In Their Own Words: Three Maritimers Experience the Great War

by Ross Hebb (Editor)

What was the First World War really like for Maritimers overseas? This epistolary book, edited by historian Ross Hebb, contains the letters home of three Maritimers with distinct wartime experiences: a front-line soldier from Nova Scotia, a nurse from New Brunswick, and a conscripted fisherman from Prince Edward Island. Up until now, these complete sets of handwritten letters have remained with the families, who agreed to share them in time for the one-hundredth anniversary of the Great War's end in 2018. These letters not only give insight into the war, but provide greater understanding of life in rural Maritime communities in the early 1900s.

In Their Own Words includes a learned introduction and background information on letter writers Eugene A. Poole, Sister Pauline Balloch, and Herry Heckbert, enabling readers to appreciate the context of these letters and their importance.

260 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2018

Reviews

[Digitally Lit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zaid: This book, In their own words, actually describes the Great War in great accuracy and detail. The reason being that the details of the war are from letters sent by 3 different people, A front line soldier from Nova Scotia, a nurse from New Brunswick, and a conscripted fisherman from Prince Edward Island. The letters are from the soldiers and sent to their caring families to tell them about their situation. One surprising part of the letters are that the soldiers never actually described what they were going through. They knew it would be too much if they had told them. The soldiers also didn't tell them much about the army or what they were practicing because all the letters would be checked and sentences would be crossed out that would be revealing the army's position or tactics.

Overall, the accurate details in this book is what makes it different from the other books I have read.
I, Zaid, rate this book 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟.

[Heather Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Their Own Words is a emotional book with tragic tales. This is a hard read and a interesting book.