During WWI, Britain called upon the members of her commonwealth to help supply troops to fight the Germans. One of the staunchest members of that commonwealth was Canada, who eventually provided five divisions to help in the fight.

At first it was relatively easy to get the troops that were needed as war fever had struck and many enlisted. A large number of these were already members of the territorial militas so had some military training. However, the vast majority of these men were English descendents. Canada of the time was not alone is denying minorities the opportunities to serve and this included native peoples, French-Canadians and Black Canadians as well. Though the French-Canadians were eventually formed into a single regiment, the rest were scattered into units controlled by English-speaking officers. Black Canadians were only reluctantly formed into labor divisions and not sent into battle. This was mirrored in the US as well, though, of course, not including French speaking people.

As is typical of this series, a background of where Canada got her troops and the battles in which Canadian forces played an important part are highlighted. Canadian soldiers were amongst the best on the Allied side and often took horrendous casualties. There is a section on one division who sent in over 800 men into battle from which only 68 returned.

But the Men-at-Arms series is not focused on the battles but on the men themselves. This includes how the Canadian Corps was led as well as the uniforms, arms and equipment used. Included in this book is also a listing of the various Canadian units that participated in the Great War. This is superbly illustrated by Gerry Embleton and with a fine selection of period photos. For those who are interested in this period of time and the men who fought for Canada, it is a book that I can highly recommend.

June 2007

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