Canada's Boy Soldiers in WWI by John Boileau & Dan Black 2013 Hardcover-image

Canada's Boy Soldiers in WWI by John Boileau & Dan Black 2013 Hardcover

$ 2.38

Format: Hardcover Number of Pages: 464 Pages ISBN-13: 9781459405417 Illustrator: Yes Synopsis: Between 15,000 and 20,000 underage youths, some as young as ten, signed up to fight in Canada's armed forces in the First World War. They served in the trenches alongside their elders, and fought in all the major battles: Ypres, the Somme, Passchendaele, Vimy Ridge, and the rest. Many were injured or suffered psychological wounds. Many died. This is the first book to tell their story.Some boys joined up to escape unhappy homes and workplaces. Others went with their parents' blessing, carrying letters from fathers and mothers asking the recruiters to take their eager sons. The romantic notion of a short, victorious campaign was wiped out the second these boys arrived on the Western Front. The authors, who narrate the fighting with both military professionalism and humanity, portray many boys who, in the heat of battle, made a seamless transition from follower to leader to hero.Authors Dan Black and John Boileau combed the archives and collections to bring these stories to life. Passages from letters the boy soldiers wrote home reveal the range of emotions and experiences they underwent, from the humorous to the unspeakably horrible. Their parents' letters touch us with their concern, love, uncertainty, and often, grief. Meticulously researched and abundantly illustrated with photographs, paintings, and a collection of specially commissioned maps, Old Enough to Fight is Canadian military and social history at its most fascinating., Between 15,000 and 20,000 underage youths, some as young as ten, signed up to fight in Canada's armed forces in the First World War. They served in the trenches alongside their elders, and fought in all the major battles: Ypres, the Somme, Passchendaele, Vimy Ridge, and the rest. Many were injured or suffered psychological wounds. Many died. This is the first book to tell their story. Some boys joined up to escape unhappy homes and workplaces. Others went with their parents' blessing, carrying letters from fathers and mothers asking the recruiters to take their eager sons. The romantic notion of a short, victorious campaign was wiped out the second these boys arrived on the Western Front. The authors, who narrate the fighting with both military professionalism and humanity, portray many boys who, in the heat of battle, made a seamless transition from follower to leader to hero. Authors Dan Black and John Boileau combed the archives and collections to bring these stories to life. Passages from letters the boy soldiers wrote home reveal the range of emotions and experiences they underwent, from the humorous to the unspeakably horrible. Their parents' letters touch us with their concern, love, uncertainty, and often, grief. Meticulously researched and abundantly illustrated with photographs, paintings, and a collection of specially commissioned maps, Old Enough to Fight is Canadian military and social history at its most fascinating. Publisher: Formac Publishing Company The Limited Book Title: Old Enough to Fight : Canada's Boy Soldiers in the First World War Table Of Content: List of Maps Canadian Corps Infantry Divisions, Brigades, & Battalions The Boy Soldiers Preface Foreword by Senator Romeo Dallaire Introduction THE BOY SOLDIER TRADITION Chapter 1 "Take a walk around the block." RECRUITING BOY SOLDIERS, 1914-1918 Chapter 2 ". . . about a third of the boys had been to France and they were glad to be back." OVERSEAS, BUT UNDERAGE, 1914-1918 Chapter 3 "Goodbye Mother, Forgive Me." SECOND YPRES, APRIL 1915 Chapter 4 "The hard work agreed with him. And since he has been in France he has grown three inches." NEUVE CHAPELLE, FESTUBERT, GIVENCHY, AND PLOEGSTEERT, MAY-DECEMBER 1915 Chapter 5 "I ducked and tried to get my head in a hole that a peanut would not fit in." ST. ELOI AND MOUNT SORREL, DECEMBER 1915-JUNE 1916 Chapter 6 "Dead men can advance no further." THE NEWFOUNDLAND REGIMENT AT GALLIPOLI AND THE SOMME, AUGUST 1914-OCTOBER 1916 Chapter 7 "You won't be able to get me back because buglers are needed for the gas attacks!" CANADIANS ON THE SOMME, AUGUST-NOVEMBER 1916 Chapter 8 "I am only a mere boy, but I thought I was a man..." WINTER IN THE TRENCHES, NOVEMBER 