Description

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We took our positions, five kneeling and five standing ... we got the order to fire. One blank and nine live rounds ... I did not have the blank.

That is the voice of Deward Barnes, an unwilling but dutiful member of the firing squad that shot Harold Lodge, one of 25 Canadians executed during the First World War. In this diary we hear something that is otherwise gone forever: the authentic voice of the First World War soldier, Everyman in khaki. Fully annontated so that everyone today can understand the nuance of each entry, the Barnes diary takes us into the trenches and the firing lines of the Western Front like no other first-hand Canadian account of that terrible war can. Like any trained infantryman, Deward could tell the kick of a live round from a blank one, and that kick he bestows on us with each turn of the page.

About the Author

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Bruce Cane began writing about military history while a curatorial assistant at Historic Fort York, Toronto. Today, he writes technical manuals by day and pursues his passion for First World War history by night. Bruce lives with his family in Brooklin, Ontario. This is his first book. Deward Barnes was born in Toronto in 1888. In 1916, he enlisted in the army and fought in the major battles of WWI, including Hill 70, Passchendaele, and Amiens. Struck by a bullet in 1918, he spent the rest of the war convalescing in England, and returned to Canada 1919, where he married his sweetheart, Lucy Field. Together, they raised a son, George, to whom Deward left his war diaries. Deward Barnes died in 1967.

Praise For…

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"Cane has produced a very interesting account of one man's waran excellent additon to Canadian first-hand accounts of the Great War."

"In-depth analysis of the nuances and exact wording that Barnes usedmakes this book a fascinating study of the physical and psychological impact of war."