Canadian History Commons^™

Review Of "Canada’S Army: Waging War And Keeping The Peace, 3rd Ed." By J.L. Granatstein And "Punching Above Our Weight: The Canadian Military At War Since 1867" By David A. Borys, Jean-Michel Turcotte

Canadian Military History

Review of Canada’s Army: Waging War and Keeping the Peace, 3rd ed. by J.L. Granatstein and Punching Above Our Weight: The Canadian Military at War Since 1867 by David A. Borys

Review Of "Till We Meet Again: A Canadian In The First World War" By Brandon Marriott, Katelyn Stieva

Canadian Military History

Review of Till We Meet Again: A Canadian in the First World War by Brandon Marriott

Review Of "The Taking Of Vimy Ridge: First World War Photographs Of William Ivor Castle" By Carla-Jean Stokes, Bradley Shoebottom

Canadian Military History

Review of The Taking of Vimy Ridge: First World War Photographs of William Ivor Castle by Carla-Jean Stokes

Review Of "Cold War Workers: Labour, Family, And Community In A Nuclear State" Edited By Isabel Campbell, Rebecca Murray

Canadian Military History

Review of Cold War Workers: Labour, Family, and Community in a Nuclear State edited by Isabel Campbell

Review Of "Anything But A Still Life: The Art And Lives Of Molly Lamb And Bruno Bobak" By Nathan M. Greenfield, Rebecca Murray

Canadian Military History

Review of Anything but a Still Life: The Art and Lives of Molly Lamb and Bruno Bobak by Nathan M. Greenfield

Review Of "The War We Won Apart: The Untold Story Of Two Elite Agents Who Became One Of The Most Decorated Couples Of Wwii" By Nahlah Ayed, Rosemary Giles

Canadian Military History

Review of The War We Won Apart: The Untold Story of Two Elite Agents Who Became One of the Most Decorated Couples of WWII by Nahlah Ayed

Review Of "Lost In The Crowd: Acadian Soldiers Of Canada’S First World War" By Gregory M.W. Kennedy, Nancy Carvell

Canadian Military History

Review of Lost in the Crowd: Acadian Soldiers of Canada’s First World War by Gregory M.W. Kennedy

The Bonga Collection And The Carleton And York Regiment Veterans Of The Liberation Of The Netherlands, Mackenzie Smith

Canadian Military History

The Dr. Agatha Bonga Memorial Collection contains over one thousand questionnaires completed by Canadian Second World War veterans surrounding the liberation of the Netherlands and is currently held in The Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society at the University of New Brunswick. Focusing on the narratives of three veteran respondents, James Agnew, Donald Smith and R.O. Steeves, this article shows how veterans’ answers to the questionnaires creates a historical record of the attitudes, emotions and experiences of those who served in the Netherlands and survived the Second World War. When these narratives are examined with the eighteen …

Buccaneers In Battledress: Building The Canadian War Museum’S Second World War Collection, May-November 1945, Drew Lowerison Carter, Jeff Noakes, Tim Cook

Canadian Military History

Artifacts in the Canadian War Museum’s collections trace their origins to a wide range of people, organisations, locations and events. This article is a preliminary exploration of the part played by the 1st Canadian War Museum Collection Team, led by Farley Mowat, in locating, gathering, documenting and arranging for the transportation of a vast collection of Second World War weapons and materials from Northwest Europe to Canada in 1945. In addition to helping to shed more light on the complexities of the collection’s acquisition, it also provides insights into the challenges that the museum and other institutions faced, and which …

“The Best Co I’Ve Ever Served Under”: Lieutenant-Colonel Bert Kennedy And Removal From Battalion Command In The Second World War, Matthew Barrett, Norma Graham

Canadian Military History

Lieutenant-Colonel Albert A. Kennedy’s war service could be lifted from the pages of a suspense novel, an action-adventure story and a courtroom drama. He bravely served as commanding officer of the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment in Italy, where he led from the front, earned the Distinguished Service Order and for a time was even held as a prisoner of war. His command of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada in North West Europe, by contrast, ended in a confidential report and charges of alleged conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline. We examine Kennedy’s Second World War experiences …

