Official History of the Canadian Forces in The Great War

This is the earlier of two significant Official Histories sanctioned by the (then) Canadian Ministry of National Defence. Being published 23 years after the August 1914 - September 1915 period covered, it does not quite have the 30 years of perspective normally recommended for objective histories but, on the other hand, it does have the advantage of a more contemporary viewpoint preparation for its publication having started in 1921.
Col. Duguid had plans for a series of such Volumes, each dealing with an identifiable period of the Canadian involvement, but the project was interrupted and permanently deferred by the outbreak of the 2nd World War.
The author, Colonel A. Fortescue Duguid D.S.O., B.Sc., R.C.A., held the position of Director of the Historical Section of the General Staff and so was ideally situated to obtain and make reference to all the official records which he has certainly done.

The Volume is divided into two books, the first containing the substance of the history while the second is dedicated to reprints of 850 official records, messages, reports as well as 14 maps showing the topography and troop dispositions at critical points in the activities.
The Main volume also contains eight pull out maps, a frontispiece showing the Western Theatre and a timeline chart showing the "Employment of Canadian Formations" during the period August 1914 to September 1915.
This is a very detailed and comprehensive account of the activities starting at the week before the outbreak of war and telling the story of the raising of the 1st Canadian Contingent, it's training and the actions it fought.
It concludes with the formation of the Canada Corps. and the landing of the 2nd contingent on 13th September 1915.

The CD contains a complete copy of the original text of this book, including all the maps, footnotes, references to the appendices and - of course - all of the appendix volume.
The text is completely computer searchable plus contains bookmarked major milestones in the book such as Chapter headings.
These features, in conjunction with the extensive contents lists and the 44 pages of index provided by Colonel Duguid, make this an eminently accessible resource for anyone researching Canadian military activities during the Great War.

This valuable book was loaned to Archive CD Books (Canada) by Chris Wight.
Chris has joined Marc Leroux to undertake the mammoth task of making a biographical database of all the Canadians who took part in The Great War. This work will be underway for a long time, but the current data base contents have been made available and can be found at http://www.canadianGreatWarProject.com/

Please visit their site so they know their work is being appreciated.

The War Book of Upper Canada College, Toronto (1914-1919) Published 1923

This book was intended to identify all the "Old Boys" of the prestigious Upper Canada College who participated in "The Great War" of 1914-1918.
Those who gave their lives are commemorated in a separate section but for every "Old Boy" identified there is a short biography and the majority also have a photographic portrait.
The book does not give an exact number of Old Boys recorded but we estimate it to be in the order of 1100.
In addition to the biographies, which take up most of the book's 322 pages, there are also lists of Decorations, Honours and Distinctions earned and a chronological list of entries into the college ranging from 1861 through 1918.

This is a hard to come by source of biographical information of ex students of this ancient and prestigious educational establishment.

The book is fully searchable using Adobe Reader, even down to the name captions on the photographic portraits.This valuable book has been loaned to us by Chris Wight. Chris has joined Marc Leroux to undertake the mammoth task of making a biographical database of all the Canadians who took part in The Great War.

This work will be underway for a long time, but the current data base contents have been made available and can be found at http://www.canadianGreatWarProject.com/

Please visit their site so they know their work is being appreciated.

The Royal Montreal Regiment 1914 to 1925 & 1925 to 1945 - Set.

This is a compilation CD containing both volumes of the History of the Royal Montreal Regiment. Together they provide a valuable and detailed history of the Regiment from it's formation in 1914 up to the end of it's active WW2 service in 1945.

Full descriptions of the contents of each of the individual volumes making up this set can be found under the product codes CA0100-1(The Royal Montreal Regiment, 14th Battalion, C.E.F. 1914-1925) and CA0100-2 (The Royal Montreal Regiment 1925 to 1945) within our on-line catalogue.

The whole CD is fully searchable for text using Adobeª Reader.

The Royal Montreal Regiment, 14th Battalion, C. E. F. 1914-1925

A complete and detailed history of the 14th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force starting with it's formation in August 1914 from the: 1st Regiment (Canadian Grenadier Guards), 3rd Regiment (Victoria Rifles) and 65th Regiment (Carabiniers de Mont-Royal) through to its reorganization in 1920 when it was combined with the Westmount Rifles to become The Royal Montreal Regiment.
Thus, this is a history of the activities of the 14th Battalion through the Great War of 1914 - 18, in which it took an active and decisive part.

The author, R. C. Fetherstonhaugh, was given access to many official records in the writing of this history and he has done a great job in organizing and tabulating the factual data so that it is easy to find and understand.
In particular he has provided 6 appendices giving the Honor Role, Honors and Awards received (2 categories), Commissions, the Battalion's Itinerary and the statistics.
But that isn't to say this is a dry book of facts. Far from it! Mr. Fetherstonhaugh has an interesting and understandable writing style which brings these cold hard facts to life and gives us a true insight into the lives of the members of the Battalion as they lived through this terrible ordeal. But yet again, he manages to inject a note of humor now and again. His description of a "cheery little game" invented by the members of the Battalion, at the top of page 10, is bound to bring a smile to the face of the reader.
There are 21 photographs, many taken on the battlefield, and 6 sketch maps illustrating the campaigns, amongst the 334 pages of this book.
Reading it will reward the reader with a rare insight into what it was like to be a Canadian soldier taking part in The Great War.

The book is fully searchable using Adobe Reader, which will be of great assistance to anyone researching a specific person since many members of the battalion are mentioned by name within the text as well as appearing in the appendix lists.

This valuable book has been loaned to Archive CD Books (Canada) by Chris Wight. Chris has joined Marc Leroux to undertake the mammoth task of making a biographical database of all the Canadians who took part in The Great War.

This work will be underway for a long time, but the current data base contents have been made available and can be found at http://www.canadianGreatWarProject.com/

Please visit their site so they know their work is being appreciated.

The Royal Montreal Regiment 1925 to 1945

This is the second volume of the history of the Royal Montreal Regiments, picking up when the previous one left off in 1925 and continuing through the whole of the regiments involvement in the second World War.
Essentially the history given in this book ends with the dismissal of the unit from the parade marking it's return to Montreal on 10 September 1945 but there are two additional chapters which deal in some detail with the individual members of the Regiment and a further chapter recounting the history of the 2nd (Reserve) Battalion from it's formation in 1943 to it's dissolution in 1945.
Completing the volume are a number of appendices giving the Honour Role, Honours and Awards, an Index of Persons and a Regimental Index (persons and military units identified in the book.)

Both the first and second volumes of the Regimental history were ably written by Robert Collier Fetherstonhaugh. Sadly he didn't live long enough to see the publication of this book and there is a dedication to him in the book's opening pages.

