Letters Home: Maritimers and the Great War, 1914-1918

by Ross Hebb (Editor)

With personal letters gathered from public archives and the relatives of those who fought in the First World War, historian Ross Hebb tells the story of Canadian soldiers, from recruitment to deployment to return, in their own words.

"Letters Home" is a collection of the correspondences of 20 people shipped overseas from across the Maritimes, asking about their homes and farms, wondering at the girls in Britain, and leaving keepsakes and life advice for their children.

Organized chronologically, the letters describe crossing the Atlantic, training in England, the confusion and anticipation leading up to combat, and for some, the journey home. Includes 20 photographs of the letter writers, their families, postcards, and memorials.

Genres: Nonfiction

184 pages, Paperback

First published August 15, 2014

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not sure why I have a fondness for books written around and about the two World Wars - maybe because my grandfather enlisted in WW1 but I never remember him ever having discussed it at all with us and my dad enlisted in WW2. I find that in reading these stories, there are many things about these wars that I was never taught in history classes.

This book of compiled letters by Ross Hebb really touched my heart - letters written by Canadian soldiers from the Maritime provinces to their families back home - and gave quite a bit of insight into the effect it had on them. The book is well laid out in a specific sequence and relates stories starting with enlistment and the pride they took in doing so. Then on to camps and waiting for uniforms and boarding ships to England for training. And then, for some, to the fields in France. One thing that I couldn't help but notice was that they often remarked on the beauty of where they were. And at the speed of the trains in England. And, first and foremost, how much they missed their families and their homeland.

Thank you to Ross for a deeply touching read and for putting names and faces to the men who gave their time and to those who gave their lives in this grim war. You won't be forgotten, not by me.

[James Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a real gem of a book and one that any Canadian interested in WWI would enjoy to read; Maritimers especially since all the letters are from soldiers (and a nurse) from Atlantic Canada. Ross Hebb has done a masterful job of editing, collecting and categorizing quite a number of private letters donated by family members to create this insightful, at times entertaining and thoughtful book.

The year 2014 marked the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI, and it is very insightful to look back to an age when paper and pen was the ‘social media’ of the day and was the only way to keep in touch over long distances.

Each of these letters (and some are quite lengthy) cover emotions such as excitement (finally getting overseas!), fear of the unknown, loneliness (from being separated from loved ones), sadness (over losing a ‘chum’ in battle) and finally exhaustion and disbelief when the guns ceased firing on November 11, 1918.
Read the rest of my review at www.MiramichiReader.ca

[Paula Dembeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume provides an important part of the history of World War I, showing a different side of the conflict through the correspondence of Canadian soldiers from the maritime provinces back home. It is a collection of private letters never before published, but kept by family members or held in public archives. Not surprisingly, most of these letters were written by sons to their mothers, a reflection of the important family role mothers played at a time when fathers were more distant figures.
Maritimers embraced the declaration of war and eagerly signed up. Many young men were looking forward to an escape from the hard work of farming, logging, fishing or mining and had little idea what was in store for them. It was all about a great adventure overseas and the ability to see the world. For many, this was their first extended trip away from home.
Hebb has done an excellent job of creating a chronological framework to present this correspondence, organizing the letters into sections that portray the logical sequence of events. It begins when the men join up, moves on to deployment overseas, then time spent in battle and finally the preparation to return home.
The trip across the Atlantic was an important event both emotionally and physically. It drove home the reality of being far away from home and the ever-present danger of enemy submarines and their dreaded torpedoes. This was a time of terrible boredom with little to do for days on end, when their primary concerns were poor food and seasickness.
On arriving in England, they were quickly moved to large training camps where they lived through the routine of drills, bayonet and target practice. It was where they got their first glimpse of those wounded in battle who were temporarily recovering before returning to the front. Despite those encounters, they remained eager to get to the continent and fight.
When they landed in France and Belgium, reality set in. They were plunged into the constant noise of big guns, rifle fire, artillery bombardments and the terrible smells from bodies that had not yet buried. They heard and saw the results of the horrific gas attacks. But their letters do not describe the many horrors which they could hardly process themselves and they took care to censure themselves, avoiding subjects that might upset their families. Soon they were sending warnings to those back home eager to join the fight. Their message was simple: stay in Canada. As time dragged on, readers sense their weariness seeping through their written words.
When Armistice was finally declared, they found it hard to believe. Even after all they had endured, they remained convinced that what they had gone through was for a good purpose. They had helped save the world from Nazi Germany. It was not until many years later that disturbing stories surfaced, stories of incompetent generals and the large numbers of lives wasted unnecessarily that became part of the legacy of The Great War.
This volume forms an important part of the harsh reality of war, a more personal piece of the story. It includes the experience of those who watched and waited as loved ones went off to fight, of those who struggled during the conflict and returned broken mentally and physically, and those who never did, left on the bloody battlefields of foreign countries. It provides another piece of the story that historians have tried to accurately record, the true facts of what it cost everyone on both sides of the conflict.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Letters Home” is a collection of letters written by Maritime men who enlisted to fight in World War I. These letters provide insight into the mindset of the soldiers who fought, died, were wounded, and survived. Batched into sections like training, England, hospitals, loss of friends, and homeward bound – we are able to glimpse their lives in sections relative to others who were there or experienced similar things. Some of these are heart wrenching due to the loneliness, homesickness, and the loss of their friends while others are rich in details that make their experiences real for those of us who didn’t live during this time in history. Times were different and I find it interesting that most of these letters were written to their moms and not their sweetheart – these letters reflect how much society has changed and the fine art of letter-writing.

Mr. Hebb did a great job of editing these letters together, providing informative footnotes, and telling the stories of everyday men who fought a horrific war. I really enjoyed his synopsis that start each section and provide some basic information. He has also incorporated many pictures of the men which lend more emotion to the read. (Reading a man’s personal letters and then looking into his eyes in a picture make for a haunting and emotional read.) My only problem with this collection of letters was them not being in chronological order. Since they are batched into chapters with common themes the timeframe jumps frequently in the reading of the book. This causes a rollercoaster of a reading experience since some of the men during the war and you read their last letter home and then in the next chapter you are reading about some of their experiences earlier in the war. That being my only complaint – I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot.