History Commons^™

Review Of "The Imperial Irish: Canada’S Irish Catholics Fight The Great War, 1914-1918" By Mark G. Mcgowan, Tim Cook

Canadian Military History

Review of The Imperial Irish: Canada’s Irish Catholics Fight the Great War, 1914-1918 by Mark G. McGowan.

Review Of "The Secret History Of Soldiers: How Canadians Survived The Great War" By Tim Cook, David Borys

Canadian Military History

Review of The Secret History of Soldiers: How Canadians Survived the Great War by Tim Cook.

Review Of "The Cinderella Campaign: First Canadian Army And The Battles For The Channel Ports" By Mark Zuehlke, Stephen A. Bourque

Canadian Military History

Review of The Cinderella Campaign: First Canadian Army and the Battles for the Channel Ports by Mark Zuehlke.

Review Of "Toronto’S Fighting 75th In The Great War, 1915-1919" By Timothy J. Stewart, Peter L. Belmonte

Canadian Military History

Review of Toronto’s Fighting 75th in the Great War, 1915-1919 by Timothy J. Stewart.

Major-General Roger Rowley And The Failure Of Military Reform, 1958-1969, Peter Kasurak

Canadian Military History

Many consider the pre-Unification Canadian Army to have achieved the apogee of professionalism, but long-term progress did not result. Major-General Roger Rowley led three major reforms of the Canadian Army and the Canadian Forces during the 1958-1969 period: the reform of the Canadian Army Staff College, the restructuring of the Army through the Army Tactics and Organization Board and the reform of the military profession and officer development through the Officer Development Board. The failure of Rowley’s initiatives reveals the limits of knowledge-based professionalism, collegial decision making and the development of a national strategic perspective in the armed forces of …

Montgomery, Crerar And The Possibility Of Canadian Military Independence, 1944, J.L. Granatstein

Canadian Military History

Bernard Montgomery and Harry Crerar were not friends, and their relationship grew worse in September 1944 when Crerar skipped a meeting at Montgomery’s headquarters to attend a commemorative service at Dieppe. A furious Montgomery indicated that he wanted to sack Crerar, and the Canadian responded that he would consult his government. Monty quickly realized he could not easily get rid of the First Canadian Army commander, but Crerar, fuming, asked Canadian Military Headquarters to study how to secure more independence for his army. The course of the war by late 1944 eventually rendered this idea moot, but it was nonetheless …

Connecting The Dots And Dashes: Wireless Telegraphy Communication In The Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1914–1918, Brian Pascas

Canadian Military History

This article seeks to explain wireless telegraphy (W/T) equipment, its development and use over the course of the First World War and how W/T performed in conjunction with the established landline network. W/T deployment during Canadian Expeditionary Force battles is evaluated to determine whether W/T was viewed as an alternative battlefield communication medium or simply as a standby for emergency situations. The analysis discloses that the Canadian infantry was unable to take advantage of continuous wave, a superior form of wireless that the artillery relied upon. This article contends that by war’s end W/T had become a viable substitute for …

Between Fact And Fiction: The 26th Battalion, The “Crater Fight,” And The “Myth Of The War Experience”, Curt Mainville

Canadian Military History

In October 1915, during only their second tour of the front line, New Brunswick’s 26th Battalion conducted a reconnaissance-in-force upon a recently detonated German mine in front of their firing trench. The “crater fight,” as it has come to be known, resulted in twenty-one dead and thirty-six wounded but was portrayed as a success. But how much of what was printed in local newspapers was true? Official reports and personal accounts were engaging, idealistic and emotive. They were also highly exaggerated. This was the genesis of the “myth of the war experience”—a marriage of both fact and fiction that reflected …

“My Precious Inner Sanctum Remains Untouched, Untrammelled Through War & Famine:” William Allister’S Prisoner Of War Diary, Tim Cook, Britt Braaten

Canadian Military History

This article explores the Second World War prisoner of war diary kept by William Allister, who served with C Force, the Canadian formation sent to garrison the British colony of Hong Kong in late 1941. After the Japanese victory on 25 December 1941, Allister and his fellow survivors endured several years of brutality, malnutrition and disease in the prison camps. In the face of nearly unbelievable hardship, Allister kept a detailed diary and created works of art that provide new insight into the shattering effects of his wartime imprisonment. Allister’s story is included in the Canadian War Museum exhibition Forever …

Harris’S Scientists: Operational Research In Bomber Command, Randall Wakelam

Canadian Military History

This essay describes the contents of a unique post-war report, available online thorough LCMSDS, by the Bomber Command Operational Research Section (ORS) in which the scientists described their mandate, work and contributions to the RAF’s strategic and tactical bombing efforts against Germany. While ORS reports are extensively cited in various histories of the bombing campaign, the processes by which the scientists did their work are not widely known; this essay provides insights into these matters. The essay also gives historical and historiographical context for both reading the report and appreciating the work of Harris’s scientists.

