Soldier's Place
A collection of World War I short fiction by the author of the memoir And We Go On.
Nova Scotia–born Will R. Bird miraculously survived the First World War and returned to Nova Scotia. Determined to tell the stories of the brave soldiers who served, Bird became one of the most prolific authors on the subject, completing works of both fiction and nonfiction. For nearly two decades following the war, Bird published war stories in magazines and periodicals, which have now gone out of print and were never digitized, and the stories had long fallen into obscurity—until now.
Carefully curated by author and editor Thomas Hodd, A Soldier’s Place is a selection of fifteen of Bird’s best combat stories, based on the experiences of himself and of others, covering all aspects of the war effort and following brave Canadian, American, and Australian soldiers.
Will R. Bird, Thomas Hood
Born in East Mapleton, NS, Will R. Bird (1891-1984) served with the 42nd Highlanders during the First World War. After returning to Canada, he embarked on a writing career that spanned several decades. Best known for his historical fiction and war writings, especially his soldier memoir, And We Go On (1930), Bird published more than twenty books and several hundred stories, including a handful of non-fiction works about the Maritimes. He also spent many years working in various Nova Scotia government departments, and served briefly as president of the Canadian Authors Association.Thomas Hodd is an Associate Professor of Canadian and Atlantic literature at Université de Moncton. His essays and reviews have appeared in the Globe and Mail, the Literary Review of Canada, The Chronicle Herald, and the Toronto Star among others. His study of Charles G. D. Roberts's writings on the First World War appeared recently in The Great War: From Memory to History.
