Veterans' Stories at McGill University Website

I recently stumbled across some items concerning Canadian military history on the McGill University website called McGill Remembers: The Veteran. This is a small portal to a handful of stories concerning war and the university. The site quotes former university President F. Cyril James: "We who are alive today, free men and women in a democratic community, can never forget the extent of our obligation to all, but, being human, each one will think especially on the memory of those who were kindred or close friends."

The portal leads to stories on the university's "War Records Office" during the Second World War, the university's "Roll of Honour" and a couple of public contributions.

One of the stories I found particularly interesting, that of Flying Officer William Joseph Allison, one Canadian serving on a Royal Air Force Wellington bomber crew, all of whom perished during a mission on 20 November 1944. The story revolves around the mission and the subsequent search for family in an attempt to bring Allison's relatives to the crash site and memorial.

Call for Papers for the 14th Annual Air Force Historical Workshop

The Canadian Forces Aerospace Warfare Centre has issued a call for papers for the 14th Annual Air Force Historical Workshop, to be held on 24-25 September 2008, in Ottawa, Ontario. This year's workshop is titled "Maple Leaf Aloft: The Historical Dimensions of Canadian Air Power Leadership." As the poster notes:

The current security environment brings with it a broad range of challenges for leaders at all rank levels within the Canadian Air Force. Yet, many of these challenges are not new. Throughout our history, both at home and abroad, during peace and in combat, Canadian airmen and airwomen consistently demonstrated their ability to overcome adversity and accomplish their assigned missions both in the air and on the ground. Key to our successes has been air force leadership.

The purpose of this workshop is to explore the historical dimension of Canadian air power leadership in all of its facets. Topics may deal with an individual, command relationships, civil-military interaction, leadership in a coalition, peacetime / wartime leadership requirements, leadership training, etc. Topics need not be limited to flying operations. Individuals interested in presenting a paper should forward a short one or two paragraph proposal to Major Bill March prior to 21 June 2008. Notification of selection will be provided by 30 June 2008.

For further information contact Major Bill March at tel 613-392-2811 ext. 4656, at fax 613-965-2096 or by e-mail at march.wa@forces.gc.ca.

Latest issue of Legion Magazine

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

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

Terry Copp, "Breaching the Hitler Line";

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

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

Marc Milner, "The Wolf Packs";

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

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

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

Program for the 19th Military History Colloquium

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Latest issue of Canadian Historical Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Programme for the 87th Meeting of the Canadian Historical Association

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

New book on the Broken Arrow story

Calgary historian Norman Leach has sent me a press release for his latest book, Broken Arrow: America's First Lost Nuclear Weapon, published by Red Deer Press in February 2008. The press release asks: "Did an atomic bomb lie undetected for years in coastal British Columbia?" The story Leach tells concerns the crash in northern British Columbia of an American B-36 bomber on a flight from Alaska to San Francisco in February 1950. Questions surround the presence of a nuclear weapon onboard the aircraft, its fate, the fate of the crew, and what actually happened during the flight and crash of the B-36. For further information on the book contact Val Burke-Harland, Associate Publisher, Red Deer Press, at val@reddeerpress.com or (403) 509-0803.

New books (January 2008) at Library and Archives Canada

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

Donald Hickey, Don't Give up the Ship!: Myths of the War of 1812 (Montreal: Robin Brass Studio, 2008);

Kevin Patterson and Jane Warren (eds.), Outside the Wire: The War in Afghanistan in the Words of its Participants (Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2008);

Michael Petrou, Renegades: Canadians in the Spanish Civil War (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2008);

Steve Pitt, Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox (Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2008);

3rd Windsor Military Studies Conference

There has been a change to one of the presentations at this conference (Hayes vice Copp), so I'm posting a revised version:

The 3rd Windsor Military Studies Conference is to be held at the Major F.A. Tilson, VC Armoury, 4007 Sandwich Street, Windsor, Ontario, on 15-16 February 2008.

