Stamp of Approval: The Liberation of St. Pierre et Miquelon in 1941
At first light on December 24, 1941, Free French naval ships appeared at the mouth of the port of St. Pierre in the islands of St. Pierre et Miquelon, off the south coast of Newfoundland. They con-sisted of the submarine Surcouf, the…
Confronting Evil:
Broadcast by the Honourable Major General Georges P. Vanier, Canadian Ambassador to France, over the Trans-Canada Network of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation May 1st, 1945, rebroadcast May 2nd, 1945
The Invisible War: The Untold Secret Story of Number One Canadian Special Wireless Group
In 1944, just over 300 Canadian soldiers were sent to Australia on a Top Secret intelligence mission which has largely remained untold until now. They were members of Number One Canadian Special Wireless Group (1CSWG) and their job was to collect signals…
Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan
Inside Herbert Bix’s monumental Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan are two books struggling to get out. One is an impressively detailed academic study of the Japanese emperor’s education, character and rule in the context of post-Meiji Japan’s intellectual, political and…
The Science of War: Canadian Scientists and Allied Military Technology During the Second World War
Few scientists begin their careers intending to facilitate death and destruction. Their interests are generally life-affirming and yet, as Donald Avery shows so ably, when called upon, Canadian scientists turned their energy and creative talents to the instruments of war. That most…
James Stone 1921–2000
James Howard Stone passed away on April 5, 2000, in his 79th year. The toll of recovery from removal of his bladder after a lengthy illness was too much for him.
Between Silk and Cyanide: A Codemaker’s War 1941-1945
Leo Marks has written a unique and interesting book about a little understood but very important aspect of the war between Hitler and his several allied opponents.
For King and Country?
Perhaps the most momentous decision by a Canadian government in the twentieth century was the declaration of war on Germany that was signed on behalf of Canada by King George VI on September 10, 1939. That followed by one week the British…
The True ’Intrepid’ and the Unknown Agents
Bill Stephenson, the Canadian-born head of the British Security Coordination in the United States during World War II, was a genuine hero. He also appears to have been something of an enigma who was not always well-served by those who have written…
All the Fine Young Eagles
A quiet stroll through any book shop in Canada will reveal a super abundance of works about the Second World War. Indeed, the sheer volume of writings about that War suggests a mini-industry rather than a literary or historical endeavour. Much of…
