Old Enough to Fight

Canada's Boy Soldiers in the First World War

by Dan Black & John Boileau, foreword by Romeo Dallaire

tagged: world war i, post-confederation (1867-)

Description

Between 15,000 and 20,000 underage youths, some as young as ten, signed up to fight in Canada's armed forces in the First World War. They served in the trenches alongside their elders, and fought in all the major battles: Ypres, the Somme, Passchendaele, Vimy Ridge, and the rest. Many were injured or suffered psychological wounds. Many died. This is the first book to tell their story.

Some boys joined up to escape unhappy homes and workplaces. Others went with their parents' blessing, carrying letters from fathers and mothers asking the recruiters to take their eager sons. The romantic notion of a short, victorious campaign was wiped out the second these boys arrived on the Western Front. The authors, who narrate the fighting with both military professionalism and humanity, portray many boys who, in the heat of battle, made a seamless transition from follower to leader to hero.

Authors Dan Black and John Boileau combed the archives and collections to bring these stories to life. Passages from letters the boy soldiers wrote home reveal the range of emotions and experiences they underwent, from the humorous to the unspeakably horrible. Their parents' letters touch us with their concern, love, uncertainty, and often, grief. Meticulously researched and abundantly illustrated with photographs, paintings, and a collection of specially commissioned maps, Old Enough to Fight is Canadian military and social history at its most fascinating.

About the Authors

Dan Black

DAN BLACK has written and edited hundreds of articles on Canada's military, past and present. He is the former editor of Legion Magazine and the co-author of Old Enough to Fight: Canada's Boy Soldiers in the First World War and Too Young To Die: Canada's Boy Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen in the Second World War, with John Boileau. Dan lives outside of Ottawa.

John Boileau

Retired colonel John Boileau served in the Canadian Army for thirty-seven years, including command of Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians), and went on to be appointed Honorary Colonel of the Halifax Rifles (RCAC) for ten years. He is an author and media commentator who specializes in military history and has written fifteen books and more that 650 magazine and newspaper articles. Two of his books, Fastest in the World and Halifax and the Royal Canadian Navy were shortlisted for the Dartmouth Book Award for Non-Fiction. John was founding chair of the Halifax Military Heritage Preservation Society and chair of the National Council of Honorary Colonels. He is a recipient of the Order of Nova Scotia, the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Queen Elizabeth Platinum Jubilee Medal (NS), a Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia Vice-Regal Commendation and a Commander Canadian Army Commendation. He and his wife, Miriam, live in Bedford, Nova Scotia.

Romeo Dallaire

Contributor Notes

DAN BLACK, former Editor-in-Chief of Legion Magazine, has written and edited hundreds of articles on Canada's military, past and present. He has worked with serving men and women at all levels and with most of Canada's top military historians. He lives in Ottawa.

JOHN BOILEAU is a retired Canadian army colonel and author of fifteen books and over 650 articles. He is a frequent commentator for radio and television specializing in military history. In 2010 the Minister of National Defence appointed him Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of the Halifax Rifles. He is a recipient of the Order of Nova Scotia, the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Queen Elizabeth Platinum Jubilee Medal (NS), a Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia Vice-Regal Commendation and a Commander Canadian Army Commendation. He lives with his wife Miriam in Bedford, Nova Scotia.

Editorial Reviews

"Old Enough to Fight grips the imagination by its vivid portrayal of the youngsters through whose eyes one sees unimaginable conditions on the Western Front."

— Halifax Chronicle-Herald

"The boys' backgrounds are fully developed, and their testimony is skilfully woven into the bloody battles and routine horrors of trench warfare. The human element extends the book's appeal to readers beyond those whose interest is primarily military... destined to be an immediate success."

— Atlantic Books Today

"Dan Black, respected editor of Legion Magazine, and John Boileau, a retired army colonel and author of 10 books, tell the compelling story of Canada's war effort through these underage witnesses.... Perhaps the greatest strength of Old Enough To Fight is that these stories may resonate deeply with today's youth and help them to connect with the war of one hundred years ago."

— Canada's History Magazine

"The authors include excerpts from the boys' letters home, which include vivid descriptions of trench warfare, battles, and the constant discomfort in which the soldiers lives. They were cold, wet, hungry, ill, and often lonely for home, and the letters make that plain."

— Maritime Forces Atlantic Trident

"Old Enough to Fight gives us a vivid picture of the intolerable conditions the combatants endured. The marvel is not that so many were killed or seriously wounded in mind or body, but that some many survived relatively unscathed. Old Enough to Fight is a horrifying thought-provoking book, suitable for reading as we commemorate all who have died in war."

— Charlottetown Guardian

"Dan Black, respected editor of Legion Magazine, and John Boileau, a retired army colonel and the author of ten books, tell the compelling story of Canada's war effort through these underage witnesses.... Perhaps the greatest strength of Old Enough to Fight is that these stories may resonate deeply with today's youth and help them connect with the war of one hundred years ago."