Dictionary of Canadian Military History

Sidney Allinson is the editor at the Royal Canadian Military Institute
and author of The Bantams: The Untold Story of World War I.

Here’s another reference work from two of Canada’s leading military
historians. This time they present an encyclopedic compendium of
military terminology, biography, and events.

Arranged alphabetically, the listings range from “Ack-Ack”
(military parlance for anti-aircraft gunfire) to “Zombie”
(derogatory slang for a soldier who refused to volunteer for World War
II overseas service). In between lies a wealth of martial terminology
and language, most of which now seems almost as arcane and
incomprehensible to the modern reader as Sumerian. Even well-informed
ex–service people might find unfamiliar snippets among the lore
collected here.

Whether it is used for looking up unfamiliar words or for checking on
historical characters, this book offers a hundred years’ worth of
military words, facts, and biographies. Who was the first Canadian to
win the Victoria Cross? (Lt Alex Dunn of Toronto, in the Charge of the
Light Brigade.) Who founded the Canadian Women’s Army Corps?
(Elizabeth Lawrie Smellie.) How many of our troops were casualties in
World War I? (60,000 dead.) What was the first big battle fought by
Canadians in the Boer War? (Paardeburg.)

There’s enjoyment in casual browsing, too. Open any page and one
finds brief biographies of now-forgotten men and women who served Canada
in past wars. The extent of our nation’s valor is reflected in the
appendix that lists the 97 Canadians who were awarded the Victoria
Cross, the British Commonwealth’s foremost decoration for exceptional
bravery in the face of the enemy. Major historical events are also well
covered in concise style. For instance, the two world wars are each
clearly reviewed in a couple of succinct columns. Whether for war buffs,
libraries, or teachers, Dictionary of Canadian Military History is
highly recommended.