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September 2024 Vol. 62 No. 1

This study is the very model of a modern regimental history. In 1916, the Canadian government authorized raising a battalion of Acadians, French-speaking residents of New Brunswick and eastern Canada. More than a thousand men signed up, but it took a long time before the unit, reduced almost in half, went overseas, only to then be broken up as many units were. The men of the 165th Battalion did not see front line action and were instead transferred to the Canadian Forestry Corps to produce lumber for the front's insatiable needs. Few of the Acadians were lumberjacks but many were laborers, and they did the job. However, there was little action and less glory, something that led to the Acadians' role being largely forgotten. What makes this book particularly valuable is its deliberate use of social history to enhance its utility. Kennedy (Brandon Univ., Canada) has done extraordinary research into military and census records that reveal who enlisted, while soldiers’ letters reveal what they thought of the war, their service, their officers, and home. Extensive charts provide data in a way few, if any, regimental histories do. The only minor flaw in this fine study is that the blizzard of names hinders many individual stories from being fleshed out.

--J. L. Granatstein, emeritus, York University

Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.