This excellent book covers the story of a battalion created in the voluntary expansion of the Canadian forces and is the first published history of the 58th. Although it is necessarily based on official accounts and war diaries, Kevin Shackleton - whose grandfather and his brother in law fought with the battalion - has crafted a thorough and vivid reconstruction that will have a wide appeal.

The 58th was raised in May to July 1915 and after spending training time at Niagara on the Lake, moved to France in February 1916 as part of 9th Brigade in 3rd Canadian Division. It saw service at Mount Sorrel, the Somme, Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele and in the advance to victory. By November 1918, it had lost 493 men killed, 2066 wounded, 90 shell shocked, 55 gassed, 39 sick and another 264 unaccounted for - in all, some three times its original complement. Kevin reminds us of teh grinding, searing loss by providing a cumulative summary of casualties atteh end of each month or period. The history is packed with individual stories of great bravery, humour and tragedy, which help the military facts come alive for the modern day reader.