The Canadian Letters and Images Project

I had an opportunity to take another look at the Canadian Letters and Images Project. As the "about us" page on the site notes, it is "an onlive archive of the Canadian war experience, from any war, as told through the letters and images of Canadians themselves. It began in August 2000, located in the Department of History at Malaspina University College. In November 2003 the Project was very pleased to bring in as partners the History Department at The University of Western Ontario. Students at Western will be working under the guidance of Dr. Jonathan Vance, Canada Research Chair in Conflict and Culture. This partnership between Malaspina and Western will ensure that more material can made to the public through the Project web site." This site has an incredible amount of documentation - letters, postcards, photographs, and so on - from Canadians serving before and during the World Wars, and after. This is potentially a useful research tool for various projects, but is also simply just an incredible - and continually growing - read.

Terry Copp's upcoming "Cinderella Army"

The University of Toronto Press is advertising Terry Copp's upcoming part two of his comprehensive work on the First Canadian Army in Northwest Europe. Cinderella Army: The Canadians in Northwest Europe, 1944-1945 is due out in September 2006 and set out to continue the story from his "controversial and award-winning" 2003 Fields of Fire by providing a detailed examination of the last nine months of the Canadian formation's fighting in Northwest Europe.

Tim Cook's latest article

Tim Cook, one of the historians at the Canadian War Museum, has continued his impressive run of publications on the First World War with an article in the latest issue of The Journal of Military History (vol. 70, no.3 (July 2006)). "The Politics of Surrender: Canadian Soldiers and the Killing of Prisoners in the Great War" is an excellent piece dealing with the troubling, yet very real, issue of German prisoners of war and their status during the First World War. I've found other examples of this subject matter in my own research on the 38th Battalion, CEF, during the war. In particular, the events surrounding the capture of seventy-seven Germans by Captain Thain Wendell MacDowell (for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross) and two runners during 9 April 1917 attack on Vimy Ridge pretty much ran the gamut of the difficulties of negotiating surrender which Tim writes about (although he does not use this particular example). When finished, this section of the 38th history will help show the tragedy and reality of war.

More news from Robin Brass Studio

The Robin Brass Studio website is advertising for release in August 2006 Hugh Halliday's latest book on medals and decorations. His latest is "Valour Reconsidered: Inquiries into the Victoria Cross and Other Awards for Extreme Bravery" and examines how the British Empire's highest decoration for bravery has been awarded. I had an opportunity to read Hugh's manuscript, was very impressed, and look forward to the publication of the final product.

New book from John Clearwater

John Clearwater has a new book coming out this October from the University of Calgary Press. Just Dummies: Cruise Missile Testing in Canada covers the political and military history surrounding the testing of cruise missiles in Canada from 1979 to 2000. John is eminently qualified to write such a history, having already researched and published extensively on the history of nuclear weapons in Canada.

Long absence

I would like to apologize, first of all, for my long absence from this blog. Between work and family life I simply hadn't been able to find the time to post entries. But, I'm back now.

A couple of weeks ago I continued my research on the history of the 38th Battalion, CEF, at the archives of the Canadian War Museum here in Ottawa. A few years back, when the archives were still located in the old bus terminal at Vimy House, I had thought that I'd finished with the research there. But, with the move to the new building, new material seems to have surfaced, or become more accessible, and Carol Reid, the chief archivist, is more than happy to show it to any researcher. There is also new archival material being received and catalogued all the time, and I found a handful of extremely useful items relating to the 38th which will be very useful. Carol and the rest of the staff at the museum's military history research centre and very friendly and helpful. If you give them enough notice that you'd like to make a visit to conduct research (always the right thing to do with an archives you've not been to before), they will pull material for you beforehand, ready for your arrival.

On the main page of the museum's website you will find a pull down menu in the upper right corner. Select "library catalogue" to take you to a page with the museum's online searchable database of books and documents. They've even added a search for newly-received items. This is an extremely useful resource and shows what a fascination and, I think, relatively unknown collection the war museum houses.

Latest from Robin Brass Studios

The website for Robin Brass Studios, producer of some of the most beautifully-produced Canadian military histories, notes that in June 2006 it will be releasing Hugh A. Halliday's "Valour Reconsidered: Inquiries into the Victoria Cross and Other Awards for Bravery." The site also describes some other recent publications of theirs of note to this blog: Robert Malcomson's "A Very Brillian Affair: The Battle of Queenston Heights" is now available in paperback; Donald R. Hickey's "Don't Give Up the Ship: Myths of the War of 1812"; Brian A. Reid's "No Holding Back: Operation Totalize, Normandy, August 1944"; Donald E. Graves' "Century of Service: The History of The South Alberta Light Horse"; and, the second edition of Donald E. Graves' "South Albertas: A Canadian Regiment at War."

Latest Issue of Canadian Military Journal

Canadian Military Journal, vol.7, no.1 (Spring 2006) is out, and contains articles of interest to this blog - "E.L.M. Burns - A Crisis of Command", by Major J.P. Johnston, and "The Summer of 1943: An Episode in the Battle of the St. Lawrence River - Surveillance, Defence and Propaganda" by André Kirouac.

Canadian Military History's latest issue

Volume 15, Number 1 (Winter 2006) of Canadian Military History is out and includes articles from Christopher Pugsley ("Learning from the Canadian Corps on the Western Front"), David O'Keefe ("'Pushing Their Necks Out': Ultra, The Black Watch, and Command Relations, May-sur-Orne, Normandy, 5 August 1944"), Michelle Fowler ("Faith, Hope and Love: The Wartime Motivations of Lance Corporal Frederick Spratlin, MM and Bar, 3rd Battalion, CEF"), Tim Cook ("'My Whole Heart and Soul is in this War': The Letters and War Service of Sergeant G.L. Ormsby"), and James Whitham ("A Trophy of the First World War in the Air: Captain William Wendell Rogers' and his Victory over a German Gotha Bomber, 12 December 1917"), as well as features on Vimy Ridge and the Liberation of the Netherlands.

Mark Zuehlke's current projects

A quick review of Mark Zuehlke's website shows that - in terms of military history projects - he has several coming out in the next year or so. For Honour's Sake: The War of 1812 and the Brokering of an Uneasy Peace is listed as forthcoming as of Fall 2006; a revised version of The Canadian Military Atlas: Four Centuries of Conflict from New France to Kosovo in Fall 2006; a reprinted version of The Gallant Cause: Canadians in the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939 in Fall 2007; and, The Scheldt: Canada's Bitterest World War II Battle - October-November 1944 in Fall 2007.