John Allister Currie commanded a battalion of the First Canadian Division and was present at the Second Battle of Ypres in April 1915, where Canadian troops held the line after a German chlorine gas attack — one of the first uses of chemical weapons in the war. His memoir is a firsthand account of the brutal early months of the Canadians’ experience on the Western Front, combining operational narrative with personal reflection on command, casualties, and the character of the men under his charge.
Canadian participation in the First World War is deeply entwined with American and British history, and accounts like Currie’s illuminate the North American experience of the conflict. Download this free EPUB for a vivid and authoritative officer’s narrative of the Great War in Flanders.