A New Approach To Understanding Cef Enlistment Statistics, Curt Mainville

Canadian Military History

The ability to measure rates of Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) enlistment as a percentage of the eligible Canadian male population has proven both politically sensitive and historically relevant: on the one hand, contemporary politicians have used this data to blame certain provinces for not carrying their weight in the prosecution of war; on the other, historians have continuously refined these measurements in order to gain a better understanding of who enlisted for military service and why. Unfortunately, the latter has proven to be a rather imperfect exercise. This case study, using the New Brunswick census for 1911 as the reference …

Beyond Just Reconnaissance: The 12th Manitoba Dragoons In The Netherlands, 1945, Cameron Meikle

Canadian Military History

This article explores the historical significance of the 12th Manitoba Dragoons in facilitating the rapid movement and success of II Canadian Corps during the liberation of the Netherlands in the spring of 1945. While Canadian historiography of the Second World War has rarely offered more than a passing reference to the Dragoons, the regiment played crucial roles in reconnaissance, security and economy of force operations. During the Netherlands campaign, the Dragoons made pivotal contributions to II Corps’ success by providing timely information, preventing gaps in the frontline and conducting offensive actions to disrupt enemy positions, all at significant risk to …

"The Canadian Army In Afghanistan" And The Decline Of Official Military History In Canada, Peter Kasurak

Canadian Military History

This article examines Sean Maloney’s The Canadian Army in Afghanistan in the context of the Canadian Armed Forces’ longstanding official history program. The development of official military history in Canada is briefly described with emphasis on its high levels of access and independence, its links to military operations and its ability to capture and preserve participant accounts and official records. The Canadian Army in Afghanistan was commissioned by the Canadian Army outside the official history program. It suffered publication delays due to a lack of independence, was limited in scope due to its unofficial nature and the fate of its …

Defending Canada’S Arctic, Greg Taylor

Canadian Military History

Editor's note: Forty years ago, Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel planned and executed Exercise LIGHTNING STRIKE 86, which explored the possibility of a Soviet threat in the Canadian Arctic. In the dying days of the Cold War, the exercise seemed irrelevant. No longer. Lieutenant Colonel Taylor’s account draws upon his long experience and memories of the operation. It reminds us of the immense operational challenges the CAF face in Canada’s North; the important role of the Canadian Rangers; and the need for a “historical memory” of operations that were once thought unimportant. It is also a reminder of how quickly …

Review Of "The Good Allies: How Canada And The United States Fought Together To Defeat Fascism In The Second World War" By Tim Cook, Scott Mair

Canadian Military History

Review of The Good Allies: How Canada in the United States Fought Together to Defeat Fascism in the Second World War by Tim Cook

“This Would Certainly Happen Unless We Killed Every White Man”: The Tsilhqot’In’S War Of Survival, Samuel W. Louwagie

Swarthmore Undergraduate History Journal

In 1864, several Tsilhqot’in (also spelled as “Chilcotin” or “Chilcoaten”) killed workers building a road across their territory in modern-day British Columbia. Six of the Tsilhqot’in, including their war chief, Lhatŝ’aŝʔin (also spelled as “Klatsassin”), were subsequently executed by the British colonial government. Since the Tsilhqot’in were initially assisting the road crew, this paper addresses the question of what caused the so-called “Chilcotin War” to begin.

From Frontier To Folk: Changes In Canadian Identity Through Constructions Of Land In Canadian Crusoes And Anne Of Green Gables, Aibhlin Janicki-Zeballos

Laurier Undergraduate Journal of the Arts

No abstract provided.

