Medicine and Duty: The World War I Memoir of Captain Harold W. Mcgill, Medical Officer 31st Battalion C.E.F.

by Harold W. McGill, Patrick Brennan (Introduction)

Medicine and Duty is the World War I memoir of Harold McGill, a medical officer in the 31st (Alberta) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. McGill attempted to have his memoir published by Macmillan of Canada in 1935, but unfortunately, due to financial constraints, the company was not able to complete the publication. Decades later, editor Marjorie Norris came upon a draft of the manuscript in the Glenbow Archives and took it upon herself to resurrect McGills story. Norris's painstaking archival research and careful editing skills have brought back to light a gripping first-hand account of the 31st Battalion and, on a larger scale, of Canada's participation in World War I. A wealth of additional information, including extensive notes and excerpts from letters written "from the trenches," lends a new sense of immediacy and realism to the original memoir, and provides a fascinating, harrowing glimpse into the day-to-day life of Canadian soldiers during the Great War.
 

406 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Gabriele Wills · Rating 4 out of 5]

This journal of a medical officer in the Great War gives a realistic and unsentimental portrayal of war and medicine. McGill was indeed one of those who felt it was not only his duty to participate, but that he needed to be in the front lines. It's interesting to read, in conjunction with this book, his correspondence with his sweetheart, a nurse, who became his wife during the war. These can be found on the following website - http://missgriffis.wordpress.com/2006...