lunch and a lively discussion on the art of military storytelling.

When: Monday, September 19, 2011 at 12:00 noon
Where: Games Room, Royal Canadian Legion #4, 1755 Portage Avenue., Wpg.
Cost: $25, including taxes $20 for members of the Winnipeg Press Club and St. James Legion #4 and students – including taxes
Advance reservations are required by September 9.

To reserve your space and buy tickets:
go on-line to www.winnipegpressclub.com and click on the “events” tab
by email at winnipegpressclub@mts.net
by phone, call Wendy Hart at 204-800-1887

Note that the Legion #4 has a cash bar. It does not accept debit or credit cards.

About Norm Leach: Norm Leach brings Canadian military history vividly to life through his books, documentaries and presentations. Not for him the stodgy and dull recitation of battles won and lost and too many dates to memorize.

Norm is a historian, award-winning writer, documentary producer, professional speaker and adventurer. He has written five books on Canada’s military history. His latest is Sam Steele: A Canadian Hero. He’s currently working on a documentary on Steele.

Unveiling at The Military Museums in Calgary

2011-09-06T21:19:00.002-04:00

I received the following item from Norman Leach in Calgary:

"World Trade Center Artefact Unveiling Ceremony
Sunday, 11 September 2011
10:30 AM
The Military Museums
4520 Crowchild Trail SW, Calgary AB

The Military Museums (TMM) will unveil a World Trade Center artefact on the 10th anniversary of this tragic date in world history. The 1,277 kilogram piece of exterior wall steel was graciously gifted to TMM by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. All members of the public are welcome to attend this outdoor event.

Acquisition commenced in 2009, when the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey welcomed requests from national and international organizations to acquire steel from the World Trade Center. TMM is one of several organizations across Canada to have received such a gift. TMM extends a sincere debt of gratitude to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, to the September 11th Families' Association and to Dick Averns, a Calgary based artist and member of TMM's Art Gallery Advisory Council for his notification to TMM management of this opportunity.

The ceremony will include several distinguished speakers as well as conceptual sketches and a site model from Averns. Averns will continue to work with TMM's Art Gallery Advisory Council to propose a public installation through which viewers can engage and reflect. The final installation of the World Trade Center artefact will represent a link to The Founders' Gallery, a 4,000 square-foot gallery that hosts local, national and international art and heritage exhibitions at TMM.

Admission to TMM is free on Sunday, 11 September 2011. Attendees should dress comfortably for this outdoor event. TMM sincerely appreciates the donation of a non-perishable food product in support of the Veterans Food Bank and or a monetary donation to support our mission elements - to remember, to preserve and to educate."

University of Toronto Press books in Canadian History

2011-08-12T20:00:00.002-04:00

The website for the University of Toronto Press has a "Canadian History" category some 43 pages in length, and I looked to see what lies therein with respect to Canadian military history:

David Bercuson, Blood on the Hills: The Canadian Army in the Korean War (published Apr 2002);

Terry Copp, Cinderella Army: The Canadians in Northwest Europe, 1944-1945 (Oct 2007);

Terry Copp, Fields of Fire: The Canadians in Normandy (Jul 2004);

Paul Dickson, A Thoroughly Canadian General: A Biography of General H.D.G. Crerar (Nov 2007);

Susan R. Fisher, Boys and Girls in No Man's Land: English-Canadian Children and the First World War (Apr 2011);

J.L. Granatstein, Canada's Army: Waging War and Keeping the Peace, 2nd edition (Jan 2011);

F. Murray Greenwood and Barry Wright (eds.), Canadian State Trials, Volume Two: Rebellion and Invasion in the Canadas, 1837-1839 (Dec 2002);

Andrew Iarocci, Shoestring Soldiers: The 1st Canadian Division at War, 1914-1915 (Sep 2008);

J.I. Little, Loyalties in Conflict: A Canadian Borderland in War and Rebellion, 1812-1840 (Dec 2008);

David MacKenzie, Canada and the First World War: Essays in Honour of Robert Craig Brown (Mar 2005);

Ian Miller, Our Glory and Our Grief: Torontonians and the Great War (Mar 2002)

Marc Milner, Canada's Navy: The First Century, 2nd edition (Jan 2010);

John Nelson Rickard, Politics of Command: Lieutenant-General A.G.L. McNaughton and the Canadian Army, 1939-1943 (Mar 2010);

Robert J. Sharpe, The Last Day, the Last Hour: The Currie Libel Trial, republished (Sep 2009);

Robert Teigrob, Warming Up to the Cold War: Canada and the United States' Coalition of the Willing, from Hiroshima to Korea (May 2009);

Brian Tennyson and Roger Sarty, Guardian of the Gulf: Sydney, Cape Breton, and the Atlantic Wars (May 2002);

George Woodcock, Gabriel Dumont (Mar 2003);

plus several more published more than a decade ago.

July 2011 New Books from Library and Archives Canada

2011-08-09T19:16:00.002-04:00

The July 2011 new books list from Library and Archives Canada includes the following (relatively few titles) for readers of Canadian military history:

Terry "Stoney" Burke, Cold War Soldier: Life on the Front Lines of the Cold War (Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2011);

Joseph Stanton Benoît Cadieux, Journal de Guerre [Mémoires de campagne d'un officier d'artillerie] (Montréal : VLB éditeur, 2011);

John D. Conrad, Scarce Heard Amid the Guns: An Inside Look at Canadian Peacekeeping (Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2011);

Valerie Fortney, Sunray: The Death and Life of Captain Nichola Goddard (Toronto: McArthur, 2011); and

Jake Olafsen, Wearing the Green Beret: A Canadian with the Royal Marine Commandos (Toronto: Emblem, 2012).

A melage of material

2011-08-02T18:37:00.002-04:00

I was away from home with my family last weekend, so didn't have a chance to blog. So, here is a collection of material I've gathered.

Fort Malden, in Amherstburg. Ontario, had its Military Heritage Days last weekend (we were there), and there's some material on The Amherstburg Echo website. It was pretty interesting, especially for my seven-year-old daughter - who lined up with the mini militia - and my wife (who worked there as a guide about 20 years ago).

RUSI (Royal United Service Institute) Vancouver has run a piece on the Canadian Military Education Centre Museum, which is located in the old CFB Chilliwack. This is "a living history museum that purposefully educates Canadian students, teachers and the public about Canadian military history. CMEC allows people to touch, feel and experience Canada's military history through hands-on interactive displays." The core of the museum revolves around military vehicles and it is open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 1000 to 1600 hours.

The Military Collectors' Club of Canada website recently came across my line of sight as a group dedicated to serving "as the focal point for Canadian Collectors of all types of military artifacts from medals, badges, artwork, to Military arms, vehicles and just about anything Militaria related." I've personally found in the past that such groups are incredible fonts of knowledge whose members are very willing to answer questions the historical researcher might have about particular areas of Canadian military heritage.

Online Review of "A Bard of Wolfe's Army"

2011-07-27T20:57:00.003-04:00

Timothy Compeau, with the Department of History at the University of Western Ontario, has written a review of Ian M. McCulloch and Earl John Chapman (eds.), A Bard of Wolfe's Army: James Thompson, Gentleman Volunteer, 1733-1830 (Montreal, 2010), for the H-Canada listserv. Thompson was a member of the Fraser Highlanders present for the assault of Quebec City in 1759 and for the same city's defence in 1775.

Upcoming Conference on the First World War at UWO

2011-07-24T20:56:00.002-04:00

The University of Western Ontario will be hosting an inter-disciplinary conference from 10 to 12 November 2011 titled The Great War from Memory to History. The tentative program for the conference is up and includes a wide range of papers in several categories, such as education, Aboriginal Canadians, war art and cinema, memory, narratives, ethnic background, remembrances, memorials, and literature. There will also be participation in the London, Ontario, municipal Remembrance Day service.

Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery website

2011-07-19T18:54:00.002-04:00

I recently discovered a project website for the Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, in Poperinge, Belgium. Titled "Daily reflections of the Great War", the research project "aims to bring into focus the story of the medical assistance behind the front line and to explain how the place provides a mirror of the whole of the Great War." The project managers are also appealing to anyone with information on the dead who are interred there to contact them. One of the interesting benefits of this website is the inclusion of a search function which allows the visitor to search through information available on the men buried in this Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery. While much of the information can be gleaned off of the attestation papers available on the Library and Archives Canada website, there are also images - including (so it appears) the headstone for each man.

CBC Digital Archives

2011-07-17T21:28:00.002-04:00

I can't remember exactly what I was looking for - probably links to stories about Carpiquet - but earlier this month I stumbled across the CBC Digital Archives website, specifically for the "On This Day" material for 4 July. In this case, the highlighted piece is a five-minute radio clio from Matthew Halton recorded during the launch of the Canadian assault on the German positions at Carpiquet Airfield on 4 July 1944. Listed on the same page are links to radio pieces about Buzz Beurling and V-E Day celebrations in Canada. Amongst several search categories is "War and Conflict", the overarching category containing some 809 radio and television pieces. Some are contemporary to the subject, others remembrances by veterans and others. Deeper examination would clearly produce other very interesting items to students of Canadian military history.

Digital Book Index

2011-07-15T20:16:00.002-04:00

The website of the Digital Book Index provides a list of links to more than 140,000 free "full-text digital books from more than 1800 commercial and non-commercial publishers, universities, and various private sites." The visitor can browse by subjects or search by author or title. Canadian content under the category of military history - World War I - personal narratives and diaries, for example, includes amongst the offerings: Frederick Bell's "The First Canadians in France", Ralph W. Bell's "Canada in War-Paint", Sapper W. Brindle's "France & Flanders: Four Years Experience Told in Poem & Story", Frank Carrel's "Impressions of War", H.D. Clark's "Extracts from the War Diary and Official Records of the 2nd Canadian Divisional Ammunition Column", Frederic Curry's "From the St. Lawrence to the Yser with the 1st Canadian Brigade", etc., etc. Each publication links to a page of the Internet Archive or other sources, the former providing electronic files in various formats - such as PDF, EPUB, Kindle, or even the option to read it online.

3,000 Posts on my Soldiers of the 38th Blog

2011-07-13T18:19:00.003-04:00

The brief, biographical entries on my Soldiers of the 38th blog passed 3,000 posts yesterday! Only another 1,500 officers and men to go to fully establish the ranks of this Canadian Expeditionary Force battalion. From there, I can continue to incorporate additional material from sources I have on hand, their personnel files at Library and Archives Canada, and fantastic material supplied by family members. This is a long term project - always has been - but well worth the effort.

Book Reviews on the Website of "Canada's History"

2011-07-11T20:41:00.003-04:00

The website for Canada's History (the excellent Canadian history magazine formerly known as The Beaver) has loads of book reviews online, including quite a few publications in Canadian military history, such as:

Peter Barton, Vimy Ridge and Arras: The Spring 1917 Offensive in Panoramas;

Dan Bjarnason, Triumph at Kapyong: Canada's Pivotal Battle in Korea;

Jim Blanchard, Winnipeg's Great War: A City Comes of Age;

Timothy Blazer, The Information Front: The Canadian Army and News Management during the Second World War;

Joseph Boydon, Extraordinary Canadians: Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont;

George H. Cassar, Hell in Flanders Fields: Canadians at the Second Battle of Ypres;

Scott Chantler, Two Generals;

Tim Cook, The Madman and the Butcher: The Sensational Wars of Sam Hughes and General Arthur Currie;

Daniel Francis, Seeing Reds: The Red Scare of 1918-1919, Canada's First War on Terror;

Steven High, Occupied St. John's: A Social History of a City at War, 1939-1945;

Mark Milner and Glenn Leonard, New Brunswick and the Navy: Four Hundred Years;

John Nelson Rickard, The Politics of Command: Lieutenant-General A.G.L. McNaughton and the Canadian Army, 1939-1943;

Alan Taylor, The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, & Indian Allies;

Mark Zuehlke, On to Victory: The Canadian Liberation of the Netherlands, March 23-May 5, 1945;

and many, many more!

Fall 2011 Catalogue for McGill-Queen's University Press

2011-07-09T13:49:00.000-04:00

The Fall 2011 catalogue for McGill-Queen's University Press lists a few titles of interest to readers of Canadian military history - some new, some now in cheaper paperback editions - including:

Sandy Antal, A Wampum Denied, 2nd edition (release 1 Nov 2011) [war on the Detroit frontier in 1812-13];

Mary Frances Coady, Georges and Pauline Vanier: Portrait of a Couple (release 1 Aug 2011);

Peter Neary, On to Civvy Street: Canada's Rehabilitation Program for Veterans of the Second World War (release 1 Nov 2011);

Wesley B. Turner, British Generals in the War of 1812: High Command in the Canadas (paper release 1 Nov 2011); and

David Williams, Media, Memory, and the First World War (paper release 1 Oct 2011).

UBC Press Military and Security Studies 2011-12 Catalogue

2011-07-07T07:30:00.000-04:00

The catalogue for the UBC Press Military and Security Studies 2011-12 publications is out and contains a whole bunch of Canadian military history titles:

Timothy Balzer, The Information Front: The Canadian Army and News Management during the Second World War (released January 2011);

Y.A. Bennett (ed.), Kidd the kids for dad, Don't forget to write: The Wartime Letters of George Timmins, 1916-18 (released 2009);

Michael K. Carroll, Pearson's Peacekeepers: Canada and the United Nations Emergency Force, 1956-67 (released 2009);

Tim Cook, Clio's Warriors: Canadian Historians and the Writing of the World Wars (released 2006);

Douglas E. Delaney, Five British and Canadian Generals at War, 1939-45 (released May 2011);

Serge Marc Durflinger, Veterans with a Vision: Canada's War Blinded in Peace and War (released 2010);

James G. Fergusson, Canada and Ballistic Missile Defence, 1954-2009 (released 2010);

Andrew B. Godefroy, Defence and Discovery: Canada's Military Space Program, 1945-74 (released March 2011);

Benjamin Isitt, From Victoria to Vladivostok: Canada's Siberian Expedition, 1917-19 (released 2010);

Philip P. Mason (ed.), After Tippecanoe: Some Aspects of the War of 1812 (released March 2011);

Michael Petrou, Renegades: Canadians in the Spanish Civil War (released 2008);

Aaron Plamondon, The Politics of Procurement: Military Acquisition in Canada and the Sea King Helicopter (released 2009);

Amy J. Shaw, Crisis of Conscience: Conscientious Objection in Canada during the First World War (released 2008);

David Curtis Skaggs and Larry L. Nelson, The Sixty Years' War for the Great Lakes, 1754-1814 (released 2010);

Kevin A. Spooner, Canada, the Congo Crisis, and UN Peacekeeping, 1960-64 (released 2009);

Cynthia Toman, An Officer and a Lady: Canadian Military Nursing and the Second World War (released 2007);

Randall Wakelam, Cold War Fighters: Canadian Aircraft Procurement, 1945-54 (to be released November 2011);

Timothy Wilford, Canada's Road to the Pacific War: Intelligence, Strategy, and the Far East Crisis" (to be released September 2011); and

James Wood, Militia Myths: Ideas of the Canadian Citizen Soldier, 1896-1921 (released 2010).

Canadian Historical Association 2012 Annual Meeting

2011-07-06T19:51:00.000-04:00

The theme for the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Canadian Historical Association - "Crossroads: Scholarship in an Uncertain World - will observe the 200th anniversary of the commencement of the War of 1812 as well as other "transformative events of the past that have substantially altered the course of history." The conference will be held at Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo, in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, from 28 to 30 May 2012. Proposals for single papers and panels are most welcome and need to be submitted by 19 October 2011. For further details check the conference press release.

