The foresters' scribe : remembering the Newfoundland Forestry Companies through the First World War letters of Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant John A. Barrett
Kelly, Ursula A. (Ursula Anne), 1956-2020
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The Foresters' Scribe is the first comprehensive study of the Newfoundland Forestry Companies (NFC) of the First World War. It adds a long-overdue and essential chapter to the Great War history of Newfoundland and Labrador. A century has gone by since the NFC was formed in 1917, yet little is still known of this small unit of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. Its members were men recruited for woods work in the United Kingdom. Their assignment: to cut and mill Scottish forests to supply timber for the war effort. During the NFC's time overseas, thirty-seven letters were written home by 'the Foresters' scribe,' Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant John A. Barrett. Published in Newfoundland newspapers, they provided a detailed and articulate account of the NFC's service in Scotland. This book compiles Barrett's letters and examines their historical significance. In addition, it includes letters from other foresters, descriptions of key events that Barrett omitted, and rare photos of the foresters at work. Ursula Kelly complements this material with her own comprehensive account of the formation of the NFC and related issues, and an examination of what the NFC story suggests about the socio-cultural politics of war service and commemoration. The Foresters' Scribe is an insightful and celebratory account of an overlooked military unit that made an important contribution to the war effort.
Main title:
Author:
Imprint:
St. John's, NL : ISER Books, 2020.
Collation:
xix, 333 pages : illustrations, map, photographs ; 23 cm.
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 307-323) and index.
ISBN:
9781894725736
Dewey class:
940.412718
Local class:
940.412
Language:
English
Subject:
BRN:
4302779