Drawing from newspapers, journals, government reports, and archival records, Terry Copp – one of Canada’s leading military historians – tells the story of how citizens in Canada’s largest city responded to the challenges of the First World War.

Montreal at War addresses responses to the outbreak of war in Europe and the process of raising an army for service overseas. It details the shock of intense combat and heavy casualties, studies the mobilization of volunteers, and follows the experience of battalions from Montreal to the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

Challenging long-held assumptions, Montreal at War aims to understand the war experience as it unfolded, approaching history from the perspective of those who lived through it.

Terry Copp is the director of the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies and a professor emeritus at Wilfrid Laurier University. He is the author or co-author of fourteen books and many articles on the Canadian role in the Second World War, including travel guides to the Canadian battlefields. Fields of Fire: The Canadians in Normandy won the 2004 Distinguished Book Award for non-US history from the American Society for Military History.

Matt Symes is a PhD candidate at Wilfrid Laurier University. He works as the publications manager for the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies and as the online editor for canadianmilitaryhistory.ca. With Eric McGeer, Matt has published three Battlefield Guides on the Italian Campaign in the Second World War.

Nick Lachance is a mature student finishing his BA in Honours History at Wilfrid Laurier University. As a research assistant at LCMSDS he manages the digitization of the 300,000 Second World War aerial reconnaissance photographs the center has in its possession. A freelance photographer and photojournalist, many of Lachance’s photos appear in this and other LCMSDS publications.

Terry Copp's profile page

Alexander Maavara is a former graduate student at Wilfrid Laurier University and is currently a copyeditor and researcher.

Alexander Maavara's profile page

“Montreal at War is a major addition to both Canadian military and urban historiographies. This work will appeal to students and scholars of Canadian military history who wish to understand the war experience through the eyes of Montrealers and the impacts of the conflict on Canada’s metropolis. Because of its engaging and compelling writing style, the books might also attract general readers.”

<em>Canadian Military History</em>