June 2011 New Books from Library and Archives Canada

2011-07-04T20:00:00.002-04:00

The June 2011 new books list from Library and Archives Canada includes the following for readers of Canadian military history:

Lawrence J. Barkwell, Veterans and Families of the 1885 Northwest Resistance (Saskatoon: Gabriel Dumont Institute, 2011);

Ted Barris, Breaking the Silence: Veterans' Untold Stories from the Great War to Afghanistan, 2nd edition (Toronto: Thomas Allen Publishers, 2011);

John Bell, Rebels on the Great Lakes: Confederate Naval Commando Operations launched from Canada, 1863-1864 (Toronto: Dundurn, 2011);

Murray Brewster, The Savage War: The Untold Battles of Afghanistan (Etobicoke, ON: J. Wiley & Sons Canada, 2011);

Richard Feltoe, Redcoated Ploughboys: The Volunteer Battalion of Incorporated Militia of Upper Canada, 1813-1815 (Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2012);

Ryan Flavelle, The Patrol: Seven Days in the Life of a Canadian Soldier in Afghanistan (Toronto: Harper Collins, 2011);

Nathan M. Greenfield, The Damned: The Canadians at the Battle of Hong Kong and the POW Experience, 1941-45 (Toronto: Harper Collins Canada, 2011);

Bernd Horn and Emily Spencer (eds.), No Easy Task: Fighting in Afghanistan (Toronto: Dundurn, 2012);

D. Peter MacLeod, The Canadian Iroquois and the Seven Years' War (Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2012);

William D. Mathieson, Nine Hours: The Canadians at Dieppe: Wednesday, 19 August 1942 (Belleville, ON: Epic Press, 2011);

John Melady, Korea: Canada's Forgotten War, 2nd edition (Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2011);

Art Montague, Canadian Forces: An Historical Salute to Those on the Front Line (Lunenburg, NS: MacIntyre Purcell Pub., 2011);

Dan Snow, Death of Victory: The Battle of Quebec and the Birth of an Empire (Toronto: Penguin Canada, 2011);

Randall T. Wakelam, Cold War Fighters: Canadian Aircraft Procurement, 1945-54 (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2011); and

Timothy Wilford, Canada's Road to the Pacific War: Intelligence, Strategy, and the Far East Crisis (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2011).

The End, Part 2

2010-11-26T17:33:00.002-05:00

Hello all,

I've returned recently from my time out of country. I had been serving on my second tour as an historian with NATO's International Assistance Security Force at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. That tour is done. Obviously, I did not post while I was away. I would like to thank Norman Leach for occasionally posting during my absence.

However, when I was away I decided my family and work committments and my desires to pursue other online avenues (including my Soldiers of the 38th blog) in Canadian military history meant it was, again, time to bring The Cannon's Mouth to an end - at least for the foreseeable future. Thanks for reading.

A Handful of Updates

2010-07-25T01:42:00.002-04:00

Kingston - On Saturday July 17 the Kingston branch of the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service unveiled a limestone memorial in Navy Park, next to the Marine Museum, marking the 100th year of the senior service and Kingston's contribution to it. At the same ceremony, the local branch of the turned the park back over to the city after owning it for seven years, saying there were too few of them and they were too old to continue looking after it.

Ottawa - According to a July 19th report on the CBC Canon Frederick G. Scott's medals have been acquired by the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. (Jeffrey Hoare Auctions)

The CBC report noted that the Canadian War Museum has bought the medals of Canon Frederick G. Scott, a First World War chaplain and poet, for $28,000.

Jeffrey Hoare Auctions Inc., an auction house that specializes in military memorabilia, sold a set of 10 medals belonging to the war hero last Friday in St. Catharines, Ont.

Among the medals are the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George and the Distinguished Service Order.

Lt.-Col. Scott was senior chaplain with the 1st Canadian Infantry Division, but he could not be kept safely in the rear while men were in the trenches. Instead he insisted on being in the thick of the action at Ypres, the Somme, Vimy Ridge and the Battle of Arras.

The Anglican priest was mentioned four times in dispatches, according to the Ottawa-based war museum. He was wounded in 1918 and sent to England to recover. He died in 1944 at age 83.

Ottawa — On June 3 the Canadian War Museum (CWM) accepted the donation of a Vindicator II Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) from Meggitt Training Systems Canada.

According to the Museum’s press release “The Vindicator II was designed in Canada for Canadian use and export as a training system for low-level anti-aircraft defence. It is also used as an introductory trainer for the larger CU-161 Sperwer UAV, currently in use by the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan. The artefact is an important example of Canadian engineering, and it reflects the history, development and evolution of the Canadian defence industry. The Vindicator II UAV will be displayed in the Museum’s LeBreton Gallery.”

Golden BC - Reporter Carrie White writing in the Golden Star in Golden BC noted that “the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #122 in Golden is taking steps to ensure that they can continue to honour Canada’s veterans and serve local members and the community for another 80 years.

The project includes a partnership with the Golden and District Historical Society (GDHS) to preserve local military history and artefacts. According to the director of the project “The team has been using approved archival methods, assigning, cataloguing and archiving historical artefacts and memorabilia for the Legion and the community.”

Society - The International Military Music Society (IMMS) was founded in 1977 and is a worldwide organization for people who direct, play in, are associated with or are simply interested in and enjoy military bands, their music and history.
According to the organization`s website the objectives of the IMMS
· The encouraging of interest in all areas of military music (brass, concert, tattoos, symphonic, pipes, percussion, ensembles, etc.) of the world including published music, recordings, history, traditions, instrumentation and uniforms.
· The promotion of research in those areas.
· To provide world-wide means of communication between members interested in those aspects and studies and to exchange information.

The IMMS unites not only friends, for which military music is a hobby, but also those who are professionally involved, such as conductors, musicians and composers.

http://www.immscanada.ca/

Kelowna BC - Jennifer Smith writing in the Kelowna Capital News wrote on July 22 that the Okanagan Military Museum, the British Columbia Dragoons and the Whizbang Veterans Association are hoping to have at least a handful of Okanagan artists interested in painting a mural on the wall of Memorial Arena to celebrate the Dragoon’s centennial in 2011.

“What we’re looking for is a legacy project for the B.C. Dragoons centennial that will leave a lasting memorial for the community of the centennial,” said Paul Seguna, mural committee member and Vernon-based museum director.

www.kelownamuseums.ca

Another Event

2010-07-11T02:53:00.002-04:00

Found another event happening in Calgary

Lougheed House, a wonderfully restored mansion in Calgary, is hosting its annual history day. This year the house has partnered with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) to host Ride Through Time 2010 - Dutiful, Decorated and Distinguished.

The celebrations will be held on July 24 from 11:00 - 16:00.

See the website at www.lougheedhouse.com for a complete schedule of events.

Events and Exhibitions

2010-07-10T23:55:00.002-04:00

The Western Front Association (WFA) www.wfa_usa.org is hosting the following upcoming seminars for 2010. While US based I can personally attest that Canada gets a great deal of "airtime" at these events.

- Sept 10 - 11 the Western Front Association's Annual National Seminar at the Liberty Memorial, the National World War 1 Museum, Kansas City MO. The complete program and registration are on the Association's Website.

- Oct 13 Great Lakes Chapter WFA Seminar Cleveland Gray's Armory, Cleveland OH

- Nov 6 East Coast Chapter Seminar Maryland War Memorial, Baltimore

- Nov 13 New England - New York Chapter Seminar Franklin Delano Roosevelt Library Hyde Park NY

On a more Canadian note the Military Museums in Calgary www.themilitarymuseums.com is announcing the following events:

- On July 11 Vice Admiral D McFadden, head of the Canadian Navy unveiled an authentic Enigma machine at the Naval Museum of Alberta located within the Military Museums. The Enigma machine will be on permanent display.

- The Founders Gallery at the Military Museums is hosting an art exhibit entitled "Prairie Boys at Sea" which will officially open on July 14 and run until August 22, 2010.

CALL FOR INFO

If any of you have info that would be interesting to the readers of the Cannon's Mouth please forward to me at nsleach@telusplanet.net Thank you in advance.

Thanks for the offers of help.

2010-06-30T11:53:00.002-04:00

I am grateful for the offers of help I have been receiving over the past week. All offers are accepted with thanks.

While this is very regional thought some of you might be interested:

The Founders Gallery at Military Museums in Calgary has a special exhibit starting on Canada Day. The gallery will be displaying the last Red Ensign to be flown in Canada and the very first Canadian Flag with the Maple Leaf. Check out the Museum's website for more information.

New Writer

2010-06-28T03:28:00.002-04:00

Ken

Thank you for your faith in me. To all of you fans of The Cannon's Mouth I hope I can do it justice.

I am looking for any and all story ideas or leads - as long as the focus on Canadian Military History. Please let me know what you might have at nsleach@telusplanet.net

Thanks in advance for your help.

Norman

Great News

2010-06-24T15:42:00.002-04:00

Great news! Norman Leach, noted Canadian military historian from Calgary, has graciously agreed to guest write for The Cannon's Mouth during my absence. Best of luck to Norman.

Extended Absence

2010-05-04T21:51:00.002-04:00

My apologies for the delay in writing this post. Obviously, I haven't sent written anything for some time. First, it was the Easter holidays, then work that kept me very busy. As it stands right now, my work and family commitments for the next several months means I will not be able to do any posting on the Cannon's Mouth for some time to come. I wish it were otherwise, but there it is.

16th Annual Air Force Historical Workshop

2010-03-28T18:08:00.000-04:00

The 16th Annual Air Force Historical Workshop will be held in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue (Montreal), Quebec on 1-2 June 2010. Titled "De-Icing Required! The Historical Dimension of the Canadian Air Force's Experience in the Arctic", presenters include:

Dr Sandy Babcock, Centre for Operational Research and Analysis, "Operation CANON: A Case Study of Early Royal Canadian Air Force Arctic Search and Rescue Capabilities";

Colonel (ret'd) Ernest Cable, Shearwater Aviation Museum, "The Air Force: A Leader in Canada's Arctic";

Dr Richard Goette, Queen's University, "Building RCAF Arctic 'Air Mindedness'";

Rachel Heide, Directorate Future Security Analysis, "Frigid Ambitions: The Venture of the Alert Wireless Station and Lessons Learned for the Canada First Defence Strategy";

Daniel Heidt, University of Western Ontario, (with Dr P. Whitney Lackenbauer), "Sovereignty for Hire: Civilian Contractors and the Distant Early Warning Line";

Peter Kikkert, University of Western Ontario, "Creating a Role: The Air Force in the Arctic, 1945-1953";

Dr P Whitney Lackenbauer, St. Jerome's University, "At the Crossroads of Militarism and Modernization: Inuit-Air Force Relations in the Cold War Arctic"; and

Major Ray Stouffer, The Royal Military College of Canada, "A Joint Solution to a Strategic Threat: The RCAF and the Mobile Striking Force, 1948-1955".

For further information contact Major Bill March at william.march@forces.gc.ca or at 613-392-2811 ext 4656.

Canadian Navy Conference at the CWM/MCG

2010-03-26T17:29:00.000-04:00

On 5-6 May 2010 the Canadian War Museum will be hosting a conference entitled "The Canadian Navy and the Commonwealth Experience, 1910-2010: From Empire to Independence" / « La Marine canadienne et l'experience du Commonwealth, 1910-2010 : De l'empire à l'indépendance » in its Barney Danson Theatre.

As the press release notes:

Explore new approaches to history in this ground-breaking conference with internationally recognized historians and seasoned naval professionals from Australia, Britain, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore and the United States. Organized in cooperation with the Canadian Navy in celebration of its Centennial.

Découvrez des façons novatrices d'aborder l'histoire en assistant à cette conférence révolutionnaire qui réunira des historiens et des professionnels de la marine expérimentés de renommée internationale venus de l'Inde, de la Nouvelle-Zélande et des États-Unis. Rencontre organisée par la Marine canadienne dans le cadre de son centenaire.

The draft programme for the conference includes numerous Canadian and non-Canadian subjects in naval history, some of which are:

Rear-Admiral James Goldrick, Royal Australian Navy, "From Fleets to Navies: The Evolution of Dominion Fleets into Independent Services" (keynote address);

Dr Christopher Bell, Dalhousie University, "Winston Churchill, Dominion Navies, and Imperial Defence";

Dr Isabell Campbell, Department of National Defence, "Canadian Insights into NATO Naval Strategy 1949 to 1964";

Lieutenant (N) Jason Delaney, Canadian Forces, "Towards an Operational Capability: Canadian and Allied Submarine Procurement Programs during the Cold War and After";

Dr Norman Friedman, "The Commonwealth Approach to Atlantic Warfare, 1945-55";

Commodore Richard Greenwood, Canadian Forces, "An Engineer's Outline of Canadian Naval History, 1970-2010";

Commander (ret'd) Peter Haydon, "A Tale of Two Navies: The Canada-US Naval Relationship during the Cold War";

Captain (RN, ret'd) Peter Hore, "Canada from Afar: Reputation and Character";

Dr Rob Huebert, University of Calgary, "The Quest for a Canadian Naval Strategy, 1991-2010";

Commander (ret'd) Ken Mackenzie, "Scare-mongering or Preparedness?: Navy Leagues of the Empire-Commonwealth, 1895-1939";

Dr Roger Sarty, Wilfrid Laurier University, "A Navy of Necessity: Canadian Naval Forces, 1867-2010";

Captain (N) Elizabeth Steele, Canadian Forces, "Commonwealth Logistics Cooperation, 1970-2010"; and

Dr Nicholas Tracy, "Canada's Naval Strategy: Old and New Dimensions of Purposeful Force".

