In the first part of this two-volume series by Canadian historian Tim Cook, we follow Canada’s Citizen Soldiers through the first three years of World War I. Cook helps the reader understand almost 100 years later what made regular Canadian farmers and shopkeepers willingly leave their homes and families to take up arms for Britain.

In this volume, we follow Canada’s enlisted men from training at Valcartier and  Salisbury Plain to their first combat at the Second Battle of Ypres, then through St. Eloi, Mount Sorrel and the Somme. Many British soldiers thought the Canadian men were unruly colonials, but the Canadians soon proved themselves as fierce warriors against their German enemies.

Cook not only follows the battles, but also gives the reader some insight as to what daily life in the trenches was like for the average soldier. The soldiers went days without sleeping, living in mud amongst rats, corpses and constant artillery barrages. From the innovations against chemical warfare to the introduction of helmets, the reader also learns how commanders and infantry needed to adapt to wage war on the Western Front. At the Sharp End is an important read for any Canadian wanting to understand the road leading up to the battle at Vimy Ridge that forged Canada’s national identity.

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