Merry Hell : : The Story of the 25th Battalion (Nova Scotia Regiment), Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1914-1919 / / Brian Tennyson.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter University of Toronto Press eBook Package Backlist 2000-2013
• VerfasserIn: Tennyson, Brian,
• Place / Publishing House: Toronto : : University of Toronto Press, , [2020]; ©2012
• Year of Publication: 2020
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (296 p.)

Merry Hell is the only complete history of the 25th Canadian infantry battalion, which was recruited in the autumn and winter of 1914-15 and served overseas from spring 1915 until spring 1919. Author Robert N Clements, who served in the battalion throughout that period and rose from private to captain, wrote the story many years after the war, based on his personal memories and experiences. As such, his story reflects two unique perspectives on Canadian military history - the remarkably fresh recollections and anecdotes of a veteran, and the outlook of a man eager to share what his generation contributed to the nation's history, character, and identity.Professional military historian Brian Douglas Tennyson buttresses Clements's story with a valuable critical apparatus, including an analytical introduction that contextualizes the history and notes that explain unfamiliar points and people. Merry Hell is a captivating tale for those who enjoy stories of war and battle, and one that will entertain readers with Clements's richly colourful anecdotes and witty poems, none of which have been published before.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Introduction -- Preface -- Chapter One. In the Beginning -- Chapter Two. Growing Pains -- Chapter Three. Oh What a Lovely War -- Chapter Four. Under Way at Last -- Chapter Five. Summer Days -- Chapter Six. Away to the Races -- Chapter Seven. Phooie - Il Pluie -- Chapter Eight. What Next? -- Chapter Nine. Waiting Time -- Chapter Ten. Dear Old Blighty: Diary of a Leave to England, January 1916 -- Chapter Eleven. You Can Have It -- Chapter Twelve. In the Good Old Summer Time -- Chapter Thirteen. Notes from the Observers -- Chapter Fourteen. The Birth of the Battalion Canteen -- Chapter Fifteen. Why??? -- Chapter Sixteen. The Corps Comes of Age -- Chapter Sixteen. The Corps Comes of Age -- Chapter Eighteen., Dirty Jobs -- Chapter Nineteen. Cleaning Up -- Chapter Twenty. The Last Hundred Days -- Chapter Twenty-One. The Long Road Home -- Appendix: Nominal Roll of Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and Men of the 25th Battalion -- Recommended Reading -- Index