21st Military History Colloquium at WLU

2010-03-24T19:43:00.003-04:00

The preliminary programme for the 21st Military History Colloquium, 29 April to 1 May 2010, at Wilfrid Laurier University, has been issued. The programme includes a huge list of presenters, who will discuss a wide range of Canada's military history, including:

Mike Bechthold, Wilfrid Laurier University, "Lost in Normandy: The Epic Tragedy of Worthington Force";

Michael Boire, War Studies, Royal Military College of Canada, "Imperial Armour: 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade and Interoperability in the Eighth Army";

David A. Borys, University of New Brunswick, "The Fight Against Collateral Damage: Civil Affairs in First Canadian Army";

Stephen Bourque, School of Advanced Military Studies, "What we didn't know: The Effect of the Normandy Air Campaign on French Civilians" (keynote address);

Graham Broad, King's University College at the University of Western Ontario, "'When the Bombs Start Dropping, Run Like Hell': Civilian Air Raid Precautions in Canada, 1939-1945";

Mathieu Brosseau and Marie-Hélène Leclerc, Canadian Forces College, NCMPDC, "The Corvette: The Canadian Response to the Convoy Crisis";

Andrew Burtch, Canadian War Museum, "Canada's Survival Army: The Berlin Crisis and the National Survival Militia Training Plan";

Gary Campbell, University of New Brunswick, "Defending New Brunswick during the War of 1812: The Implementation of Captain Gustavus Nicoll's Report";

Kelly-Anne Campbell, War Studies, Royal Military College of Canada, "Oil and Blood for Blood and Oil: The Canadian Merchant Navy in the Second World War";

Zack Cavasin, University of Ottawa, "The Battle to Rebuild: Canadian Military Relations with the Civil Population after the Battle of Ortona";

Tim Cook, Canadian War Museum, "The Madman Revisited";

Terry Copp, Wilfrid Laurier University, "Some Reflections on the Italian Campaign" (keynote address);

Sarah Cozzi, University of Ottawa, "'Where do we go from here?': Soldier-Tourists of the Canadian Expeditionary Force";

Doug Delaney, War Studies, Royal Military College of Canada, "Canadian Corps Commanders, 1939-1945: Observations on Generalship and Staff Training";

Angela Duffett, Carleton University, "Memory, Myth, and Memorials: Public Memory of the First World War in Newfoundland";

Serge Durflinger, University of Ottawa, "Making New Men: The Rehabilitation of Canada's War Blinded of the Second World War";

Alistair Edgar, Wilfrid Laurier University, "Achieving 'Afghan Good-enough?': Canadian Withdrawal from the Long War in Afghanistan";

Michelle Fowler, Wilfrid Laurier University, "'No Age Lives Entirely Alone': The Story of Major Ronald E. Balfour, Civil Affairs, First Canadian Army and his Fight to Preserve Europe's Past";

Andrew B. Godefroy, Character of War Program, Oxford University, "Arguing the Unthinkable: Ideas and Debate on Atomic Warfare in the Canadian Army Journal, 1947-1965";

Richard Goette, Royal Military College of Canada, "Canada, the United States, and the Air Defence of Sault Ste. Marie Canal during the Second World War";

John Grenier, Norwich University, "'The War on the Acadians, 1755-1759': The British Army's Conquest of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick";

Mark Osborne Humphries, "Disease, Health, and the German Army's Collapse in the Summer of 1918";

Andrew Iarocci, Canadian War Museum, "'Tanks are no bogey for the infantry...': Allied and German Approaches to Anti-Tank Defence, 1916-18";

Benjamin Isitt, University of Victoria, "From Victoria to Vladivostok: Canada's Siberian Expedition, 1917-19";

Rebecca Jensen, University of Manitoba, "Reflecting Canada: A Historiographical Look at Canadian Military History since the End of the Cold War";

Geoff Keelan, University of Waterloo, "22nd Battalion in the Great War";

David Kielstra, Wilfrid Laurier University, "The Failure of Soviet Counter-Insurgency Strategy in Afghanistan: Legacies for Canada's Withdrawal in 2011";

Kellen Kurschinski, University of Waterloo, "'Sparks and Chips': The Works Dominion Electrohome Inc from War to Peace";

Christine Leppard, University of Calgary, "The Italian Campaign Sixty-Five Years On: Lessons from the 1st Canadian Field Historical Section";

James Lutz, Royal Canadian Military Institute, "Thomas McKenzie and the Creation of Canada's Professional Army";

Raymond MacKinnon, Queen's University, "'Star Wars, Eh?': Canadian Aerospace Policy and the Militarization of Outer Space";

Craig Leslie Mantle, Canadian Forces Leadership Institute and University of Calgary, "Officer-Man Relations in Microcosm: Batmen in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War";

James McCallum, Carleton University, "'A Courage Unique in Canada's Military History': English-Canadian Newspaper Coverage of Canadian Soldiers in the Congo and the Development of the Canadian Peacekeeping Identity, 1960-1961";

Andrew McEwen, University of Waterloo, "'Not...up to my expectations': Canadians, Australians and Tanks at the Battle of Amiens";

Caitlin McWillians, Wilfrid Laurier University, "Bombers, Brutes, and Babes: Aircraft Graffiti, Nose Art, and Canadian Identity in the Royal Canadian Air Force";

Marc Milner, University of New Brunswick, "To the Far Side of the World: The Canadian Navy's Pursuit of Terrorists, Pirates, and Fleet Capability in the Post-Cold War World, 1990-2010" (keynote address);

Jonathan Minnes, Wilfrid Laurier University, "Ortona in the News";

Heather Moran, The Centre for Community Mapping, "Creating participatory public history relating to the bi-centennial celebrations of the War of 1812";

Tascha Morrison, Carleton University, "Looking Backwards, Looking Forwards: Remembrance Day in Canada";

Jeff Nilsson, University of Waterloo, "'No Patience for the Patriot who Thinks Himself Too Good': The Legion of Frontiersmen and Recruitment in Canada, 1914-1915";

Jeff Noakes, Canadian War Museum, "Mr. Midshipman Brett: Robert Benney Brett's Abbreviated Naval Career, 1915-1921";

William Pratt, University of New Brunswick, "1 Canadian Armoured Brigade and the Battle of Lake Trasimene, 20-29 June 1944";

Cameron Pulsifer, Canadian War Museum (retired), "The Great Canadian Machine Gun Mania of 1915: The Public, the Government, and the Procurement of Machine Guns for the Canadian Expeditionary Force in the First Full Year of the Great War";

Béatrice Richard, Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean, "Defining One's Own Patriotism: A French Canadian Legionary in the First World War";

John Rickard, Directorate of Army Training, "'On the Way to Normandy': Some Overlooked Aspects of the Canadian Army Prior to D-Day";

Kathryn Rose, University of Waterloo, "The History of the Department of Munition and Supply: The Trials of J. de N. Kennedy";

Roger Sarty, Wilfrid Laurier University, "S.F. Wise and the Writing of Men in Arms: How a Young RCAF Veteran became an Academic Military Historian;

Christopher Schultz, Carleton University, "The Cannon is a Good Converter: Violence on the Western Front and the Spatial-Temporal Shape of War";

Alex Souchen, University of Ottawa, "'You Make the News - We Print It': Battalion Newspapers in the 3rd Canadian Division, June-July 1944";

Matthew Trudgen, Queen's University, "A New Perspective on the US Military Facilities in the Canadian Northwest in the Second World War";

Brent Wilson, University of New Brunswick, "Keeping CEF Battalions Up to Strength: The Case of the 26th Battalion during the Great War"; and

Joseph Zeller, University of New Brunswick, "Redefining the Naval Seascape: The Emergenct of the Motor Torpedo Boat".

Latest Issue of the Canadian Military Journal

2010-03-22T21:45:00.003-04:00

Vol.10, no.2 (2010) of the Canadian Military Journal is now online, and contains a few items of direct interest to readers of Canadian military history (as well a lot of other interesting material, as per usual):

Howard Coombs, "In the Wake of a Paradigm Shift: The Canadian Forces College and the Operational Level of War (1987-1995)";

Michael T. Fawcett, "The Politics of Sovereignty: Continental Defence and the Creation of NORAD"; and

Ray Stouffer, "Air Chief Frank Miller: A Civilian and Military Leader"; as well as several book reviews.

2010 Canadian Historical Association Meeting program

2010-03-20T19:38:00.003-04:00

The preliminary program for the 2010 Canadian Historical Association Annual Meeting, 30 May to 1 June 2010 at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, is now online. The program includes much of interest, including a fair amount of presentations directly pertaining to Canadian military history, including (in alphabetical order):

Kristine Alexander, York University, "'This War is a Young Man's Job': Youth and Masculinity in the First World War Novels of L.M. Montgomery and Ralph Connor";

Amy Bell, Huron University College, "Murder and the Microscope: The 1942 Case";

George Buri, University of Regina, "Selling Confidence in the Face of Nuclear Annihilation: Civil Defense Propaganda in Canada, 1948-1963";

François Cartier, Musée McCord, « Le journal de James Wolfe devant Québec : controverses autour d'une source majeure de notre histoire »;

Nic Clarke, University of Ottawa, "Northern Supermen or Average Canucks?: The General Health of Canadian Expeditionary Force Recruits, 1914-1918";

Ross Fair, Ryerson University, "'A Standing Moment of Forgetfulness': War of 1812 Centennial Commemorations in Toronto, 1912-15";

Vicki Hallett, Memorial University, "Verses in the Darkness: A Newfoundland Poet Responds to the First World War";

Jeffers Lennox, Dalhousie University, "L'Acadie Trouvée: The Search for Boundaries and Imperial Conflict, 1750-1756";

Jean Martin, Ministère de la defense nationale, « L'histoire en direct : l'historien militaire, témoin des opérations canadiennes actuelles, en Afghanistan et ailleurs »;

Helene Quimper, Commission des champs de bataille nationaux, Québec, « Québec, ville assiégée 1759-1760 ou Le désir de rendre la parole aux acteurs et témoins des événements »;

Beatrice Richard, Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean, « Raconter la guerre ou Raconter sa guerre ?: Le dilemme du légionnaire Paul Caron »;

Amy Shaw, University of Lethbridge, "Creating Heroes for the Story: Canadian Soldiers in the Boer War";

Terry Bishop Stirling, Memorial University, "'Such Sad Sights One Will Never Forget': Newfoundland Women and Overseas Nursing in World War One"; and

Laurent Turcot, Université de Québec à Trois-Rivières, « The Surrender of Montreal to General Amherst, (1760) de Francis Hayman : raconter et représenter la victoire anglaise en terre canadienne ».

There will also be business meetings held for the Committee on the Second World War and the Canadian Committee on Military History.

Admiral Sir Charles Kingsmill Lecture

2010-03-18T19:32:00.002-04:00

Dr. Marc Milner, with The Gregg Centre, University of New Brunswick, will be presenting the Admiral Sir Charles Kingsmill Lecture: In honour of the Canadian Naval Centennial, 1910-2010, titled "Canada's Navy at 100: What have learned from the first century of this 'costly and hazardous' experiment?", at 1930 hours on Wednesday, 28 April 2010 at the Arboretum Centre Auditorium, University of Guelph. For more information, contact (519) 836-1221 or museum@guelph.ca.

Article about The Memory Project

2010-03-16T10:43:00.000-04:00

The Time Colonist has run an article by Sandra McCulloch entitled "Memory project ensures war stories make history" on the Historica-Dominion Institute's The Memory Project. She writes this is an "innovative project [that] hopes to capture and preserve the war-time memories of the remaining 160,000 [Second World War] veterans for the benefit of generations that follow." The project, she continues, "has preserved the memories of 116 veterans so far through recorded interviews and digitized memorabilia, accessible online..." At this point 800 interviews have been completed, including that of Second World War and Korean War naval veteran Peter Fane pictured here (photo credit to Darren Stone, Times Colonist). McCulloch writes: "The interviews are edited, fact-checked, transcribed and translated. The goal is to capture online the memories of 1,000 veterans before funding runs out in March 2011."

Canadian Military History Talk in Video

2010-03-14T10:54:00.000-04:00

The good folks at the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies have taken their resources to a new level with the announcement that since the fall of 2009 they have been videotaping some of their public lectures with the attention of making them available online through streaming video. The first such presentation placed online was delivered by Tim Cook, Canadian War Museum, in February 2010, under the title "'Always Look on the Bright Side of Strife': Humour and the Canadian Great War Soldiers". In my humble opinion, this is a fantastic idea and opens up the possibility of bringing the centre's presentations to those of us unable to travel to southern Ontario to see them live.

Latest Issue of The War of 1812 Issue

2010-03-11T11:07:00.000-05:00

Issue 12 (November 2009) of The War of 1812 Magazine is now available online, free for the viewing. Articles and columns include:

Donald Graves, "In Memoriam: Robert G. Malcomson 1949-2009";

Donald Graves, "Field Artillery and the War of 1812: Equipment, Organization, Tactics and Effectiveness";

Robert Malcomson, "Dobbs and the Royal Navy at Niagara";

Kamille T.H. Parkinson, "The War of 1812 and the Tourist Encounter in Upper Canada: Eight Watercolour Views by Philip John Bainbrigge, RE"; plus

a pair of book reviews.

Article about Camp X Artefacts

2010-03-09T12:33:00.000-05:00

A newspaper in Kitchener, Ontario, The Record, has run a piece by Carola Vyhnak, titled "Historian battling to save 'Camp X' artifacts" in its online edition. Camp X, between Whitby and Oshawa, Ontario, was a Second World War training installation for Allied undercover agents ("top-secret Camp X spy training school"). The article reports that approximately twenty-five percent of a private collection, the Robert Stuart Aeronautical Collection of intelligence and military artefacts, incorporates material originally from Camp X. This collection is currently up for auction by Stuart's family. Local historian Lynn Philip Hodgson is concerned that the collection might be sold to a bidder outside of Canada and the material removed from the Camp X Museum where it is currently on display.

Latest Issue of Canadian Military History

2010-03-07T13:23:00.000-05:00

The Autumn 2009 (vol.18, no.4) issue of Canadian Military History is now out and contains, as always, a huge selection of interesting reading for students of Canadian military history, including:

Nic Clarke, "Passchendaele highlights uncounted casualties";

Tim Cook, "The Top 10 Most Important Books of Canadian Military History";

Maxime Dagenais, "'Une Permission ! C'est bon pour une recrue' : Discipline and Illegal Absences in the 22nd (French-Canadian) Battalion, 1915-1919";

Andrew B. Godefroy, "The Royal Military College of Canada and the Education of Officers for the Great War";

Andrew Iarocci, "'A Unique Art': Canadian Anti-Gas Respirator Production in the Second World War";

Robert Spencer, "Military Training in an Academic Environment: The University of Toronto Canadian Officers Training Corps, 1914-1968"; and

my column on Canadian Military History Electronic Resources titled "Canada's Soldiers of the South African and First World Wars at Library and Archives Canada".

Program for the Society for Military History Conference

2010-03-05T20:09:00.000-05:00

The Society for Military History's 77th Annual Meeting, scheduled for 20-23 May 2010, will be held at the Marshall Hall, Center for Leadership and Ethics, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia. The schedule for the conference has been issued and contains the following scheduled presentations of direct relevance to students of Canadian military history (and well as oodles of other items of great interest):

Peter Archambault, "Tradition and Pragmatism: Anglo-Canadian Defense Relations after the Second World War";

Tim Cook, "'Goodbyeeeee and Fuck You!': Masculinity, Identity, and Swearing among Canada's Great War Soldiers";

Alexander W.G. Herd, "Preparing to Fight the Bear: The Canadian Army at the Nexus of the North Atlantic Triangle"; and

Michael Whitby, "Doin' the Biz: Anti-SSBN Patrols by Canadian Submarines, 1983-87".

Soldiers of the 38th reaches a milestone

2010-03-03T20:33:00.003-05:00

My other main foray into the world of blogging - Soldiers of the 38th - is an attempt at an ongoing mass biography of the officers and men of the 38th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, during the First World War. I've mentioned this project before as an outgrowth of the (never-ending) research I've been doing into the history of the 38th Battalion, CEF.

Why am I mentioning it again in a moment of self-promotion. Well, recently the total number of posts, i.e. individual biographies, has passed 2,000. I'm still only about halfway to having provided basic biographies to all of the members of the 38th, but the process has been incredibly helpful in understanding the personnel side of the battalion's history, a great way to contact family members, and some small measure of saying thanks to these men of our military past.

New Books List at Library and Archives Canada

2010-03-01T20:18:00.000-05:00

The February 2010 New Books List at Library and Archives Canada is now online and features a few items of immediate interest to readers of Canadian military history:

Louis Baratgin, Cartoon Review of the War: Louis Baratgin's World War II Album (Montreal, 2010);

Maria da Silva, Rebels against Tories in Upper Canada 1837 (Toronto, 2010);

Dorothy Farmiloe, Jack Munroe: Canada's Forgotten Hero (Ottawa, 2010);

James G. Fergusson, Canada and Ballistic Missile Defence: Déjà vu all over again (Vancouver, 2010); and

P. Whitney Lackenbauer and Peter Kikkert, comps., The Canadian Forces and Arctic Sovereignty: Debating Roles, Interests, and Requirements, 1968-1974 (Waterloo, ON, 2010).