The book is liberally illustrated with 19 pages of multiple photographs the great majority captioned with the names of the individuals appearing in them.
It is also fully searchable using Adobe Reader.
This will be of great assistance to anyone researching a specific person, location, or event. There are also 6 sketch maps showing the locations inhabited by the Regiment during their campaign. These maps include locations both in England and Europe. Lastly there is a chart showing the "genealogy" of the Regiment from 1914, making it easier to follow the various developments, identities and duties that applied during it's illustrious "career."

This wonderful book has been loaned to Archive CD Books (Canada) in memory of the Late Harry King D'All, who served with the RMR in England throughout the war and was peacetime RSM of the same regiment. This loan was made possible by his children, Helen D'All (Montreal), Dan D'All (South Haven, Mississippi) and Maggie D'All Dugard (Pickering, Ontario) as well as his grandsons Liam McGintny (Montreal) and Tim & Tyler Dugard (Pickering).

University of Toronto Roll of Service - 1914 - 1918

Here is a complete list of men and women who were associated with the University of Toronto and who served in the Great War. This includes present and former Staff, Graduates, Undergraduates, former Students and those attending the Faculty of Education.

The major portion of the book is made up of four alphabetical lists in the categories: Roll of Honor: Killed in Action or Died on Service & Died after Discharge, 1917 - 1920 in part from disabilities incurred on Service.Roll of Service, 1914 - 1918, & "Registered in the University after Returning from Active Service.
The Rolls of Honor give a narrative summary of each individual's service including the circumstances of their death. The Rolls of service give the specific's of the individual's service.

The book also contains a lengthy introduction which provides a summary history of the Universities functioning during the war years as well as the part played by the facilities which were used to aid the war effort.

Altogether there are entries for over 6,800 individuals (including those who entered the University after their service.)
If you are seeking information on the Great War service of anyone who attended, or worked for, the University of Toronto then you are almost certain to find it here. (The book admits to not being able to find records for 105 members of the University who had been reported to be on active Service.)

Archive CD Books (Canada) were asked, to dedicate this CD to the memory of George Van Wyke Laughton, MC, (b;7 July 1916 - d;11 June 1966.) a Canadian who served in the British 3rd Army, 34th Division, 26th Battalion, the Northumberland Fusiliers (the Tyneside Irish) during the Great War.
See web site http://www.censol.ca/research/greatwar/ for his details.
His entry is on p343 of the book.

Please join with us to thank his grandson, Richard Van Wyck Laughton, for loaning Archive CD Books (Canada) his copy of this wonderful book.

We also extend thanks to Joyce Johnston who had previously loaned us a supplement to the 1st edition of this book.
The later publication (from which this CD is made) contains, and expands on, all the information from the supplement.

Archive CD Books (Canada) have configured the book for computer searches of the text using a PDF interpreter application such as Adobe Readerª V4 or better.

Canada
An Illustrated weekly Journal for all Interested in the Dominion
April through August, 1916

This is a magazine style news publication which styles itself as "An illustrated weekly journal for all interested in the Dominion."
As you might expect it contains articles about the events in the news both at a national and at a provincial level, including, for instance, the "Investment Supplement."
What raises this bound set of issues out of the ordinary is that about half of the content is reporting on the progress of the Great War in Europe from a Canadian perspective.

Usually the front page and the "centre fold" spread are completely devoted to pictures of serving Canadians while other pictures "from the front" and portraits of individuals mentioned, are scattered throughout the remainder of the issue. Articles report the progress of the various campaigns while others single out individual Canadian units for examination in detail.
Serialized features include "Letters from the Front," which gives the reader the individual perspective of a few of those intimately involved in the fighting, and "A Company Officer's Experience," which is a personal account of one man's experiences.

From a purely genealogical perspective perhaps the most interesting portions of each issue are the lists of casualties and commissions.
Of course the predominance of the reporting concerns "Officers" but most of the issues also devote space to "NCO's and Men."

Each issue also contains a section reporting births, marriages and deaths in Canada, and a "Purely Personal" section which is packed with snippets reporting the events in the lives of Canadians, both enlisted and civilian.
Of course the exact content of each issue varies to accommodate the events to be reported, but for anyone interested in the Great War, or indeed in the events here in Canada during this particular period, here is a wonderful, contemporary, window on Canada's view of the events taking place during this critical period.

The whole of the text of the book is computer searchable and we have enabled our FastFind technology to speed up your searches for individuals and events.

Like all newspapers this CD requires a thorough reading to extract all the morsels of information tucked away in its pages.

Here are three examples of the little gems which can be found, (copied from the bottom right hand corner of page 1-19 - amongst the financial news):"Lieut.-Col. D. W. McPherson, C.A.M.C., of Toronto, O.C. the Canadian Convalescent Hospital at Woodcote Park, Epsom, and formerly at the front with No. 2 Field Ambulance, has been given the command of the Ontario Military Hospital at Orpington, Kent.
Roy Beavis, a Canadian private soldier, was sentenced to six months' imprisonment at Hythe on Monday for illegally wearing the uniform of a major and the ribbon decorations of the D.C.M. and the French Legion of Honour, and a month's imprisonment for fraudulently obtaining food and lodging.
Mr. Robert Lindsay, formerly of Montreal, is presenting a billiard table to the King George and Queen Mary Maple Leaf Club, 11, Charles Street, Berkeley Square, and Mrs. Shearwood Watson has sent an additional piano to the Club.
The demand for residential accommodation in the Club by soldiers on leave is continuous."
Just think what it would be like to be researching the McPherson or Lindsay families and to find these snippets! The Beavis family? Well, it certainly sounds as if he had a good time, doesn't it!

Nova Scotia's Part in the Great War - 1920

Published two years after the end of the Great War, in 1920, this book was intended to record all the activities of Nova Scotians in support of the allies victory.
While the Compiler and editor's name, Capt. M. S. Hunt appears in the by-line, this book was in fact the joint work of many individuals, their names being credited in the Preface as well as being printed in their individual contributions.
Interesting differences between this book of "honour" and other similar works published as records of the same war is that this one not only commemorates the actions and individuals of the military organizations but also those of the auxiliary and civilian efforts.
The records of nursing staff, both those who went to Europe and those who served here in Canada, are particularly valuable because of their relative scarcity.

Nova Scotia hosted many regiments, brigades and other military groups and each one is given its own chapter in which accounts of its activities and major events are recorded.
Also recorded are the names of the officers and many of the men who qualified themselves through their actions.

Other chapters are written from the perspective of civilian organizations.
These not only report on the individuals who left their colleges, universities and service clubs to go to war but also record the individual efforts of these groups here "at home" in such activities as fund raising and making sure the returning troops got well looked after.

