Canadians at the Somme -- The Neglected Campaign/William F. Stewart (2017), reviewed by Dwight Mercer

Canadians at the Somme - The Neglected Campaign
 William F. Stewart (2017)

A University of Western Ontario MBA, Stewart had a 30-year career as a senior executive in the Canadian high-tech industry, in marketing. He returned to university to pursue his avocation of researching and writing history. He received his PhD from the University of Birmingham in 2012 - under the supervision of Professor Gary Sheffield - and he is the author of numerous scholarly articles on the First World War related to the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF). In 2015, his reconsideration of the reputation of the controversial Canadian general Sir Richard Turner was published as The Embattled General: Sir Richard Turner and the First World War by McGill-Queen's University Press. His research focus is on the tactical, operational and administrative developments in the CEF, as well as the CEF's senior command levels. He is also a recent member and contributor within the  of the CEF Study Group Discussion forum.

Was impressed after just reading the Introduction. Original research, indications of perhaps an earlier fan of Liddell Hart, statistics and performance management measurements/statistics (which can illuminate) and presented with a distilled clarity. The clarity of the text is a rare treat and is worthy of praise in itself - including such mundane items are clearly explaining the evolving Order of Battle of the Canadian units as they arrive in France and are then incorporated in the first the British Expeditionary Force and later the Canadian Expeditionary Force - the author understands his material.

In one paragraph (page 38) on Field Marshall Haig, the author articulates the character and weaknesses of the man - which then underscore his planning and operation of the Battle of the Somme.

First impressions remind me of Tim Cook's book No Place to Run - chocked full of new material and/or includes the integration of several sources to more fully support a position or thought. 

Again, first impressions are that this book will most likely to become a reference text for the serious reader of CEF Great War history. After the endless rehashing of The Somme by a litany of British authors, it may be a Canadian who best illuminates the battle and the Field Marshall. It is more a book to study than to casually read - but this is good after reading so many books which rehash previous text and opinions with perhaps the book cover being the most significant change.

This book is not for the neophyte reader of the Great War - one needs to study the text more than just a casual read. Of equal importance, the textbook includes a separate Map Book with 33 separate and detailed colour maps which have been carefully created with additional detail and commentary.  

Strong recommendation for the serious reader of the Great War but perhaps too heavy for the casual reader