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Engraved: Canadian Stories of World War One
"Engraved"is a collection of stories and essays about Canadians during the First World War, with an underlying focus on how that war changed Canadian society.
Many of the stories are about ordinary men whose absence transformed their families. Even those who returned were never the same. There are also stories here of extraordinary people: Georgina Pope, Canada's first military nurse, and the first Canadian ever to be awarded the Royal Red Cross Medal; John McCrae, the battlefield doctor whose iconic poem, 'In Flanders Fields' still shapes Remembrance Day ceremonies; and war artist A.Y. Jackson, whose vision was altered by the devastation he witnessed in France.
Details about field dentistry, the disastrous Ross Rifle, shell-shock, conscientious objectors, love, abandonment and loyalty make it clear why that era remains engraved across our nation? collective memory.
Many of the stories are about ordinary men whose absence transformed their families. Even those who returned were never the same. There are also stories here of extraordinary people: Georgina Pope, Canada's first military nurse, and the first Canadian ever to be awarded the Royal Red Cross Medal; John McCrae, the battlefield doctor whose iconic poem, 'In Flanders Fields' still shapes Remembrance Day ceremonies; and war artist A.Y. Jackson, whose vision was altered by the devastation he witnessed in France.
Details about field dentistry, the disastrous Ross Rifle, shell-shock, conscientious objectors, love, abandonment and loyalty make it clear why that era remains engraved across our nation? collective memory.
271 pages, Paperback
First published September 21, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 3, 2023
Autographed review copy received from editor Bernadette Rule.
Some of the stories in this anthology have been contributed by authors of In the Wings: Stories of Forgotten Women. For that reason, I feel a special connection with this book, even though I did not contribute to it personally.
This collection of stories and essays was put together to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the beginning of World War One. Many Canadian men and women enlisted and fought in what was called "the war to end all wars." But it shortened or altered their lives and wrought irrevocable changes on Canadian society as a whole.
What I got from these stories is a clearer idea of what motivated people to participate in the first place. At the time, Canada still had strong ties with Great Britain so many signed up out of a sense of duty and patriotism. And once this began, there was social pressure on others to follow suit. Some did so out of a desire to travel abroad and have adventures because they were convinced the war would not last long. Others wished to escape the drudgery of a hard yet monotonous life on a farm. However, those who volunteered (or were drafted) soon lost their innocence or illusions and came face to face with the very unromantic reality of war: mud, disease, poor food, horrible living conditions, danger, injury and death. Many who returned were forever changed physically and mentally. As a grisly postscript, some unknowingly brought the Spanish influenza with them. And those who mourned the dead would never be the same again. Thus, the effects of World War One were insidious and long-reaching.
Some of the contributions take the form of essays. Some are family memories retold or given a light coating of fiction. Some are attempts to get into the mindset of people whose statistics were uncovered during research. The various pieces were largely successful presenting the Great War from the point of view of soldiers, prisoners of war, widows, children, doctors, nurses, writers, artists and even conscientious objectors.
This anthology gives an informative, moving and highly nuanced perspective on a dramatic episode in Canada's history, but will be of interest to all who care about the effects of war on the human species. One of the memorable mottoes to emerge from World War One is "Lest we forget." This phrase comes originally from a poem honoring British casualties of World War One, but it also forms part of a ceremony called the "Act of Remembrance," often performed in Canadian Remembrance Day services. However, if we want the commemoration of the fallen to be more than a piously enacted rite, we must make some effort to learn what really happened in the War. And this book is an excellent way to do that.
Some of the stories in this anthology have been contributed by authors of In the Wings: Stories of Forgotten Women. For that reason, I feel a special connection with this book, even though I did not contribute to it personally.
This collection of stories and essays was put together to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the beginning of World War One. Many Canadian men and women enlisted and fought in what was called "the war to end all wars." But it shortened or altered their lives and wrought irrevocable changes on Canadian society as a whole.
What I got from these stories is a clearer idea of what motivated people to participate in the first place. At the time, Canada still had strong ties with Great Britain so many signed up out of a sense of duty and patriotism. And once this began, there was social pressure on others to follow suit. Some did so out of a desire to travel abroad and have adventures because they were convinced the war would not last long. Others wished to escape the drudgery of a hard yet monotonous life on a farm. However, those who volunteered (or were drafted) soon lost their innocence or illusions and came face to face with the very unromantic reality of war: mud, disease, poor food, horrible living conditions, danger, injury and death. Many who returned were forever changed physically and mentally. As a grisly postscript, some unknowingly brought the Spanish influenza with them. And those who mourned the dead would never be the same again. Thus, the effects of World War One were insidious and long-reaching.
Some of the contributions take the form of essays. Some are family memories retold or given a light coating of fiction. Some are attempts to get into the mindset of people whose statistics were uncovered during research. The various pieces were largely successful presenting the Great War from the point of view of soldiers, prisoners of war, widows, children, doctors, nurses, writers, artists and even conscientious objectors.
This anthology gives an informative, moving and highly nuanced perspective on a dramatic episode in Canada's history, but will be of interest to all who care about the effects of war on the human species. One of the memorable mottoes to emerge from World War One is "Lest we forget." This phrase comes originally from a poem honoring British casualties of World War One, but it also forms part of a ceremony called the "Act of Remembrance," often performed in Canadian Remembrance Day services. However, if we want the commemoration of the fallen to be more than a piously enacted rite, we must make some effort to learn what really happened in the War. And this book is an excellent way to do that.
January 8, 2019
Delighted to be involved with this publication some years ago. My short story, The Frozen Goose, was placed at the end of the anthology, a very good place to be!
That story also became the genesis for my first narrative short film, The Frozen Goose. Readers can get a sense of ‘short-story-to- screenplay’ by watching >
https://thefrozengoose.vhx.tv
That story also became the genesis for my first narrative short film, The Frozen Goose. Readers can get a sense of ‘short-story-to- screenplay’ by watching >
https://thefrozengoose.vhx.tv
November 20, 2017
This novel is quite engaging. Various writers have contributed to this novel giving the reader a personal and intimate close up of the lives of families and family members who were affected by the war. It is very moving and a must read for everyone.
March 14, 2024
Interesting stories, but sometimes hard to tell what's a true story, based on a true story, or fiction
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews