Montreal at War, 1914-1918

Montreal at War tells the story of how citizens in Canada’s largest city responded to the challenges of the First World War. Drawing from newspapers, journals, government reports, and archival records, Terry Copp – one of Canada’s leading military historians – raises important questions about how the Canadian war experience has been interpreted, and the ways in which hindsight has privileged some voices over others.

Painting a picture of life in Montreal during the first years of the twentieth century, Montreal at War addresses responses to the outbreak of war in Europe and the process of raising an army for service overseas. It details the shock of intense combat and heavy casualties, studies the mobilization of volunteers, and follows the experience of battalions from Montreal to the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The crisis of conscription is described in the context of national and local developments, and great attention is paid to the experiences of both the army overseas and civilians at home.

Challenging long-held assumptions, Montreal at War aims to understand the war experience as it unfolded, approaching history from the perspective of those who lived through it.

Terry Copp is a Canadian military historian, director emeritus of the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies, and a professor emeritus at Wilfrid Laurier University. He is an award-winning author of more than twenty books on Canada’s role in the World Wars and an influential advocate for military history in both military and civilian education.

Alexander Maavara is a former graduate student at Wilfrid Laurier University and is currently a copyeditor and researcher.