While it was recognized by the editor that the aim to report every war effort contribution would never be possible, this book does make a splendid effort.
Mention should also be made of the numerous photographs and portraits provided throughout the pages.

Of course the technical standard of some of the photography and printing do not do full justice to the subjects, yet their value to the book is high.
This book is a valuable record of Nova Scotia's contribution to, "the war to end all wars."

The whole of the text of the book is computer searchable and Archive CD Books (Canada) have enabled their FastFind technology to speed up your searches for individuals and events.

The Call To Arms
Montreal's Roll of Honour - c1914

The preface to this book provides it's own description of the aims and objectives of its publication:"THE CALL TO ARMS is the work of a few Montreal citizens who, with the aid of many friends, took upon themselves to endeavor to produce a tangible record of the manifold and splendid ways in which Montrealers, military and civil, have served their Country and their Empire during the last five months of 1914.
Their first object was to record these facts; secondly, their desire was to serve the Montreal Patriotic Fund by turning over to its treasurer the proceeds of the publication, above the actual net cost of production and distribution. ... "
The slightly over 200 pages of this rare expensive book are packed with the names of Montreal citizens who "joined up" or served the war effort in a civilian capacity.

Particularly unusual is the number of women who are credited in their own right for their war work.
The book is not specific about its publication date but it does indicate that it was compiled in the last five months of 1914 so the military records give the names from the 1st and 2nd contingents of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF).
It also gives a brief history of each military organization which was staffed with Montrealers, identifying them by name and service rank.
The military units who's members are identified are (in alphabetical order):AMBULANCE, FIELD; ARMY SERVICE CORPS; ARTILLERY, MONTREAL HEAVY BRIGADE; CARABINIERS (MONT ROYAL) 65TH; CAVALRY REGIMENTS; EIGHTY-FIFTH REGIMENT; ENGINEERS, CANADIAN; GRENADIER GUARDS OF CANADA; GUIDES, CORPS OF; HEADQUARTERS STAFF; HIGHLANDERS, ROYAL, OF CANADA; HOME GUARD, MONTREAL; IRISH CANADIAN RANGERS; LE REGIMENT ROYAL CANADIEN; MCGILL TRAINING CORPS; PRINCESS PATRICIA'S LIGHT INFANTRY (Montreal recruits); VETERINARY CORPS, CANADIAN ARMY; VICTORIA RIFLES OF CANADA; WESTMOUNT RIFLES
The civilian organizations who's activities are described and who's participants are named are:DAUGHTERS OF THE EMPIRE; FRANCO-BELGIAN SUB-COMMITTEE; PATRIOTIC FUND; RED CROSS, CANADIAN; RELIEF COMMITTEE, MONTREAL; SOLDIERS' WIVES LEAGUE; Y.M.C.A. IN WARTIME, There is also an interesting section giving various scales of pay and allowance for those serving in the military.

The book has been formatted for text searches using the text "Search" or "Find" features of your favorite PDF file reader although we recommend the use of Adode Reader, V4 or better, for maximum compatibility.

This great book has been loaned to Archive CD Books (Canada) by Marc Leroux. Marc has joined Chris Wight to undertake the mammoth task of making a biographical database of all the Canadians who took part in The Great War.
This work will be underway for a long time, but the current data base contents have been made available and can be found at
http://www.canadianGreatWarProject.com/

Please visit their site so they know their work is being appreciated.

From the Rideau to the Rhine and Back

From the Rideau to the Rhine and Back, compiled by (Maj.) K. Weatherbe, published 1928.CA0206The week by week account of the trials, tribulations, disappointments and glories of a group of Canadian engineers as they fought their way across Europe in support of the Canadian fighting machine.

This is the story of the 6th. Field Company and Battalion, Canadian Engineers in the Great War.From the first entry dated 26 December 1914 when the unit was being formed, until the 31 May 1919 when the unit was discharged, this story brings to life this company of engineers as they worked their way through times of idleness and times of intense activity as they did their work in Winter's chill and Summer's heat. Major Weatherbe collected his materials into the form of a diary which brought the attendant problem that some entries have little to occupy them while others could fill a whole book by themselves. Yet he still manages to capture the essentials of the Company's activities, both at a battalion level, and at the level of the individual sappers, in a manner which moves along and carries the reader with it.

One of the most distinguishing features of this book is that it recognizes the "other ranks" as individuals - a rarity at the time this book was written - so that they receive as much attention as the officers.As well as the nicely balanced writing this 519 page book is deluged with illustrations and maps. Although some 60 are in collages, altogether there are over 120 photographs and line drawings. Some are quite spectacular, like the dawn shot of shells following their trajectories against a dark sky, while others are quite prosaic, like the sapper posing for his picture while standing up to his ankles in a drainage ditch.
In addition to the pictures there are no less than 27 district and trench maps of the areas where the company operated, most are full page while a few are two page spreads. The maps contain plenty of detail for the expert as well as enough features to set the scene for those looking for background to their ancestors exploits.

The book is completed with a "Nominal Roll" of all those who served and was as accurate as the official records allowed.

The information in the original of this book was hard to access because it had only a minimal contents list and no index. We have provided "bookmark" entry points on a month by month basis and have made the whole book text searchable which, together, open this volume up to the researcher and to those needing a quick access to the facts.

This great book has been loaned to Archive CD Books (Canada) by Marc Leroux. Marc has joined Chris Wight to undertake the mammoth task of making a biographical database of all the Canadians who took part in The Great War.

This work will be underway for a long time, but the current data base contents have been made available and can be found at: http://www.canadianGreatWarProject.com/

Please visit their site so they know their work is being appreciated.

History of the 31st Canadian Infantry Battalion C.E.F., Nov. 1914 to June 1919.

The publication date of 1938 for this wonderful military history has been taken from the date on the foreword.
The author or, as he styles himself, the Compiler and Assembler, Maj. H. C. Singer, ably assisted by Mr. A. A. Peebles, has left us a document which will at once satisfy both the military strategist and those looking to understand the personal experiences of this group of fighting Canadians.

This is the story of the the 31st. Battalion, otherwise known as the Alberta Regiment, which was raised in November 1914 as a component of the 6th Canadian Infantry Brigade, one third of the 2nd. Canadian Division of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF.)
Starting from the assignment of Lieut.-Col. A. H. Bell as the commanding officer the narrative follows the recruitment in the main centers of Calgary and Edmonton as well as in many smaller towns across southern Alberta, the training both in Canada and in England and finally sees the Brigade landing in France and taking its place at the front.
The list of battles in which the Battalion took an active part reads like a litany of the most famous and horrific of this Great War. Names like Flanders, Ypres and the Salient, the Somme, Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, Amiens and Arras, still raise pictures of the horror of this war some 90 years after it took place.

