Brian Tennyson – författare

One of the great untold Canadian military stories revolves around the eastern seaport of Sydney, Nova Scotia. Guardian of the Gulf offers a vivid and long overdue account of Sydney harbour's role, and the importance of its coal deposits, in North Atlantic strategy and military operations from the Anglo-French wars in the eighteenth century to the end of the Cold War in the 1990s.More than two centuries of activity in and around Sydney harbour came to a head during the world wars, when Sydney became a major convoy port in the merchant-ship lifeline that sustained Britain with supplies from North America. Essential to the air and naval forces that pursued German submarines in the waters off the coast of Canada, Sydney was also an imporatant industrial centre that produced enormous quantities of critically important coal and steel. Exploring the roles of army, navy, air force, and merchant marine, Tennyson and Sarty offer richly detailed information on garrisons, fortifications, base development, and maritime warfare.Set against the Backdrop of national and alliance policymaking in London, Ottawa, and Washington, the story moves deftly between the larger and smaller pictures, making this a work of both colourful immediacy and broad interpretation.Winner of the 2000 Keith Matthews Award for Best Book, awarded by Canadian Nautical Research Society

Merry Hell is the only complete history of the 25th Canadian infantry battalion, which was recruited in the autumn and winter of 1914–15 and served overseas from spring 1915 until spring 1919. Author Robert N Clements, who served in the battalion throughout that period and rose from private to captain, wrote the story many years after the war, based on his personal memories and experiences. As such, his story reflects two unique perspectives on Canadian military history – the remarkably fresh recollections and anecdotes of a veteran, and the outlook of a man eager to share what his generation contributed to the nation’s history, character, and identity.Professional military historian Brian Douglas Tennyson buttresses Clements’s story with a valuable critical apparatus, including an analytical introduction that contextualizes the history and notes that explain unfamiliar points and people. Merry Hell is a captivating tale for those who enjoy stories of war and battle, and one that will entertain readers with Clements’s richly colourful anecdotes and witty poems, none of which have been published before.

Merry Hell is the only complete history of the 25th Canadian infantry battalion, which was recruited in the autumn and winter of 1914–15 and served overseas from spring 1915 until spring 1919. Author Robert N Clements, who served in the battalion throughout that period and rose from private to captain, wrote the story many years after the war, based on his personal memories and experiences. As such, his story reflects two unique perspectives on Canadian military history – the remarkably fresh recollections and anecdotes of a veteran, and the outlook of a man eager to share what his generation contributed to the nation’s history, character, and identity.Professional military historian Brian Douglas Tennyson buttresses Clements’s story with a valuable critical apparatus, including an analytical introduction that contextualizes the history and notes that explain unfamiliar points and people. Merry Hell is a captivating tale for those who enjoy stories of war and battle, and one that will entertain readers with Clements’s richly colourful anecdotes and witty poems, none of which have been published before.