Latest Issues of the Northern Mariner

2010-02-27T22:35:00.000-05:00

This may be a bit repetitive from a previous post some time back, but here are the latest items from The Northern Mariner directly pertaining to Canadian military history:

Robert L. Davison, "A Most Fortunate Court Martial: The Trial of Captain Charles Kingsmill, 1907", vol.19;

Barry Gough, "Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Saunders, Naval Victor of Quebec, 1759", vol.19 (2009);

Peter T. Haydon, "Canadian Involvement in the Cuban Missile Crisis Re-Considered", vol.17, no.2 (2007);

Sean M. Maloney, "Parry and Thrust: Canadian Maritime Forces and the Defence of North America, 1954-62", vol.18, no.1 (2008); and

Peter MacLeod, "Invisible Admiral: Phillip Durell at the Siege of Quebec, 1759", vol.19 (2009).

Index of Newfoundland and Labrador Studies

2010-02-25T21:39:00.000-05:00

I've had a chance to peruse the online index of the journal Newfoundland and Labrador Studies (up to an including the current issue volume 24, number 1, Spring 2009) and have extracted the articles of particular reference to Canadian military history:

Casey, G.J. and Maura C. Hanrahan, "Roses and Thistles: Second World War Bridges in Newfoundland", vol.10, no.2 (Fall 1994): 240-249;

Harding, Robert J., "Glorious Tragedy: Newfoundland's Cultural Memory of the Attack at Beaumont Hamel, 1916-1925", vol.21, no.1 (Spring 2006): 3-40;

High, Steven, "From Outport to Outport Base: The American Occupation of Stephenville, 1940-1945", vol.18, no.1 (Spring 2002): 84-113;

Lackenbauer, P. Whitney, "War, Memory, and the Newfoundland Regiment at Gallipoli", vol.15, no.2 (Fall 1999): 176-214;

MacLeod, Malcolm, "Death by choice or by chance? U-69 and the first Newfoundland ferry Caribou", vol.12, no.1 (Spring 1996): 1-15;

Martin, Chris, "The Right Course, The Best Course, The Only Course: Voluntary Recruitment in the Newfoundland Regiment, 1914-1918", vol.24, no.1 (Spring 2009): 55-89;

Mercer, Keith, "The Murder of Lieutenant Lawry: A Case Study of British Naval Impressment in Newfoundland, 1794", vol.21, no.2 (Fall 2006): 255-289;

Neary, Peter, "The Diplomatic Backgound to the Canada-Newfoundland Goose Bay Agreement of October 10, 1944", vol.2, no.1 (Spring 1986): 39-61;

Neary, Peter, "'A grave problem which needs immediate attention': an American report on venereal disease and other health problems in Newfoundland, 1942", vol.15, no.1 (Spring 1999): 79-103;

Neary, Peter, "Great Britain and the Future of Newfoundland, 1939-45", vol.1, no.1 (Spring 1985): 29-56;

O'Brien, Mike, "Out of a Clear Sky: The Mobilization of the Newfoundland Regiment, 1914-1915", vol.22, no.2 (Fall 2007): 401-427;

Pritchard, James, "'Le Profit et La Gloire': The French Navy's Alliance with Private Enterprise in the Defense of Newfoundland, 1691-1697", vol.15, no.2 (Fall 1999): 161-175; and

Sharpe, Christopher A., "The 'Race of Honour': An Analysis of Enlistments and Casualties in the Armed Forces of Newfoundland, 1914-1918", vol.4, no.1 (Spring 1988): 27-55.

Latest Issues of the Journal of Military and Strategic Studies

2010-02-23T15:02:00.000-05:00

It's been a long, long while since (six issues) I've posted about the Canadian military history articles published in the Journal of Military and Strategic Studies, so here we go:

Terry Copp, "Canada's National Army, Canada's National Interest, 1918, 2008", vol.10, no.3 (2008);

David A. Kielstra, "Taking Care of Business: Canada's Forgotten Cold War Conflict in Cyprus, July-August 1974", vol.12, no.1 (2009);

Peter Kikkert, "The Polaris Incident: 'Going to the Mat' with the Americans", vol.11, no.3 (2009); and

Timothy C. Winegard, "The Forgotten Front of the Oka Crisis: Operation Feather/Akwesasne", vol.11, nos.1-2 (2009).

Latest Issue of the Canadian Naval Review

2010-02-21T14:44:00.000-05:00

The Fall 2009 (vol.5, no.3) issue of the Canadian Naval Review is out, and an excerpt can be found online at the journal's website. This issue contains a couple of items of particular interest to readers of Canadian military history, as well as other interesting naval information:

Richard Mayne, "'An Art of its Own': Corporate Knowledge, the Canadian Navy and Arctic Operations";

Rob Stuart, "Was the RCN ever the Third Largest Navy?";

War of 1812 in the Western Great Lakes

2010-02-19T19:52:00.002-05:00

I realize this makes two in a row for a journal looking for material for a War of 1812 themed issue, but there you have it.

The Michigan Historical Review is looking for article proposals for a spring 2012 special issue "on the War of 1812 in the Great Lakes region, preferably west of Niagara. Articles should be based on original research or reinterpret commonly accepted conclusions relation to the conflict in this region." They're looking for articles about 8,000 words in length (including notes) and would like to see - first - a 300-word proposal re the subject, "probably thesis or conclusions, and types of sources", plus a brief CV, by 30 April 2010. Please send submissions to David Macleod, editor, MHR, Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, 48859, or mihisrev@cmich.edu.

Call for Articles on The War of 1812

2010-02-17T20:43:00.002-05:00

The folks at Ontario History are interested in hearing from historians interested in contributing articles for a special 2012 edition of the journal on the subject of "Ontario and The War of 1812". "Expressions of interest and an abstract of the proposed article" should be sent before 31 May 2010 to guest editor Clare Dale at clare_dale@carleton.ca or to general editor Thorold Tronrud at foxlort@tbaytel.net. The snail mail address for the latter editor is: Ontario History, 353 McKellar Street North, Thunder Bay, ON, P7E 5V1.

Presentation on 1950 crash of B-36 bomber in British Columbia

2010-02-09T17:23:00.000-05:00

Norman Leach has sent me a press release with respect to an upcoming lecture series of his concerning an interesting aspect of Canada's military history. As the release notes:

In recognition of the 60th anniversary of the Feb 14, 1950, crash of the U.S. B36 bomber in the Kispiox, north of the Hazeltons, the Bulkley Valley Museum is hosting a lecture tour by the celebrated Canadian historian, author and U. of Calgary lecturer, Norman Leach, who has written the seminal account of this aviation disaster, "Broken Arrow - America's First Lost Nuclear Weapon". Norman will give a lecture on the crash of the B36 and the controversy of its Fat Man atomic bomb payload at 7:00 pm on Saturday, Feb 13th, at the Old Church. [...] will escort Norman to speak in high schools, libraries and museums between Houston and Terrace. This is all part of the BV Museum's policy of putting the spotlight on our engrossing local history.

For further information, contact the Bulkley Valley Museum in Smithers, British Columbia, by e-mail at info@bvmuseum.com or at 250-847-5322.

New Books List at Library and Archives Canada

2010-02-07T19:41:00.002-05:00

Library and Archives Canada has posted its New Books list for January 2010, and it contains some items of interest to readers of Canadian military history, including the following:

Lawrence J. Barkwell, The Battle of Seven Oaks: A Métis Perspective (Winnipeg: Louis Riel Institute, 2010);

Gladysann Bryce, First in, last out: Royal Canadian Air Force, Women's Division (Torrance, ON: G. Bryce, 2010);

George H. Cassar, Hell in Flanders Fields: Canadians and the Second Battle of Ypres (Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2010);

Adam Day, Témoin de la guerre : mes reportages sur l'Afghanistan de 2004 à 2009 (Ottawa : Magic Light Pub., 2010);

Adam Day, Witness to War: Reporting on Afghanistan, 2004-2009 (Ottawa: Magic Light Pub., 2010);

Benjamin Isitt, From Victoria to Vladivostok: Canada's Siberian Expedition, 1917-19 (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2010); and

Dwight Whalen, War Christmas: Letters from Niagara Servicemen 1914-1918, 1939-1945 (Shelburne, ON: Battered Silicon Dispatch Box, 2010).

5th Windsor Military Studies Conference

2010-01-27T21:31:00.000-05:00

I've received a release concerning the 5th Windsor Military Studies Conference, which will take place at the Major F.A. Tilston VC Armoury, 4007 Sandwich Street, Windsor, Ontario, on 5-6 February 2010. Papers scheduled to be presented include:

Captain (N) Serge C. Bertrand, "Naval Operations in the 21st Century";

Terry Copp, "In the Forests of the Night: The Essex Scottish in the Rhineland, February 1945";

Michelle Fowler, "Remembering the Wrens: The Diary of Marion Swinton, WRCNS";

Peter Kikkert, "Flying the Flag and Sharing Whiskey: The Role of the Canadian Navy in the Arctic, 1945-2010";

Sean Maloney, "The Mechs: Operation Timus Preem, Zhari District, Afghanistan, August 2008"; and

Roger Sarty, "A Uniquely Canadian Battle: The RCN and the RCAF's Defeat of the U-Boat Offensive in the St. Lawrence, 1942-4".

To pre-register, please contact hrgmail@uwindsor.ca or call 519-253-3000 ext 3506.

Latest issue of Canadian Military Journal

2010-01-25T20:25:00.000-05:00

The volume 10, number 1 (2009) issue of the Canadian Military Journal is now available online. This issue contains the following items of particular interest to readers of Canadian military history, including:

Larry Aitken, "'First we hold our noses, then we seek justice': The Application of the Soft Approach in the Chapter VII Operations Conducted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo";

John R. Grodzinski, "The Use and Abuse of Battle: Vimy Ridge and the Great War over the History of the First World War";

Craig Leslie Mantle and Lieutenant-Colonel Larry Zaporzan, "The Leadershio of S.V. Radley-Walters: The Normandy Campaign Part Two"; and

Matthew Trudgen, "Do we want 'Buckets of Instant Sunshine'?: Canada and Nuclear Weapons 1945-1984";

as well as several book reviews of interest.

Scott Sheffield presentation at Univ of Fraser Valley

2010-01-23T20:12:00.000-05:00

Dr. Scott Sheffield, Department of History, University of Fraser Valley, will be making a presentation at the University of the Fraser Valley's Abbotsford campus, Room B121, on Wednesday, 27 January 2010, at 1900 hours, titled "Mobilizing Indigeneity: Comparing Settler Societies and Indigenous Participation in the Second World War". The press release notes:

The Indigenous warrior has long captivated the imaginations of Western societies. As 'vicious savages' impeding the march of civilization of loyal allies fighting alongside imperial powers/noble settlers, the be-feathered North American Indian, fierce Maori, and elusive Aborigine have become entrenched in the popular consciousness of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. Although pre-war indigenous-settler relationships differed substantially, each Aboriginal population responded when war broke out in 1939 by declaring their support and volunteering to serve. Thousands of Aborigines, First Nations, Maori and Native Americans fought overseas, while on the home front, their families, communities and leadership offered labour, voluntary, monetary and symbolic aid to national war efforts.

Governments that had been working for decades to undermine the cultural vitality and identity of indigenous peoples would, in the exigencies of wartime, explicitly seek to utilize perceived indigenous attributes, languages, knowledge and bushcraft for the national war effort. Whether drawing on 'marital [sic?] race' concepts to support organisation of segregated indigenous units like the 28th (Maori) Battalion, formally or informally using indigenous knowledge of remote regions threatened by attack in Northern Australia or Alaska, indigeneity was enlisted for the Allied cause. Examining such processes in comparative perspective can tell us a great deal about these historical processes, both in the startling similarities across the four countries, and via their clear differences.

"The Past is Not Yet Written" Conference

2010-01-21T17:10:00.000-05:00

The History and Classics Graduate Students Association, University of Alberta, is hosting a conference entitled "The Past is Not Yet Written: Innovative Approaches and New Ideas in Historical Research" on 5-6 March 2010 at the U of A. Originally, the conference's focus was to have been restricted to "the application of quantitative methods", but has since been expanded to "innovative approaches and new ideas in historical research", i.e. they are "seeking papers from a broad spectrum addressing different approaches to historical research from all time periods and geographical regions. Papers may address any subject matter as it is the method of approach that is of importance, not the specific subject matter." This call for papers goes until 31 January 2010 and proposals should be submitted to conference.hcgsa@gmail.com. For further information, contact Ian Thompson or Rylan Kafara at the same e-mail address.

Library and Archives Canada and Historians

2010-01-19T18:18:00.000-05:00

Terry Cook, Clio Consulting and Archival Studies Program at the University of Manitoba, and under contract with Library and Archives Canada, has posted on H-Canada a request for the input of historians which is being "sought on the current and future relationship of Library and Archives Canada with the Canadian historical research community. Input is invited from academic historians, graduate students, public historians, and professional researchers." (Why the distinctions - how about simply "historical researchers"?). This survey is part of series of "dialogues with key stakeholders about the role of Library and Archives Canada with Daniel J. Caron, Librarian and Archivist of Canada. The series of question in the survey can be found in English and in France.

My Newest Blog

2010-01-16T22:42:00.003-05:00

A bit of self-promotion today. I've recently started a new blog, "Colonel Edwards' Army: A History of the 38th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1914 to 1919". It's no secret that I've been researching and writing a full-length history of the 38th for some years now and already have another blog, "Soldiers of the 38th", concerned with the individual members of the unit.

That said, I've been increasingly interested of late in the concept of "live-blogging", i.e. blogging the description of an historical event at the pace at which it originally unfolded. In this case, my intention is to do so ninety-five years after the fact (1915 in 2010, 1916 in 2011, etc., for example, 9 April 1917 on 9 April 2012). In the case of my new project, I've already posted an introduction and information for the December 1914 history of the 38th. During the next couple of weeks I'll post on January 1915. Essentially, this is a distribution of the text I've researched and written for the book in blog form as a type of working history. Initially, the 95-year gap won't be covered daily, but weekly or monthly. Until the battalion actually reached France and Flanders it isn't really possible to write about its history on a daily basis. Expect the history from January 1915 through mid-August 1916 (when the 38th arrives in France) to be issued as a weekly post, after that daily.

Why do this? First of all, because I'm eager to have the results of my research and writing get out there. Is a published book some years from now the only means to do this? I don't think so. Do I hope to have the final product published in the future? Absolutely. My second reason is my conviction that a retelling of the 38th's story on a daily basis (from 13 August 1916 / 13 August 2011) will add a totally different dimension to the story. CEF units did not spend their entire "lives" in the front line trenches. There were periods of sheer boredom, never-ending training, and attempts to rest, recover and reinforce - periods far more numerous in days spent than the nightmare that was combat during the war.

Sure, it's an experiment. And I hope it works. Let me know what you think.

Alberta Family Histories Society's CEF Nominal Rolls

2010-01-15T21:12:00.000-05:00

The Alberta Family Histories Society has placed an interesting resource on their website, specifically the nominal rolls of the 50th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, as well as those for the 3rd, 12th and 13th Regiments, CEF. As the site notes, these were compiled "by AFHS member Lt Col W. van der Schee and were published by the AFHS in two volumes in 1994." The published versions of the rolls are still available for purchase via the site. Visitors to the site search the rolls first by choosing the first letter of the individual's surname, which leads to an alphabetized chart - integrating all four units - and containing the information found in the original nominal rolls as printed by the Department of Militia and Defence during the First World War.

