Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies
232 King St N N2L 3C3 Waterloo, ON, Canada

Thank you to everyone who helped make our #LMHWebinarSeries such a huge success! That's a wrap for 2020 but we will be back in January. In the meantime, we will be posting our previous talks on our website/YouTube channel if you missed any, starting with Tim Cook's "Fight for History." https://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/now-available-tim-cooks/

Tim Cook on the controversial CBC series, The Valour and the Horror, and how Canadians remembered the #SWW in the 80s and 90s. From the first in our webinar series, now available on our website and YouTube channel. https://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/now-available-tim-cooks/

Next Wednesday, 18 Nov., at 3:00 PM EST, our colleague Bill Stewart will be giving a presentation on German defensive doctrine in 1917-18 as part of the The Western Front Association's webinar series. You can register here: https://us02web.zoom.us//tZcqduqspzIsGdTsoezPj57E/success

Our friend and former MA student, Sara Karn, was interviewed by Jonna Brewer at the CBC about Canadian popular music during the #FWW. Sarah is an excellent researcher and communicator of history, so please do have a listen! https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-26/clip/15808056

So much of what we have today comes from the great courage, sacrifice and loss of those who fought a century ago. Though the war was over, there were still many whose minds never really left the trenches. In this week following #RemembranceDay, Kathleen Taggart takes pause to commemorate those who could never put the war behind them, and who suffered every hardship until it was too much to bear. https://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/if-my-son-had-not-joine/

Just over an hour before Alex Souchen's talk on "The Surprising History of War Junk." Join us as we learn about what happened to all of that stuff produced during the Second World War. It is not too late to register and registration is FREE! https://us02web.zoom.us//941598/WN_Avx5O8-0So6JvsDa4ByDNA

Killed #OTD Private George Lawrence Price of the 28th Canadian Infantry Battalion. Died just two minutes before the Armistice. The last soldier within the British Empire to be killed. Buried at St. Symphorien Military Cemetery.

Thank you to all who joined us last night to hear Tim Cook. Next in our #LMHWebinar series, we have David O'Keefe Historian on 21 October at 7pm. He will be giving a talk based on his book Seven Days in Hell: Canada's Battle for Normandy and the Rise of the Black Watch Snipers. Follow the link to register for free! https://us02web.zoom.us//5115985/WN_-X3ISVewS6-q3Nkho43Jug

Between 1964 and 1993, approximately 30,000 Canadian peacekeepers "walked the green line" in Cyprus. Frank Reid arrived just after the Turkish invasion in 1974. Read more about his experiences in this five part series from the CMH archives #worldpeaceday #WorldPeaceDay2020

Did you miss Tim Cook's talk earlier this month? Good news! Tim will be speaking online for Guelph Museums on September 24th at 7pm. Registration is free! https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/military-lecture-with-tim-cook-

Review by David Stubbs of Mike Bechthold's Flying to Victory: Raymond Collishaw and the Western Desert Campaign, 1940-1941: "a significant contribution to the...history of the fighting in the desert during the #SWW...of interest to scholars, amateur historians and the general audience alike." https://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/

Ever wonder what happened to all those weapons produced during the Second World War? Alex Souchen shares how planes used for civilian bombing became jewellery for sale in postwar Canada. Click the link to watch the full interview. The first in our two-part video podcast https://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/on-war-society-special-/

"If we do not embrace our history," writes Tim Cook, "no one else will." Review of Tim Cook's Fight for History in The Toronto Star.