Dr. Desmond Morton will begin the conference with the keynote address on "The Final 100 Days". Dr. Geoffrey Hayes will speak on "Rethinking Vimy Ridge: 90 Years On", while Dr. Susan Mann will deliver "War and the Making of Maj Margaret Macdonald". Switching gears, Lieutenant-Colonel David L. Bashow will speak on "The Canadian War Museum and the Bomber Command Controversy" and Major Ron Miller will lead a panel discussion on "Current Canadian Operations".

Lectures at The Military Museums (in Calgary)

Calgary's The Military Museums continues its series of lectures in the early months of 2008 including (each talk begins at 7.30 p.m., preceded by a cocktail reception one hour earlier):

Stephane Guevremont, "Shipbusters" [404 Squadron, RCAF], 21 February 2008;

Christine Leppard, "Task Forces and Tactical Innovations: Re-thinking the Liri Valley Campaign, Italy 1944", 20 March 2008;

Alison Mercer, "Evaluating the Soldier's General: An Analytical and Comparative Study of Bert Hoffmeister's Command Approach", 27 March 2008;

Norman Leach, "The Making of Passchendaele" [the movie], 3 April 2008; and

Russell Benneweis, "Training of the Canadian Army", 17 April 2008.

Annual Meeting of the National Council on Public History

I recently received the programme for the Annual Meeting of the National Council on Public History, titled "Public Histories of Union and Disunion", to be held at The Brown Hotel, in Louisville, Kentucky, from 10 to 13 April 2008. It's an interesting gathering, particularly to someone like me who works in the public history field. Usually, however, I wouldn't mention it on this blog, except that this year there will actually be a presentation involving Canadian military history. In the session labeled "Contested History: Museum Presentations and Controversy" one of the speakers will be Dean Oliver of the Canadian War Museum, speaking on "Strategic Bombing and the Canadian War Museum".

Latest Issue of Legion Magazine

The January/February 2008 issue of Legion Magazine has been published, and contains the following items of specific interest to Canadian military history:

Sharon Adams, "Shaped by Sacrifice";

David J. Bercuson, "Regimental Traditions in Times of War";

John Boileau, "Battle Honours of the Canadian Forces", Part 1: "War of 1812";

Terry Copp, "Advancing on the Hitler Line";

Adam Day, "The Circle of Remembrance";

Adam Day, "Operation Medusa: The Battle for Panjwai", Part 3: "The Fall of Objective Rugby";

Hugh A. Halliday, "Canadians Against the Bolsheviks";

Tom MacGregor, "Maintaining the Silent 'Cities of Stone'";

Marc Milner, "The Threat Becomes Real";

Master Corporal Matthew Parsons, "The Battle of Panjwai: A Soldier's Story: Ambush at the White School";

as well as a handful of book reviews by J.L. Granatstein.

The Canada at War Books List

Recently, while doing a search for a particular new publication I'd heard about, I came across CanadaAtWar.com: A Books List, a website listing many, many, many publications in Canadian military history. Don (no last name provided), notes on the site that he started it after he "became frustrated with trying to locate books about Canada's military history using keyword searches on the online book sellers. By using key word, isbn, title, author searches and relying heavily on The Canadian Military Experience, 1867-1995: A Bibliography, this list has been created. I hope this site helps others to locate the books they want."

The site is divided into two major parts: the first providing an overall "Booklogue" for the years 1993 to present, each containing all listed titles published in that particular year. The second part divides the booklists into pre-First World War, First World War, Second World War, and post-Second World War categories for easy viewing.

Don explicitly asks visitors to his site to let him know if books listed are no longer available for purchase, to let him know of new titles and where they can be purchased, and to tell others about the site. He closes his "about" page with: "I realize that this site isn't a 'high tech' site, but I do hope it is useful." The Canada at Wars Book List is extremely useful, and proof that substance is still more important than glamour.

Book Review of Eric McGeer's Words of Valediction and Remembrance

This review, my latest of a recent Vanwell Publishing Limited release, is of Eric McGeer's Words of Valediction and Remembrance: Canadian Epitaphs of the Second World War (Vanwell, 2008). When I first thought about writing this review I wasn't at all sure what to say about this book. I'm still not. An interesting subject. Well-researched. Organized in a difficult fashion.