Historic films at the National Film Board

2010-01-13T16:33:00.000-05:00

Looking for something in the audio-visual realm for your Canadian military history fix? Well, the National Film Board has more than 1,400 films available online, with a comprehensive search ability incorporated in the site. Just one example, on this site you can watch the 1964 film "Fields of Sacrifice" by Donald Brittain. The description notes: "This 1964 documentary returns to the battlefields where over 100,000 Canadian soldiers lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars. The film also visits cemeteries where servicemen are buried. Filmed from Hong Kong to Sicily, this documentary is designed to show Canadians places they have reason to know but may not be able to visit. Produced for the Canadian Department of Veteran Affairs by the renowned documentary filmmaker Donald Brittain."

Laurier Centre's Winter Speakers' Series

2010-01-11T19:25:00.000-05:00

The Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies has posted its winter speakers' series line-up. Each of the following lectures (and the presentations yet to be confirmed) will take place at the Centre, on 232 King Street North in Waterloo, Ontario:

Thursday, 14 January, 1900 hours, Captain Timothy C. Winegard, University of Oxford, on "And Death Shall Have No Dominion: Indigenous Peoples of the British Dominions and the First World War";

His talk continues with the theme of First Nations and military interaction by comparing the capricious and racially motivated policies concerning, and participation of, the Indigenous Peoples of the Dominions - Canada, Australia, Newfoundland, New Zealand and South Africa - during the First World War.

Thursday, 11 February, 1900 hours, Dr. Andrew Iarocci, "Mechanizing Mars: Transport and Logistics in the First World War";

This talk will give an overview of the tactical uses of mechanical transport during the First World War, with a focus on the integration of motor and light rail transport with traditional animal transport in the Canadian and British forces. The discussion is based on research for an upcoming book on transport in the First World War.

Thursday, 25 February, 1900 hours, Dr. Tim Cook, Canadian War Museum, "'Always Look on the Bright Side of Strife': Humour and the Canadian Great War Soldier";

This talk examines Canadian Great War soldiers' humour. Laughter, jokes, pranks, and merriment are not usually associated with the trench warfare experience. Yet this army of young men, drawn from civilian society, turned to humour as a means to cope with the strain of war. Soldiers' humour also helped to make sense of the war and shape questions of identity and culture.

Thursday, 11 March, 1900 hours, Lieutenant-Colonel John Conrad, Canadian Forces College, "Merlin's Laugh: Canadian Combat Logistics in Afghanistan 2006";

Kandahar Province, Afghanistan - an unfamiliar, non-linear battle space; a battlefield that can pass as a post card where conducting routine logistics is always a combat operation. An entire generation of military leadership is being schooled in the sands of southern Afghanistan. We are only beginning to appreciate the depth of the lessons we are learning. This presentation will share with the attendees many of the hard-earned logistics lessons we have learned, where we have stumbled what we have been doing right all along. This presentation will describe the logistics preparations for Canada's return to sustained combat operations in Kandahar Province in the winter of 2006 - the first sustained combat mission since the Korean War.

Thursday, 1 April, 1900 hours, David Kielstra, Wilfrid Laurier University, "Peacekeeping under Fire: Canada and the United Nations Mission in Cyprus, 1964-1974";

This talk will focus on Canada's peacekeeping mission in Cyprus (UNFICYP) which became Canada's longest-serving overseas deployment. The focus will be on the strategic threat that instability in Cyprus had for the NATO alliance, with particular attention paid to the 1974 crisis that put Canadian peacekeepers on the front lines of a war-zone when the island was abruptly invaded. Canadian actions under-fire played a critical role in helping UNFICYP secure key assets, protect civilians, and maintain cease-fires to ease tensions. Canada's decision to augment its peacekeepers by doubling reinforcements and adding offensive weapons also signals a shift towards a more activist foreign policy for the Trudeau government.

Thursday, 15 April, 1900 hours, Lieutenant-Colonel Angelo Caravaggio, Canadian Forces College, "21 Days in Normandy: A Reassessment of the Actions of 4th Canadian Armoured Division and Major-General George Kitching";

To date the assessments of the actions of 4th Canadian Armoured Division and those of its commander Major-General Kitching have been consistently poor. Using war diaries and operations logs this presentation will look at how operational and administrative decisions made in the planning of OVERLORD significantly curtailed Kitching's ability to train his division for the coming battles.

For further information, etc., contact Mike Bechthold at mbechthold@wlu.ca or 519-884-0710 ext 4594.

Niagara Military Museum finally gets a home

2010-01-09T21:20:00.000-05:00

Corey Larocque, over at The Niagara Falls Review, has written a piece for that paper on the decision to allow the Niagara Military Museum "after a decade of trying to storm the gates of the Victoria Avenue armoury." The century-old building was declared surplus by the Department of National Defence and later purchased by the City of Niagara Falls. The Niagara Military Museum is to be given three rooms in the building to display its collection consisting "of artifacts that have been collected over the years by Niagara residents with an interest in military history." Larocque further writes: "The museum is a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to commemorating both the military history that has occurred in Niagara and the wartime exploits of people from Niagara who fought in Canada's overseas conflicts, especially the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War."

(photo courtesy of The Niagara Falls Review)

Presentation on Canadians in the British Army

2010-01-07T19:40:00.000-05:00

Major Andrew Godefroy, PhD, currently a visiting research fellow, the The University of Oxford's Programme on the Changing Character of War, will be making a presentation (Military History seminar) on Wednesday, 27 January 2010 titled "Canadians on Campaign: Officer Recruitment, Command, and Legacy in the Victorian British Army". The press release notes:

This lecture challenges traditional assessments of the evolution of professionalism within Canada's army during the nineteenth century through an examination of the War Office's deliberate recruitment of Canadian officers into the British Army during the late Victorian era. Specifically, it examines the recruitment, command appointments, and most important, the intellectual and institutional legacy created by these officers that had as much an impact on the future of the British Army as it did on the Canadian Army. Finally, through specific case studies, the issues of nationalism, ways of warfare, and schools of strategic and tactical thought will also be addressed.

The challenge? It's at the University of Oxford (1715 hours, Wharton Room, All Souls College). But, if you can make it, I'd sure it'd be well worth the effort.

Latest issue of The Canadian Army Journal

2010-01-05T20:23:00.000-05:00

The latest issue of The Canadian Army Journal (volume 12, no.2, Summer 2009) has been published and is available online. As usual, this issue contains some material of direct interest to readers of Canadian military history (as well as lots of other items worthy of reading), including:

Chris Graham, "The Legacy of Major-General James Wolfe: Battlefield Leadership and the Defeat of the French Empire in North America";

Sergeant Kurt Grant, "Biography - Lieutenant Herbert Wesley McBride, MM";

Lawren Phillips Harris, "The Art of War - Major-General J.H. Roberts, CB, DSO, MC, CD (1891-1962)";

as well as several book reviews of note.

I'd also like to congratulate Sergeant Kurt Grant, former colleague at the Directorate of History and Heritage, for his appointment to the journal's staff.

Index of Manitoba History

2010-01-03T19:50:00.001-05:00

Among the many good works the folks at The Manitoba Historical Society are busy performing in support of the historical is the publishing of the journal Manitoba History. This journal recently saw the publication of its 62nd number (for Winter 2009). In fact, the tables of contents for the entire series (from No.1 in 1981), as well as many of the earlier articles within, are online at the society's website. A review of these issues for articles on Canadian military history has revealed the following:

anonymous, "National Commemoration for Hangar No.1 of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, Brandon, Manitoba", No.51 (February 2006);

Marilyn Baker, "Remembrances of the Great War: The Next-of-Kin Monument in Winnipeg", No.2 (1981);

Michael Bumsted, "From the Red to the Nile: William Nassau Kennedy and the Manitoba Contingent of Voyageurs in the Gordon Relief Expedition, 1884-1885", No.42 (Autumn/Winter 2001-2002);

George Buri, "'Enemies Within Our Gates': Brandon's Alien Detention Centre during the Great War", No.56 (October 2007);

Sarah Carter, "'An Infamous Proposal': Prairie Indian Reserve Land and Soldier Settlement after World War I", No.37 (Spring/Summer 1999);

Ken Coates, "Western Manitoba and the 1885 Rebellion", No.20 (1990);

Robert Coutts, "An Interview with World War I Veteran, Evan Wales Morgan", No.33 (Spring 1997);

Jack Dunn, "The Biggest Day Winnipeg Has Ever Seen: The Northwest Field Force Returns from the Front", No.43 (Spring/Summer 2002);

Gordon Fulton, "Roads of Remembrance", No.31 (Spring 1996);

Phillip R. Giffin, "A Family Memoir: The Men of #2 Company, Princess Patricia [sic] Canadian Light Infantry, 1915", No.53 (October 2006);

Uduak Idiong, "The Third Force: Returned Soldiers in the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919", No.34 (Autumn 1997);

Larry Laliberte, "The 1870 Wolseley Expedition Route", No.52 (June 2006);

Graham MacDonald, "Rachmaninoff in Winnipeg: The Band of the Princess Patricia's Regiment Meets a Russian Master", No.40 (Autumn/Winter 2000-2001);

John Selwood, "A Note on the Destruction of Upper Fort Garry", No.4 (1982);

Jim Suderman, "The Number One Armored Train", No.19 (1990);

Ruth Swan, "'Unequal Justice': The Metis in O'Donoghue's Raid of 1871", No.39 (Spring/Summer 2000); and

Bill Waiser, "Riding Mountain POWs: The Teacher's Tale", No.61 (Fall 2009).

New Books list from Library and Archives Canada

2010-01-01T21:07:00.000-05:00

Library and Archives Canada has posted its New Books list for December 2009, and it contains a few items of interest to readers of Canadian military history, including the following:

Ted Barris, Deadlock in Korea: Canadians at War, 1950-1953 (Toronto, 2010);

John Boileau, Halifax and the Royal Canadian Navy (Halifax, 2010);

Shawn S. Doyle, Grandpa's War [Royal Canadian Air Force] (Renfrew, ON, 2009);

Sébastien Vincent, Ils ont écrit la guerre [récits personnels canadiens de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale] (Montréal, 2010);

James A. Wood, Militia Myths: Canadian Ideas of the Citizen Soldier, 1896-1921 (Vancouver, 2010);

Latest issues of The Canadian Air Force Journal

2009-12-29T21:19:00.000-05:00

The Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 issues of The Canadian Air Force Journal have been published and contain one article of interest to readers of Canadian military history:

Major Andrew B. Godefroy, "From Gentleman Cadet to No Known Grave: The Life and Death of Lieutenant (Observer/Gunner) Franklin Sharp Rankin, 1894-1916".

Article on proposed recovery of an RCAF Halifax bomber

2009-12-26T20:50:00.000-05:00

A few days back, Michelle Greysan at Routes Magazine has published an article on attempts being made to recover a Royal Canadian Air Force Halifax bomber lost northwest of Ireland in 1945. This aircraft, designated LW170, is destined for the Nanton Lancaster Society Air Museum in Nanton, Alberta. Very interesting story.

(Thanks to Wikipedia for the image of a Halifax bomber).

2008 C.P. Stacey Award Winners / 2008 Recipients du priz C.P. Stacey

2009-12-22T21:40:00.000-05:00

The C.P. Stacey Prize Committee has forwarded me the press release for the latest recipients of the C.P. Stacey Prize. (Here's a picture of Stacey when still a Colonel). The release is as follows:

Le Comité canadien d'histoire de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale et la Commission canadienne d'histoire militaire annoncent les noms des auteurs ayant remporté le prix C.P. Stacey pour l'année 2008. À partir d'une longue liste de titres en histoire militaire canadienne, les juges se sont arrêtés aux travaux de Paul Douglas Dickson, A Thoroughly Canadian General: A Biography of General H.D.G. Crerar (2007), University of Toronto Press et de Stephen Brumwell, Paths of Glory: The Life and Death of General James Wolfe (2006), McGill-Queen's Press. Norman Hillmer, Serge Bernier et Doug Delaney ont conclu que ces deux auteurs avaient contribué de façon significative à l'histoire militaire canadienne. Dickson, par sa monumentale recherche concernant un militaire canadien méconnu, mais marquant en ce qui concerne le Canada dans la Deuxième Guerre mondiale; et, Brumwell, par son éloquente prose et son interprétation convaincante du controversé James Wolfe.

A Thoroughly Canadian General comble un immense vide dans l'historiographie canadienne de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale. S'appuyant sur les résultats d'une recherche méticuleuse, Dickson suit habilement le cours de la vie et de la carrière militaire d'un homme qui s'est battu, à Ottawa, pour la création de la 1ère Armée canadienne, une formation qu'il a ensuite conduite au combat. Dickson décrit, de façon judicieuse et précise, le portrait d'un officier canadien qui apprend son métier durant la Grande Guerre, manoeuvre habilement dans la bureaucratie militaire de l'entre-deux-guerres, présentant son idée d'une « grosse armée » au gouvernement dans les débuts de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale, combattant les Allemands dans deux théâtres d'opérations et veillant aux intérêts canadiens face à nos alliés. Ce livre rappellera aux militaires, hommes d'état et universitaires que les batailles bureaucratiques, les combats et la guerre de coalition ne sont jamais faciles.

Dans Paths of Glory, Stephen Brumwell défie les nombreuses interprétations qui ont fait, du major général James Wolfe, un personnage tiré d'Hamlet, malade, sadique dont la seule vertu fut la chance. À partir de nombreuses sources primaires et secondaires, Brumwell tisse l'histoire de l'ascencion de Wolfe dans l'armée britannique, tout en nous présentant, d'une façon approfondie et lucide, la société britannique du 18e siècle et certaines périodes de combat. De ce texte extrêmement bien écrit émerge un portrait à la fois sympathique et complexe, celui d'un homme à la santé fragile, ambitieux, astucieux dans ses tactiques et entièrement au service de ses hommes et de son Roi.

The Canadian Committee for the History of the Second World War and the Canadian Commission of Military History are pleased to announce two winners for the 2008 C.P. Stacey Award. From a substantial list of Canadian military history titles published in 2006 or 2007, the judges chose for the prize Paul Douglas Dickson's A Thoroughly Canadian General: A Biography of General H.D.G. Crerar (2007), published by University of Toronto Press and Stephen Brumwell's Paths of Glory: The Life and Death of General James Wolfe (2006), from McGill-Queen's [University] Press. The judges, Norman Hillmer, Serge Bernier and Doug Delaney concluded that both authors made noteworthy contributions to the field - Dickson for his mass of research on a little-known, yet critical, figure of Canada's Second World War, and Brumwell for the eloquence of his prose and his convincing re-interpretation of the controversial James Wolfe.

With A Thoroughly Canadian General, Paul Dickson has filled a gaping void in the historiography of Canada's Second World War, and he has done so with authority. Backed by an impressive mass of meticulous research, Dickson ably chronicles the life and military career of the man who fought many Ottawa battles to create First Canadian Army and commanded that formation in action. Dickson is judicious in his account, which is a convincing warts-and-all look at a Canadian officer learning his trade during the Great War, negotiating his way through the military bureaucracy during the inter-war period, steering his case for a 'big army' through Cabinet in the early years of the Second World War, fighting the Germans in two separate theatres, and guarding Canada's interests with its Allies. This book is sure to remind current soldiers, statesmen, and scholars that bureaucratic struggles, battle, and coalition warfare are never easy.

Stephen Brumwell's Paths of Glory challenges past interpretations of Major-General James Wolfe as a sickly and sadistic Hamlet figure whose only real virtue was luck. Drawing on a wide range of primary and secondary sources, Brumwell weaves the story of Wolfe's rise in the British Army with masterful expositions of eighteenth century British society and lucid accounts of period battles. What emerges from Brumwell's page-turning text is a sympathetic and complex portrait - one of a man in ill-health, driven by ambition, tactically astute, and absolutely committed both to the soldiers who served him and his King.

