
Filling the Ranks
Manpower in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1914-1918
Richard Holt(Author)
McGill-Queen's University Press
Will be published approx. on 28. March 2017
Book
Hardback
384 pages
978-0-7735-4877-0 (ISBN)
Description
Manpower is the lifeblood of armies regardless of time or place. In the First World War, much of Canada's military effort went toward sustaining the Canadian Expeditionary Force, especially in France and Belgium. The job was not easy. The government and Department of Militia and Defence were tasked with recruiting and training hundreds of thousands of men, shipping them to England, and creating organizations on the continent meant to forward these men to their units. The first book to explore the issue of manpower in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, Filling the Ranks examines the administrative and organizational changes that fostered efficiency and sustained the army. Richard Holt describes national civilian and military recruitment policies and criteria both inside and outside of Canada; efforts to recruit women, convicts, and members of First Nations, African Canadian, Asian, and Slavic communities; the conduct of entry-level training; and the development of a coherent reinforcement structure. Canada's ability to fill the ranks with trained soldiers ultimately helped make the Corps an elite formation within the British Expeditionary Force. Based on extensive research in British and Canadian archives, Filling the Ranks provides a wealth of new information on Canada"s role in the Great War.
Reviews / Votes
"An important study [tracing] the development of the Canadian Army during the First World War, from its militia roots and enlistment criteria through to the training of reinforcements. [It] adds a great deal of knowledge to our understanding of the conflict. A career soldier in the Canadian Army, Filling the Ranks is a testament to his dedication to history and to the Canadian Forces." Canada's History "Holt has accomplished an insider's study of how recruiting worked, [and] evolved, in a well-organised manner that unravels the nightmare of military bureaucracy." Canadian Military HistoryMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Montreal
Canada
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
20 b&w photos, 20 tables, 6 figures
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
709 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7735-4877-0 (9780773548770)
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
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
04/2017
1st Edition
McGill-Queen's University Press
€70.99
Available for download

E-Book
04/2017
1st Edition
De Gruyter
€40.49
Available for download
Person
Richard Holt (1948-2017) was a retired lieutenant colonel of the Royal Canadian Regiment and an independent researcher and historian.