War Diary of Clare Gass

Susan Mann is a historian and president emeritus of York University.

"A fresh contribution to our understanding of the military and medical history during this period, shedding light on the ambivalent attitudes towards the war that were held by the people closest to it. Mann's introduction is sensitively written, and reveals that the editor has done considerable background research on the subject." Jonathan F. Vance, author of Death So Noble: Memory, Meaning, and the First World War "A major contribution to the field of Canadian military and women's history. Not only does Mann bring into the public domain a primary source hitherto unknown to scholars, but she also uses her splendid introduction to offer a timely critique of military and nursing history that continues to quickly pass over the work of the Nursing Sisters. The diary is exceedingly rich in detail and throughout offers evidence of the emotional turmoil and war weariness that we hope to find in primary sources. Unlike many diaries that become repetitious and boring, this one often delights and surprises. I read it in one gulp and wished for more." Margaret Conrad, Department of History, Acadia University