The Book of War Letters

Freelance journalist Audrey Grescoe teamed up with her husband and novelist Paul Grescoe to compile and edit The Book Of War Letters: 100 Years Of Private Canadian Correspondence. This is an impressive collection of letters from Canadian soldiers beginning with the Boer War of 1899, through the First World War, Second World War, the Korean War, and the various "peace keeping missions" of the last half of the twentieth century and the first years of the twenty first century, including action in Afghanistan overthrowing the Taliban and searching out the Al Queda networks. Showcased are excerpts recounting the bitter realities of combat, the often appalling conditions of the war zones, reassurances for love ones back home, and the letters of condolence written by officers and chaplains when a loved one was wounded or died. Although this is a century long collection of Canadian wartime correspondences, these letters offer a universal understanding of what soldiers in combat from any nation in any conflict were struggling to relate to their people back home. The Book Of War Letters is a seminal work and strongly recommended for inclusion into any personal or academic Military Studies reference collection and supplemental reading list.