Through the almost 450 pages of the narrative of this book Maj. Singer manages to give us a remarkable picture of both the strategic progress and a highly personal account of what it was like to be a soldier struggling to stay alive. in addition to the narrative there are numerous contemporary photographs showing the condition of the battlefield as well as in some of the trenches. To enable the reader to better follow the progress of the battles from the narrative there are also 8 detailed maps showing the topography and troop dispositions.The book is completed with 68 pages of appendices containing lists of the Battalion's statistics, probably the most important of these being a nominal roll of the entire Battalion giving service numbers, names, casualty status and honors.

It is hard to do justice to a book like this in such a short review but if you know of anyone who was a part of this Battalion you owe it to yourself to read this book so you know what they went through in the service of their country.
The complete book has been OCR'd so that its text can be searched by your computer. Altogether, 515 high quality scanned pages in our normal PDF format.

This great book has been loaned to Archive CD Books (Canada) by Marc Leroux. Marc has joined Chris Wight to undertake the mammoth task of making a biographical database of all the Canadians who took part in The Great War.

This work will be underway for a long time, but the current data base contents have been made available and can be found at: http://www.canadianGreatWarProject.com/

Please visit their site so they know their work is being appreciated.

Officers and Men in the First Canadian Contingent - 1914

The full title is: List of the Officers and Men Serving in the First Canadian Contingent of the British Expeditionary Force - 1914 Compiled by the Pay and Records Office, Canadian Contingent, 36, Victoria Street, London, S. W.
Surely this has to be the most comprehensive listing of those who served in the First Canadian Contingent during the Great War. Every individual is listed in their Brigade, Battalion, Company, specialist group or whatever is appropriate, together with their rank and regimental number (if applicable.)

A must have for every genealogist's reference shelf.
Archive CD Books (Canada) have configured the CD to make it text searchable so it is a real research tool.

When Canada announced its intent to support Britain by sending a fighting force to Europe in 1914 it raised an amazing volunteer army of over 32,660 in just three weeks. Coming from all over the country these volunteers were entrained and bought to the Valcartier camp to receive basic training and to be equipped. Where enough volunteers came from the same area their Regiment was subscripted with the area name as in the "Toronto Regiment" and the "British Columbia Regiment."
In addition to these untrained volunteers many veterans of the Canadian armed service re-enlisted to once more serve alongside the already existing permanent fighting force.
In only a few weeks the Canadian Expeditionary Force was loaded into a convoy of 32 ships for shipment to England and then on to Europe.This book records the names of all these men, both the new and experienced volunteers as well as the pre-existing forces.

This great book has been loaned to Archive CD Books (Canada) by Marc Leroux. Marc has joined Chris Wight to undertake the mammoth task of making a biographical database of all the Canadians who took part in The Great War.

This work will be underway for a long time, but the current data base contents have been made available and can be found at: http://www.canadianGreatWarProject.com/

Please visit their site so they know their work is being appreciated.

History of the 16th Battalion CEF, 1914-19

By, Lt.-Col. H. M. Urquhart, originally published in 1932.
Nicknamed "The Canadian Scottish" the 16th Battalion was formed from four existing regiments. The "Scottish" label seems to have derived from the backgrounds of the original constituent regiments: The Gordons (50th Regiment), The Seaforth (72nd Regiment), The Camerons (79th Regiment), and The Canadian Highlanders allied with Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (91st Regiment).
During the course of the conflict however the battalion was reinforced from over 30 other regiments and groups, many of whom had no particular claim to a Scottish heritage, so that the nickname became more honorary than descriptive.

In this book the author, after a brief prologue to set the scene, starts this history with the formation of the Battalion at the Valcartier camp (Quebec) in May 1914. He then provides a detailed, chronological account of the battalion members experiences throughout the whole period of the fighting finishing with its disbanding in Winnipeg in May of 1919, almost exactly 5 years later.

Although the book is an important and informative history it could also be looked on as a simple diary, a large part of its charm and import being that it includes passages from many actual diaries, both official and personal.
Along with the explanations of the strategic maneuvering there are insightful extracts of individuals reactions, to the shock of seeing a friend suddenly dead, to the fear, and to the brutality of war. Truly a "tour de force" of compelling story telling. And as if this weren't enough, the history is amply illustrated with 23 contemporary photographs and 15 detailed maps of the battles and the battalion's movements. And yet this "history" only accounts for about a half of the book. The remaining half is an exhaustive package of facts in quoted records and tabulated figures giving all the factual information in easy to understand form, including an over 400 page Nominal Role of all officers and men who served, showing their promotion, previous and past service records, and for the many unfortunate to have been killed or wounded the date and nature of their misfortune.

There is no detailed index in the original so to make the contents more accessible on this CD Archive CD Books (Canada) have made the whole text searchable and enabled the Fast Find feature allowing you to make almost instantaneous searches for any word in the book.

This valuable book has been loaned to Archive CD Books (Canada) by Marc Leroux. Marc has joined Chris Wight to undertake the mammoth task of making a biographical database of all the Canadians who took part in The Great War.

This work will be underway for a long time, but the current data base contents have been made available and can be found at http://www.canadianGreatWarProject.com/

Please visit their site so they know their work is being appreciated.

McGill University at War - 1914-1918 & 1939-1945

A full and detailed account of the activities and contributions of this world famous university and those of its staff and students to the allied efforts through both World Wars.

The author, R. C. Fetherstonhaugh LL.D. is not only famous for his detailed and accurately reported military histories but he is also an alumni of the university itself. He has provided a fund of detailed information about the contribution of individuals and all those who could be named are recorded somewhere in the book.

What makes this book so different however are the accounts of the contribution the university itself played in its research efforts both in developing new and improved weapons as well as, for example, developing new ways to produce food and means to combat the diseases and disabilities which always accompany a war.

The book provides three appendices entitled "Honor Roll," "Honors and Awards,' and "List of Persons," which between them mention over 3,000 individuals (both men and women) and so ensure that almost everyone who made a contribution to the war efforts is recorded in some detail.
Archive CD Books (Canada) have extracted the names from these appendices and list them in the "More Information" window so you can search for the name or names you are particularly interested in. Even without this though, if you have any sort of interest in the role McGill played in the World Wars you should have this book in your library.
As useful as this book is on its own Archive CD Books (Canada) have supplemented that usefulness in this CD edition by making the text fully searchable. Now you can go straight to your topic without having to read through many pages to get there.

This great book has been loaned to us by Marc Leroux. Marc has joined Chris Wight to undertake the mammoth task of making a biographical database of all the Canadians who took part in The Great War.

