The 11th Hour of the 11th day

[Guest bbritter]

Those who would like to live WWI through the eyes and experience of a real CEF WWI veteran, may be interested in reading The 11th Hour of the 11th Day. This book was published on Nov. 11, 2012. It is based on a true story and follows the actual military and medical records of the main character. As a professional journalist, when I received the military and medical records of my grandfather from the National Archives of Canada, I knew that it was a story that had to be told. As a member and with the help of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Study group every detail was thoroughly researched. But wars do not only change the lives of the soldier, they also change the lives of their families. The soldier who goes off to war is not the same man who left and the wife he left behind is not the same little woman when he returns..

Writing the story was fascinating and because it was being researched at the same time, I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. The book is a novel and as such is fiction. But in reality it is non-fiction except the names of the main characters have been changed. So little has been written about the Canadian contribution to this war where nearly 1 in 10 men and women died in battle and 173,000 returned home wounded. Canada in 1914 only had a population of 7.2 million. The story of the members of the CEF needs to be told (lest we forget).

The book is available by book sellers and on the Internet including Amazon sites worldwide.

I would especially like my CEF Study Group members who helped me to see the finished product.