First World War Internment In Canada: Enemy Aliens And The Blurring Of The Military/Civilian Distinction, Bohdan S. Kordan

Canadian Military History

In Canada during the First World War, where aliens of enemy origin were increasingly without work and destitute, internment offered a solution. Interned as prisoners of war (POWs)—a designation that sanctioned voluntary work unrelated to the war—such individuals were sent to frontier labour camps. Their POW designation, however, afforded them certain protections under the laws of war while their status as civilian prisoners suggested they were entitled to even greater consideration than captured combatants. Yet it was precisely their status as civilians that obviated any such consideration. They were not POWs as was conventionally understood. They were interned civilians without …

“Reticent As The Sphinx As To His Own Valour:” The War Experience Of Lieutenant Samuel Honey, Vc, Dcm, Mm, Tim Cook, Jessica Parsons

Canadian Military History

Lieutenant Samuel Honey, VC, DCM, MM served in the Canadian Corps from 1916 to his death on 30 September 1918 during the Hundred Days campaign. Based on Honey’s letters and correspondence, this article offers a new perspective into his wartime experiences, the challenge of leadership, and his own insight into his role as a hero.

Le lieutenant Samuel Honey, VC, DCM, M.M. a servi dans le Corps canadien de 1916 à sa mort le 30 septembre 1918 pendant la campagne des Cent Jours. Inspiré des lettres et de la correspondance du lieutenant Honey, cet article apporte un nouveau regard sur …

Strategic Parasitism, Professional Strategists And Policy Choices: The Influence Of George Lindsey And Robert Sutherland On Canadian Denuclearisation, 1962-1972, John Keess

Canadian Military History

Between 1957 and 1963, Canada acquired numerous nuclear delivery systems to fulfill commitments to the defence of North America and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). In 1972, Pierre Trudeau’s government divested most of these systems. Much of the literature ascribes Trudeau’s decision to purely political reasons. By examining the contributions of two operational researchers from the Defence Research Board, Dr. R.J. Sutherland and Dr. George Lindsey, this article assesses the influence of professional advice on denuclearisation. This research has found that Lindsey and Sutherland provided a strategic grammar which helped shape the nature and timing of partial denuclearisation.

The Suicide Clause, Eliza Richardson

Canadian Military History

This article explores the ways in which Canadian military authorities responded to suicide during the Second World War. Attestation papers represented an agreement between Canadians and the state. They would serve, but in return, Canada owed them certain considerations should they die during their service. Servicemen suicide, then, raised questions about Canada’s obligations to its servicemen. Divided by the requirements of the law and compassion for families, military authorities struggled to find the appropriate way to handle suicide. This paper argues that convention treated suicide as insufficient grounds upon which to break the covenant between serviceman and state.

The Cia On Canadian Defence Policy, J.L. Granatstein

Canadian Military History

At the request of the Pentagon, in the spring of 1985 the Central Intelligence Agency prepared an assessment of Canadian defence policy. Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Conservatives had formed the government in the election of 4 September 1984 and, in the CIA’s view, the new administration was likely to be more interested in defence than the Liberals. Even so, the assessment observed that “Canadians generally think little about defense and when they do, reject outright the idea of giving defense priority over maintaining the social welfare system.”