This work will be underway for a long time, but the current data base contents have been made available and can be found at: http://www.canadianGreatWarProject.com/

Please visit their site so they know their work is being appreciated

Canada's Hundred Days

From his position as a War Correspondent the author, John Livesey was in an ideal position to write this account of the period between 8th August and 11 November 1918, when the Canadian forces played their part of a series of victories which helped to bring this European conflict to an end.

What made this 100 day period even more glorious at the time was that it marked a significant change in the fortunes of the allied forces who, up until then, had been fighting a rugged defensive campaign.

At a first glance this book appears to be written as a diary but it would be more accurate to describe it as a chronological account, detailing not only the overall campaign but also telling us about the personal experiences of the troops in their trenches.
The author has chosen to separate the book into four parts, each named for, and concerned with, a specific campaign.
This division does lead to a little overlap in the chronology but far from being a disadvantage this allows the reader to read about a single sequence of events without the distraction of the other events taking place at the same time in different theaters of the war.

This is a well written and easy to read book which richly deserves its place as one of the standard reference books about Canada's part in the Great War.
In addition to the detailed 12 page index which John Livesay provided in his original manuscript Archive CD Books (Canada) have made the text of the book fully searchable allowing you to quickly check your facts or to find all occurrence of any search term with a single click.

This great book has been loaned to us by Marc Leroux. Marc has joined Chris Wight to undertake the mammoth task of making a biographical database of all the Canadians who took part in The Great War.

This work will be underway for a long time, but the current data base contents have been made available and can be found at: http://www.canadianGreatWarProject.com/

Please visit their site so they know their work is being appreciated.

The 24th Battalion, C.E.F., Victoria Rifles of Canada, 1914 - 1919

A well written and detailed history of this Montreal based military unit from its beginnings as a volunteer unit, during the 1812 invasions, through its recognition as a militia through the Fenian raids and a number of civil disorders to its conversion to a full time component of the C.E.F., including its contribution of a core of trained officers and men in the formation of the 14th Battalion, Royal Montreal Regiment.While these initial passages give the history as an outline the tone of the writing changes to provide a far more intimate account of the Battalions activities from the time of its embarkation for Europe to take part in the formation of the 2nd contingent of the C.E.F. in September of 1914.
The account continues in detail throughout all the movements and actions it took part in, becoming something of a day-by-day activity diary of the battalion.In addition to personal anecdotes the author also paints a clear picture of the strategic part played by the battalion through such well know actions as; the Somme, the battle of Arras, Vimy Ridge, Ypres, Passchendaele, Amiens and Cambrai. As might be expected the book concludes with accounts of the Battalion's victorious parade through London before an equally victorious return to Montreal for demobilization.

Throughout, the account is well illustrated with photographs, sketches and situation maps. An additional map of the Battle of Arras in June 1916 and June 1917 was slipped into the book by one of the previous owners so we have included it on the CD.
The book's appendices contain an honour Roll as well as lists of earned honours, commissions and the Battalions battle statistics.

The particular copy of the book used to make this CD was loaned to Archive CD Books (Canada) by Chris White, a long time friend of Archive CD Books Canada who, together with his colleague Marc Leroux, operate the Canadian Great War Project web site at: http://www.canadianGreatWarProject.com/

We encourage you to visit their site and to consider helping them out with their labor of love of ensuring that those who gave at least a part, if not all, of their lives in this great conflict are remembered.
The book has passed through a number of hands on its way to Archive CD Books (Canada) and contains certain inscriptions and inclusions some relevant to the book's contents and some just mementoes.
In cases like this Archive CD Books (Canada) generally edit these additions out of the reproduction but in this case have included some of them where they are directly relevant and where it is felt the originators would have wanted them to be preserved.

The Author:
This book was compiled and edited by R. C. Fetherstonhaugh (1892 - 1949).
Anyone familiar with the literature recording the military histories of Canada during the Great War will recognize this name.
Archive CD Books (Canada) do not know very much about the author as a person they do know that he was a member of a family well recognized for successful professionalism and for military service.
Robert Collier was unable to enter the military himself (for medical reasons it is believed) and appears to have compensated for this by undertaking the recounting of several Montreal based battalion and regimental histories as well as a number of other military related accounts.
He has a nice clear writing style which makes reading his books a pleasure.

The Regimental History of the Governor General's Foot Guards

This regimental history was initiated by Major A. R. Jessup's account of the part played by the Governor General's Foot Guards personnel while actively serving in Europe during the Second World War.

The regiment decided, however, that the subject matter should be expanded to recount its complete history, taking Major Jessup's fine start as the core of the work.
Major Jessup completed his first draft while awaiting the regiment's repatriation from Europe but despite a dramatic increase in the writing staff it took a further three years to bring the book to publication in 1948. This additional time did allow for minor alterations to be made in the light of information which was not available when the first draft was being written, as well as the addition of numerous wonderful situation / route maps and illustrating photographs.
Several of the photographs come in the form of panoramic records of complete companies of the regiment's personnel.
The book conforms with the traditional, chronological format of history books. It starts with the regiment's origins as a part time militia made up of members of the Civil Service of Canada while the government was seated in Quebec in 1861. At that time its duties were mainly to form a military presence at formal ceremonies and to provide honour guards for visiting dignitaries. The account continues to follow the sometimes checkered fortunes of the unit including its contributions to such important episodes as The Nile Voyagers, the North West Rebellion, The Boer War and the Great (1914 - 1918) War in Europe.
Starting at the mobilization of the GGFG as a component of the WWII Canadian Expeditionary Force the history becomes a lot more detailed and provides more "first hand" experiences of the consequence of the larger events.
The account concludes after the return to Canada and the regiment's demobilization. Additional materials in the volume provide a History of the Regimental Rifle Association, while five appendices include a Roll of Honor, listings of Honors and Awards (including citation for valour,) and a Nominal Roll for 1940 - 1946.

This book has been loaned to Archive CD Books (Canada) through the good will of the Ottawa Historical Society so that we could scan it and make it available to you.
The Ottawa Historical Society houses its library in the Bytown Museum, sited on the lock-side in downtown Ottawa.
Please join with Archive CD Books (Canada) in thanking both the Ottawa Historical Society for allowing them to borrow this valuable old book and to the museum staff for their assistance in accessing the library.
Copies of the CD have been presented to the Ottawa Historical Society for everyday use so the life expectancy of the original book can be vastly increased.

The 13th Battalion Royal Highlanders of Canada, 1914 - 1919

Anyone who has done any reading about the military units raised in the Montreal area of Quebec will probably be familiar with the author of this book.
Robert Collier Fetherstonhaugh seems to have been unable to serve his country in the more conventional sense but he more than made up for this with the wonderful, factual unit histories and tales of valor he penned for a number of military units based in the Montreal area. Robert Collier's special skill is in factually recounting all the infinite details of a military unit on the move and at war while making it an interesting story. He will switch from an explanation of campaign tactics to the exploit of "Jock" in the trench within a page but manages to do so without giving his reader mental "whiplash."