The C.P. Stacey Award is an award in honour of author and long-serving Official Historian at the Department of National Defence, Charles P. Stacey. His work on the official histories of the Canadian army during the Second World War is considered a model for similar histories. He trained several generations of military historians, and his influence is still felt in the field of military history. The aim of the award is to highlight the best book written in a two-year period on the Canadian military experience. The award covers studies of all three services, including operational histories, biographies, unit histories and works of synthesis (if they include original insights and/or new material). It can also include high quality edited collections and annotated memoirs. The call for nominations for the 2010 Stacey Prize, to be given for the best book on Canadian military history published in 2008 and 2009, will soon be issued. After the 2010 competition, the Stacey prize will be given annually, rather than each two years.

Online Access to the Index of Acadiensis

2009-12-19T20:07:00.000-05:00

The entire index to the journal Acadiensis: Journal of the History of the Atlantic Region, dating from Vol.1, No.1 (Autumn 1971) to present, is currently online. I have gone through the index and have found the following items of particular interest to students of Canadian military history:

Martin F. Auger, "'A Tempest in a Teapot': Canadian Military Planning and the St. Pierre and Miquelon Affair, 1940-1942", vol.XXXIII, no.1 (2003);

Michael Earle, "'Down with Hitler and Silby Barrett': The Cape Breton Miners' Slowdown Strike of 1941", vol.XVIII, no.1 (Autumn 1988);

David R. Facey-Crowther, "Militiamen and Volunteers: The New Brunswick Militia 1787-1871", vol.XX, no.1 (Autumn 1990);

Ernest R. Forbes, "Consolidating Disparity: The Maritimes and the Industrialization of Canada during the Second World War", vol.XV, no.2 (Spring 1986);

W.G. Godfrey, "John Bradstreet at Louisbourg: Emergence or Re-emergence?", vol.IV, no.1 (Autumn 1974);

Allan Greer, "Another Soldiers' Revolt in Isle Royale, June 1750", vol.XII, no.2 (Spring 1983);

T. Stephen Henderson, "Angus L. Macdonald and the Conscription Crisis of 1944", vol.XXVII, no.1 (1997);

Craig Heron, "The Great War and Nova Scotia Steelworkers", vol.XVI, no.2 (Spring 1987);

Olaf Janzen, "The Royal Navy and the Defence of Newfoundland during the American Revolution", vol.XIV, no.1 (Autumn 1984);

W. Stewart MacNutt, "The Narrative of Lieutenant James Moody", vol.I, no.2 (Spring 1972);

Don MacGillivray, "Military Aid to the Civil Power: The Cape Breton Experience in the 1920s", vol.III, no.2 (Spring 1974);

Cameron Pulsifer, "'Something More Durable...': The British Military's Building of Wellington Barracks and Brick Construction in 19th-Century Halifax", vol.XXXII, no.1 (2002);

Bernard Ransom, "Canada's 'Newfyjohn' Tenancy: The Royal Canadian Navy in St. John's, 1941-1945", vol.XXIII, no.2 (1994);

Andrew Theobald, "Une loi extraordinaire: New Brunswick Acadians and the Conscription Crisis of the First World War", vol.XXXIV, no.1 (2004); and

Jay White, "Pulling Teeth: Striking for the Check-Off in the Halifax Shipyards, 1944", vol.XIX, no.1 (Autumn 1989).

Latest UBC Press Catalogues

2009-12-15T20:48:00.004-05:00

The following is a list of new and recently-released books on Canadian military history published by UBC Press as found in their "2009 Military and Security Studies", "Spring 2010 UBC Press SCHOLARLY" and "Spring 2010 UBC Press TRADE" catalogues. I've probably listed some of these previously, while others are new to this blog:

Y.A. Bennett (Ed.), Kiss the kids for dad, Don't forget to write: The Wartime Letters of George Timmins, 1916-18;

Michael K. Carroll, Pearson's Peacekeepers: Canada and the United Nations Emergency Force, 1956-67;

Serge Marc Durflinger, Veterans with a Vision: The History of Canada's War Blinded in Peace and War (March 2010);

James G. Fergusson, Canada and Ballistic Missile Defence, 1954-2009: Déjà Vu All Over Again (May 2010);

Benjamin Isitt, From Victoria to Vladivostok: Canada's Siberian Expedition, 1917-19 (May 2010);

Aaron Plamondon, The Politics of Procurement: Military Acquisition in Canada and the Sea King Helicopter (December 2009);

Amy Shaw, Crisis of Conscience: Conscientious Objection in Canada during the First World War;

Kevin Spooner, Canada, the Congo Crisis, and UN Peacekeeping, 1960-64; and

James Wood, Militia Myths: Ideas of the Canadian Citizen Soldier, 1896-1921 (March 2010).

Call for Papers for the 21st Military History Colloquium

2009-12-10T20:31:00.000-05:00

The call for papers for the always informative and enjoyable Military History Colloquium (next year's will be the 21st) at Wilfrid Laurier University has been issued by the good folks at the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies. The colloquium will take place from April 29 to May 1, 2010. As the release 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. Proposals are welcome from all scholars, but graduate students and recent Ph.Ds are especially encouraged to submit.

The deadline for proposals is February 26, 2010, and all proposals (one page each) should be sent (preferably by e-mail) to Mike Bechthold at mbechthold@wlu.ca or by snail mail to Mike at the LCMSDS, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON. Mike can also be contacted by phone at 519-884-0710 ext 4594 or by fax at 519-886-5057.

Update: This, that and some other things

2009-12-08T19:56:00.000-05:00

Update: With respect to the last item in this post, Andrew Smith, over at Andrew Smith's Blog, has posted a discussion of the event and a link to the podcast of the session posted by the Royal Ontario Museum. Check it out and thanks to Andrew.

I've been a little busy with work of late, so haven't had much time to be blogging. I have been gathering together some material, however, and here's what I have.

Over at The Ottawa Citizen on October 25, Richard Helm published "Chronicles of combat: Canadian veterans tell their 'rough stories'". This is a book review of freelance journalist Ted Barris' latest tome, titled Breaking the Silence: Untold Veterans' Stories from the Great War to Afghanistan. Helm describes the book as Barris' "most personal work to date, exploring the heart of wartime experience with an intimate reflection on his own encounters over the years with close to 3,000 Canadian veterans. From classroom talks with Second World War vets to deeply moving private conversations with those who served in Korea and Afghanistan, he strives to unlock the terrible silence of combat."

Likewise, Michael-Allan Marion at Brantford's The Expositor has published a review of historian James Elliott's latest, Strange Fatality: The Battle of Stoney Creek, 1813. Marion writes that the book is the "first detailed account of the little-known battle [and] is all the more worthy of being named in literary dispatches, considering that most Ontarians grow up knowing little about one of the most important battles ever fought on the soil of their province."

In another vein, Clara War, archivist for the Cobourg and District Historical Society Archives, has written for Northumberland Today about a photo exhibit being presented at the archives on Cobourg's military history, in particular the Cobourg (or 10th) Heavy Battery of The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery. Full contact information is available in the article.

Likewise, the Dufferin County Museum and Archives, in Orangeville, Ontario, has opened an exhibit on Dufferin County's military history, including photographs, documents and objects which highlight "the service of local veterans".

Finally, the Royal Ontario Museum has issued a news release concerning the "Director's Signature Series: Battle on the Plains of Abraham", will be held at the museum on Wednesday, November 11, from 1830 hours. This presentation will take the form of a debate between politician Bernard Landry and historian Jack Granatstein concerning the "impact of one of Canada's most significant battles" and will examine "whether Britain's victory over France on the Plains of Abraham in 1759 was ultimately good for New France, its inhabitants and their descendants." Further details are provided at the link above.

Call for Papers for the 16th Annual Air Force Historical Workshop

2009-12-04T17:04:00.002-05:00

A call for papers / demande de communications has been issued for the 16th Annual Air Force Historical Workshop / 16e atelier annuel sur l'histoire de la force aérienne hosted by the Canadian Forces Aerospace Warfare Centre / Centre de guerre aérospatiale des Forces canadiennes in Toronto, Ontario, on 3-4 June / juin 2010 with the following description:

De-Icing Required!
The Historical Dimension of the Canadian Air Force's Experience in the Arctic

Canada's north has been a focus of Air Force operations since the interwar period. The purpose of this workshop is to explore the historical dimension of the Air Force's involvement in the Arctic. Topics may examine Air Force / government policy, Air Force operations, joint operations, relationships with our allies, search and rescue, Arctic disputes, civil-military relationships, environmental issues, and others.

Dégivrage requis!
La dimension historique de l'expérience de la Force aérienne du Canada dans l'Arctique

Le Nord du Canada est une priorité des opérations de la Force aérienne depuis l'entre-deux-guerres. Le but de cet atelier consiste à étudier la dimension historique de la participation de la Force aérienne dans l'Arctique. Les sujets peuvent porter notamment sur la politique de la Force aérienne/du gouvernement, les opérations de la Force aérienne, les opérations interarmées, les relations avec nos alliés, la recherche et le sauvetage, les conflits dans l'Arctique, les relations civilo-militaires et les questions environnementales.

Anyone interested in presenting should forward a one to two paragraph proposal to Major Bill March before 1 January 2010. His contact info is william.march@forces.gc.ca or 613-392-2811 extension 4656.

New Books list from Library and Archives Canada

2009-12-01T11:57:00.000-05:00

Library and Archives Canada has posted its New Books list for November 2009, and it contains quite a few items of interest to readers of Canadian military history, including the following:

Barton, Peter. Vimy Ridge and Arras: The Spring 1917 Offensive in Panoramas. Toronto, 2009;

Duffus, Maureen. Battlefront Nurses of WWI: The Canadian Army Medical Corps in England, France and Salonika, 1914-1919. Victoria, 2009;

Milner, Marc. Canada's Navy: The First Century. 2nd Edition. Toronto, 2009;

Moen, Arlo Maitland. A Sailor's Stories [Royal Canadian Navy]. Lockeport, NS, 2008;

Reid, Brian A. Named by the Enemy: A History of The Royal Winnipeg Rifles. Montreal, 2009; and

Rickard, John Nelson. The Politics of Command: Lieutenant-General A.G.L. McNaughton and the Canadian Army, 1939-1943. Toronto, 2010.

New biography of Paul Triquet, VC

2009-11-28T21:15:00.000-05:00

Bruce Deachman, over at The Ottawa Citizen, has published a piece on Paul Triquet, Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross for valour in Italy during the Second World War. In addition to detailing some of Triquet's story, Deachman's piece discusses John MacFarlane's new biography of Triquet, entitled Triquet's Cross: A Study of Military Heroism.

The book is a very interesting read and is certainly a different take on honours and awards and the life of a Canadian soldier.

(In the interests of full disclosure, John MacFarlane is a colleague of mine at the Directorate of History and Heritage, Department of National Defence).

New history of Canada's Navy

2009-11-25T21:00:00.003-05:00

David Pugliese, defence reporter with The Ottawa Citizen, has posted a review of Richard Gimblett's (editor), The Naval Service of Canada, 1910-2010: The Centennial Story, on his "Defence Watch" blog. The review begins: "The Naval Service of Canada is a first-rate and heavily illustrated volume that will appeal to those currently serving or retired from the navy or anyone with a strong interest in Canada maritime matters."

Richard Gimblett is a retired Canadian naval officer and is currently the Heritage Officer with Maritime Command at National Defence Headquarters.

Veuillez prendre note que ce livre est disponible en français sous le titre : Le Service naval du Canada, 1910-2010 : Cent ans d'histoire.

Portrait of a Hero

2009-11-14T17:18:00.004-05:00

Rob Filan has created a fantastic biography of Sergeant Hugh Cairns, VC, DCM over at Rosebud's Early Aeroplanes and Airships. I'm not sure who exactly it's on that particular website, but I'm glad it is. The article contains an in-depth narrative on Sergeant Cairns, photos of him, his medals, his memorials, etc., several maps and the citations of his awards.

(Many thanks to Babbling Brooks over the The Torch for posting this information first).

New Books list from Library and Archives Canada

2009-10-28T20:31:00.003-04:00

Sorry, tout le monde, I've been sick for a few days and so haven't posted in a while.

Library and Archives Canada has posted its New Books list for October 2009, and it contains quite a few items of interest to readers of Canadian military history, including the following:

Alan J. Buick, The Little Coat: The Bob and Sue Elliott Story (Regina, 2009);

Frank Gogos, Known unto God: In Honour of Newfoundland's Missing during the Great War (St. John's, NL, 2009);

John A. Griffith and Anthony L. Stachiw, Early Canadian Military Aircraft: Acquisitions, Dispositions, Colour Schemes and Markings, volume 1: Aircraft taken on strength through 1920 (Kitchener, ON, 2009);

Tony Maxwell, Searching for the Queen's Cowboys: Travels in South Africa filming a Documentary on Strathcona's Horse and the Anglo-Boer War (Red Deer, AB, 2009);

Michael Palmer, Dark Side of the Sun: George Palmer and Canadian POWs in Hong Kong and the Omine Camp (Ottawa, 2009);

William J. Patterson, Soldiers of the Queen: The Canadian Grenadier Guards of Montreal, 1859-2009 (Montreal, 2009);

Aaron Plamondon, The Politics of Procurement: Military Acquisition in Canada and the Sea King Helicopter (Vancouver, 2010);

Gary H. Rice, A Sketch of Military Medicine in Canada, 1867-2009 (Carleton Place, ON, 2009); and

Marion Swinton, A Duffle Bag, Close Friends, and a Lot of Memories: The Photo Diary of Marion Swinton, W.R.C.N.S. (Waterloo, ON, 2009).

Audio Archive from Veteran Affairs Canada

2009-10-19T20:01:00.002-04:00

Among the many items of historical interest within the Canada Remembers pages of the Veterans Affairs Canada website, the visitor can find the First World War Audio Archive, where you can "listen to Veterans as they recall their life and times during the war years." Under the Recollections tab, "Learn about Canada's participation in the First World War by listening to these first hand accounts. These interviews represent events, emotions and observations of how these Canadians and Newfoundlanders lived through the war years."

Hansen makes the Governor General's Literary Awards finalists

2009-10-16T19:56:00.002-04:00

Christopher Moore, over at his blog, "Christopher Moore's Canadian History", has posted about the finalists for the Governor General's Literary Awards in the non-fiction category. Said finalists include Randall Hansen, for his Fire and Fury: The Allied Bombing of Germany, 1942-45. The press release from the Canada Council for the Arts describes Hansen's books as follows:

A brave re-examination of a controversial episode in World War II history. Randall Hansen combines meticulous research with an eye for telling human detail to make his case that the Allied bombing campaign didn't help to win the war, and actually prolonged it. A book that offers lessons for today.

Guelph Civic Museum Lecture Series

2009-10-13T20:23:00.002-04:00

The Guelph Civic Museum, 6 Dublin Street South, Guelph, Ontario, is hosting a lecture series in Canadian military history this fall and into 2010 in partnership with the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies. The speakers include:

Jonathan Vance, University of Western Ontario, "Spies Like Us: Canadians in Nazi-Occupied France", Thursday, 15 October 2009, 1930 hours;

Eric McGeer, St. Clement's School, "'The war of the poor relations': The Canadians at the Lamone, December 1944", Thursday, 19 November 2009, 1930 hours;

Roger Sarty, Wilfrid Laurier University, "U-boats in the St. Lawrence, 1942-1944: A Most Uniquely Canadian Battle", Thursday, 21 January 2010, 1930 hours;

Geoff Keelan, Laurier Centre for Military, Strategic and Disarmament Studies, "The Search for a Hero: Talbot Mercer Papineau and the Great War", Thursday, 18 February 2010, 1930 hours; and

Mike Bechthold, Laurier Centre for Military, Strategic and Disarmament Studies, "'A brilliant success': The Canadian Capture of Fresnoy, 3 May 1917", Thursday, 25 March 2010, 1930 hours.

