Women in the military? To many, never was too soon. But by 1940, British women were out "doing their bit" for the war effort, and Canadians battled for that same right. Young Canadian women wanted to serve their country, "to free a man to fight," as the recruiting posters urged. By the war’s end almost 50,000 of them were in the forces.

Carolyn Gossage has compiled a fascinating collage of anecdotal and documentary material. The colourful story of Canada’s "forgotten women" - those who volunteered for service during World War II in the RCAF Women’s division, the Canadian Women’s Army Corps (CWAC) and the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service (Wrens) - entertains and enlightens.

Carolyn Gossage is the author of books on Ethiopian icons and crosses. She has also published a number of historical titles, including Greatcoats and Glamour Boots and The History of the Frankfurt Book Fair. She lives in Toronto and has taught history and English in Canada and abroad for over twenty years. She is also the author of a number of books including: A Question of Privilege, Canada's Independent Schools (1977).

Carolyn Gossage's profile page

Dr. Roberta Bondar became the first Canadian woman to fly in space, aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 1992. A neurologist, scientist and pilot, she holds the NASA Space Medal and is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a Laureate of the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. She studied professional nature photography at the Brooks Institute of Photography in California. She lives in Toronto.

Roberta Bondar's profile page

"Through the voices of the women represented in this book, these years emerge as a pivotal period for Canadian women, full of contradictions, challenges, and auguries of the present."

Canadian Book Review Annual