About BC Books Online
BC Books Online was created for anyone interested in BC-published books, and with librarians especially in mind. We'd like to make it easy for library staff to learn about books from BC publishers - both new releases and backlist titles - so you can inform your patrons and keep your collections up to date.
Our site features print books and ebooks - both new releases and backlist titles - all of which are available to order through regular trade channels. Browse our subject categories to find books of interest or create and export lists by category to cross-reference with your library's current collection.
A quick tip: When reviewing the "Browse by Category" listings, please note that these are based on standardized BISAC Subject Codes supplied by the books' publishers. You will find additional selections, grouped by theme or region, in our "BC Reading Lists."
Description
In August 1914, Canada found itself jolted from its splendid isolation by the onrush of a European catastrophe. In Victoria, British Columbia, five hundred youth who had been educated at Victoria High School went to war and were forever changed by the experience.
From Classroom to Battlefield follows the experiences of this cohort through the Second Battle of Ypres, when Canadians suffered terribly from the German use of poison gas; the horrors of the Somme, Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, and Amiens; and, at last, victory at Mons. It weaves Victoria High School’s idealistic hopes into the realities of the pain, suffering, and death in faraway fields of fire, while examining legacies of the conflict at home. This is a poignant book about war, memory, and sacrifice from one of Canada’s preeminent writers of historical nonfiction.
Editorial Reviews
"From Classroom to Battlefield is recommended to those with connection to VHS or Victoria, students and educators, as well as a general audience of Canadians who take interest in this period of history. Gough has produced a work in which his passion for sharing the stories of those who walked the halls of VHS before him is evident from beginning to end."
— Canadian Military History
"This is a powerful, well-written book. In simple terms, if you want to read a single book about the Great War, this is the one to read." —Dave Obee, Times Colonist
"From Classroom to Battlefield makes a valuable contribution to the growing list of new publications commemorating the centennial of the Great War. It will appeal strongly to readers of British Columbia history, educators, social and military historians, and anyone who shares even a fraction of the author’s connection to the city of Victoria." — James Wood, BC Studies
"Barry Gough has written a remarkable work in which the stories of VHS graduates are skillfully woven through the Great War narrative. Passionate, robust, and moving." —Brian R.D. Smith, former BC Minister of Education
"Detailed footnotes indicate the precision and care the author has taken in researching the many individuals filling this history. Gough's book may inspire BC educators to teach more about their school's own rich history. It serves to remind all of to appreciate a generation who endured and sacrificed so much." — Janet Nicol, British Columbia History
"For those who think history is a boring subject, they need only to read this magnificent book to see history come alive. Dr. Gough's writing style is easy to read and he paints wonderful word pictures." —Hallmark Heritage Society, Victoria, BC
