Far from Home: A Memoir of a 20th Century Soldier

Paul Dickson is a strategic analyst at the Directorate of Air Strategic
Plans, National Defence Headquarters, Ottawa.

The aim of the Legacy Shared series is to “preserve the personal
histories and experiences of pioneer and immigrant life that may have
been overlooked or have disappeared.” It seeks voices from the
“heartland of the continent that may otherwise be lost to history.”
This latest volume in the series is described by the author as a
“soldier’s tale with a difference ... a social as much as a military
story.”

In the first part of the book, Williams tells us about his childhood,
his experiences as a young adult growing up in the west, and his growing
interest in things military. This section offers some perspective on
life in early 20th-century Western Canada, but particularly notable is
the nostalgia for a simpler time, a pre-World War II Canada of small
towns, department stores, and a distinctly local focus.

Williams’s military career was long and varied, beginning with World
War II and ending with his retirement in 1970 at height of the Cold War.
A career as a historian followed. During this period Williams was
involved with a number of important people, institutions, and events
that helped shaped Canada in the second half of the 20th century.
Comments about this part of his life provide some insight. In many ways,
Williams’s life and career flourished during this time, as did Canada.


But although Williams has written a useful and interesting memoir,
there are points at which the reader longs for more than a series of
anecdotes and hopes that he will use his considerable insights as a
historian to shed more light on the events in which he is a participant.
The best sections of the book are those dealing with the post-1945
period, when Williams recounts his experience with the Cold War army.