Merry Hell is the only complete history of the 25^th 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.

BRIAN DOUGLAS TENNYSON, PhD, is Professor Emeritus at Cape Breton University, where he taught history for many years. He is the author of several books, including Percy Willmot: A Cape Bretoner at War (CBU Press), Historic Mahone Bay (with Wilma White), Cape Bretoniana: An Annotated Bibliography, Guardian of the Gulf: Sydney, Cape Breton and the Atlantic Wars with Roger Sarty, The Canadian Experience of the Great War: A Guide to Memoirs and Merry Hell: The Story of the 25th (Nova Scotia Regiment) Battalion 1914-1919 (editor).

Brian Tennyson's profile page

• Short-listed, Dartmouth Book Award for Non-fiction

‘I enjoyed reading every page of Merry Hell – couldn’t put it down, really. Part history and part memoir, it is a singular contribution to our knowledge of the First World War and those who fought it. Anyone who calls himself or herself a First World War historian will read this book with a smile of satisfaction on their face – it just rings true and genuine, and is more immediate than existing studies. And for those who haven’t read much on the First World War, at least at the battalion history level, this will be a revelation.’

Steve Harris, Chief Historian, Directorate of History and Heritage, Department of National Defence

‘Merry Hell is an amazing book…. As we approach the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, Merry Hell is an invaluable addition to the literature of that war and Nova Scotia’s role in it.’

The Chronicle Herald, September 14, 2013

‘This is a useful contribution to our understanding of the experiences of that generation of young Canadians who marched off to war 100 years ago.’

University of Toronto Quarterly vol 84:03:2015

‘Canadians everywhere, and not just those of us in Nova Scotia, owe a debt of gratitude to Robert Clements for writing this book – and to Brian Tennyson for placing it so resolutely in the public realm. This is a work permitting us to see with searing clarity the vile nature and devastating toll of modern warfare.’

The Antigonish Review #180

‘Merry Hell is a well written book that can be used for casual reading or academic study... It is rare to come across such a book, especially in the study of history.’

Canadian Military History vol 25:01:2016