Memory and Valour

By 1918, the Canadian Corps had earned a reputation across the Western Front: shock troops. They were chosen for some of the most difficult assaults of the First World War — at Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, Amiens, and during the Hundred Days Offensive. British command relied on them for complex, coordinated attacks. German sources warned of their aggressiveness. A narrative took hold: that Canadians...

When the guns fell silent in 1918, the war did not end for thousands of Canadian soldiers. In this episode, we explore shell shock during the First World War and how it reshaped the lives of those who returned home carrying invisible wounds. Through personal accounts, medical responses, and shifting public attitudes, we examine how Canadians struggled to understand trauma in an era before PTSD had...

In a war defined by trenches, machine guns, and industrial slaughter, Canada sent horsemen into the storm. This episode follows the Canadian Cavalry Brigade from the mud of the Western Front to the desperate charge at Moreuil Wood; an action often remembered as one of the last great cavalry charges in history. It’s a story of soldiers caught between eras, fighting a modern war with the tools of an...

The 107th Battalion — known as The Timberwolves — was one of the most remarkable and overlooked units in Canada’s First World War history. Made up largely of First Nations soldiers, these men brought extraordinary skill, resilience, and cultural strength to a war that demanded everything from them… and then asked for more. In this episode, we uncover the story Canada rarely tells: how Indigenous s...

When the air turned poisonous, the Canadians didn’t retreat; they stood and fought. This episode dives into the first poison‑gas attack at Ypres and the brutal legacy it left behind. From the shock of the green cloud to the lifelong scars of gas exposure, we follow the Canadians who faced a weapon the world had sworn never to use. A visceral journey into terror, survival, and the moment modern war...

Four snapshots from Canada’s Great War: the lost Levi Cottage Cemetery now buried within Tyne Cot; Sir Arthur Currie’s fraught rise to knighthood; the deadly work of CEF runners threading messages through chaos; and the 107th Battalion, the Timberwolves, carving identity in the mud of the Western Front. A brief episode with the weight of a century behind it.

Beaumont‑Hamel marked one of the darkest moments in Newfoundland’s history. On the morning of July 1, 1916, the Newfoundland Regiment advanced across open ground during the first day of the Battle of the Somme, straight into unbroken German fire. Within minutes, the unit was devastated, suffering catastrophic losses that echoed across every community back home. Beaumont‑Hamel became a symbol of ex...

From Frezenberg to Kapyong, the Second World War, and the Medak Pocket to Afghanistan; this episode explores the courage, identity, and legacy of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. Featuring the incredible story of Major Mike Levy. Once a Patricia, Always a Patricia is a tribute to more than a century of service, sacrifice, and identity, and to the enduring spirit that binds Patricia...

In December 1914, British and German soldiers stepped out of their trenches to share songs, handshakes, and a brief moment of humanity in the frozen silence of No Man’s Land. This episode explores the Christmas Truce through the voices of the men who lived it; a fragile flicker of peace that stayed with them for the rest of their lives.

In this episode, we step inside the trenches of the Western Front, where soldiers lived every day with mud at their boots, fear in their lungs, and the constant thunder of artillery overhead. Through their routines, their hardships, and the rare moments of fragile humanity, we explore what life was truly like for the men who endured one of the harshest environments of the First World War. From sta...

In this episode of Memory and Valour, we confront one of the darkest legacies of the First World War: soldiers executed by firing squad. Beyond Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele lies another roll call—twenty‑five Canadians condemned for “cowardice,” “desertion,” or “disobedience.” Through voices like Private Walter Underwood and Medical Officer Maberly Esler, we uncover the machinery of discipline, fro...

In this episode, we shine a light on the extraordinary story of Private Hughie John McDonald of the 49th Battalion, Edmonton Regiment. He was a courageous runner who survived the First World War, and was awarded the Military Medal for his bravery in the Battle of Passchendaele. His legacy lives on not only through history but also through the book I've written about his remarkable journey. To brin...

Step into the haunting silence of No Man’s Land—the deadly stretch between opposing trenches in World War I. In this episode, we explore the hauntings, human stories, and lasting symbolism of this desolate battlefield. From the soldiers’ daily struggles to the eerie myths that grew out of the mud and wire, discover how No Man’s Land became both a physical space of terror and a powerful metaphor fo...

Amid the thunder of artillery and the chaos of August 1917, Canadian soldiers fought fiercely to seize Hill 70. The Battle of Hill 70 & The Milburn Sacrifice is not just a story of strategy and victory, it is a story of family. This episode honours the courage and loss of my great‑grandfather and his nephew, who gave their lives in the struggle. We get into the heart of the battle, where sacri...

In this episode of Memory and Valour, we journey into the heart of the First World War to uncover the extraordinary courage and innovation of the Canadian Army Medical Corps. Amid the chaos of battle, stretcher bearers braved gunfire to rescue the wounded, nurses offered compassion and skill in field hospitals, and doctors pushed the limits of medicine to save lives under unimaginable conditions....

In this debut episode of Memory and Valour, we reflect on Remembrance Day through two deeply human stories from the Canadian Expeditionary Force. We remember Private George Price, the last Canadian soldier to die in the First World War, whose death came just minutes before the Armistice. We also honour the Adkins brothers of Edmonton’s 49th Battalion, three siblings who served together and whose e...