This history starts with the raising of the 13th Battalion as an "active service" contingent of the 5th Royal Canadian Highlanders in response to Britain's declaration of war in August 1914. Since the 5th was already an affiliate of the famous Black Watch regiment the affiliation naturally extended to the newly formed 13th.
Being formed from members of an active militia, little training was required and the Battalion was soon on its way to France by way of England.
The names of the battles in which the 13th played an important part read like the history of the war itself; Ypres, Festubert, Givenchy, Messines, Mount Sorrel, Sanctuary Wood, The Somme, Passchendaele, Amiens and Arras are all recounted in all their horror and inhumanity. And yet in the midst of such a nightmare the author recounts moments of humor and of honor, not least of which was the granting of the right to mount the "Red Hackle."
Within the context of the account the author provides the relevant numbers and facts but he then further consolidates and completes this all important information with a series of appendices giving a List of the Dead, Honors and Awards granted and a page of statistics.
Being a chronological account it is relatively easy, particularly with the help of the Table of Contents, to access the ample information contained in this book.
However the search-ability features we have incorporated in this digital edition offer an alternate, fast and reliable, method of finding any mention of individuals and places.
With the FastFind enhancement Archive CD Books (Canada) have applied, searching for the results is virtually instantaneous.

The particular copy of the book used to make this CD has been loaned to Archive CD Books (Canada) by Chris White, a long time friend of Archive CD Books Canada who, together with his colleague Marc Leroux, operate the Canadian Great War Project web site at: http://www.canadianGreatWarProject.com/

We encourage you to visit their site and to consider helping them out with their labor of love of ensuring that those who gave at least a part, if not all, of their lives in this great conflict are remembered.

The 42nd battalion, C.E.F. Royal Highlanders of Canada in the Great War

In his opening address the author, Lieut.-Colonel C. Beresford Topp, D.S.O., M.C., declares this book to be " ... based on the 42nd Battalion official War Diary ..." Any reader, however, who has ever struggled to fully comprehend the content of any official war diary will soon recognize this as an understatement of the amount of work and care he has put into making this a clear, concise and readable history of the activities of the Battalion.

The Battalions formation in February of 1915 as the second Royal Highlanders active service Battalion to spring from the roots of the 5th Militia Regiment in Montreal, conferred on it the coveted association with the famous Scottish Black Watch Regiment. The C.O. even managed to "pulled a few strings" to obtain the same 42nd assignation.
Embarking for Europe in June 1915 as a part of the second Canadian contingent the 42nd soon took its place in the battle lines where it completely fulfilled the reputation of the Black Watch as a hard fighting, indomitable force through such battles as Mount Sorrel, The Somme, Vimy Ridge, Avion, Passchendaele, Amiens, Arras and Mons, to mention but a few.As one would expect the chapters of this history relate the part taken by the Battalion as a whole in the fighting, including how it interacted with the other active units in the same areas. It also manages, however, to include many stories of the individual soldiers as they carried out their duties, or in many cases, far exceeded them in acts of selfless valour.
In concluding the book Lieut.-Col. Topp provides several fact filled appendices including an Honor Roll, a Nominal Roll of Officers and Other Ranks and an Itinerary of all movements and Principal Operations.

Amply supported with photographs of the battlefields and portraits of the officers, many of the battles are illustrated by "fold out" maps showing the locations and movements of the fighting forces.
It should be mentioned however that in preparing the master for this digital edition Archive CD Books (Canada) were surprised to find that the map of the Battle of the Somme appeared in two locations and that the map showing the capture of Vimy Ridge was missing. Thanks to the Museum and Archives of the Black Watch (RHR) of Canada They have corrected this situation and this CD version now provides a full compliment of maps.

As usual Archive CD Books (Canada) have made the text of the book fully searchable and enabled the FastFind technology to make searching almost instantaneous.

Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Atlas and History
A compliation of :
"Illustrated Historical Atlas of the Counties of Frontenac, Lennox and Addington, Ontario" and "History of the County of Lennox & Addington"

This is a compilation of two books comprising as complete a history as was provided by the literature available at the turn of the 19th century.
Surprisingly in view of its political importance there is no record of a significant history of Frontenac being published until about 75 years later.
The two books are:CA0168 - Illustrated Historical Atlas of the Counties of Frontenac, Lennox and Addington, Ontarioand CA0169 - History of the County of Lennox & Addington

The price for this compilation is a significant saving over the parts purchased individually.

Letters From the Front
Being a record of the part played by officers of the bank in the Great War, 1914-1919.

Subtitled: "Being a record of the part played by officers of the bank in the great war. 1914 - 1919."Over 1,700 staff members resigned their positions with the Canadian Bank of Commerce to go and "do their bit" in the Great War.

As letters began to trickle back from these erstwhile bank employees the bank's Staff Inspector (what we would call the head of Human Resources today) conceived the idea of publishing a series of pamphlets containing suitable edited extracts from these letters so that remaining staff members, and indeed customers, could follow the fortunes of those "at the front."
It was not long before these 11 initial pamphlets began to find their way to "the front" themselves and were eagerly passed around so that news of other bank employees could be shared.
Following the war, when many of the survivors were returning to their old jobs, the bank was casting around for ways in which it could commemorate their valiant efforts as well as making a fitting tribute to those who had failed to make it home.
This book was one of the ways in which the Bank decided to accomplish this so they collected all the materials originally published in the 11 pamphlets, updated and enhanced it with information which had been previously censored or unavailable, and added extensive Honor Roll lists, a portrait gallery of over 392 employees and biographies for (it was believed) every member of staff who took an active part in the war in some way or another.
Further enhancements include photographic plates showing the unit badges of Canadian, British and even US military units in which bank members served, a map of the "Western Theater of War" and photographs of the more traditional statuary the bank intended to erect.
The addition of these biographies and other materials, necessitated an expansion into a second volume.
To maintain continuity the biographies are cross referenced to the letters published in the first volume.

It can be seen then that the editors were at great pains to ensure that everybody who joined the armed services was commemorated, and yet, perhaps the most important function this book serves today is to provide a completely different perspective on the War from the one we are more used to finding in the various "official" and military unit histories.
Here the reader wil find the stories, the reactions, the feelings of the individual who has been brought face to face with a type of war that no one had experienced to that time. Frequently expressed in the sort of flippant "banter" which readers have been conditioned to expect of the service people of that time, here are stories of everyday domestic life in the trenches, cheek-by-jowl with tales of the most extraordinary acts of heroism and then again with recounts of sudden, unexpected, and violent death.Although clearly in a majority, not all the letters concern the war in the trenches.
Many of the bank's employees served in the Navy, the Royal Flying Corps as well as in other theaters of war, including the Turkish front.

