First World War Memory and the Next Few Years

I was all prepared to write several thousand words about the closest thing to a historical debate we have had in Canada for a very long time.  Mainly the blog post put forward by a current NDP, member of parliament suggesting that the First World War was something that Canada should not have been involved in and only Communists had stood up against it.  On rereading the original article I realized that the post in question was from 2007 which does blow up my thesis that this is the beginning of a historical debate that should encompass the next few years, filled as it is with the centennial of the various military actions.

I also found the original piece rather odd. After all, the war support in French speaking Canada was never as high as it was in English Canada. This is true of both world wars. I am not exactly sure why the Communists specifically are being put forward here. As for Vimy Ridge, I have actually most seen it described as the coming together of English Canada, specifically separate from French Canada.

That being said, I do think the next few years will be very interesting. I can only see more debates like this popping up. I only hope that Canadian media, both in book publishing as well as TV and perhaps even film are able to produce suitable material. I have already heard stories out of the UK about jockeying for position as far as the publishing schedule goes.  I am worried that since the Canadian industry is so much smaller and we have comparatively fewer experts that there won’t be much. Also our anemic film and TV industry, trapped as it is by reproducing American reality TV shows and occasional quirky comedies, may not have the chops to produce our own Saving Private Ryan.  It is, perhaps, an unfortunate bell weather that the recent Canadian film to deal with the First World War Passchendaele seems to have been more as an excuse for Paul Gross an aging leading man to bed a nurse during an artillery barrage. I will be optimistic and try on this blog to point out things as they happen going forward.

For the record I was also gratified to see  Thomas Mulcair of as well as the veterans affairs critic strongly condemn the statements.  Stupid and insulting as they were.

Maple Leaf Empire: Canada, Britain, and Two World Wars by Jonathan F. Vance

Maple Leaf Empire: Canada, Britain, and Two World Wars
by Jonathan F. Vance

For the first review here on the new site perhaps something a bit out of the ordinary where military history is concerned. This book attempts to look at the influence that the military has had on the relationship between Canada and Great Britain. It is done primarily by looking at the views of participants on both sides as portrayed in newspaper editorials, letters, diaries, et cetera. The book opens with New France being conquered by the British. Canada in the 19th century is shown to be influenced by the British regulars stationed there. I will have to admit I found this section not as convincing as the later ones, for the simple reason that when saying, for instance, that the soldiers were the first to play certain sports in Canada he doesn't seem to take into account that there were large groups of British settlers in the country who some even to this day do their best to hold on to their Britishness.

 That aside, the heart of this book is a discussion of the two world wars. There are plenty of anecdotes about the Canadians from the British perspective and the Canadians talking about the British. For the most part the British seem to be dismissive of the Canadians in the beginning until they learn how well they fight.  Then they are supportive.  While the Canadians are much more guarded in their views of the British, often considering them to be stiff necked and inflexible.

 If you have read a lot of Canadian  military history there isn't necessarily anything shocking here, but it is nice to have it all in one place and he has found sources that aren’t usually used. Clearly he spent a lot of time in the archives.  Unfortunately there are times when the background narratives of the military campaigns do overwhelm the text, specifically in the latter part of the section on World War II. The book concludes by pointing out that even though Canada is a multi cultural society today we still often look to the British for instance the royals and British media. 

I would recommend this book for someone who is interested in the relationship between the two nations. This does make me curious about the relationship between Australia and the UK which I understand has been much more rocky. If anyone can suggest a good book on that, please do so in the comments.