Mapping Historical Neighborhoods With Geospatial Viewshed Buffers, James B. Townsend

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The concept of neighborhood has been long studied with little agreement beyond the notion that neighborhoods are somewhat self-contained areas within a wider urban environment. Despite the lack of a finite definition, there is wide agreement of the importance of studying population dynamics at the neighborhood scale. Many attempts have been made to spatially define, measure, and quantify contemporary neighborhoods, but less attention has been given to methods to spatially define historical neighborhoods. In this paper, we utilize a historical spatial data infrastructure for the city of London, Ontario to develop a viewshed methodology that recognizes that ‘neighborhood’ is unique …

Cultivating Diversity In Sustainable Food Systems: Black Farming And Lived Experience In Rural Southern Ontario, Kadeem Jerofy Morgan-Adamson Mr.

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This research examines the lived experiences of Black food growers in rural Southern Ontario to understand how their perspectives challenge dominant narratives of rurality and inform broader discussions on food sovereignty in Canada. Grounded in postcolonial theory, the study highlights how historical dispossession and persistent inequities shape the access of Black communities to land and resources. Using a mixed-methods approach that includes surveys, semi-structured interviews, and reflexive journaling within a community-based research framework, the study documents the barriers Black food growers face. These include limited land access, insufficient funding, inadequate training pathways, and experiences of racial isolation in rural contexts. …

Approaching Social Cohesion And Social Progress From A Systems Perspective: A Mixed Methods Analysis Of The Canadian Multiculturalism Act, Melissa Kimmel

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Social cohesion plays an important role in supporting stable, equitable, and resilient societies. Growing social division and polarization have weakened collective trust and challenged progress in many nations. Understanding how social cohesion can be strengthened has become increasingly important as societies face rising inequality, political partisanship, and declining institutional legitimacy. This study examines how social cohesion can function as a systemic driver of social progress through the example of Canada’s Multiculturalism Act. The Act provides a lens for understanding how national policy can serve as a way to strengthen inclusion, equality, and belonging within diverse societies. This study utilizes a …

Remembering Tim Cook, Kevin Spooner

Canadian Military History

Tim Cook, C.M., F.R.S.C., Ph.D passed away on 26 October 2025, aged 53. Tim was a prolific contributor to this publication and a pillar of the two organisations that publish it, the Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada (LCSC) and the Canadian War Museum. LCSC Director Kevin Spooner offers this remembrance.

Behind Barbed Wire: Jack Powerful Griss And The Material Culture Of Dieppe Pows At Stalag Viii-B, Teresa Iacobelli

Canadian Military History

Through a collection of material culture that includes letters, ephemera and objects, this article traces the Second World War service of Private Jack Powerful Griss. Griss was a survivor of Dieppe and subsequently interned as a POW from 1942 to 1945. Griss’ collection of donated materials reveals his personal story but also sheds light of the broader experience of captivity, especially among the Canadians captured at Dieppe, France in 1942 who were imprisoned in Germany until the end of the Second World War.

À travers une collection de documents culturels, incluant des lettres, des documents éphémères et des objets, cet …

“Mud, Mud, Mud To The Right Of Us”: How Canadian Reconnaissance Regiments Adapted To The Terrain Of The Scheldt Estuary, Victoria Sotvedt

Canadian Military History

During the Battle of the Scheldt, Canadian reconnaissance regiments played a crucial role in gathering information for their attached divisions and participating in combat operations. To be effective in this role, these regiments needed to maintain a high level of mobility and be adept at operating at or beyond the divisional front. As First Canadian Army moved into the Scheldt Estuary in autumn 1944, the reconnaissance regiments’ mobility and efficiency were challenged by the difficult terrain. These regiments therefore developed new techniques to allow them to continue fulfilling their role despite these challenges, including the adoption of new weaponry and …

A Clash Of Conflicting Priorities: Why Did The Battle For The Beveland Causeway Last Almost Three Weeks? 7 October - 24 October 1944, Robert W. Catsburg

Canadian Military History

This article examines the 2nd Canadian Division’s nearly three-week campaign to drive German forces from the Beveland Causeway, a key part of the Battle of the Scheldt. Despite having superior numbers, the Canadians—led by Brigadier Holley Keefler—were unable to break through the enemy lines at Woensdrecht. In the secondary literature, high praise is given to the skill of the German battle group, at the expense of Canadian combat effectiveness. Drawing on primary sources, this article highlights the aggravating factors that contributed to this unexpected stalemate. It shows that, independent of the courage and ability of the soldiers on the ground, …

