Varsity's Soldiers
The University of Toronto Contingent of the Canadian Officers' Training Corps, 1914?1968
Published on 4. September 2019
Book
Hardback
384 pages
978-1-4875-0352-9 (ISBN)
Description
The role of Canadian universities in selecting and training officers for the armed forces is an important yet overlooked chapter in the history of higher education in Canada. For more than fifty years, the University of Toronto supported the largest and most active contingent of the Canadian Officers' Training Corps (COTC), which sent thousands of officer candidates into the regular and reserve forces.
Based on the rich fund of documents housed in the university archives, Varsity's Soldiers offers the first full-length history of military training in Toronto. Beginning with the formation of a student rifle company in 1861, and focusing on the story of the COTC from 1914 to 1968, author Eric McGeer seeks to enlarge appreciation of the university's remarkable contribution to the defence of Canada, the place of military education in an academic setting, and the experience of the students who embodied the ideal of service to alma mater and to country.
Based on the rich fund of documents housed in the university archives, Varsity's Soldiers offers the first full-length history of military training in Toronto. Beginning with the formation of a student rifle company in 1861, and focusing on the story of the COTC from 1914 to 1968, author Eric McGeer seeks to enlarge appreciation of the university's remarkable contribution to the defence of Canada, the place of military education in an academic setting, and the experience of the students who embodied the ideal of service to alma mater and to country.
Reviews / Votes
"Varsity's Soldiers is a delightful book that all who are interested in the evolution of Canadian civil society should read. The book is extremely well written, and the pages quickly turn. The characters are interesting, the history long overlooked and most importantly, this book is of greater relevance than the title would suggest, or even perhaps what McGeer intended." -- Joel Watson, Royal Military College of Canada * <i>Canadian Military History</i> *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Toronto
Canada
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
With dust jacket
Dimensions
Height: 231 mm
Width: 163 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
703 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4875-0352-9 (9781487503529)
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
Eric McGeer holds a PhD from the Universite de Montreal and teaches at St Clement's School in Toronto.
Content
Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
Commanding Officers
Introduction
1. "Old K": The University Rifle Company and Its Legacy, 1861-1914
2. Born and Raised in War: The University of Toronto Contingent, 1914-1919
3. Soldiering on in Peacetime: The University of Toronto Contingent, 1919-1939
4. "The Child of The Last War": The University of Toronto Contingent, 1939-1945
5. A Vital Link: The University of Toronto Contingent, 1945-1968
Notes
Bibliography
Index
List of Abbreviations
Commanding Officers
Introduction
1. "Old K": The University Rifle Company and Its Legacy, 1861-1914
2. Born and Raised in War: The University of Toronto Contingent, 1914-1919
3. Soldiering on in Peacetime: The University of Toronto Contingent, 1919-1939
4. "The Child of The Last War": The University of Toronto Contingent, 1939-1945
5. A Vital Link: The University of Toronto Contingent, 1945-1968
Notes
Bibliography
Index