Canada's Great War, 1914-1918

Canada's Great War, 1914-1918
Author: Brian Douglas Tennyson
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Total Pages: 261
Release: 2014-11-25
Genre: History
ISBN: 0810888602

Canada’s Great War, 1914-1918: How Canada Helped Save the British Empire and Became a North American Nation describes the major role that Canada played in helping the British Empire win the greatest war in history—and, somewhat surprisingly, resulted in Canada’s closer integration not with the British Empire but with its continental neighbor, the United States. When Britain declared war against Germany and Austria-Hungary in August 1914, Canada was automatically committed as well because of its status as a Dominion in the British Empire. Despite not having a say in the matter, most Canadians enthusiastically embraced the war effort in order to defend the Empire and its values. In Canada’s Great War, 1914-1918, historian Brian Douglas Tennyson argues that Canada’s participation in the war weakened its relationship with Britain by stimulating a greater sense of Canadian identity, while at the same time bringing it much closer to the United States, especially after the latter entered the war. Their wartime cooperation strengthened their relationship, which had been delicate and often strained in the nineteenth century. This was reflected in the greater integration of their economies and the greater acceptance in Canada of American cultural products such as books, magazines, radio broadcasting and movies, and was symbolized by the astonishing American response to the Halifax explosion in December 1917. By the end of the war, Canadians were emerging as a North American people, no longer fearing close ties to the United States, even as they maintained their ties to the British Commonwealth. Canada’s Great War, 1914-1918 will interest not only Canadians unaware of how greatly their nation’s participation in the First World War reshaped its relationship with Britain and the United States, but also Americans unacquainted with the magnitude of Canada’s involvement in the war and how that contribution drew the two nations closer together.

The Torch We Throw: The Dundurn WWI Historical Library

The Torch We Throw: The Dundurn WWI Historical Library
Author: Brereton Greenhous
Publisher: Dundurn
Total Pages: 1125
Release: 2014-07-23
Genre: History
ISBN: 1459730305

The giant conflagration of the First World War created the world we live in today, and its history is replete with stirring battles, mind-boggling strategies, and geopolitical manoeuvring. However, the real story was lived in the trenches of Europe and the lonely households of those left behind. The stories of this period are full of tragedy, anger, and loss but also inspirational courage. This special five-book bundle presents some of these stories, from brave Canadian contributions to the battlefields at Ypres and Amiens, to the specific untold story of Canada’s unheralded 58th Division, to an analysis of the myth and legend of air ace Billy Bishop, to the voice of one single soldier, Deward Barnes, told through his diary. These books provide new and enlightening perspectives on the war. Amiens Hell in Flanders Fields It Made you Think of Home The Making of Billy Bishop Second to None

Canada and the Great War

Canada and the Great War
Author: Western Front Association
Publisher: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP
Total Pages: 255
Release: 2003
Genre: History
ISBN: 0773525467

This volume explores the military and socio-cultural history of World War I, adding new dimensions not only to the history of Canada's role in the war but to the war's role in shaping Canada. The topics covered are wide-ranging and eclectic, and include, among others, studies of the Battle of Amiens, the Halifax explosion, Charlie Chaplin and wartime propaganda in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, Newfoundland's contribution to the war effort, the leadership capabilities of Brigadier General Griesbach, and the wartime poetry of John McRae.

The Canadian Corps in World War I

The Canadian Corps in World War I
Author: René Chartrand
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 133
Release: 2012-12-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 1782008454

This book describes the organization, lists the units and illustrates the uniforms and equipment of the four Canadian divisions which earned an elite reputation on the Western Front in 1915-18. Canada's 600,000 troops of whom more than 66,000 died and nearly 150,000 were wounded represented an extraordinary contribution to the British Empire's struggle. On grim battlefields from the Ypres Salient to the Somme, and from their stunning victory at Vimy Ridge to the final triumphant 'Hundred Days' advance of autumn 1918, Canada's soldiers proved themselves to be a remarkable army in their own right, founding a national tradition.

The Canadian Way of War

The Canadian Way of War
Author: Bernd Horn
Publisher: Dundurn
Total Pages: 411
Release: 2006
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1550026127

This collection of essays underlines the reality that the "Canadian way of war" is a direct reflection of circumstances and political will.

Death So Noble

Death So Noble
Author: Jonathan Franklin William Vance
Publisher: UBC Press
Total Pages: 344
Release: 1997
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780774806008

Examines the ways in which Canadians remembered and celebrated their participation in WWI, viewing the war as a cultural and philosophical force as opposed to a political and military event. Looks at the country's mythical reconstruction of the war and recounts how the myth's proponents responded to conflicting visions of the war. Touches on the symbolism of the soldier, Canadian nationalism, and the idea of a just war, drawing on memoirs, newspaper reports, and popular culture. Includes bandw photos. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Trial By Gas

Trial By Gas
Author: GEORGE H. CASSAR
Publisher: Potomac Books, Inc.
Total Pages: 428
Release: 2014-12-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 161234691X

World War I has long captured the macabre imagination for the seemingly willful manner in which nations sent their young men to die in droves while fighting over essentially the same patch of land for four long years. The vision of those senseless deaths becomes even harsher and more depraved when we consider how many soldiers were killed by poison gas. In May 1915 the long and bloody Second Battle of Ypres gained notoriety for the participants’ use of poison gas, the first time the weapon had been used in battle. With both sides realizing the importance of victory in Ypres, moral considerations were set aside. Although other, more costly battles of World War I have often overshadowed the Second Battle of Ypres despite the unprecedented use of gas in the latter, that battle now receives an examination commensurate with its significance. In Trial by Gas, George H. Cassar focuses on the conflict’s second half: the battles at Frezenberg Ridge and Bellewaarde Ridge, both of which were fought primarily by British units, taking the reader inside the trenches and behind the desks of those making the decisions. Cassar’s intimate account offers an accurate, clear, and complete chronicle of a battle with a remarkably enduring impact despite its indecisive outcome.