Regimental fighting units, suggests historian David J. Bercuson, do something that no other group can: they nurture their members as they proceed into the unnatural world of war, putting their lives on the line for the lives of others. Regiments are constructed clans, with proud histories and traditions that are impenetrable to outsiders but essential to the morale of those who are a part of their ranks.
    Canada’s most famous regiments—such as the Vandoos, the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, the Hasty P’s—are well known to many of us, but what is less known is how Canada’s regiments have shaped and been shaped by our military past. Beginning with Iroquois war bands and the arrival in 1665 of the Régiment Carignan- Salières—“The Good Regiment” dispatched by Louis XIV to the colony of New France—Bercuson recounts a proud history that extends through the War of 1812 and the Fenian Raids to the Boer War. He tracks the regiments of the First World War and the development of the modern regimental system, through to the Second World War and the Korean War. Finally, he investigates the peacekeeping years to the current operations in Afghanistan.
    This comprehensive regimental history is a lively, fascinating chronicle of tradition, achievement and sometimes catastrophe. Through the eyes of many prominent regiments, Bercuson looks at the broader culture of bonding and loyalty that is underappreciated outside of the military, yet second nature within it. Anyone with an interest in Canada’s rich military history or a personal connection to the soldiers who have fought for this country—past or present—will appreciate this stirring account of Canada’s frontline forces.

David J. Bercuson is the director of the University of Calgary's Centre for Military and Strategic Studies. A celebrated military historian, he has published on a wide range of topics including modern Canadian politics, Canadian defense and foreign policy, and military history. He has written, co-authored, or edited over thirty books, including The Fighting Canadians: Canada's Regimental History from New France to Afghanistan; The Patricias: The Proud History of a Fighting Regiment; and Blood on the Hills: The Canadian Army in the Korean War. In 1997 Dr. Bercuson was appointed Special Advisor to the Minister of National Defence on the Future of the Canadian Forces. A member of the Minister of National Defence's Monitoring Committee from 1997 to 2003, he also served on the Advisory Council on National Security from 2005 to 2008. Until 2010 Bercuson was an Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of 41 Combat Engineer Regiment, a Land Force Reserve military engineer unit of the Canadian Forces. He is a member of the Royal Society of Canada, which awarded him the J.B. Tyrrell Historical Medal in 2002, and serves on the board of the Royal Military College. In 2003 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.

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