
One in a Thousand
The Life and Death of Captain Eddie McKay, Royal Flying Corps
Graham Broad(Author)
University of Toronto Press
Published on 20. March 2017
Book
Paperback/Softback
208 pages
978-1-4426-0746-0 (ISBN)
Description
This short microhistory details the life and death of Eddie McKay, a varsity athlete at Western University, who flew with the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War. Graham Broad switches creatively from telling McKay's fascinating story to teaching valuable lessons on how to do history: why the past matters, why historians take different approaches, how to pose historical questions, how to identify relevant source materials, and the importance of thoughtful, intelligent, and respectful treatment of historical subjects.
The book includes a timeline of the subject's life, a map of relevant combat areas in the Battle of the Somme, and nine illustrations. It concludes with four unsolved events in McKay's life: a mysterious woman, a strange advertisement for batteries, an empty envelope, and an unknown grave-demonstrating that even a detailed history about one person's life is never really complete.
The book includes a timeline of the subject's life, a map of relevant combat areas in the Battle of the Somme, and nine illustrations. It concludes with four unsolved events in McKay's life: a mysterious woman, a strange advertisement for batteries, an empty envelope, and an unknown grave-demonstrating that even a detailed history about one person's life is never really complete.
Reviews / Votes
"Professor Broad's extensive notes on how to identify relevant source materials, how to pose questions, and how to assemble a book into a coherent story are invaluable."- Dana Lombardy (World War One Illustrated, July 2018) "Broad offers a very important study of both the history and historiography of one pilot's experiences in the RFC during two of the most critical years of the air war over the Western Front. The relevance of his work is not confined to aviation or military history scholars but the non-specialist reader as well. His academic research, unique methodological approach, and use of primary and secondary sources are first-rate."
- Thomas G. Bradbeer, US Army Command & General Staff College (First World War Studies)
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Toronto
Canada
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 226 mm
Width: 150 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
318 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4426-0746-0 (9781442607460)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Graham Broad is an associate professor of History at Kings College at Western University.
Content
Acknowledgements
Timeline
Introduction
Historians and Their Sources
1. To Western and to War: 1892-1916
Historians and Fact Finding
2. Over the Somme: July-October 1916
Triangulation and Reading Against the Grain
3. The Battle, October 28, 1916-March 14, 1917
Mentalite and the Military Past
4. The Choice: March 15-December 28, 1917
Thinking about Thoughts: The Past as a Foreign Country
5. The Letter: January 1918-July 31, 1932
Historians, Historical Ethics, and the End of History
Appendix: The Mysteries
Selected Bibliography
Index
Timeline
Introduction
Historians and Their Sources
1. To Western and to War: 1892-1916
Historians and Fact Finding
2. Over the Somme: July-October 1916
Triangulation and Reading Against the Grain
3. The Battle, October 28, 1916-March 14, 1917
Mentalite and the Military Past
4. The Choice: March 15-December 28, 1917
Thinking about Thoughts: The Past as a Foreign Country
5. The Letter: January 1918-July 31, 1932
Historians, Historical Ethics, and the End of History
Appendix: The Mysteries
Selected Bibliography
Index