There is no clear statement on the organization of the letters but it seems to be mainly chronological by date of writing and to assist with relating the letters to the more universally recognizable (historical) events of the war a timeline of events has been provided at the beginning of volume 2.

This digital edition also includes a copy of Archive CD Books (Canada) "Gleaning," CAG027 - "Honour Roll of Bank of Hamilton & Standard Bank of Canada, Military Service in the Great War", two institutions which were merged with the Canadian Bank of Commerce after the war.
This information was originally published as an appendix to volume 3 of a history of the Bank, published in 1934 and was indicated to be considered an addition to "Letters from the Front."

This valuable book was been loaned to Archive CD Books (Canada) by Marc Leroux. Marc has joined Chris Wight to undertake the mammoth task of making a biographical database of all the Canadians who took part in The Great War.

This work will be underway for a long time, but the current data base contents have been made available and can be found at

http://www.canadianGreatWarProject.com/

Please visit their site so they know their work is being appreciated.

1837 Rebellion Losses (Canada): Claimants for Damages, 1849

Here is a very rare and useful piece of data.
As a by-product of the 1837 Rebellion (or Troubles - depending on your point of view) a number of early Canadians made claims for compensation for losses of property, business and in some cases physical capabilities (i.e., personal injuries.)
These claims were made against the administration of Canada and as Canada was still a "Crown Colony" they ended up in front of the British House of Commons for consideration.
This document then is an, "Appendix to the First Report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the Losses occasioned by the Troubles in Canada " and "Ordered to be printed 6 June 1849."
It consists of 42 close printed pages.
Obviously the only claims being considered were those made by supporters of the administrations side of the rebellion so almost all of the 2176 claimants are residents of Lower Canada (Quebec.)

The appendix is formatted as a list giving the claimants name and place of residence, the details of the claim as presented to a former and the present commission, the date of the "injury" and, in some cases, "remarks" concerning the claim.

Fully computer searchable and enhanced with FastFind technology, the researcher will be able to find out if their subject was a victim of "The Troubles" and if so what value of losses they sustained and in some cases, even the details of the loss.

The Story of the Sixty-Sixth C.F.A.

The 66th Canadian Field Artillery was recruited in Montreal but, judging by the included Nominal Role, it was manned as much by men from outside Montreal as by those from within it.
This, in its own right, is somewhat remarkable since the recruitment took place in March of 1916 and it might have been thought that enthusiasm for joining up would have waned with the duration of the fighting and with the reports of the deaths reaching home. Not So! The recruitment office was inundated with applications and could easily have filled every position twice over.

The format of the story is familiar:
Basic training here in Canada followed by more advanced training in England before joining the fighting at the front.
Movements in response to the changing fortunes of the conflict and finally the 'push" towards the Rhine followed by a period of "occupation."
This qualifies it as a book of interest to those who have connections with the fighting unit but does not make it anything exceptional as a history of events. And yet this book stands out in its genre for a very specific reason:

Anyone familiar with military unit histories will recognize that they are mostly the work of one or two dedicated individuals, who have had, at least, a little time to reflect on events, and who have taken time to consult the official records as well as with others who had lived through the experience.
This gives their history a certain detachment and, supposedly, the advantage of distance from the events being reported.
But this is exactly where the specialty of this book starts: This is a work "ground out" to use the words of the Preface, in the course of a day, by many individuals who were right there.
It was written as they waited to return to their interrupted civilian lives, with all the drama and reality of their experience still fresh in their minds.
This may not have produced the maturity of hindsight which is frequently the aim of such a work but it does bear the freshness and honesty that comes of immediacy. Nor were its joint authors great literacy spirits, they were just recruits who felt the need to write down their experiences.
This is not "great literature" in the classical sense. What it is, is an honest, spontaneous, first hand, close up, recounting of a life changing experience, written as much for the authors own use in their own latter years as for the benefit of us newcomers.
An exceptional opportunity to live the experience through the eyes, ears and minds of a handful of those who survived.

Accounts of the exploits and experiences from the Great War usually emanate from front-line troops of fighting units. But here is the story of a Canadian Nursing Sister, supporting and supplying these "front-liners" when, as it did to so many, the need arose. Not only then is this a Great War story from a new perspective but also one from the minority of "fighting females" doing their bit for King and Country.

And as a bonus for this digital republication we are including the full version of an historical novel, The First Canadians in France by F. McKelvey Bell, sub-titled, The Chronicle of a Military Hospital in the war zone.

Let us be clear from the outset, this is a work of fiction. But this allows the book to tell the story of a doctor serving in the Canadian military in a way which more clearly illustrates the experience than any purely factual work. Let us also be clear however that, though this is a work of fiction, it is firmly based in fact.

The text of both these digital editions have been made searchable and the search speed enhanced with our FastFind technology.

This private publication was the brainchild of John Francis Bursill, the father of one of the war's victims. The first volume appears to have been John's way of dealing with the loss of his son. However, rather than concentrating on his loss he aimed his work at supporting those who survived and were engaged in the business of readjusting to a, now strange, civilian role. Amongst these the ones with the greatest adjustment to make were those who were injured, and must relearn their childhood lessons of mobility and dexterity. In a word, the amputees. And so this work is ostensibly dedicated to the members of the "Amputation Club of British Columbia." I say ostensibly because in reading the articles it quickly becomes clear that many of the contributors were using their contributions as an excuse for recording the harsh realities of the previous years, perhaps in the hope that it would bring them to a catharsis.

Possibly most important of all the contributions are the memorials placed by companies, organizations, communities, and even individuals, recording their Honor Rolls. There are dozens of such memorials spread through the pages of the three volumes ranging in form from a simple printed list to photographic records of standing civic memorials.

Produced as an unashamed piece of personal nostalgia, and aimed at Canadian troops on their way into action this unique and very rare publication gives us a glimpse into one of Canada’s major training camps in Europe. The magazine’s own editorial provides perhaps the best justification for its publication:
“The relatives and friends of the soldiers who are training in this area will now be able to come into closer contact with them, and when they receive this Souvenir in those Canadian homes that are so dear to us they will be able to picture to themselves what our boys are doing by means of the photographs and articles scattered throughout these pages.
This is the first Souvenir dealing with the daily life of a training area ever published in England. It has been a big undertaking and many difficulties have had to be overcome, but if it meets with the approval of the Officers and Men in this camp and if it carries a message of affection and joy to the far distant homes of the Dominion, the labour spent upon it will not have been in vain.”