The Clear-Up: The Anglo-American Experience In Southeastern Italy, 1943–1946, Amy Muschamp

Canadian Military History

As Allied forces gradually ascended Italy in the arduous Italian Campaign, the newly liberated country was left in chaos. Focusing on the often-overlooked experiences of Southeastern Italy, and in particular the area known today as the region of Molise, this article presents an analysis of the Allied clear-up operation within this tumultuous situation. The mass movement of people southwards has been described as the “real drama” of the war for those living in Molise and the experiences of the people here are representative of many in the rural south. Moreover, knowledge gained by Allied forces here would impact future operations …

Lieutenant-Colonel Donald Mackenzie And The 48th Highlanders Of Canada: A Study In Battalion Command And Officer Progression, Tyler Wentzell

Canadian Military History

Lieutenant-Colonel Donald Mackenzie was the commanding officer of the 48th Highlanders of Canada from June 1944 until his death in April 1945. He had been a lieutenant in the militia when the war broke out. His chain of command quickly made him a company commander, then sent him away from the unit to gain valuable staff training and experience. Although lacking combat leadership experience, he rejoined the 48th Highlanders in Italy, became the battalion’s second-in-command, and, after only five months, took over as the commanding officer at the age of twenty-nine. Mackenzie’s experience provides valuable insight into the challenges faced …

Henry Norman Bethune: Controversial Canadian Vs. Bia Qui En: Chinese Model Cadre, Ashley Schepis

The Graduate Review

Canadian thoracic surgeon Dr. Norman Bethune is known for his dichotomous legacy in Canada and China. In China, Bethune is remembered as a model cadre, a foreigner who died for the Chinese Communist cause. In 1938 Bethune travelled to China to prove his loyalty to the communist cause and be a part of something bigger. Bethune’s medical inventions and ideas, such as mobile blood transfusions left a lasting impression on the Chinese medical system, yet he did not become a household name until the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s. Mao Zedong used Bethune as a martyr in propaganda which resulted …

Anishinaabe Nibiing: Anishinaabe Waterscapes And Canoe Building As Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Jeremy Kingsbury

The Cicadian

This paper explores the cultural, ecological, and technological significance of birch bark canoe (wiigwaasi-jiimaan) building among the Anishinaabe people, emphasizing their identity as an inland maritime society. Drawing on historical accounts, oral traditions, and personal experience as a park ranger, the author examines the intricate process of harvesting materials and constructing canoes, highlighting the deep environmental knowledge and gendered labor involved. The canoe served not only as a vital means of transportation and subsistence—facilitating fishing, wild rice harvesting, and seasonal migration—but also as a symbol of familial and spiritual connection. Through detailed descriptions of material selection and craftsmanship, …

The Métis And The Manifest Destiny Of The Canadian Northwest, Donald Holler

The Ozark Historical Review

As the United States, hoping to pursue “Manifest Destiny,” attempted to expand until North America truly was the “American” continent, the newly formed Dominion of Canada, ever fearful of its expanding neighbor to the south, tried to cobble together a trans-continental nation and forge its own unique identity and destiny. These two competing impulses came to a head in the long neglected Métis Red River Rebellion of 1869–1870 which sealed the future of the North American continent.

Combat Motivation And Swift Trust In Canada’S Battle Of Hong Kong, 1941, Robert C. Engen, Maxwell Putnam

Canadian Military History

Abstract: In December 1941, the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong was the site of a doomed last stand, when the Imperial Japanese Army assaulted the British enclave near-simultaneously with the strike on Pearl Harbor. Among Hong Kong’s multinational defenders were two battalions of Canadian infantry, designated “C Force.” They held out for a significant period and inflicted heavy casualties upon the Japanese, despite the fact that the Canadians were under-trained, under-equipped and fighting a battle that could not be won. This article is the first major study of combat motivation in the Battle of Hong Kong, taking the Canadian …