TITLE:
Old enough to fight : Canada's boy soldiers in the First World War / Dan Black, John Boileau ; foreword by Roméo Dallaire.
Publication Date:
2013
Publication Information:
Toronto : James Lorimer & Company,
Physical Description:
448 p. : ill., maps.
Bibliography Note:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents:
Ref to NL: He seems to want to go... his mother and I will be willing to let him -- This is the youngest bc in my army.
Summary:
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.
Language:
English
ISBN:
9781459405417
