The Secret History of Soldiers: How Canadians Survived the Great War
Tim Cook
Sep 2018 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by J.D. Nicholsen
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10 hr 5 min
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There have been thousands of books on the Great War, but most have focused on commanders, battles, strategy, and tactics. Less attention has been paid to the daily lives of the combatants, how they endured the unimaginable conditions of industrial warfare: the rain of shells, bullets, and chemical agents. In The Secret History of Soldiers, Tim Cook, Canada's foremost military historian, examines how those who survived trench warfare on the Western Front found entertainment, solace, relief, and distraction from the relentless slaughter.
These tales come from the soldiers themselves, mined from the letters, diaries, memoirs, and oral accounts of more than five hundred combatants. Rare examples of trench art, postcards, and even song sheets offer insight into a hidden society that was often irreverent, raunchy, and anti-authoritarian. Believing in supernatural stories was another way soldiers shielded themselves from the horror. While novels and poetry often depict the soldiers of the Great War as mere victims, this new history shows how the soldiers pushed back against the grim war, refusing to be broken in the mincing machine of the Western Front.
The violence of war is always present, but Cook reveals the gallows humour the soldiers employed to get through it. Over the years, both writers and historians have overlooked this aspect of the men's lives. The fighting at the front was devastating, but behind the battle lines, another layer of life existed, one that included songs, skits, art, and soldier-produced newspapers.
With his trademark narrative abilities and an unerring eye for the telling human detail, Cook has created another landmark history of Canadian military life as he reveals the secrets of how soldiers survived the carnage of the Western Front.
These tales come from the soldiers themselves, mined from the letters, diaries, memoirs, and oral accounts of more than five hundred combatants. Rare examples of trench art, postcards, and even song sheets offer insight into a hidden society that was often irreverent, raunchy, and anti-authoritarian. Believing in supernatural stories was another way soldiers shielded themselves from the horror. While novels and poetry often depict the soldiers of the Great War as mere victims, this new history shows how the soldiers pushed back against the grim war, refusing to be broken in the mincing machine of the Western Front.
The violence of war is always present, but Cook reveals the gallows humour the soldiers employed to get through it. Over the years, both writers and historians have overlooked this aspect of the men's lives. The fighting at the front was devastating, but behind the battle lines, another layer of life existed, one that included songs, skits, art, and soldier-produced newspapers.
With his trademark narrative abilities and an unerring eye for the telling human detail, Cook has created another landmark history of Canadian military life as he reveals the secrets of how soldiers survived the carnage of the Western Front.
About the author
TIM COOK is the Great War historian at the Canadian War Museum, as well as an adjunct professor at Carleton University. In 2008 he won the J.W. Dafoe Prize for At the Sharp End and again in 2018 for Vimy; Shock Troops won the 2009 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction. In 2013, Cook received the Pierre Berton Award for popularizing Canadian history. He is a member of the Order of Canada.
J. D. NICHOLSEN has been a professional actor for over thirty years. During his career he has appeared on stage in countless productions at theatres across Canada, most recently at the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto, Blyth festival in Huron County Ontario, The Citadel in Edmonton, Theatre Calgary (winner of Calgary Theatre Critics Award for best performance by a lead in a musical) and The Charlottetown Festival. As well as his many stage credits, J.D. has an extensive career in Film, Television and voice. His credits in the recording arts include TV shows such as Frontier, Copper, Mayday, Murdoch Mysteries, Flashpoint, Haven and Falling Skies among many others. Notable film credits include Falls Around Her (soon to be released), The Shape of Rex, Lies and Crimes, Sixteen Blocks, Blizzard and Roughing It. He has been the voice for a number of commercial product over the years. As well as being an actor he is also an accomplished musician/singer/songwriter with a love for classic and alt-country. He was a founding member the Juno Award winning band The Leslie Spit Treeo and his band The Cameron Family singers played their brand of acoustic country music at The Cameron House for 13 years.
J. D. NICHOLSEN has been a professional actor for over thirty years. During his career he has appeared on stage in countless productions at theatres across Canada, most recently at the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto, Blyth festival in Huron County Ontario, The Citadel in Edmonton, Theatre Calgary (winner of Calgary Theatre Critics Award for best performance by a lead in a musical) and The Charlottetown Festival. As well as his many stage credits, J.D. has an extensive career in Film, Television and voice. His credits in the recording arts include TV shows such as Frontier, Copper, Mayday, Murdoch Mysteries, Flashpoint, Haven and Falling Skies among many others. Notable film credits include Falls Around Her (soon to be released), The Shape of Rex, Lies and Crimes, Sixteen Blocks, Blizzard and Roughing It. He has been the voice for a number of commercial product over the years. As well as being an actor he is also an accomplished musician/singer/songwriter with a love for classic and alt-country. He was a founding member the Juno Award winning band The Leslie Spit Treeo and his band The Cameron Family singers played their brand of acoustic country music at The Cameron House for 13 years.
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