For more information, contact the Guelph Civic Museum at (519) 836-1221, on the web at guelph.ca/museum, or by e-mail at museum@guelph.ca.

Symposium on Niagara's Military Past and Present

2009-10-12T21:01:00.000-04:00

The Lincoln and Welland Regiment, along with the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies, and Brock University and University of Waterloo history departments, are hosting the 3rd Annual Symposium on "Niagara's Military Past & Present" on 6 and 7 November 2009 at the Lake Street Armouries, 81 Lake Street, St. Catharines, Ontario.

There is a very extensive programme of speakers laid out, including:

Mike Bechthold, "The Canadian Corps after Vimy: Fresnoy, May 1917";

Terry Copp, "The Last Great Battle: The Canadians in the Rhineland, February - March 1945";

James E. Elliott, "Strange Fatality: The Battle of Stoney Creek, 1813";

Geoffrey Hayes, "'The Lincs' Third Generation: The Rhineland";

Heather Moran, "200 Years of Peace: Celebrating the 1812 Bi-Centennial through Public History";

David Schimmelpenninck van der Oye, "Robert Rogers: The Original Ranger";

Elizabeth Vlossak, "Versailles 100 Years Later: Why it is Still Important for Canadians";

Lee Windsor, "Winters in Kandahar: High Season for Canadian Reconstruction, 2006-09"; and

James Wood, "The Good Neighbours and their 'Undefended' Fence: Canadian Militia Visits to the US before the First World War".

For further information, contact Captain R. Bruce Mair, at 9663@nrps.on.ca or by phone at (905) 321-4082 or Geoffrey Hayes, at ghayes@uwaterloo.ca or by phone at (519) 888-4567 ext. 35138.

Historical items from The Canadian Air Force Journal

2009-10-08T20:27:00.001-04:00

I don't think I've ever posted about The Canadian Air Force Journal, "an official publication of the Chief of the Air Staff" with the goal of being "a forum for discussing concepts, issues and ideas that are both crucial and central to aerospace power." The six issues published to date include a handful of articles of direct interest to readers of Canadian military history, including:

A/V/M C.L. Annis, "The Evolution of Air Materiel Command", vol.1, no.2 (Summer 2008) [reprint from The Roundel, 1962];

Lieut Steven Dieter, "Through Adversity and More: Looking Ahead towards the Canadian Centennial of Flight", vol.1, no.3 (Fall 2008);

2nd Lieut Nicolas Fortin, "Raymond Collishaw: The Royal Naval Air Services Lead Ace", vol.2, no.1 (Winter 2009);

Maj Andrew B. Godefroy, "From Gentleman Cadet to No Known Grave: The Life and Death of Lieutenant (Observer/Gunner) Franklin Sharp Rankin, 1894-1916", vol.1, no.3 (Fall 2008);

Aaron P. Jackson, "The Emergence of a 'Doctrinal Culture' within the Canadian Air Force: Where it Came From, Where it's at and Where to from Here?: Part 1: Doctrine and Canadian Air Force Culture prior to the End of the Cold War", vol.2, no.2 (Summer 2009);

Maj Paul Johnston, "Staff Systems and the Canadian Air Force: Part 1 - History of the Western Staff System", vol.1, no.2 (Summer 2008);

Maj Paul Johnston, "Staff Systems and the Canadian Air Force: Part 2 - A Convoluted Evolution", vol.1, no.3 (Fall 2008);

MCpl René Paquet, "Supermarine Spitfire - The Famous Elliptical Wing Fighter", vol.1, no.1 (Spring 2008);

Col Randall Wakelam, "A Fine Mess: How Our Tactical Helicopter Force came to be What it is", vol.1, no.3 (Fall 2008);

plus numerous book reviews of interest.

A Canadian medical doctor in Afghanistan

2009-10-05T21:39:00.000-04:00

Recently, I've been on a bit of a personal reading spree with respect to Canada's activities in Afghanistan. One of the most interesting of the publications that I've read has been Captain Ray Wiss, MD's, memoirs of his first roto in Afghanistan titled FOB Doc: A Doctor on the Front Lines in Afghanistan: A War Diary (also here). It seems someone else has taken notice of this book, Nancy J. White interviewing the good doctor for The Toronto Star this past weekend. The National Review of Medicine also published an article on Captain Wiss in April 2008. My thanks to the Spotlight on Military News and International Affairs for this pick.

Laurier Centre's Fall Speakers' Series

2009-10-03T21:15:00.000-04:00

(This post is an update to a previously-published one, specifically with updates to Delaney's presentation and the addition of that of Winegard).

The Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies has posted its fall speakers' series line-up. Each of the following lectures (and the presentations yet to be confirmed) will take place at the Centre, on 232 King Street North in Waterloo, Ontario.

The series begins on Wednesday, 16 September, at 1900 hours, with Dr. Alistair Edgar, Wilfrid Laurier University, on "Kosovo: 10 Years After":

Dr. Alistair Edgar researches issues of justice and reconciliation as elements of war-to-peace transition and peacebuilding in post-conflict societies. In February-March 2009 Dr. Edgar conducted interviews with government, academic, religious and civil society leaders, activists and other representatives in Belgrade and throughout Kosovo & Metohija to examine the current conditions of, and attitudes towards, justice and peacebuilding there on the 10th anniversary of the NATO air campaign and the first anniversary of the controversial Declaration of Independence by the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government of Kosovo.

On Wednesday, 30 September, at 1900 hours, Dr. Randall T. Wakelam, Research Associate, LCMSDS, will speak on "The Science of Bombing: Operational Research in RAF Bomber Command":

Dr. Randall Wakelam is a former air force pilot who commanded 408 Squadron in the early 1990s (the unit was originally activated as Canada's first Bomber Command squadron in 1941). A long serving faculy member at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto he has studied and written about air force leadership and culture for two decades. In The Science of Bombing he dispels many of the myths about Bomber Harris's bloody-minded city smashing tactics, showing that Harris, his subordinates and the scientists of his operational research section were focused

On Wednesday, 14 October, at 1900 hours, Dr. Douglas Delaney, The Royal Military College of Canada, will speak on "Acting and Generalship: Lieutenant-General Sir Brian Horrocks":

Most people know Brian Horrocks from film or television - the worry-free corps commander of A Bridge Too Far, driving his own jeep, dolling out direction to his passenger, and exchanging jokes with soldiers; or the BBC television personality who conveyed the stories of the great campaigns and the great men of his wars with clarity and grace. These images belie the reality of a man who, like most people, had his share of insecurity and self-doubt. He just hid them better than most. He was also a much more deliberate planner than he let on, certainly more so than historians or film producers have acknowledged. Horrocks believed that every general had to be a bit of an actor, and he often slipped into the character of the cheery and self-assured corps commander - for all the right reasons.

On Wednesday, 28 October, at 1900 hours, Col. (ret'd) Patrick M. Dennis, OMM, CD, Wilfrid Laurier University, will speak on "NATO AWACS in Peace and War: From the Fulda Gap to Afghanistan":

Between 1990 and 1999, the NATO alliance transformed itself from a collective self-defence organization focused exclusively on the threats and challenges posed by the "cold war", to a collective security organization engaged in multiple military operations beyond its borders. Key to this extraordinary transition into "out of area" operations was the crucial role played by NATO AWACS - the only multinational flying unit in the world, the activities of which arguably laid the foundation for NATO's eventual decision to take over responsibilities for ISAF in 2003. From the first Gulf War to Afghanistan, this lecture will review key events during this historic period and consider how NATO AWACS continues to play an important role, both as a vital element of the NATO Response Force (NRF) and as a key instrument for decision makers during crisis management."

On Wednesday, 11 November, at 1900 hours, Professor Terry Copp, Wilfrid Laurier University, will speak on "There are many things to remember: Nijmegen, March 1944 to February 1945":

The Dutch city of Nijmegen was accidentally bombed in March 1944, "liberated" in September 1944 and became a front line city with the Canadians until March 1945. Professor Copp will explore the story of a city at war.

The speaker and subject for the 25 November session will be confirmed at a later date.

On Wednesday, 9 December, at 1900 hours, Captain Timothy C. Winegard, University of Oxford, will speak on "And Death Shall Have No Dominion: Indigenous Peoples of the British Dominions and the First World War":

Capt. Timothy C. Winegard is currently completing his PhD at the University of Oxford, and will soon take up a postdoctoral fellow position at the LCMSDS. He is currently teaching First Nations Studies at WLU and UWO. Tim recently published a book on the Oka Crisis and the role of the Canadian Forces. His talk continues with the theme of First Nations and military interaction by comparing the capricious and racially motivated policies concerning, and participation of, the Indigenous Peoples of the Dominions - Canada, Australia, Newfoundland, New Zealand and South Africa - during the First World War.

For further information, etc., contact Mike Bechthold at mbechthold@wlu.ca or 519-884-0710 ext 4594.

Latest issues of the Canadian Naval Review

2009-10-02T20:44:00.000-04:00

During my absence, I'd gotten behind on my mentions of the articles in Canadian military history in the Canadian Naval Review (specifically issues vol.4, no.3; vol.5, no.1 and vol.5, no.2) from the good folks at Dalhousie University's Centre for Foreign Policy Studies. Relevant articles (there hasn't been a whole lot purely in the realm of history of later - although this is an incredibly interesting periodical) include:

Pat Jessup, "Kriegsgefangenenlager: A POW's Account of the Loss of Afghanistan in 1944", vol.5, no.2 (Summer 2009): 22-27;

Peter Hayden, "Our Faltering Grasp on Canadian Naval History", vol.5, no.2 (Summer 2009): 30-31; and

Jacqui Good, "Sackville and the Battle of the Atlantic", vol.5, no.2 (Summer 2009): 44.

Article on Canadians in the British Army

2009-09-28T20:26:00.002-04:00

Major Andrew Godefroy, editor of The Canadian Army Journal, has kindly sent me an e-mail mentioning his latest article. Andrew has published "For King, Queen, and Empire: Canadians Recruited into the British Army, 1858-1944" in the Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research (volume 87, number 350 (Summer 2009): 135-150). I'm particularly glad for this information, as I'm away from work right now and so haven't had the chance to see this issue. Thanks again, Andrew.

New Books list from Library and Archives Canada

2009-09-24T21:46:00.002-04:00

The New Books list for September 2009 from Library and Archives Canada has been posted. Unfortunately, it only contains one item of interest for readers of Canadian military history, namely:

L. Mel McConaghy, The Stoker: Ten Years Fighting Red Aggression and Other Social Diseases in the Service of One's Country: A Memoir (Vancouver: N.O.N. Canada, 2009).

Latest issues of The Northern Mariner

2009-09-18T20:43:00.003-04:00

I'm a bit behind on posting information on The Northern Mariner, so here are the items of direct interest to readers of Canadian military history:

Haydon, Peter T., "Canadian Involvement in the Cuban Missile Crisis Re-Considered", vol.xvii, no.2 (2007);

Maloney, Sean M., "Parry and Thrust: Canadian Maritime Forces and the Defence of North America, 1954-62";

plus various books reviewed in these issues.

Toronto Military Studies Conference next week

2009-09-14T20:03:00.000-04:00

Don Graves has passed on to me (thanks Don) the lineup for the latest Toronto Military Studies Conference, to be held at Moss Park Armour, 130 Queen Street East, in Toronto on Friday, 18 September, and Saturday, 19 September. The schedule is as follows:

Friday, 1845-1900 hours - registration;

Friday, 1900-2100 hours - Keynote Address by Professor Terry Copp, "The Consequences of Combat in the Second World War";

(followed by a performance of the 48th Highlanders of Canada Pipes and Drums);

Saturday, 0900-0910 hours - opening remarks;

Saturday, 0910-0950 hours - Dr. Geoffrey Hayes, "From Kingston to Vimy Ridge";

Saturday, 0950-1030 hours - Professor Mike Bechthold, "Learning from Vimy: The Canadian Corps at Arleux and Fresnoy";

Saturday, 1030-1100 hours - coffee break;

Saturday, 1100-1145 hours - Dr. Doug Delaney, "Contrasting Styles of Command: Some Canadian Examples from the Second World War";

Saturday, 1145-1230 hours - Dr. Eric McGeer, "The War of the Poor Relations: The Lamone, December 1944";

Saturday, 1230-1330 hours - lunch (featuring a performance by the 48th Highlanders of Canada Pipes and Drums);

Saturday, 1330-1500 hours - "The Reentry of Today's Canadian Reserves in Society" ("This panel discussion will feature soldiers returned from recent tours to Afghanistan and Bosnia.")

Saturday, 1500- hours - closing remarks

Cost of the conference is $10, including lunch, but is free for students with identification and for veterans. For more information contact Mike Bechthold at mbechthold@wlu.ca or 519-884-0710 ext 4594.

CFP from University of Victoria

2009-09-13T19:52:00.004-04:00

A Call for Papers from the History Department of the University of Victoria has been issued for "The Second Military Oral History Conference: Between Memory and History", to be held at the university from 5 to 7 May 2010. As the release notes:

The intention of the conference is to bring together senior undergraduate and graduate students, academics and veterans working in a variety of fields in military history in order to foster discussion in a multi-disciplinary environment. Papers addressing all facets of military history which rely heavily upon oral history will be considered. This includes, but is not limited to, the writing of popular military history, official history, operational history, military families and the home front, First Nations, Military Medicine, records management and archival preservation. We encourage a broad interpretation of the conference theme from a variety of fields and backgrounds.

The deadline for paper submissions (it's not clear, but this must be the deadline for paper proposals) is 15 January 2010. Proposals should be less than 250 words, should explain how the paper relates to the conference theme, with an additional bio sketch. For questions, etc., contact Dr. David Zimmerman, Department of History, University of Victoria, PO Box 3045, Victoria, BC, V8W 3P4 or by e-mail at dzimmerm@uvic.ca.

Latest issue of the Canadian Military Journal

2009-09-09T16:53:00.003-04:00

The latest issue (vol.9, no.4) of the Canadian Military Journal is now online, and contains a couple of items of direct interest to readers of Canadian military history:

Bill Dalke, "Canada's Greatest Contribution: National Identity and the Role of Prime Minister W.L. Mackenzie King in Negotiating the BCATP Agreement";

Craig Leslie Mantle and Lieutenant-Colonel Larry Zaporzan, "The Leadership of S.V. Radley-Walters: Enlistment to D-Day (Part 1 of 2)";

as well as several reviews of military history publications.

Norman Leach's new book

2009-09-05T19:53:00.000-04:00

Norman Leach, the Calgary-based military historian, freelance writer and professional speaker, has a new book out from Folklore Publishing called Canadian Battles - Canada's Role in Major World Conflicts.

As the book's description notes:

Canadian soldiers, sailors and pilots have fought consistently above their weight class in the forefront of the world's major conflicts. And it was a Canadian, Lester B. Pearson, whose idea of a peacekeeping force defined Canada's world role in a new way, drawing respect and recognition from countries around the world: Afghanistan - Operation Medusa, an attempt to retake the Panjwavi District in Kandahar Province from the Taliban, turned into a deadly battle for Canadian troops. Croatia - Sent as peacekeepers, Canadian soldiers engaged in fierce action and were respected for their role in quelling the civil war and genocide. Korea - Members of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry repelled a massive Chinese attack and won the only U.S. Presidential Citation ever awarded to a Canadian battalion. World War II - In some of the fiercest battles of the war, Canadian forces were in the forefront during the Dieppe Raid, D-Day and the Battle of the Atlantic. Siberia - Who knew that Canadians fought the Bolsheviks in eastern Russia at the end of World War I? War of 1812 - Les Canadiens and the British troops fought to defend Canada, while Laura Secord was walking into history. Seven Years' War - During a naval blockade of the Restigouche River, a French fleet was destroyed at the cost of only 24 British casualties. And more...

