Hell's Corner: An Illustrated History of Canada's Great War: 1914-1918 (review)

Reviewed by: Hell's Corner: An Illustrated History of Canada's Great War: 1914-1918 Tim Cook Hell's Corner: An Illustrated History of Canada's Great War: 1914-1918. J.L. Granatstein. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2004. Pp. 198, illus. $50.00 Canada's First World War experience has almost entirely slipped into historical memory. Of the more than 620,000 Canadians who enlisted between 1914 and 1918, only a handful are still alive. Yet even before the last shot was fired on 11 November 1918, contemporaries were arguing about what the war meant to Canada. Some ascribed to it the birth of the nation on the slopes of Vimy, or at least the emergence of a distinct Canadian identity. Others questioned the extremity of a war effort that nearly tore the country apart along regional, class, and linguistic lines. Few can deny that the 60,000 dead and enormous home front exertions forever changed Canada and its peoples. It should be no surprise, then, that historians continue to fight and refight these old battles. There have been hundreds of monographs devoted to all aspects of the war, and the publications continue unabated. J.L. Granatstein, one of Canada's leading historians, who writes in numerous fields, including, but not limited to, national, political, military, and contemporary history, has already contributed significantly to First World War historiography. And while this latest offering breaks no new interpretive ground, it is still a work that is worthy of scholars' attention. Granatstein has provided a succinct and expert overview of the war, based on new primary research and an understanding of the most recent literature. As the subtitle notes, this is an illustrated history, and Hell's Corner's strength is its use of photographs, sketches, works of art, and first-hand accounts that have never been published before. Full-page colour reproductions from artists like A.Y. Jackson and F.H. Varley are simply stunning and a welcome relief from the usual bland images associated with most academic works. The narrative unfolds chronologically, from the outbreak of war, through to the opening and costly battles of 1915 and 1916. Granatstein's vivid writing style, when combined with eyewitness reportage, provides insight into the trials of trench warfare. 'Death has no horrors for anyone here, at least for those who have been here a few weeks or more,' wrote Ramsey Morris. Granatstein is experienced enough to recognize that the letter could reveal a true sentiment, as it was repeated by countless soldiers, or simply comforting bravado expressed to worried parents. This is a history in which Canadian soldiers, and their overseas experiences, are front and centre. The learning curve of battle is analysed in the [End Page 549] 1917 and 1918 campaigns, from Vimy to the Hundred Days, and Granatstein uses these and other events to explore the elite reputation of Canadian troops. But this is not simply heroic history, and there is no shying away from some of the war's controversies, like the killing of prisoners in battle or executions by firing squad for various military offences. First World War experts will have their quibbles with the weighting of various parts of the book, but hard choices must always be made in overviews. That said, the emphasis of Hell's Corner is on the firing line, and a more balanced book would have provided greater insight into the home front experience. The abrupt ending also fails to fully explore the impact of the war on Canada. Attractively presented and evocatively written, Hell's Corner will be read across the country. Granatstein's forty years of academic experience, authorship of more than fifty books, and willingness to dig out new research, makes him an ideal historian to incorporate the latest scholarship into this popular history. Indeed, one could argue that unless academic historians begin to offer more popular histories, we run the risk of embracing the slow abdication of historical knowledge to less-qualified journalists or writers. This book may not change First World War historiography, but perhaps its greatest contribution is an example to historians on how to reconnect Canadian history to those interested in their collective past. Tim Cook Canadian...

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