New historical fiction on Canada in the First World War

I recently received an e-mail from a reader of this blog, retired Canadian Forces' officer Michael J. Goodspeed, mentioning that he'd recently published his latest book through Blue Butterfly Books, an historical novel called Three to a Loaf: A Novel of the Great War. As the publisher's website notes:

Three to a Loaf is the First World War story of Rory Ferrall, a young Canadian officer of Anglo-German descent who, after being wounded and disfigured at Ypres, comes to the attention of British military intelligence. Ferrall's German background is valuable to the war's planners. Hundreds of German-Americans had returned to the Fatherland to fight for the Kaiser at the outbreak of war in August 1914 and the British captured one. Cleverly trained to impersonate the captured German-American officer, Ferrall is smuggled into wartime Germany to infiltrate the German General Staff and discover their top-secret plan to break the stalemate on the Western Front.

A page-turning novel of war and espionage, Three to a Loaf is also a portrait of societies and individuals pushed to the breaking point, and in some cases, beyond. Michael Goodspeed artfully blends the tension of a thriller with period detail, the detached commentary of a nitty-gritty travelogue, and psychological understanding of a harried man facing soul-destroying ethical decisions.

Copies of the novel can be purchased from the publisher's website or at bookstores such as Chapters.

Index of The Canadian Historical Review part 4

A continuing look at the back issues of The Canadian Historical Review from vol.31, no.1 (1950) onward reveals a lot of content of interest to readers of Canadian military history, including:

Vol.31, No.1 (1950):

Donald M.A.R. Vince, "The Acting Overseas Sub-Militia Council and the Resignation of Sir Sam Hughes", pp.1-24;

Vol.31, No.2 (1950):

George F.G. Stanley, "The Indians in the War of 1812", pp.145-165;

Vol.32, No.1 (1951):

W.H. Nelson, "The Last Hopes of the American Loyalists", pp.22-42;

Vol.32, No.2 (1951):

C.P. Stacey, "Commodore Chauncey's Attack on Kingston Harbour, November 10, 1812", pp.126-138;

Vol.32, No.4 (1951):

David Lowenthal, "The Maine Press and the Aroostook War", pp.315-336;

Vol.33, No.4 (1952):

C.P. Stacey, "Canada and the Nile Expedition of 1884-85", pp.319-340;

Vol.34, No.2 (1953):

Gerald S. Graham, "Views of General Murray on the Defence of Upper Canada, 1815", pp.158-165;

Vol.35, No.2 (1954):

Alice R. Stewart, "Sir John A. Macdonald and the Imperial Defence Commission of 1879", pp.119-139;

Vol.35, No.4 (1954):

J. Mackay Hitsman and C.C.J. Bond, "The Assault Landing at Louisbourg, 1758", pp.314-330;

Vol.36, No.2 (1955):

H.S. Ferns and Bernard Ostry, "Mackenzie King and the First World War", pp.93-112;

Vol.36, No.3 (1955):

C.P. Stacey, "Britain's Withdrawal from North America, 1864-1871", pp.185-198;

Alvin C. Gluek Jr., "The Riel Rebellion and Canadian-American Relations", pp.199-221;

Vol.36, No.4 (1955):

Harold A. Davis, "The Fenian Raid on New Brunswick", pp.316-334;

Vol.37, No.2 (1956):

Gerald S. Graham, "The Defences of Canada, 1710", pp.167-169;

Vol.37, No.3 (1956):

W.J. Eccles, "Frontenac's Military Policies, 1689-1698: A Reassessment", pp.201-224;

Vol.37, No.4 (1956):

A.W. Willms, "Conscription, 1917: A Brief for the Defence", pp.338-351;

Richard A. Preston, "The Journals of General Sir F.P. Robinson, G.C.B.", pp.352-355;

Vol.38, No.1 (1957):

C.P. Stacey, "John A. Macdonald on Raising Troops in Canada for Imperial Service, 1885", pp.37-40;

Vol.38, No.4 (1957):

Guy R. MacLean, "The Canadian Offer of Troops for Hong Kong, 1894", pp.275-283;

Vol.39, No.1 (1958):

Robin W. Winks, "The Creation of a Myth: 'Canadian' Enlistments in the Northern Armies during the American Civil War", pp.24-40;

C.P. Stacey, "Another Look at the Battle of Lake Erie", pp.41-51;

Vol.39, No.2 (1958):

Leonid I. Strakhovsky, "The Canadian Artillery Brigade in North Russia, 1918-1919", pp.125-146;

Vol.40, No.1 (1959):

C.P. Stacey, "The Anse au Foulon, 1759: Montcalm and Vaudreuil", pp.27-37.

Latest issue of The Canadian Army Journal

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

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

Major Andrew B. Godefroy, "Jadex";

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

as well as several book reviews.

