This volume deals with the development of the Canadian Corps, from a devastated force after the Somme, to a well-oiled machine ready to take on the strongest German position on the Western Front, Vimy Ridge. On April 9th, 1917 the Canadians struck, and won a fantastic, if improbable, victory at Vimy where they knocked out the Germans before they even knew the fight was on. It was a legendary performance, of International and National significance.

This volume includes an historical Overview of the Battle; a Battlefield Tour of 9 Points (plus a Tour of the Arleux and Fresnoy Battlefields); a list of 24 Cemeteries and memorials where the Canadians killed in Battle are commemorated or buried. Asides in the book include: Mining Warfare, The Vimy Memorial, Notre Dame de Lorette, and the Pilgrimage to Vimy 1936. Profusely illustrated with maps, photos and drawings, and includes a fold-out Tour map at the back of the book.

This volume was included in the TV series, For King & Empire, Eps 3. The DVD covers the battle like the book, and is literally a walking tour.

by Norm Christie

“You know Hughie, this is suicide,” were the final words of Talbot Papineau as he lead his men Over the Top into the carnage of battle. Passchendaele was one of the most infamous battles in History. When the Canadians arrived in Flanders, fresh from their great successes at Vimy, Arleux, Fresnoy and Hill 70, they found a devastated battlefield, and the stench of death permeated the air. Their task was to carry-on the fight, and although the Offensive was hopelessly mired down and had cost 200,000 men, they had to take Passchendaele. Against the mud and the Germans the Canadians fought a tenacious battle, driving the enemy out of the village and maybe more miraculously, holding on. Two weeks in the mud of Flanders cost the Canadians 16,000 men. It was a fantastic, but hopeless victory.

This volume includes an historical Overview of the Battle; a Battlefield Tour of 8 Points; a list of 20 Cemeteries and memorials where the Canadians killed in Battle are commemorated or buried. Asides in the book include: The Menin Gate, Alexander DeCoteau, Story of a War Memorial (Thessalon, Ontario), The Body Snatchers, Talbot Papineau, Canadian Indians and Conscription. Profusely illustrated with maps, photos and drawings, and includes a fold-out Tour map at the back of the book.

This volume was included in the TV series, For King & Empire, Eps 4. The DVD covers the battle like the book, and is literally a walking tour.

by Norm Christie

The Battle of Mount Sorrel or the Canadian Battle of Ypres, was a brief and bloody fight between the Canadians and the Germans over a small piece of the Ypres Salient. Initially the Germans inflicted a major defeat on the Canadians, driving them from hard-won trenches overlooking Ypres with mines and flamethrowers. The Canadians lost two Generals and 5 Colonels in one day. Humiliated by their defeat, the Canadians regained their confidence under their new Commander’s calm, and thorough planning . Only 11 days after their defeat, they struck back, driving off the Germans and regaining the sacred ground of the Ypres Salient. General Byng showed the Canadians that with the right planning, and leadership they could beat anyone. It was a turning point battle for the Canadians and a sign of things to come.

This volume includes an historical Overview of the Battle; a Battlefield Tour of 6 Points; a list of 23 Cemeteries and memorials where the Canadians killed in Battle are commemorated or buried. Asides in the book include: the Mystery of Gordon Blackader, Byng of the Bing Boys, and the Story of the Menin Gate. Profusely illustrated with maps, photos and drawings, and includes a fold-out Tour map at the back of the book.

This volume was made into a TV show, Lost Battlefields (Mount Sorrel). The DVD covers the battle like the book, and is literally a walking tour.

by Norm Christie

In this volume the story of the first Canadians to fight in the Great War is told, starting from mobilization to the grim battlefields of Flanders. On Thursday, April 22nd, 1915 the Canadians would fight their first great battle against the Germans, and would face their secret weapon, poison gas. By the end of the weekend 2,000 Canadians would be dead and 4,000 wounded. It was a bloody introduction to the new war. None-the-less the Canadians performed courageously, and fought as no one thought they could. It was a “great day for Canada, Boys.” This volume includes an historical Overview of the Battle; a Battlefield Tour of 7 Points; a list of 18 Cemeteries and memorials where the Canadians killed in Battle are commemorated or buried. Asides in the book include; Technological Slaughter, and a detailed story of the writing of ‘In Flanders Fields’. Profusely illustrated with maps, photos and drawings, and includes a fold-out Tour map at the back of the book.

This volume was included in the TV series, For King & Empire, Eps 1. The DVD covers the battle like the book, and is literally a walking tour.

by Norm Christie