Eric McGeer, a history and Latin teacher in Toronto, Ontario, has most definitely put his heart into this book, and it shows. This is, above all else, a labour of love and a definite tribute to the possibilities of material history - a form of public history still underutilized in Canada, particularly in the study of Canadian military history.

Words of Valediction and Remembrance deals with the text found on Canadian military headstones of the Second World War - in particular the bottom few lines where family were given room by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to record their own statements of fact, emotion, and memory. A visit by the author to Normandy in 1998 led to his reading these epitaphs:

It struck me that in their abundance and diversity these individual expressions of sorrow and consolation, touching, heartfelt, and permanent, spoke more poignantly than any memorial for the burden of loss borne by thousands of parents, wives, and children for the rest of their lives.

McGeer explains that the intention of the book is to provide the reader with "a meaningful testimonial to the efforts and sacrifice of an earlier generation". Not only does it reflect the losses suffered by the individual themselves, but also those of the family left behind. To do this the author has gathered as many examples as possible - although not too many in his opinion - from cemeteries well-known and obscure throughout the various Canadian theatres of the Second World War.

Most of the chapters in the book revolve around a particular theme. He begins by discussing Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery in France as an introduction to the subject and its general place in the Canadian wartime experience. It is here that the reader gets some of the details about the typical headstone - the types of information contained, the order of information, and the fact that up to sixty-six characters were permitted for "a personal inscription" - the epitaph. Throughout the chapter, and every subsequent chapter, are examples of epitaphs supporting particular areas of discussion. Some are formulaic, others heartfelt, others absolutely distraught (for the family and the reader).

McGeer then moves on to Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery in France - from "up" to "down" emotionally - and the haunting memory which the wartime operation still leaves and which the cemetery can only reinforce. Then comes Calais Canadian War Cemetery in France as the centrepiece of a discussion on the influence of the epitaphs and memory of the First World War on the Second World War inscriptions. If nothing else, and there is much else to digest in the chapter, it is - as the author points out - a reminder that for the soldiers and families the losses of the First and Second World Wars were only a matter of a few years apart.

Holten Canadian War Cemetery in the Netherlands provides the core for the discussion of the connections of wartime epitaphs with themes brought forward throughout Western civilization from the time of antiquity. The losses suffered by the members of the Royal Canadian Air Force are introduced by Hanover War Cemetery, in Germany, a reminder that although First World War Canadian headstones are (statistically) almost entirely army-related, in the Second World War the air force shared the staggering losses suffered by the army. Here, and elsewhere throughout the war graves system, the badge of the Royal Canadian Air Force lies alongside airmen from throughout the Commonwealth.

Adegem Canadian War Cemetery in Belgium provides the scene for a discussion of professions of loyalty - to Canada, to the empire, to each other - as a theme of epitaphs. Next comes a chapter simply listing epitaphs in chronological order, an attempt "to replicate a visit to any given war cemetery."

A discussion of epitaphs specific to French-Canadians, with Gradara War Cemetery in Italy as the base, is next, the author's goal to show the themes - both common and different from other Canadians - found in French-Canadian inscriptions. Next comes Cassino War Cemetery in Italy as a similar discussion of Canadian ethnic minorities - epitaphs which come in a multitude of languages and alphabets and reflect common and some unique themes. Agira Canadian War Cemetery in Sicily likewise sets the stage for Jewish-Canadians and the epitaphs provided by their families.

Finally, McGeer returns to Normandy in the form of Bretteville-sur-Laize Cemetery, as he completes the loop and provides closure to the subject.

As I said at the very beginning of this review, I'm not sure what to say about this book. I think it is definitely a worthy and important subject. Yet, I'm not certain this was the best way to deal with it. Sometimes, I found there to be a conflict - as a reader - between my emotional reaction to the epitaphs and the analytical work which McGeer was trying to undertake. It's hard to read with your heart and your mind at the same time.

