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 book is well-illustrated. A unique addition to any CEF library.

(Sorry the hard cover version is SOLD OUT but paper back still available.)

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

"Arms and The Maple Leaf" records Wilfred Kerr's second year of war, 1918. This was the year of Canada's greatest victories: at Amiens, Arras and Cambrai. With a scholar's eye Kerr observes the dramatic change in attitude that success brought to the men of the Canadian Corps, a new, unique sense of National pride he calls Canadianism. A compelling read, originally published in 1943.

by Wilfrid Kerr

The defeat of the German Army at Arras, forced a retreat behind the Canal du Nord, protecting the strategic German transport and communications hub of Cambrai. To defeat the Germans the Canadians would deploy an operation requiring perfect execution and surprise. They would launch a night attack with 60,000 across a narrow piece of the Canal du Nord. Only the Canadian Corps could possibly do it, and they did. They broke the German line and captured Cambrai, and pursued the fleeing German Army to Mons, where the Great War ended.

This volume includes an historical Overview of the Battle; a Battlefield Tour of 8 Points; a list of 27 Cemeteries and memorials where the Canadians killed in Battle are commemorated or buried. Asides in the book include: The Spanish Flu, Mutiny 1919, The Westcott Twins, Mons, The Greatest Dogfight of the War and Per Ardua Astra. 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 5. The DVD covers the battle like the book, and is literally a walking tour.

by Norm Christie