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Sacred Places Complete 3-Volume Bundle

SiteAdmin — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 18:14:32 +0000

Sacred Places; Volume I; Belgium, tells the stories of the 168 cemeteries that contain the graves of Canadians who died in Belgium during the Great War. As no bodies could be repatriated, the men rest among their comrades in the war cemeteries that dot the countryside, freezing history, and revealing the true story of the War. The Canadians buried in these immaculate cemeteries in the fields around Ypres, the infamous Ypres Salient, died in great battles, such as Second Ypres, Mount Sorrel, or Passchendaele, or in the quiet times, when death was never far away. More than 16,000 Canadians died near Ypres, 1915-1918. This book tells the history of the cemeteries and of the Canadian buried in them and is the companion series to For King & Empire.

Sacred Places; Volume II; In this Volume the details of 240 Great War cemeteries in France are explained, giving location, historical background and stories of the Canadians buried there. Covers all CWGC cemeteries that contain one or more Canadian burials, including the large sites to the small churchyards. Covers all units with hundreds of entries for Canadians in the RFC, RNAS, and RAF. It contains at detailed explanation of the Science of The Cemeteries, how to interpret the headstones, the layouts, and the Special memories that are found in most cemeteries. Plus The History of the Canadian Corps in France, Battalions of the Canadian Corps, Timeline, etc. Includes hundreds of photos. The Companion series to For King & Empire.

Sacred Places; Volume III; Covers all CWGC cemeteries that contain one or more Canadian burials, including the large sites to the small churchyards. Covers all units with hundreds of entries for Canadians in the RFC, RNAS, and RAF. It contains at detailed explanation of the Science of The Cemeteries, how to interpret the headstones, the layouts, and the Special memories that are found in most cemeteries. Plus The History of the Canadian Corps in France, Battalions of the Canadian Corps, Timeline, etc. Includes hundreds of photos. The Companion series to For King & Empire.

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Sacred Places Volume 3: Canadian Cemetaries of The Great War, France L thru Z

SiteAdmin — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 19:04:43 +0000

Sacred Places; Volume III; France L-Z:

In this Volume the details of 241 Great War cemeteries in France and explained, giving location, historical background and stories of the Canadians buried there.

Covers all CWGC cemeteries that contain one or more Canadian burials, including the large sites to the small churchyards. Covers all units with hundreds of entries for Canadians in the RFC, RNAS, and RAF. It contains at detailed explanation of the Science of The Cemeteries, how to interpret the headstones, the layouts, and the Special memories that are found in most cemeteries.

Plus The History of the Canadian Corps in France, Battalions of the Canadian Corps, Timeline, etc. Includes hundreds of photos. The Companion series to For King & Empire.

Two Examples:

Lampaul Churchyard, S9E

Lampaul is on the Ile D’Ouessant, 25 km off the French Coast, 60 km west of Brest. It contains five Commonwealth graves of men whose remains washed ashore. One is an identified Canadian.

The Reverend Donald McPhail of Perth, Ontario, was the Padre on the HMHS Llandovery Castle. It was sunk by a German U-boat on June 27th, 1918, drowning most of the medical staff, including 14 Canadian Nursing Sisters (Halifax Memorial). Three of those lost later washed up along the Atlantic coast, including Reverend McPhail (SE Corner). See also Les Baraques.

Parentis-En-Born Communal Cemetery

Parentis-en-Born is 34 km south Arcachon, which is 30 km SW of Bordeux, along the Atlantic coast. The cemetery is on the east side of the village. It contains one Canadian burial.

William Heaslip serving with the 57th Coy, CFC, was found dead, January 12th, 1919. There was no investigation as to how he died (NE Corner).

By Norm Christie

The post Sacred Places Volume 3: Canadian Cemetaries of The Great War, France L thru Z first appeared on Battlefields.ca.

Battery Action

SiteAdmin — Thu, 20 Nov 2014 21:31:18 +0000

There cannot be a book with a more tragic history than Battery Action! It was started by Hugh Kay at Christmas, 1916, to serve as a record of the 43rd Howitzer Battery, Canadian Field Artillery. Kay recorded the characters in the unit, and the entertainments of The Boys. Unfortunately Kay was killed at Passchendaele in 1917. His manuscript was found in his backpack, and the project was continued by George Magee. Magee died of wounds in September 1918. Once again others continued the work, and in 1920 the book was finally finished.

Yet the book is far from tragic. It is full of humourous anecdotes, details of daily life, and serves as a testament to the character and courage of the men of the 43rd Howitzer Battery. There is no indication the authors were working with the shadow of death hanging over them. Battery Action! gives an exceptional view into the lives of the artilleryman on the Western Front, and is a unique contribution to the literature of the period.

The post Battery Action first appeared on Battlefields.ca.

The Communication Trench

SiteAdmin — Sat, 06 Sep 2014 22:30:04 +0000

The Communication Trench is a collection of articles written by Will Bird for a number of magazines and journals in 1933. This now rare book, privately published in 1934, contains many stories, often humorous, and a variety of statistics revealing much surprising information about the Great War.Will Bird was an important personality in the veterans’ movement. In 1931 Will revisited the Old Front and wrote a series of articles for Maclean's magazine. His series was an immediate success and Will became a symbol for the old veterans, who felt their exploits and sacrifices were already being forgotten. He became a popular speaker at events across the country, where he would show his slides, exchange stories and reminiscences with his comrades, then in the their 40s and 50s. It was from these experiences that he put together the articles for The Communication Trench.

Bird, of Amherst, Nova Scotia, was no stranger to the Great War experience. He had served from 1916-1919 with the 42nd Battalion, The Black Watch of Canada, and fought at Vimy, Passchendaele, Amiens, Arras, and Cambrai. During the capture of Mons on the last night of the War, Corporal Bird was awarded the Military Medal for Bravery, Will Bird died in 1984.

By Will R. Bird

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Pounding the Enemy; The Diary of the 13th Battery, C.F.A.

SiteAdmin — Sat, 06 Sep 2014 22:21:57 +0000

Limited Edition Reprint Series

Pounding the Enemy is a unique book that weaves the story of the 13th Battery C.F.A. in with the letters Napoleon Gagne sent home. The 13th Battery was one of the original units that went to France in 1915. It fought in all the major engagements of the Canadian Corps. It included in its numbers the famous actor, Raymond Massey, and a 40 year-old painter and father of eight, Napoleon Gagne. Napoleon wrote home religiously to his loving family. His letters follow the War Diary of the 13th as they go from Ypres to the Somme to Vimy to Passchendaele into 1918. Though the unit suffered heavy casualties, Napoleon came through unscathed. In the Hundred days the Battery fought at Amiens, Arras and Cambrai. And it was after the crossing of the Canal du Nord that the explosion of an overhead shell sent a small fragment towards the 41 year father of eight and killed him. Pounding the Enemy is an interesting addition to the Canadian literature of the Great War.

by L. Gagne

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