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History World War I

Padres in No Man's Land

Canadian Chaplains and the Great War, Second Edition

by (author) Duff Crerar

Publisher
McGill-Queen's University Press
Initial publish date
Aug 2014
Category
World War I
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780773544413
    Publish Date
    Aug 2014
    List Price
    $37.95

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Description

Padres in No Man's Land is the compelling story of brave and deeply committed army chaplains who brought faith and courage to Canada's troops during one of history's most devastating wars. Tracing the growth of the Canadian Chaplain Service from its chaotic and controversy-ridden early days to its maturation as an efficient field force, Duff Crerar highlights both the role of the Service on the battlefield and the personal experiences of the chaplains. Refuting the widely held view that chaplains serving overseas were cloistered from front-line realities, Crerar describes the padres' experiences in camps, hospitals, and on the battlefield. He examines how they maintained their faith in the face of death and destruction, and explores the bonds forged between chaplains and troops. Padres in No Man's Land concludes in the postwar era with the decline of the chaplains' hopes for spiritual renewal upon their return to Canada - their dreams dashed not by the war, but by the subsequent peace.

About the author

Duff Crerar is Instructor Emeritus of History, Department of Arts and Education, Grande Prairie Regional College.

Duff Crerar's profile page

Editorial Reviews

"The book will fill a gap in the history of Canada's greatest war and in modern Canadian church history." Desmond Morton, McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, McGill University

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