It made you think of home : the haunting journal of Deward Barnes, Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1916-1919

"We took our positions, five kneeling and five standing ... we got the order to fire. One blank and nine live rounds ... I did not have the blank." That is the voice of Deward Barnes, an unwilling but dutiful member of the firing squad that shot Harold Lodge, one of 25 Canadians executed during the First World War. In this diary we hear something that is otherwise gone forever: the authentic voice of the First World War soldier, Everyman in khaki. Fully annontated so that everyone today can understand the nuance of each entry, the Barnes diary takes us into the trenches and the firing lines of the Western Front like no other first-hand Canadian account of that terrible war can. Like any trained infantryman, Deward could tell the kick of a live round from a blank one, and that kick he bestows on us with each turn of the page. I Am Writing My Own Diary To Myself, Which Is True And Not Exaggerated. It Is Impossible To Give People The Least Idea Of What War Is If They Were Never Through One. This Is The Voice Of Deward Barnes, A Canadian Soldier Who Fought In The Major Battles Of Wwi. This Is His Story, In His Words, Written As The Events Of The Great War Were Unfolding. Illustrated With Deward's Sketches And Contemporary Photos, It Made You Think Of Home Takes Us Into The Mind Of This Ordinary Canadian Soldier, Trapped In A World In Which He Had To Pay A Terrible Price In Order To Survive. In 1917, Deward Was Assigned To The Firing Squad That Was To Take The Life Of Private Harold Lodge, Who Had Been Convicted Of Desertion By A Court Martial. Lodge Was One Of 23 Canadians Executed During The War By Their Own Brothers In Arms. It Was An Experience That Changed Deward Forever.--book Jacket. Ch. 1. Liederkranz Club To Camp Borden, February 26 To July 1, 1916 -- Ch. 2. Overseas, July 2, 1916, To April 6, 1917 -- Ch. 3. To The Front Lines, April 7 To May 6, 1917 -- Ch. 4. Baptism Of Fire, May 7 To August 14, 1917 -- Ch. 5. Hill 70 To Passchendaele, August 15 To November 5, 1917 -- Ch. 6. Execution, November 6, 1917, To March 30, 1918 -- Ch. 7. Operation Michael And The Spring Offensive, March 31 To June 13, 1918 -- Ch. 8. Preparing For Open Warfare, June 14 To August 7, 1918 -- Ch. 9. Amiens And Arras, August 8 To August 23, 1918 -- Ch. 10. On Leave, August 24 To October 8, 1918 -- Ch. 11. Armistice, October 9, 1918, To February 10, 1919. [edited By] Bruce Cane. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [313]-318). Canadian Expeditionary Forces: 1916 to 1919, in the voice of Deward Barnes a Canadian soldier who fought in the major battles of WWI