Between 1916 and 1918, Lance-Corporal George Timmins, a British-born soldier who served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, wrote faithfully to his wife and children. Sixty-three letters and four fragments survived. These letters tell the compelling story of a man who, while helping his fellow Canadians make history, used letters home to remain a presence in the lives of his wife and children, and who drew strength from his family to appreciate life’s simple pleasures. Timmins’s letters offer a rare glimpse into the experiences relationships, and quiet heroism, of ordinary soldiers on the Western Front.
Y.A. Bennett is an associate professor of history at Carleton University.
Without a doubt, Kiss the kids for dad is a superbly edited volume that offers insight into the multifarious challenges faced by a Canadian soldier at the front, and a Canadian family at home in Ontario.