Review Of "Progressives In Navy Blue: Maritime Strategy, American Empire, And The Transformation Of U.S. Naval Identity, 1873-1898" By Scott Mobley, Heather Venable

Canadian Military History

Review of Progressives in Navy Blue: Maritime Strategy, American Empire, and the Transformation of U.S. Naval Identity, 1873-1898 by Scott Mobley

Review Of "A Family Of Brothers: Soldiers Of The 26th New Brunswick Battalion In The Great War" By J. Brent Wilson, Samuel Titus

Canadian Military History

Review of A Family of Brothers: Soldiers of the 26th New Brunswick Battalion in the Great War by J. Brent Wilson

Review Of "Double Threat: Canadian Jews, The Military, And World War Ii" By Ellin Bessner, Andrew Theobald

Canadian Military History

Review of Double Threat: Canadian Jews, the Military, and World War II by Ellin Bessner

Review Of "Sam Steele: A Biography" By Rod Macleod, Richard Roy

Canadian Military History

Review of Sam Steele: A Biography by Rod Macleod

Review Of "Toxic Exposures: Mustard Gas And The Health Consequences Of World War Ii In The United States" By Susan L. Smith, Craig Leslie Mantle

Canadian Military History

Review of Toxic Exposures: Mustard Gas and the Health Consequences of World War II in the United States by Susan L. Smith

Review Of "Morale And Discipline In The Royal Navy During The First World War" By Laura Rowe, Alexander Maavara

Canadian Military History

Review of Morale and Discipline in the Royal Navy during the First World War by Laura Rowe

Review Of "The Lamb And The Tiger: From Peacekeepers To Peacewarriors In Canada" By Stanley R. Barrett, Stewart Kerr

Canadian Military History

Review of The Lamb and the Tiger: From Peacekeepers to Peacewarriors in Canada by Stanley R. Barrett

Review Of "Czech Refugees In Cold War Canada" By Jan Raska, Thirstan Falconer

Canadian Military History

Review of Czech Refugees in Cold War Canada by Jan Raska

Review Of "42nd Regiment – Gallipoli 1915" By Ahmet Diriker, Translated By Ebru Diriker, Edward J. Erickson

Canadian Military History

Review of 42nd Regiment – Gallipoli 1915 by Ahmet Diriker, translated by Ebru Diriker

Review Of "Roots Of Entanglement: Essays In The History Of Native-Newcomer Relations" Edited By Myra Rutherdale, Kerry Abel And P. Whitney Lackenbauer, Isabel Campbell

Canadian Military History

Review of Roots of Entanglement: Essays in the History of Native-Newcomer Relations edited by Myra Rutherdale, Kerry Abel and P. Whitney Lackenbauer

Review Of "Emperor Hirohito And The Pacific War" By Noriko Kawamura, Brian Bertosa

Canadian Military History

Review of Emperor Hirohito and the Pacific War by Noriko Kawamura

Review Of "From The Klondike To Berlin: The Yukon In World War I" By Michael Gates, Ellen A. Ahlness

Canadian Military History

Review of From the Klondike to Berlin: The Yukon in World War I by Michael Gates

First Steps: Intelligence Analysis In Canada During The Second World War, Alan Barnes

Canadian Military History

At the outset of the Second World War decision-makers in Ottawa were entirely dependent on the United Kingdom for finished intelligence on foreign military and political developments. During six years of war the intelligence work carried out in Canada expanded in several areas, and included a growing capacity to carry out intelligence analysis in several fields. An analytic group was established to exploit the mass of detailed information collected by the postal censorship programme. The Department of External Affairs created a small unit that drew on signals intercepts and other sources to assess political issues for senior officials. In the …

Supply Line: The Canadian War Museum’S Second World War Discovery Box, Sandra O'Quinn

Canadian Military History

Abstract : How do you bring the museum to the classroom? In 2014, the Canadian War Museum introduced the Supply Line program to mark the centenary of the First World War, circulating Discovery Boxes of real and reproduced objects from the Great War to schools across the country, reaching Canadian students in every province and territory. With the arrival of the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, Museum staff, in consultation with teachers, added new Second World War Discovery Boxes that are proving as successful as the first program. This article discusses the development process behind …

I British Corps And The Battle Of The Scheldt: A Reassessment, Nicholas Wheeler

Canadian Military History

This paper will demonstrate that I British Corps’ operations were critical to the opening of the port of Antwerp. By examining the impact that I British Corps had on the operational and strategic levels of command within Twenty-First Army Group, it challenges the narrative that their operations were supporting in nature. Anchoring the centre of a three corps operation designed to open the port of Antwerp, clear the Scheldt Estuary, and push German forces out of southern Holland, I British Corps faced the bulk of Fifteenth Army and was decisive in undermining its strategic concept of operations. In fact, I …