141 people from MacKay Presbyterian Church served in the First World War—an astonishing record but one that was by no means uncommon in Canada.
Why did these men, their families, and their church enlist in this great war for “justice, truth, and righteousness, and for the Glory of God”? What was the impact of war on the surviving soldiers as they and their families adjusted to a changed world, to permanent injuries and to painful memories?
This study of the experience of one church at war weaves together the stories of soldiers on the battlefields of Europe with those of the families who waited and prayed, enduring privation, fear, loneliness, and grief. It centres on the nineteen men who fell in the war—some as heroes in desperate battles, others with tragic randomness or from illness, several with no known graves—and the widows they left to cope as best they could, the children who grew up without fathers, and the families who mourned their loss even as they took pride in their sacrifice.
Using new methods including on-line research and the tools of genealogical study to bring to life people who did not leave a rich legacy of information on their lives and families, this study of a church at war deepens our understanding of the social history of Canada’s participation in the First World War, and provides a model for research on churches, communities, and institutions.
By:
Alan Bowker
Series edited by:
Pierre Desrosiers
Imprint: University of Ottawa Press
Country of Publication: Canada
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Weight: 780g
ISBN: 9780776642154
ISBN 10: 0776642154
Series: Mercury
Pages: 428
Publication Date: 12 June 2024
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
Land Acknowledgement/Reconnaissance territoriale Abstract Résumé List of Figures Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction Chapter 1 New Edinburgh Chapter 2 MacKay Presbyterian Church Chapter 3 A Church at War: 1914–1915 Chapter 4 Charles Albert Wendt: A German-Canadian Patriot Chapter 5 A Church at War: 1916 Chapter 6 Victor and Theresa Coker: A Good Man, a Christian Woman, and Her Two Sons at the Front Chapter 7 The Bothwell Family: War Claims Lives and Destroys Families Chapter 8 Charles Edward Trotter and the Jackson Family: “Lovable Disposition and Fine Character” Chapter 9 The Robertson Family: “There Is no Other Woman in Ottawa Who Has Given so Gloriously to the Cause” Chapter 10 Gordon Maynard Porteous: “Quite a Few Homes … Will be Sad After This” Chapter 11 Henry James Mayo: A “Home Boy” Serves His Country Chapter 12 A Church at War: 1917 Chapter 13 The Stalker Family and the Many Faces of Courage Chapter 14 The Ryan Family: “Who Played the Game Through” Chapter 15 Reginald Isambard Brunel: Engineer and Artilleryman Chapter 16 The Tubman Families: “Conspicuous Gallantry and Devotion to Duty” Chapter 17 Erland Dauria Perney: “Sorrow Which Is Almost Intolerable” Chapter 18 A Church at War: 1918 Chapter 19 John Marshall: A Chauffeur in Egypt Chapter 20 Homère Joliat: “A Brave Soldier, Having Won the Military Medal” Chapter 21 Irwin Kelly: “Blessed Are Those that Have Not Seen, and Yet Have Believed” Chapter 22 The McKenzie Brothers: Service and Sacrifice Chapter 23 Arthur Frank Hawke and the War Against TB Chapter 24 1919: The Men Come Home Chapter 25 Aftermath Epilogue Bibliography Notes Index
Alan Bowker was born in Medicine Hat and educated in Winnipeg, Toronto, Chatham, N.J., and Oakville, Ont. He holds a BA in history and English and an MA and PhD in Canadian history, all from the University of Toronto. He is the author of A Time Such as There Never Was Before: Canada After the Great War, he edited two collections of essays by Stephen Leacock, and has written many essays and articles. His academic studies, his teaching experience, and his career in foreign affairs have all reinforced his conviction that Canadians need to know their history if we are to understand who we are and why our experience matters in the world.