Sometimes, I was simply overwhelmed with the number of epitaphs quoted.

Most of all, however, I think had the hardest time with the organization of the book. In short, I'm not sure tying a theme to a particular cemetery worked all that well. It might, in my opinion, have been better to allow the themes to dominate, with the particular locations being less prominent. I realize that doing that would have defeated the purpose of encouraging notice of particular cemeteries in the first place. I don't have the answer. All I know is that this might be part of the difficulty in trying to marry up "commemoration" (emotional) with "memory studies" (analytical) - a combination which lays at the foundation of this book.

Regardless of this - and maybe I'm the only reader having a hard time taking it all in - McGeer writes that his "main purpose in writing this book has been to inspire Canadians travelling abroad to visit the war cemeteries where their forebears lie at rest and to look with renewed interest at the story that the monuments and epitaphs combine to tell."

Words of Valediction and Remembrance absolutely fulfils that purpose.

Two new(ish) books on the Royal Canadian Air Force

I recently ran across a web article on the Air Command website entitled "One's a mystery, one's a miracle" discussing two recent publications in the history of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The first book, Lost in War: The Brave Life and Mysterious Death of a Canadian Airman, by James T. Watt (Orillia, ON: Troutspawn Pub., 2006), deals with the career of Sergeant Henrik Guttormson, killed in action on 5 March 1945. The second book, Gold Medal "Misfits": How the Unwanted 1948 Flyers Scored Olympic Glory, by Pat MacAdam (Ancaster, ON: Manor House Pub., 2007), tells the story of the 1948 Gold-medal winning RCAF hockey team.

New books (November) at Library and Archives Canada

Library and Archives Canada (www.collectionscanada.ca) has released its new books list for November 2007. The list includes the following items of interest (including some that had not yet been released for sale) with respect to Canadian military history:

Fred Bagley, They Answered the Call: Nine Canadians go to War (Calgary, 2007);

William Arthur Bishop, True Canadian Battles that Forged our Nation, (reprint of Canada's Glory) (Toronto, 2008);

Waite Brooks, A Midshipman's Story: The British Pacific Fleet in World War II and Other Experiences (Victoria, 2008);

P. Whitney Lackenbauer and Craig Leslie Mantle (Eds.), Aboriginal Peoples and the Canadian Military Historical Perspectives (Winnipeg, 2007);

Blake W. Smith, Wings over the Wilderness: They Flew the Trail of '42 (Surrey, BC, 2007);

G. Gordon Symons, The Boys of Spring: An Autobiography from World War II, revised edition (Toronto, 2007); and

Jim Wallace, No Colours No Drums: Canadians in the South African Constabulary (Winnipeg, 2008).

Latest issue of Legion Magazine

The November/December 2007 issue of Legion Magazine (www.legionmagazine.com) has been published and contains the following items with respect to Canadian military history: Sharron Arksey, "One Family's Tree"; Terry Copp, "Breaking the Gustav Line"; Adam Day, "Operation Medusa: The Battle for Panjwai, Part 2, Death in a Fire Free Zone"; Hugh A. Halliday, "Lost to Friendly Fire"; Tom MacGregor, "Hall of Valour aims to tell Heroes' Stories"; and Marc Milner, "First Blood in the Atlantic", as well as a handful of book reviews from J.L. Granatstein.

Latest issue of the Canadian Historical Review

Volume 88, No 3 (September 2007) of The Canadian Historical Review has been published. No articles on Canadian military history this time around, but there are book reviews of Tim Cook's Clio'sWarriors: Canadian Historians and the Writing of the World Wars; Brian Reid's No Holding Back: Operation Totalize, Normandy, August 1944; Michael Gabriel's Quebec during the American Invasion: The Journal of François Baby, Gabriel Taschereau, and Jenkin Williams; Bill Parenteau and Stephen Dutcher's (eds.) War on the Home Front: The Farm Diaries of Daniel MacMillan, 1914-1927; and Faye Kert's Trimming Yankees Sails: Pirates and Privateers of New Brunswick.