Bramshott is located in the north of the county of Hampshire, just south of Surrey, in an area long associated with the British army. In fact one of the local towns, Aldershot, is nicknamed “The Home of the British Army” to this day. The area, then, was well suited to the accommodation of large, transient, populations of military personnel and the necessary specialized training facilities were already in place.

Even if you don’t find your ancestor’s name and picture in this magazine you will be taken to a place and time which so many of the Canadian fighting men, and women, passed through on their way to “the front.”

Fully computer searchable, we have hand edited the OCRed text to improve your chances of identifying your search subjects. Search speed enhanced by the application of our FastFind technology.

The 2nd Canadian Heavy Battery in the World War 1914 to 1919

Compiled and published well after the end of the Great War, in 1932, for the 2nd C.H.B. Old Boys Association by James A. Argo, this tiny book is a very concise account of the activities of the the Battery in the 1914 - 1919 period.

It is divided into four sections as follows:
• "Record of the Battery from mobilization in 1914 to demobilization in 1919 including battle engagements and Battery positions."
• "Chronology of the World War 1914 to 1919 and Miscellaneous Information."
• "2nd. C.H.B. Old Boys' Association Constitution and Nominal Roll"
• "Maps of Western Front and Peace Proclamation dated Mons, Nov. 11, 1918,"

Within these sections will also be found "Honor Rolls", Battle Listings, Statistics and the home addresses of the "old boys" current at the time of publication.

Presumably intended as a "pocket book" it measures only 4 in. by 6 1/2 in. in height and has been made using a very small print. This has limited the detailed legibility of the pages somewhat although there is no difficulty in normal reading. We have consequently fully hand edited the computer read index of the book so that computer search accuracy is up to our normal standards, close to 100%.

A Collection of Maps from the Great War (WWI) era.

This collection of 155 Great War vintage maps has been assembled to provide the Great War researcher with access to maps which can be used to better understand and follow the geographical progress of the various military movements as well as the geo-political configuration of the countries affected by the hostilities. Above all these maps are all contemporary with the Great War and so use all the place and area names which were in use then, avoiding the necessity of remembering all the changes which have occurred in the intervening period.The collection is formed in three sections:- 47 of the maps (despite what the title says) come from a book, Map Book of the Great War, 56 Maps and a Diary of the war. The book is undated but from the fact that the diary stops at the end of 1915 we assume it must have been published in 1916. It was clearly intended to allow people to follow the progress of the conflict while it was still in progress, and it still ably fulfills that function today.- Originally published in 1920 to act as a guide to people touring the area battlefields, the second book, titled, "Ypres and the Battles of Ypres" provides an in depth coverage of the fighting which swept back and forth over this area during such a long portion of the entire war. Apart from the 28 detailed maps, it also contains 161 contemporary and pre-war pictures allowing an appreciation of the total devastation the war wreaked on the area.- Finally 80 maps have been extracted from other books giving the history of the war (as told from a Canadian perspective) which have been republished in the digital format by Archive CD Books Canada.
The contents of the CD have been organized in such a way that while all the maps can be independently accessed on an individual basis the entire content and structure of the two books is also preserved and they can be read, or used, just as they were originally published.

Archive CD Books (Canada) have made all the text of the two books and the titles of all the maps simultaneously computer searchable and enhanced the search speed by applying their FastFind technology.

Photographic History of the War - 1916 & 1919

Collier's, an American publisher of "popular" literature, released two volumes which they (loosely) entitled as their "Photographic History of the War." The first was released in 1916, after the war had been in progress for about two years - and while the US was still neutral. The second was released in 1919 - after the USA had entered the war in support of the Allies. Individually the two volumes, recorded on CDs identified as CA0349-A and CA0349-B, were respectively titled:Collier's Photographic History of the European War - 1916, andCollier's New Photographic History of the World's War - 1919.
The first few picture pages in each volume show leaders (both political and military) from both sides of the conflict and, inevitably there is some duplication. Other than that we have not been able to detect any duplication of the hundreds of other pictures contained in the two volumes. Being a neutral Nation prior to the release of the first volume, the US was free to publish material from both sides of the conflict. This has resulted in the first volume being remarkably "liberal" in its content.
The introduction to this volume provides its own best content description:"The photographers and artists allowed at the front of each contending army have been few indeed, and these few are [the] only official ones. These official photographers are the sources from which the photographs and sketches of "Collier's Photographic History of the European War" have been obtained. The great historic value of the Photographic History arises from the fact that every army and warring nation is depicted. Here are shown the German, British, French, Belgian, Russian, Serbian, Italian, Turkish, Bulgarian, Japanese, in fact, all armies in the field, seen as they are in their daily life and strife. Here, too, are the pathetic dramas of the ruined cities, villages, cathedrals, and palaces of Belgium and northern France, and the flight of refugees in all the lands ravaged by war. War on land is portrayed as never before, since never in the history of the world has there been such vast and varied material to draw upon. Equally complete are here shown the instruments of the twentieth century's new phases of warÑwar waged in the airÑwar waged not only at sea, but beneath the waves. Depicted here are great airships and aeroplanes, and the deadly submarines. So, too, the pictures of the British and German battleships and cruisers that have engaged in the various naval duels that have meant annihilation to the vanquished and death to their brave crews. Here are the speedy German cruisers whose dashing raids on British commerce resembled the daring exploits of the bold buccaneers and privateers of the golden days of the Spanish Main. Thus this Great War has been pictured wherever it extendedÑ in Asia and Africa and the South Seas, as well as in Europe."The second volume, being published some two years after the US's 1917 declaration of war, takes much the same approach to its subject matter but shows a significant Nationalistic bias, with perhaps 50% of its content depicting the experiences of the US forces.Together these two volumes provide a first hand visual experience of what we now term the Great War, and go some way towards allowing us to participate in the shocking first experience of a truly Global, mechanized, no-holds-barred, armed conflict.WARNING: These CDs contain graphic images of the inevitable consequence of War and may be upsetting to the young and to individuals of a sensitive nature. Discretion and/or adult supervision is recommended. Both of these books have clearly been well used through the almost 100 years since they were published and both are rather the worse for wear. In the "A" volume, apart from the accumulated dirt and grime, this had resulted in the edges and corners a many pages being torn with a small amount of paper loss intruding on the content on about four of the leaves. Most of the damage has been "repaired" electronically in this digital reproduction, but the paper loss was irretrievable. Fortunately this loss is very minor and should not diminish your enjoyment of this wonderful resource. We wish to thank Ann, for proposing that we use her family's "B" volume to make a digital reproduction and were glad that we already had the "A" volume so we could bring you the full depth of the experience available in both these volumes, combined. While this is primarily a "picture book" every picture is titled and captioned and we have made these computer searchable so that you may find any topic which interests you. (Your search speed is enhanced with FastFind technology by Archive CD Books (Canada).)