TONIGHT at 7pm ET Tim Cook launches his highly anticipated new book: "The Fight for History: 75 Years of Forgetting, Remembering and Remaking Canada's Second World War" There is still time to register and registration is FREE! #LMHWebinar

The Canadian Forestry Corps (CFC) provided essential material that helped keep the supply lines moving and the soldiers sheltered during critical operations at Vimy Ridge, Hill 70 and Passchendaele. See the latest by Cameron Bartlett in our #CMHC2020 Web Series for more on the CFC's important work during the #FWW. https://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/shoring-up-the-supply-l/

#OTDH China and 8 other nations signed the Boxer Protocol, ending the anti-imperialist rebellion that killed 200 missionaries and 2000+ Chinese Christian converts. Hear Blaine Chiasson discuss the rebellion's significance on the On War & Society Podcast https://t.co/4nv8Cimq6j

Each month LCMSDS staff recommends 3 books in the field of war & society. This month we have Kyle Falcon. Follow #LCMSDSRecommends on Twitter and Instagram, or share and comment below to include your own favourites in the field. 1. Drew Gilpin Faust's This Republic of Suffering. A beautiful book that examines how the Civil War shaped--& was shaped by--cultural attitudes towards death. Americans were particularly preoccupied w/ salvaging a good death that would prepare them f...or the moment of judgement--not an easy feat in times of war. 2. Will R. Bird's And We Go On. Unlike any other #FWW memoir, Bird's war included ghosts, premonitions & miracles. Written in 1930 in response to Sassoon & other disillusioned veterans, Bird reminds us that the great poets do not speak for every soldier of the First World War. 3. Owen Davies' A Supernatural War. Amidst tanks, submarines, planes, gas & shells the cultures that went to war in 1914-1918 also embraced fortunetellers, horoscopes, lucky charms & divination. The #FWW, concludes Davies, confirms that the supernatural is very modern indeed.

ONLY FIVE MORE DAYS until Tim Cook launches his highly anticipated new book: "The Fight for History: 75 Years of Forgetting, Remembering and Remaking Canada's Second World War" as part of our #LMHWebinar series. Registration is FREE! Follow the link below to register https://us02web.zoom.us//6415983/WN_BARaklCTQauj7-SQPw2IJg

#OTDH 1943, the Allies invaded mainland Italy. From the CMH archives, Terry Copp discusses the purpose & consequences of the assault on "the soft underbelly of Europe." The video quality may be dated but our Director Emeritus' wisdom is timeless #ThrowbackThursday https://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/terry-copp-presents-ita/

*NEW EPISODE* of the On War & Society podcast. Journalist Ted Barris discusses his latest book Rush to Danger: Medics in the Line of Fire--a 153-year journey into the burning question he never had a chance to ask his father: what motivates combat medics to rush into danger? https://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/on-war-society-e34-the-/

A new episode of our On War & Society podcast will be posted tomorrow. Kyle Falcon interviews tedbarris.com about his book "Rush to Danger: Medics in the Line of Fire." Listen to past interviews with some of the leading historians in military history here: https://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/podcast-2/

The full lineup for our #LMHWebinar series: Tim Cook, 9 Sep. @ 7 pm ET David O'Keefe Historian, 21 Oct. @ 7 pm ET Alex Souchen, 11 Nov. @ 7 pm ET... Register for free at https://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/webinar/

#MusicMonday Popular songs in Canada during the #FWW included "Good Luck to the Boys of the Allies," "I love you, Canada," and "Why Can't a Girl be a Soldier?" Have a listen and learn more about "Music on Canada's Home Front" by Sara Karn from the archives of the CMH blog http://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/music-on-canadas-home-fr/

Red socks for soar throat? Magnetic discs for rheumatism? Just some of the bizarre historical medical treatments explored by Schneider Haus National Historic Site as part of Waterloo Region Museum and Doon Heritage Village series Snake Oils and Medical Foils #fridayfollow #FridayThoughts https://youtu.be/tXkg1XeubK4

Join us on September 9th as Tim Cook launches his highly anticipated new book "The Fight for History: 75 Years of Forgetting, Remembering and Remaking Canada's Second World War." This will be the first of three free talks as part of our new #LMHWebinar series. Follow the link to register: https://us02web.zoom.us//6415983/WN_BARaklCTQauj7-SQPw2IJg

