Shortlisted, Hamilton Literary Award (Non-Fiction)

Ypres, the Somme, Vimy, Passchendaele, Amiens — to many, these are the names of battles far away and long ago. To thousands of soldiers, now gone, the battles were hard-fought and costly campaigns fraught with danger, pain, and tears. Today, these combat zones are trod by tourists in search of a connection with the past.

Canadians at War follows the route of the Canadian Expeditionary Force from its first encounter with German forces at Neuve Chappelle to the site of the 1915 gas attack at St. Julien, from the Somme to Vimy and Passchendaele. In this informative guide, Susan Evans Shaw provides an historical overview of each battlefield as well as maps, photographs, and information on the memorials and cemeteries. The first book of its kind, Canadians at War fills a gap in heritage travel literature that has existed since the Armistice.

Evans Shaw made her first visit to the battlefields of World War I in 2004, where she realized that there was a dearth of material for Canadians. Collaborating with photographer Jean Crankshaw, she created this book as a tribute to her grandfather, who was killed in action in 1918.

Susan Evans Shaw was born in North Bay, Ontario, grew up in Sudbury and Port Credit, was educated at Queen's and McMaster universities, and settled in Hamilton in the early 1970s. She worked, until 1999, as a research technician in health sciences at McMaster University. Research skills she learned in those years were easy to translate to history. Reading and writing about the First World War — and the part Canadians played — broadened her interest in Canada's place on the world stage. Following the publication of Canadians at War: A Guide to the Battlefields of World War I, Susan considered turning her attentions to World War II — a war in which the part Canada played is even less known. Positive reception of her book by reviewers and travellers played a part in her deciding to write a second volume. However the main impetus came from the younger members of her family who pressed her for a book about the Canadians in World War II, a war they knew only through British and American films and television. Once she started her research, she discovered the range of territory was vast. Memorials that honour Canadian soldiers, sailors, and airmen can be seen in Vancouver, Ottawa, and Halifax; listed among Allied Forces at Runnymede and Brookwood memorials in England; memorialized at Hong Kong, in Italy, in Normandy, and in Holland. Yet, as with the Great War, there is a dearth of material for the Canadian traveller. Her intent is for a Canadian-focussed single volume to fill the gap. Susan is a member of the organizing committee for Hamilton's monthly reading series, Lit Live, and a member of the programming committee for Hamilton's literary festival, gritLIT, as well as co-chair of Hamilton Art Council's Literary Arts Committee. She is also a member of Pen Canada and the Writers' Union of Canada. Susan lives in Hamilton.

Susan Evans Shaw's profile page

JEAN CRANKSHAW began working as a freelance photographer in the late 1990s. She studied photography and digital imaging at Mohawk College and exhibits in galleries in Hamilton and Brantford. Her special interests are architecture and outdoor photography.

Jean Crankshaw's profile page

• Short-listed, Hamilton Literary Award (Non-Fiction)