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History Canada

Death or Deliverance

Canadian Courts Martial in the Great War

by (author) Teresa Iacobelli

Publisher
UBC Press
Initial publish date
Aug 2013
Category
Canada, Post-Confederation (1867-), Military
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9780774825696
    Publish Date
    Aug 2013
    List Price
    $125.00
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780774825672
    Publish Date
    Sep 2013
    List Price
    $90.00
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780774825689
    Publish Date
    Jan 2014
    List Price
    $32.95

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Description

Soldiers found guilty of desertion or cowardice during the Great War faced death by firing squad. Novels, histories, movies, and television series often depict courts martial as brutal and inflexible, and social memories of this system of frontline justice have inspired modern movements to seek pardons for soldiers executed on the battlefield. In this powerful and moving book, Teresa Iacobelli looks beyond stories of callous generals and quick executions to consider the trials of nearly two hundred soldiers who were sentenced to death but spared by a disciplinary system capable of thoughtful review and compassion. By bringing to light these men’s experiences, Death or Deliverance reconsiders an important chapter in the history of both a war and a nation.

About the author

Teresa Iacobelli received a doctorate in history from the University of Western Ontario in 2010 and is a SSHRC postdoctoral fellow. Her current research examines how the two world wars have been portrayed in popular media and how these depictions have shaped Canadian identity and social memories of war.

Teresa Iacobelli's profile page

Awards

  • Winner, C.P. Stacey Award for scholarly work in Canadian Military History