The LCMSDS is launching a webinar series. Our first speaker will be award winning author and historian at the Canadian War Museum, Tim Cook, who will be launching his highly anticipated new book: "The Fight for History: 75 Years of Forgetting, Remembering, and Remaking Canada's Second World War." Details and information on how to register coming soon! #LMHWebinar in partnership with Schneider Haus National Historic Site, Waterloo Region Museum and Doon Heritage Village and McDougall Cottage Historic Site

An Ongoing Mission of Remembrance: The Life of Gordon E.G. Brown Part III: After the War by Michael Saad This is the third and final article in a series on the life of Korean War veteran Gordon EG Brown. See also Part I and Part II. The Korean War weighed heavily on Gordons psyche upon his return home in the summer of 1953. [ 2,610 more words ] http://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/an-ongoing-mission-of-re/

LCMSDS PresentsLaurier Military Speaker Series, 2019 Terry Copp, May 15th, 7pm at the Kitchener Public Library "Preparing for D-Day" Planning the Normandy InvasionOperation Overlordbegan in 1943 but the elements of the plan greatly changed and evolved over time. As late as May 1944, important details remained in play as intelligence from Britain's cryptanalysis program, code named "Ultra", revealed that the German Army was actively making changes in Normandy. [ 134 more words ] http://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/speaker-series-terry-cop/

On War & Society #24: Ambitions Unrealized with Linda Quiney The contribution of nurses to attend to the wounded was essential to military care and recovery during the First World War. Less noted is the role of the middle class and educated, though largely unqualified, women who assisted in filling in the gaps at overburdened hospitals and convalescent homes as voluntary nurses. [ 215 more words ] http://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/on-war-society-24-ambiti/

An Ongoing Mission of Remembrance: The Life of Gordon E.G. Brown Part II, Service, by Michael Saad http://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/an-ongoing-mission-of-re/

30th Annual Canadian Military History Colloquium, 3-4 May 2019 Registration for the 30th Annual Canadian Military History Colloquium, 3-4 May 2019 is open. Early registration rates are in effect until 15 April. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW Early Registration Rates Student (no banquet) | Free Student + Banquet | $30 General + Banquet | $55 Regular Registration Rates Student (no banquet) | [ 90 more words ] http://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/register-for-the-30th-an/

New Podcast. On War & Society #23: Stalin's Gulag with Wilson Bell http://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/on-war-society-23-stalin/

LCMSDS PresentsLaurier Military Speaker Series, 2019 Ellin Bessner, April 3rd, 7pm at the LCMSDS A Score to Settle with Hitler: Canadas Jewish Military Fighters in World War II Nearly 40 per cent of all eligible Jewish Canadian men served in the Second World War. They fought in all of the major battles, from Dunkirk to Normandy, Hong Kong to Ortona, and in the liberation of Holland. [ 126 more words ] http://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/speaker-series-ellin-bes/

An Ongoing Mission of Remembrance: The Life of Gordon E.G. Brown Part I, Introduction and Early Life by Michael Saad This is the first in a series of articles on the life of Korean War veteran Gordon EG Brown. Gordon Brown Discussing Korean War to Coalhurst High School Students - May 2017. Each Spring, for the past 12 years at Coalhurst High School, Canadian Veteran Gordon Brown has spoken to Social Studies students about World War I, and the importance of that conflict in establishing the Canadian military identity. [ 2,110 more words ] http://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/an-ongoing-mission-of-re/

Guelph Military Lecture Series, Ted Glenn, Riding into Battle Mar. 28th, 7:00pm at the Guelph Civic Museum The story of Canadian Cyclists in the Great War is largely unknown. Drafted between 1914 and 1916, these troops spent most of the war digging trenches, patrolling roads, and delivering dispatches. Based on personal diaries, memoirs, and newspaper accounts, the lecture addresses the Cyclists early war experience as they learned and applied their unique skill sets for the first time in manoeuvres in and around Toronto, long before their historic contributions to the Hundred Days campaign at the end of the War. [ 43 more words ] http://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/guelph-military-lecture-/