McGill-Queen's University Press last three catalogues

2009-08-31T21:30:00.000-04:00

The Fall 2008, Spring 2009 and Fall 2009 catalogues for the McGill-Queen's University Press are online, and include the following items of interest (either already published or to come in the next few months) to readers of Canadian military history:

Engen, Robert, Canadians Under Fire: Infantry Effectiveness in the Second World War (October 2009);

Heath, Gordon L., A War with a Silver Lining: Canadian Protestant Churches and the South African War, 1899-1902 (March 2009);

MacFarlane, John, Triquet's Cross: A Study of Military Heroism (September 2009);

Manning, Stephen, Quebec: The Story of Three Sieges: A Military History (September 2009); and

McMahon, Patricia I., Essence of Indecision: Diefenbaker's Nuclear Policy, 1957-1963 (May 2009).

Latest New Books List at Library and Archives Canada

2009-08-26T20:01:00.003-04:00

The August 2009 "New This Month" list is up on the Library and Archives Canada website, contains some new publications of interest to students of Canadian military history, including:

Caccia, Ivana, Managing the Canadian Mosaic in Wartime: Shaping Citizenship Policy, 1939-1945 (Montreal, 2010);

Courtois, Charles-Philippe (Comp.), La Conquête : une anthologie (Montréal, 2009);

Faryon, Cynthia J., Mysteries, Legends and Myths of the First World War: Canadian Soldiers in the Trenches and in the Air (Amazing Stories) (Toronto, 2009);

Horn, Bernd, No Ordinary Men: Special Operations Forces Missions in Afghanistan (Toronto, 2009);

Humphries, Mark Osborne and John Maker (Eds.), Germany's Western Front: Translations from the German Official History of the Great War, Volume II: 1915 (Waterloo, ON, 2009);

Mole, Rich, The Chilcotin War: A Tale of of Death and Reprisal (Surrey, BC, 2009); and

Naftel, William D., Wartime Halifax: The Photo History of a Canadian City at War, 1939-1945 (Halifax, 2009).

Latest issues of The Canadian Army Journal

2009-08-23T21:29:00.002-04:00

Volume 11, Numbers 2 and 3 (Summer and Fall 2008) and Volume 12, Number 1 (Spring 2009) of The Canadian Army Journal are available online since my last posting about this journal. In addition to a very interesting collection of articles and material on recent operations, these issues also contain some material of particular interest to students of Canadian military history, including:

Robert Engen, "Army Biography: Lieutenant-General Samuel Findlay Clark, CBE, CD";

T. Robert Fowler, "Courage and Reward in the War of 1812";

T. Robert Fowler, "Army Biography: Private Leo Major, DCM and Bar";

Major Andrew B. Godefroy, "Army Biography: The First 'Chief of Land Staff': Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Selby Smyth, KCMG";

Chris Manoukian, "The Canadian Rangers, 1947-1952: Canada's Arctic Defenders?"; and

LCol Ian McCulloch, "'A War of Machines' - A Re-Assessment of the Canadian Machine Gun Corps: Innocation or Tactical Expedient?".

Parks Canada's "This Week in History"

2009-08-19T21:28:00.002-04:00

Did you know that Parks Canada has a whole section on their website devoted to "This Week in History"? Several of the long list of stories are directly related to Canadian military history, including:

"American Forces Take Fort George";

"An Elite Canadian Corps: Samuel Steele and the Strathcona's Horse Regiment in South Africa";

"Canada and the Korean War";

"Canadians Join the Fight at Passchendaele";

"'Loud roared the dreadful thunder...': HMCS Haida;

"St. Joseph...the Military Siberia of Upper Canada";

and many, many more.

They may not be the most in-depth discussions of the topic at hand, but they certainly do qualify as honest-to-goodness attempts to educate Canadians about our collective history and that's what really matters.

Many thanks to Christopher Moore for blogging about this source.

We won that war, didn't we?

2009-08-13T21:31:00.004-04:00

Issues 10 (October 2008) and 11 (June 2009) of the War of 1812 Magazine have been published online, free for the taking. Articles include (and there's a lot more material on the website):

"A North Country Treasure - Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site";

Sandy Antal, "Remember the Raisin! Anatomy of a Demon Myth";

Robert Burnham and Ron McGuigan, "The Impeccable Timing of Sir George Brown";

Don Graves, "'Every Horror was committed with impunity...and not a man was punished!': Reflections on British Military Law and the Atrocities at Hampton in 1813"; and

David Curtis Skaggs, "The Making of a Major-Genera: The Politics of Command of the North West Army, 1812-13".

The blog as commemorative / historical tool

2009-08-09T21:29:00.002-04:00

In a very interesting series, Christopher Moore, over at Christopher Moore's Canadian History blog, has been "live-blogging the siege of Quebec + 250" since July 3. Each day he provides a narrative on the day's events in 1759 pertinent to the subject. In these narratives he quotes famous and the not-so-famous participants of the conflict, provides contextual text and sometimes adds extra material, such as book recommendations.

In addition to being quite interesting in and of itself - which it truly is - I wonder if others (myself included) would be capable of doing something similar in other areas of Canadian military history? What do you think?

New Books, a Family Tree and a Flag

2009-08-07T09:01:00.000-04:00

A bit of miscellany for this post.

The Spring 2009 catalogue for the UBC Press is out and contains three new publications of particular interest to students of Canadian military history:

Bennett, Y.A. (Ed.), Kiss the kids for dad, Don't forget to write: The Wartime Letters of George Timmins, 1916-18 (July 2009);

"Between 1916 and 1918, Lance-Corporal George Timmins, a British-born soldier who served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, wrote faithfully to his wife and children. Sixty-three letters and four fragments survived.

These letters tell the compelling story of a man who, while helping his fellow Canadians make history at Vimy, Lens, Passchendaele, and Amiens, used letters home to remain a presence in the lives of his wife and children, and who drew strength from his family to appreciate life's simple pleasures. Timmin's letters offer a rare glimpse into the experiences and relationships and the quiet heroism of ordinary soldiers on the Western Front."

Carroll, Michael K., Pearson's Peacekeepers: Canada and the United Nations Emergency Force, 1956-67 (May 2009):

"In 1957 Lester Pearson won the Nobel Peace Prize for creating the United Nations Emergency Force during the Suez Crisis. The award launched Canada's love affair with, and reputation for, peacekeeping. Pearson's Peacekeepers explores the reality behind the rhetoric by offering a detailed account of the UNEF's decade-long effort to keep peace along the Egyptian-Israeli border. The operation was a tremendous achievement, yet the UNEF also encountered formidable challenges and problems. This nuanced account of Canada's participation in the UNEF not only challenges received notions of Canadian identity and history but will also help students, policy makers, and concerned citizens to accurately evaluate international peacekeeping efforts in the present."

Shaw, Amy J., Crisis of Conscience: Conscientious Objection in Canada during the First World War (November 2008):

"The First World War's appalling death toll and the need for a sense of equality of sacrifice on the home front led to Canada's first experience of overseas conscription. While historians have focused on resistance to enforced military service in Quebec, this has obscured the important role of those who saw military service as incompatible with their religious or ethical beliefs. Crisis of Conscience is the first and only book about the Canadian pacifists who refused to fight in the Great War. The experience of these conscientious objectors offers insight into evolving attitudes about the rights and responsibilities of citizenship during a key period of Canadian nation building.

This book will appeal to readers interested in Canadian military and peace history. The book is also relevant to those concerned with questions of voluntarism and obligation in a democratic society, and issues of gender history and minority freedom and identity."

I'm particularly looking forward to seeing Bennett's book on George Timmins. I often find the thoughts of an "other rank" to be particularly insightful and the First World War is easily my favourite period of Canadian military history.

This past Wednesday, The Globe and Mail ran an obituary piece by Buzz Bourdon on the late Jean-Antoine de Lotbinière Panet. Talk about Canada's military heritage being wrapped up in one family. In general, the story of the Panet family isn't completely unknown, Jacques Gouin and Lucien Brault having written Les Panet de Québec : histoire d'une lignée militaire in 1984 (translated as Legacy of Honour: The Panets, Canada's foremost military family in 1985).

Finally, I've been holding onto the reference for a story from yourbarrh aven.com (Barrhaven is a suburb of Ottawa) since February. Titled "Algonquin students preser ve Ca nadian history", the article describes how two Algonquin College museum studies students - Michelle Hunter and Meredith Thompson - were working on preserving a Royal Union Flag (Union Jack) and a Red Cross flag belonging to the Prince Edward Island Regimental Museum in Charlottetown. It appears both flags were flown by No. 2 Canadian Stationary Hospital (the first Canadian unit to serve on the continent during the First World War) in France. I'd love to know how things worked out with the preservation process. Très cool.

A Thought on Archival Collections

2009-08-04T21:43:00.001-04:00

I recently sent off an electronic resources piece to Mike Bechthold at Canadian Military History for the next issue on the archival catalogue for the Canadian War Museum archives. In the course of researching the piece I noticed a finding aid for their General Currie papers, and in it was the mention of two Currie items re the 38th Battalion, CEF. Now, I've been researching the history of the 38th for a long time now, and am well into writing the battalion's history, but here were two items I hadn't seen yet, even though I've been to the CWM archives a few times now. Makes me wonder what else I've missed. Even more problematic, it makes me wonder what else is out there that is relevant that I don't even know about. At the same time, if such concerns gain the upper hand, then an historian would never finish a project.

This and That

2009-08-02T19:49:00.003-04:00

First, the science. I've just finished reading Bill Bryson's 2003 A Short History of Nearly Everything, a history of science and scientists aimed decidedly at the non-scientist. It's pretty much intended as an overview of scientific accomplishments in fields ranging from astronomy to quantum physics to molecular biology. It's written in a popular tone, no particular scientific foreknowledge needed (thankfully, otherwise I'd never get through it with my Grade 10 science (I only took Physics after that). A very enjoyable and informative read.

What does it have to do with Canadian military history? Absolutely nothing. I try to force myself on occasion to read material way outside my norm. I find it helps keep my interests a little more balanced, and helps me try to get some other perspectives on my own work. What does Bryson's book do for me as a military historian, other than confirm that Canada's military heritage is extremely recent in the big picture? Well, for one thing, it revealed a pattern of narrative which I'd love to see mimiced by a Canadian military historian. We hear and read lots about how Canadians don't know their own history, including their military history. If there were a Canadian military history text along the narrative patterns of Bryson's work, I think we'd see a few more heads turned. This isn't a shot at any of the existing work, just an observation.

Now for something completely different, as they say.

The July 2009 new books list is out on the Library and Archives Canada website and has, as usual, some interesting new titles to announce, including:

Bercuson, David J., The Fighting Canadians: Our Regimental History from New France to Afghanistan (Toronto, 2009);

Engen, Robert C., Canadians Under Fire: Infantry Effectiveness in the Second World War (Montreal, 2009);

Hillier, Rick, A Soldier First: Bullets, Bureaucrats and the Politics of War (Toronto, 2009);

Inches, Cyrus F., Uncle Cy's War: The First World War Letters of Major Cyrus F. Inches (Fredericton, 2009); and

Vance, Jonathan F., Unlikely Soldiers: How two Canadians fought the Secret War against Nazi Occupation (Toronto, 2009).

From the titles alone, I'm quite interested in reading Engen's book on the infantry during the Second World War. I'll also be curious to see Hillier's memoirs, although as a civil servant I admit to cringing whenever I see "bureaucrat" and its usual negative connotations appear anywhere.

Latest Issue of Canadian Military History

2009-08-01T22:51:00.002-04:00

I've received and read the Spring 2009 issue (vol.18, no.2) of Canadian Military History from the good folks at the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University. This issue includes the following articles:

Brennan, Patrick, "'Completely Worn Out by Service in France': Combat Stress and Breakdown among Senior Officers in the Canadian Corps";

Brown, Eric and Tim Cook, "The Hendershot Brothers in the Great War";

Evans, Ivor, "Comparison of British and American Areas in Normandy in terms of Fire Support and its Effects (AORG Report No.292);

Manulak, Michael W., "Equal Partners, Though Not of Equal Strength: The Military Diplomacy of General Charles Foulkes and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization";

Ridler, Jason S., "From Nagasaki to Toronto: Omond Solandt and the Defence Research Board's Early Vision of Atomic Warfare, 1945-1947"; and

Sarty, Roger and Bruce Ellis, "Connaught Battery and the Defence of the Atlantic Coast, 1906-1941".

I was particularly interested in Patrick Brennan's piece on combat stress amongst the senior leaders of the Canadian Corps. (This is not a comment on the other articles, just a reflection of my particular myopic interests). Study senior personnel and staff officers long enough and it's often apparent that the effects of war can be just as psychologically damaging to them as to other, more continuously "front line" personnel, even if the opportunities for physical injury are less common. Within my own research on the 38th Battalion, CEF, I've long found it amazing that Lieutenant-Colonel Cameron Macpherson Edwards, commanding officer of the 38th, lasted as long as he did. He took over the reins of the battalion in Canada in January 1915 and commanded the 38th in the field from its deployment in August 1916 to September 1918 (less time wounded, on leave, or acting as brigadier), by which time he was 37 years old. On the other hand, Major Thain Wendell MacDowell, one of Canada's Victoria Cross recipients, did not fare as well psychologically, his war ending in 1917 when battlefield trauma accumulated beyond the breaking point.

Unfortunately, there was no "electronic resources" piece by me in this edition of CMH. That was my fault, as I simply did not get someting submitted in time. I should make the next issue.

Oh, by the way, many thanks for the e-mails I've received since my last post welcoming me back and offering assistance.

Let's Try This Again

2009-07-28T21:58:00.004-04:00

I'm back, hopefully for good. I was never happy with giving up The Cannon's Mouth, but I didn't feel I had much of a choice. I've spent some time thinking about how I could resume posting in the limited time I have available. For now, the conclusion I've reached is that I'll try and post once a week or more if possible, on books or articles I've read, on material I've run across, work I'm doing or other projects I've heard of. Given my time restraints I won't be trying to present everything that's new out there, but will focus on what interests me most. After all, it's my blog.

Among the many items of interest in the July 2009 issue of The Journal of Military History, there is a very interesting article by Brian Holden Reid, titled "Michael Howard and the Evolution of Modern War Studies". I found this piece to be extremely interesting, helping me to place into a larger context the work of someone that I've always found to be extremely interesting, very well-written and thought provoking. I actually graduated with a PhD in German history and Howard's The Franco-Prussian War still appeals to me as a model of how to write about such a conflict. As a strong proponent of the war studies / war and society school of historical inquiry, as shown by the following excerpt where he writes about the French defeat resulting from problems with command and that nation's military system, his work continues to be of relevance for Canadian military historians: "...and the military system of a nation is not an independent section of the social system but an aspect of it in its totality."

The End

2008-12-30T10:33:00.001-05:00

It is with much disappointment that I must make this my final post on The Cannon's Mouth. Researching and writing this blog has been a great experience for me. However, increasing work and family committments and responsibilities make it obvious that I no longer have the time available to give to this blog. I truly wish it were otherwise. Thank you for reading.