In August 1914, Canada found itself jolted from its splendid isolation by the onrush of a European catastrophe. In Victoria, British Columbia, five hundred youth who had been educated at Victoria High School went to war and were forever changed by the experience.

From Classroom to Battlefield follows the experiences of this cohort through the Second Battle of Ypres, when Canadians suffered terribly from the German use of poison gas; the horrors of the Somme, Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, and Amiens; and, at last, victory at Mons. It weaves Victoria High School’s idealistic hopes into the realities of the pain, suffering, and death in faraway fields of fire, while examining legacies of the conflict at home. This is a poignant book about war, memory, and sacrifice from one of Canada’s preeminent writers of historical nonfiction.

Dr. Barry Gough, one of Canada's foremost historians, is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Fellow of King's College London and Life Member of the Association of Canadian Studies, and has been awarded a Doctor of Letters for distinguished contributions to Imperial and Commonwealth history. He is well recognized for the authenticity of his research and the engaging nature of his narratives, and is the author of many critically acclaimed books, including Fortune's A River: The Collision of Empires in Northwest America (Harbour, 2007), which won the John Lyman Book Award for best Canadian naval and maritime history and was shortlisted for the Writers' Trust Non-Fiction Prize. Gough has been writing for almost four decades. He lives in Victoria, BC, with his wife, Marilyn.

Barry Gough's profile page

"From Classroom to Battlefield is recommended to those with connection to VHS or Victoria, students and educators, as well as a general audience of Canadians who take interest in this period of history. Gough has produced a work in which his passion for sharing the stories of those who walked the halls of VHS before him is evident from beginning to end."

Canadian Military History

"This is a powerful, well-written book. In simple terms, if you want to read a single book about the Great War, this is the one to read." —Dave Obee, Times Colonist

"From Classroom to Battlefield makes a valuable contribution to the growing list of new publications commemorating the centennial of the Great War. It will appeal strongly to readers of British Columbia history, educators, social and military historians, and anyone who shares even a fraction of the author’s connection to the city of Victoria." — James Wood, BC Studies

"Barry Gough has written a remarkable work in which the stories of VHS graduates are skillfully woven through the Great War narrative. Passionate, robust, and moving." —Brian R.D. Smith, former BC Minister of Education

"Detailed footnotes indicate the precision and care the author has taken in researching the many individuals filling this history. Gough's book may inspire BC educators to teach more about their school's own rich history. It serves to remind all of to appreciate a generation who endured and sacrificed so much." — Janet Nicol, British Columbia History

"For those who think history is a boring subject, they need only to read this magnificent book to see history come alive. Dr. Gough's writing style is easy to read and he paints wonderful word pictures." —Hallmark Heritage Society, Victoria, BC