Canada and the Second World War: Essays in Honour of Terry Copp ed. by Geoffrey Hayes, Mike Bechthold, and Matt Symes (review)

Why a collection of essays in honour of Terry Copp? Copp, professor emeritus at Wilfrid Laurier University, co-founder and director of the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies, and prolific historian, is best known for his work on the subject of Canada’s participation in World War II. The authors of these collected essays share a common bond: many (perhaps all; it is not clear from the author biographies section included in the book) were students of, or are colleagues of, or have co-written works with Copp. It is safe to assume, however, that whether or not they all know him personally, all are familiar with his work and his reputation as one of Canada’s preeminent World War II historians and, as such, consider him a mentor.

The list of authors featured in this publication includes academics, graduate students, active military officers, and a journalist – but all are well quali-fied academically to contribute to this collection of scholarly essays. The essays themselves are organized into five themes. “The Home Front” is the largest section, containing five articles, followed by “The War of the Scientists,” with three. The next two sections delve directly into combat operations: “The Mediterranean Theatre” (four essays, including one in French: “La culture tactique Canadienne” by Yves Tremblay, about 1944’s Operation Chesterfield); and “Northwest Europe” (also comprised of four essays). Three interesting articles under the heading “The Aftermath” round out the collection.

Obviously, the topics in such a collection are varied and eclectic, something which is often a weakness of such publications. In this case, however, the essays succeed, for the most part, in complementing each other. What ties them together, beyond the very general theme of Canadian participation in World War II, is that, taken together, they show how the study of Canadian military history – specifically, World War II history – fits into the broader subject of the study and interpretation of Canadian history, and the evolution of the field. This is why a book of essays in honour of Terry Copp makes sense. The opening essay, in particular – “Terry Copp’s Approach to History” by Mark Osborne Humphries – breaks down Copp’s own philosophy of, and methodology in, the study of history, explaining how these evolved, and how they shaped Copp’s work, including his teaching. Humphries situates Copp’s methodology into the larger context of the field of history. (One of the “Home Front” essays, “How C.P. Stacey Became the Army’s Official Historian” by Roger Sarty, also contributes to this.) Humphries’ summary of Copp’s way of “doing history” provides an interesting glimpse into the way a historian’s mind works (and the notes reveal that Copp read drafts of this article, suggesting that Humphries’ description of Copp’s thinking processes is accurate). This essay succeeded in enticing me to read the essays that followed; I wanted to see examples of how Copp did, in fact, influence his students and colleagues.

The “Home Front” section of essays covers such diverse topics as Canadian youth during the war, and First Nations participation in the war effort. Of particular note is Mark Bourrie’s fascinating piece about the role of journalists as part of the Canadian war machine. Himself a journalist, Bourrie describes how Canada’s press censorship system operated during the war, and introduces us to some of the key personalities involved.

Andrew Iarocci’s essay about Canadian drivers and mechanical transport during both world wars is framed by his experience as former Collections Manager of the Transportation and Artillery Collection at the Canadian War Museum. He delves into questions not often considered, for example the difficulties inherent in the introduction of mechanical transport, including how to find, recruit and train skilled drivers and mechanics in an age when the automotive industry was still so new.

Iarocci, and several of the other authors, include...