MA theses and PhD dissertations - part 13

More results from the Library and Archives Canada theses portal - MAs and PhDs with specific reference to Canadian military history (some have direct links to their PDFed versions):

David A. Borys, "The Education of a Corps Commander: Arthur Currie's Leadership from 1915-1917", MA thesis, University of Alberta, 2006;

David A. Bourdon, "Militarism, Sport and Social Control in Alberta, 1900-20", MA thesis, University of Calgary, 1985;

Peter Bower, "Louisbourg: The Chimaera, 1745-'48", MA thesis, Dalhousie University, 1975;

Craig Braddon, "Soldiers and Politicians: The Struggle for Supremacy, Canadian Civil-Military Relations in an Age of Transformation and International Uncertainty, 1898-1913", MA thesis, The Royal Military College of Canada, 2004;

Charles S. Bradley, "The Education of Non-Commissioned Officers, Soldiers and their Children in Britain's Canadian Garrisons, 1800-1890", MA thesis, Carleton University, 2002;

José Antonio Brandao, "Your fyre shall burn no more: Iroquois Policy towards New France and her Native Allies to 1701", PhD dissertation, York University, 1995 [direct PDF link];

Maureen Elisabeth Brandstaetter, "Deutschtum on the Prairies, 1914-1918: A Study of Prairie German-Canadian Newspapers during the First World War", MA thesis, University of Calgary, 1986;

Robert Matthew Bray, "The Canadian Patriotic Response to the Great War", PhD dissertation, York University, 1977;

Bonnie Maureen Motyka, "General James Wolfe: The Hero Image and History", MA thesis, University of Alberta, 1991; and

Mark Bradley Watson, "The Manifestation of the Theory of Logistics: The Royal Canadian Navy as a Case Study, 1945-1967", MA thesis, The Royal Military College of Canada, 2002.

Latest issue of The Canadian Historical Review

The latest issue of The Canadian Historical Review (vol.89, no.1, March 2008) doesn't contain any articles on Canadian military history, but, as usual, Michael D. Stevenson's "Recent Publications Relating to Canada" does note several books and articles of interest (I've eliminated all articles from Canadian Military History as I've mentioned them previously):

Stephanie Bangarth, Voices Raised in Protest: Defending North American Citizens of Japanese Ancestry, 1942-1949 (Vancouver, 2007);

Howard G. Coombs (Ed.), The Insubordinate and the Noncompliant: Case Studies of Mutiny and Disobedience, 1920 to Present (Toronto, 2007);

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

Susanne K. Edwards, Gus: From Trapper Boy to Air Marshall (Burnstown, ON, 2007);

Lance Goddard, Hell and High Water: Canada and the Italian Campaign (Toronto, 2007);

Dianne Graves, In the Midst of Alarms: Women in the War of 1812 (Toronto, 2007);

Larry Gray, Canadians in the Battle of Atlantic (Edmonton, 2007);

Nathan M. Greenfield, Baptism of Fire: The Second Battle of Ypres and the Forging of Canada, April 1915 (Scarborough, ON, 2007);

Jean Martin, "Isle-Maligne et la Deuxième Guerre mondiale", Saguenayensia, t.49, no.2 (2007): 3-6;

Brian Douglas Tennyson, Percy Wilmott: Cape Bretoner at War (Sydney, NS, 2007);

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

Brent Wilson (Ed.), Hurricane Pilot: The Wartime Letters of W.O. Harry Gill, DFM, 1940-1943 (Fredericton, 2007); and

Mark Zuehlke, For Honour's Sake: The War of 1812 and the Brokering of an Uneasy Peace (Mississauga, ON, 2007).

Exhibit on Louisbourg in 1759

An article by Michael Lightstone recently appeared in The Chronicle Herald to discuss an exhibit which opened on 3 June at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia, entitled "Halifax vs Louisbourg: The Final Siege". The exhibit "has items linked to the historic siege [of Louisbourg in 1758] and to the famous battle in Quebec a year later" and numbers about 100 artefacts in total. These include "a 3,600-kilogram mortar, a recreated troop transport ship, an array of weaponry and an actual letter from the front lines". The exhibit runs until 2 November and more information about the museum can be found here.

