Brian Douglas Tennyson

Roger Sarty

A vivid and long overdue account of one of the great untold Canadian military stories: Sydney's importance as a major convoy port, a base in the hunt for German submarines, and an industrial centre producing critically important coal and steel.

Sydney, Cape Breton, and the Atlantic Wars

Guardian of the Gulf

Impressions of Cape Breton

Although the United States itself did not enter the war until April 1917, Canada enlisted the moment Great Britain engaged in the conflict in August of 1914. The Canadian contribution was great, as over 600,000 men and women came to serve in the war effort. Over 150,000 were wounded while near 67,000 gave their lives. The literature it generated, and continues to generate so many years later, is enormous and addresses all of its aspects. The Canadian Experience of the Great War: A Guide to Memoirs is the first attempt to identify all of the published accounts by Canadian veterans of their Great War experiences.

A Guide to Memoirs

The Canadian Experience of the Great War

In Canada’s Great War, 1914-1918, historian Brian Douglas Tennyson argues that Canada’s enthusiasm had the ironic effect of bringing this British Dominion nation much closer to its southern neighbor, the United States, especially after the latter joined the fray.

How Canada Helped Save the British Empire and Became a North American Nation

Canada's Great War, 1914-1918

When Britain went to war with Germany in August 1914, Canada and the rest of the British empire followed without question and without being asked. By the time the Great War finally ground to an end in November 1918, 619,636 Canadians had enlisted in the struggle. One of them was Percy Willmot. Percy wrote frequently to his sister, no matter where he was or what was going on and he was a gifted writer, whose sparkling personality still clearly emerges more than eighty years later. Willmot's letters tell us much about the experiences of thousands of soldiers: progress of the war and daily experiences of the men, sometimes pointing out the contrast between the beauties of nature and the unspeakable horrors of modern warfare. They remind us of the intense intimacy of the shared experience of the trenches, perhaps especially for someone like Percy, serving in a unit with many comrades from his own community.

Cape Bretoner at War

Percy Willmot

Robert N. Clements

Merry Hell is the only complete history of the 25th Canadian infantry battalion, which was recruited in the autumn and winter of 1914–15 and served overseas from spring 1915 until spring 1919. Author Robert N Clements, who served in the battalion throughout that period and rose from private to captain, wrote the story many years after the war, based on his personal memories and experiences. As such, his story reflects two unique perspectives on Canadian military history – the remarkably fresh recollections and anecdotes of a veteran, and the outlook of a man eager to share what his generation contributed to the nation's history, character, and identity. Professional military historian Brian Douglas Tennyson buttresses Clements's story with a valuable critical apparatus, including an analytical introduction that contextualizes the history and notes that explain unfamiliar points and people. Merry Hell is a captivating tale for those who enjoy stories of war and battle, and one that will entertain readers with Clements's richly colourful anecdotes and witty poems, none of which have been published before.

Brian Douglas Tennyson

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