1916-MARCH 1917 Chapter 9 "I was just a young boy. But we knew what we had to do so we just went ahead and did it." PREPARING FOR VIMY, JANUARY-MARCH 1917 Chapter 10 "It will be one of the biggest things in Canadian history." VIMY RIDGE, APRIL 1917 Chapter 11 "He seems to want to go . . . his mother and I will be willing to let him." THE NEWFOUNDLAND REGIMENT, OCTOBER 1916-OCTOBER 1917 Chapter 12 "Well, they might have at least given you a new uniform." ARLEUX AND HILL 70, APRIL-AUGUST 1917 Chapter 13 "I saw a man stuck in the mud up to his waist and there was nothing we could do for him." PASSCHENDAELE, OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 1917 Chapter 14 "We are anxious to know whether he is living or not." CAMBRAI, NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 1917 AND GERMAN OFFENSIVES, MARCH-APRIL 1918 Chapter 15 "It was a hush-hush performance." AMIENS AND DROCOURT-QUÉANT LINE, AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 1918 Chapter 16 "My advice to you is, go back home and wait until you grow up!" HINDENBURG LINE, SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 1918 Chapter 17 "This is the youngest VC in my army." THE ROYAL NEWFOUNDLAND REGIMENT, APRIL-NOVEMBER 1918 Chapter 18 "There was some jumping around and things like that . . . but I was kind of fed up, glad it was over." THE END OF THE WAR, NOVEMBER 1918-JUNE 1919 Chapter 19 "What is this, a nursery? This kid can't be more than fifteen. I won't put up with this." CANADA'S FIRST SOLDIERS AND AIRMEN Epilogue "The medal no mother wants." THE MEMORIAL CROSS Endnotes Bibliography Image credits Index ISBN-10: 1459405412 Intended Audience: Trade gtin13: 9781459405417 Item Width: 6 in Author: John Boileau, Dan Black Item Height: 1 in Language: English LCCN: 2012-517799 brand: Formac Publishing Company The Limited Reviews: The authors include excerpts from the boys' letters home, which include vivid descriptions of trench warfare, battles, and the constant discomfort in which the soldiers lives. They were cold, wet, hungry, ill, and often lonley for home, and the letters make that plain., The boys' backgrounds are fully developed, and their testimony is skilfully woven into the bloody battles and routine horrors of trench warfare. The human element extends the book's appeal to readers beyond those whose interest is primarily military... destined to be an immediate success., Black and Boileau made extensive use of the boys' own letters in telling this tale. The boys' firsthand accounts of trench warfare, of poison gas, of near-constant artillery shelling, of the dead and dying, are the true strength of this book., Old Enough to Fight gives us a vivid picture of the intolerable conditions the combatants endured. The marvel is not that so many were killed or seriously wounded in mind or body, but that some many survived relatively unscathed. Old Enough to Fight is a horrifying thought-provoking book, suitable for reading as we commemorate all who have died in war., Old Enough to Fight grips the imagination by its vivid portrayal of the youngsters through whose eyes one sees unimaginable conditions on the Western Front. Item Weight: 27.5 Oz Item Length: 9 in Dewey Edition: 23 Genre: Biography & Autobiography, History LC Classification Number: D640.A2B53 2014 Publication Year: 2013 Dewey Decimal: 940.3083/510971 Topic: Cultural Heritage, Military / World War I, Canada / Post-Confederation (1867-), Military

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Note : Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown. You are purchasing a Very Good copy of 'Old Enough to Fight: Canada's Boy Soldiers in the First World War' Condition Notes: Book is in very good condition and may include minimal underlining highlighting. The book can also include "From the library of" labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys, dvds, etc. . We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24 7 customer service.

  1. This gripping book dives into the untold stories of Canada's young WWI soldiers with powerful research and engaging writing. The hardcover copy is in excellent condition, clean with only minor notes, and arrives exactly as described. A must-read for history buffs—compelling, well-researched, and thoughtfully presented. Quick shipping and reliable seller!

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