*** One of The Miramichi Reader's Recommended Reads for 2020/2021***In August of 1914, when the First World War broke out, James W. Johnstone, the privileged son of a prominent Nova Scotia family, immediately enlisted in the fledgling Canadian Expeditionary Force. Journeying from Valcartier, Quebec to the plains of southern England with the largest military force to ever cross the Atlantic, he was soon in Belgium, embroiled in the fiercest fighting on the Western Front. Over 17 months, from the training camps and the trenches, through battles both momentous and routine, he wrote nearly 70 letters to his sweetheart, Isobel, at home in Halifax. This complete collection of his letters is James' true story, an unflinching look at what the soldiers experienced, a story of love, loss, and the brutality of the "Great War".