Index of The Canadian Historical Review part 3

A continuing look at the back issues of The Canadian Historical Review from vol.21, no.1 (1940) onward reveals a lot of content of interest to readers of Canadian military history, including:

Vol.21, No.1 (1940):

C.P. Stacey, "The Military Aspect of Canada's Winning of the West, 1870-1885", pp.1-24;

Vol.23, No.3 (1942):

D.C. Harvey, "Nova Scotia and the Canadian Naval Tradition", pp.247-259;

Vol.24, No.2 (1943):

Norman Penlington, "General Hutton and the Problem of Military Imperialism in Canada, 1898-1900", pp.156-171;

Vol.24, No.3 (1943):

J.W. Dafoe, "Canada and the Peace Conference of 1919", pp.233-248;

Vol.25, No.1 (1944):

A.E. Prince, "The Need for a Wider Study of Military History", pp.20-28;

Vol.26, No.3 (1945):

C.P. Stacey, "The Historical Programme of the Canadian Army Overseas", pp.229-238;

Gilbert Norman Tucker, "The Royal Canadian Naval Historical Section and its Work", pp.239-245;

Kenneth B. Conn, "The Royal Canadian Air Force Historical Section", pp.246-254;

Vol.26, No.4 (1945):

Lawrence Henry Gipson, "A French Project for Victory Short of a Declaration of War, 1755", pp.361-371;

Vol.27, No.1 (1946):

Robert England, "Disbanded and Discharged Soldiers in Canada prior to 1914", pp.1-18;

Vol.27, No.2 (1946):

Marguerite B. Hamer, "Luring Canadian Soldiers into Union Lines during the War between the States", pp.150-162;

Vol.28, No.1 (1947):

Gilbert Norman Tucker, "The Naval Policy of Sir Robert Borden, 1912-14", pp.1-30;

Vol.29, No.3 (1948):

Eric Harrison, "The Army's Official History", pp.301-306;

Vol.29, No.4 (1948):

C.P. Stacey, "A Note on the Citadel of Quebec", pp.387-392;

Vol.30, No.1 (1949):

J.B. Conacher, "The Battle for Agira, July 24-8, 1943: An Episode in Canadian Military History", pp.1-21;

Vol.30, No.3 (1949):

George F.G. Stanley, "Gabriel Dumont's Account of the North West Rebellion, 1885", pp.249-269.

Birthday of a Municipal Armoury

A couple of days ago James Neeley at The Peterborough Examiner published an interesting piece on the centenary of Peterborough, Ontario's municipal armoury. Constructed in 1908 as part of an armoury building boom in the years before the First World War, the armoury has been the home for thousands of militia soldiers over the decades. Perhaps as many as sixteen units have been housed in the building during the past century as it has played - and continues to play - its role in training soldiers and contributing to Canadian military history.

MA theses and PhD dissertations - part 12

More results from the Library and Archives Canada theses portal - MAs and PhDs with specific reference to Canadian military history (some have direct links to their PDFed versions):

Lucie Blanchette-Lessard et Nicole Daigneault-Saint Denis, "Groupes sociaux patriotes et les rébellions de 1837-1838 : idéologies et participation", MA thèse, Université du Québec, 1976;

John Charles 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;

Nick Ninoslav Blazanovic, "The Rebirth of North American Air Defence", MA thesis, University of Manitoba, 2004;

Gary Blake Doige, "Warfare Patterns of the Assiniboine to 1809", MA thesis, University of Manitoba, 1989;

William Alexander Binny Douglas, "Nova Scotia and the Royal Navy, 1713-1766", PhD dissertation, Queen's University, 1973;

Bob Hummelt, "Trouble on the Home Front: Perspectives on Working Mothers in Winnipeg, 1939-1945", MA thesis, University of Manitoba, 2001 [direct PDF link];

Bohdan S. Kordan, "Ethnicity, the State, and War: Canada and the Ukrainian Problem, 1939-1945: A Study in Statecraft", PhD dissertation, Arizona State University, 1988;

Bill Rawling, "The Field Engineers of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division in the Second World War, 1939-1945", MA thesis, University of Ottawa, 1984;

Bill Rawling, "Tactics and Technics: Technology and the Canadian Corps, 1914-1918", PhD dissertation, University of Toronto, 1990; and

A. Blair Stonechild, "The Indian Role in the North-West Rebellion of 1885", MA thesis, University of Regina, 1989.

Articles from War in History

The index for all the issues published to date of War in History has been posted on the journal's site and I've gone through it to see what articles pertain directly to Canadian military history:

Peter J. Henshaw, "The British Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Preparation for the Dieppe Raid, March-August 1942: Did Mountbatten Really Evade the Committee's Authority", vol.1, no.2 (1994), pp.197-214;

Donald Howard Avery, "Atomic Scientific Co-Operation and Rivalry Among Allies: The Anglo-Canadian Montreal Laboratory and the Manhattan Project, 1943-1946", vol.2, no.3 (1995), pp.274-305;

Craig Gibson, "'My Chief Source of Worry': An Assistant Provost Marshal's View of Relations between 2nd Canadian Division and Local Inhabitants on the Western Front, 1915-1917", vol.7, no.4 (2000), pp.413-441; and

Tim Cook, "Documenting War and Forging Reputations: Sir Max Aitken and the Canadian War Records Office in the First World War", vol.10, no.3 (2003), pp.265-295.

(through vol.15, no.2).