So Long Bonnie: The Decommissioning of HMCS Bonaventure and Canadas role in Anti-Submarine Warfare By Hugh A. Gordon, Keyano College Part IV: Decommissioning This is the fourth and final part in a series of articles about the decommissioning of the HMCS Bonaventure. See Part I, Part II and Part III This aerial view shows Grumman Tracker anti-submarine aircraft aboard HMCS 1,750 more words [ 1,747 more word ] http://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/so-long-bonnie-the-decom/

LCMSDS PresentsLaurier Military Speaker Series, 2019 Ted Barris, Mar. 13, 7:00pm at the LCMSDS Dam Busters: Canadian Airmen and the Secret Raid against Nazi Germany On May 16, 1943, one hundred and thirty-three airmen took off in Lancaster bombers on a night sortie, code-named Operation Chastise. Their targets the Ruhr River dams whose massive water reservoirs powered Nazi Germanys military industrial complex. [ 117 more words ] http://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/speaker-series-ted-barri/

On War & Society #22: Shell Shock with Mark Humphries Shell shock has become a stand-in for the experience of all soldiers of the First World War. And it has also become one of the most popular topics of inquiry for historians of the First World War. Mark Humphries, associate professor history at Wilfrid Laurier University and Director of the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies, has contributed another addition to the ever-growing literature on the topic with his new book on shell shock in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. [ 58 more words ] http://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/on-war-society-22-shell-/

Guelph Military Lecture Series, Kyle Falcon, Spiritualism and the First World War Feb. 28th, 7:00pm at the Guelph Civic Museum Spiritualism--which can be defined as the belief in the survival of the human personality and the possibility of communication with the dead--saw a surge of popularity during and after the Great War. In the aftermath of war, Britons flocked to the seance and saw the ghosts of their loved ones in dreams and in photographs. [ 111 more words ] http://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/guelph-military-lecture-/

Call for Papers: CFIHP Workshop on Canadian Foreign intelligence, July 10 The Canadian Foreign Intelligence History Project (CFIHP) invites paper proposals for a one-day workshop on the history of Canadian foreign intelligence to be held in Ottawa on July 10, 2019. Paper topics might include (but are not limited to): The management structures governing foreign intelligence in Canada The organizations involved in foreign intelligence collection and analysis in Canada [ 159 more words ] http://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/call-for-papers-cfihp-wo/

Call for Papers: Conference of Defence Association's Institute, E3 Symposium, May 6-8 Engage, Exchange, Educate (E3), 6-8 May 2019 Since 1987, the Conference of Defence Associations Institute has contributed to defence and security discussions across Canada and strived to recognize excellence when and where it occurs. Engage, Exchange, Educate (E3) is the CDA Institutes annual symposium for graduate students and early career researchers working in the fields of defence and security. [ 382 more words ] http://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/call-for-papers-conferen/

On War & Society #21: Rural Canada at War with Jonathan Vance We know a lot about the urban experience during the First World War in Canada but far less about the rural equivalent. Canadian historians sometimes assumeand quite wronglythat the urban Canadian experience of the war can stand in for the rural. But it can't. Jonathan Vance's new book [ 157 more words ] http://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/on-war-society-21-rural-/

Unfortunately, because of the weather, we have had to cancel tonight's talk. Our next scheduled talk is currently March 13th. You can subscribe to our Events Newsletter through our homepage to receive information for upcoming events. http://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/speaker-series-linda-qui/

LCMSDS PresentsLaurier Military Speaker Series, 2019 Linda Quiney, Feb. 6, 7:00pm at the LCMSDS Nursing for Victory? Canadas Volunteer Nurses in the First World War Some 2,000 Canadian and Newfoundland women enlisted as Voluntary Aid Detachment, or VAD, nurses during the First World War, serving as auxiliary nurses in homefront and British military hospitals overseas. Undertaking the only active service work open to women without nursing qualifications, the VADs often saw themselves more as soldiers on the wards than real nurses, but at times felt acutely aware of their amateur status. [ 98 more words ] http://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/speaker-series-linda-qui/