This issue's "Recent Publications Relating to Canada" (prepared by Michael D. Stevenson) includes the following of interest to Canadian military history:

Ted Barris, Victory at Vimy: Canada Comes of Age, April 9-12, 1917 (Markham, ON, 2006);

John Blaxland, "Strategic Cousins: Canada, Australia and Their Use of Expeditionary Forces from the Boer War to the War on Terror", PhD dissertation, Royal Military College of Canada, 2004;

Stephen Brumwell, Paths of Glory: The Life and Death of General James Wolfe (Montreal, 2007);

David Campbell, "The Divisional Experience of the C.E.F.: A Social and Operational History of the 2nd Canadian Division, 1915-1918", PhD dissertation, University of Calgary, 2004;

Frances Jewel Dickson, The DEW Line Years: Voices from the Coldest Cold War (East Lawrencetown, 2007);

Tom Douglas, The Battle of Vimy Ridge: The Great Canadian Victory of World War I (Canmore, AB, 2007);

Daniel Galvin, "A Role of Canada in an African Crisis: Perceptions of the Congo Crisis and Motivations for Canadian Participation", MA thesis, University of Guelph, 2004;

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

James Goodwin, Our Gallant Doctor: Surgeon-Lieutenant George Hendry and HMCS Ottawa (Toronto, 2007);

W. James MacDonald, Honour Roll: The Nova Scotia Overseas Highland Brigade (Sydney, 2007);

John Maker, "Battalion Leadership in the Essex Scottish Regiment and the 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade during the Second World War", MA thesis, Wilfrid Laurier University, 2004;

Marc Milner, D-Day to Carpiquet: The North Shore Regiment and the Liberation of Europe (Fredericton, 2007);

John Nelson Rickard, "McNaughton's Dagger: The Raising, Training, and Employment of the Canadian Army, 1939-1943", PhD dissertation, University of New Brunswick, 2006;

Julie Root, "Canadian-American Relations and the United Nations Temporary Commission on Korea, 1947 to 1948", MA thesis, University of New Brunswick, 2005;

Gordon E. Tolton, Prairie Warships: River Navigation in the Northwest Rebellion (Surrey, 2007); and

Richard Walker, "The Political Management of Army Leadership: The Evolution of Canadian Civil-Army Relations, 1898-1945", PhD dissertation, University of Western Ontario, 2004.

Upcoming lecture on the Bomber Command Controversy at the CWM

The Brigadier Milton F. Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society has announced an upcoming Remembrance Week Public Lecture by Dr. Serge Durflinger, Department of History, University of Ottawa, and former Second World War Gallery Manager at the Canadian War Museum, entitled "Bomber Campaign Controversy at the Canadian War Museum: Context and Perspective". This talk will take place in Tilley Hall, Room 102, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, at 7.30 p.m. on 7 November 2007. For further information, contact the centre at (506)-453-4587 or greggcentre@unb.ca.

Latest issue of Legion Magazine

The September/October 2007 issue of Legion Magazine is out and contains a few items of interest to students of Canadian military history. These include:

Tim Cook, "1917: The Other Battles";

Terry Copp, "Draining the Devil's Brigade";

Adam Day, "Operation MEDUSA: The Battle for Panjwai - Part 1: The Charge of Charlie Company" (okay, so it's really recent Canadian military history);

Hugh A. Halliday, "Tales of Flight" (RCAF prisoners of war);

Marc Milner, "Starting Wartime Expansion" (of the Royal Canadian Navy);

as well as book reviews by J.L. Granatstein of W.A.B. Douglas, et.al., A Blue Water Navy: The Official Operational History of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War, 1943-45; James Goodwin, "Our Gallant Doctor": Enigma and Tragedy: Surgeon Lieutenant George Hendry and HMCS Ottawa, 1942; Stephen Brumwell, Paths of Glory: The Life and Death of General James Wolfe; and, Paul Douglas Dickson, A Thoroughly Canadian General: A Biography of General H.D.G. Crerar.