Deward Barnes was born in Toronto
in 1888. He enlisted in the army in 1916 and carried
out his training with 180th Battalion. After arrival
in England he was posted and fought as a Lewis
gunner with 19th Battalion of the CEF
at - among others - Hill 70, Passchendaele and
Amiens, before being wounded
in October 1918
during the great advance near Iwuy. Deward kept
a diary in a series of notebooks, which he transcribed
in 1926 into a single volume, which appears to
have been written for his own purposes rather than
publication.
Deward's diaries and sketches have been
edited and interpreted by Bruce Cane, formerly a curatorial
assistant at Historic Fort York in Toronto. He has
done an excellent job too. The passages direct from
Deward's
diaries are broken by lucid and accurate explanations
of the terms being used, and commentary on the incidents
and people mentioned. This helps bring the whole thing
alive, placing Deward's own comments and thoughts in
the wider perspective.
The memoir is full of interest and
detail, with many places and men being mentioned.
Of particular interest perhaps is the experience
of being ordered to take part in a firing squad,
and knowing afterward that you did not have the
blank round. I found Deward's gradual change from
a being a lively, positive young man into weariness
and bitterness at the continual loss of his close
comrades
particularly vivid and a strong reminder of what
his generation endured.
The title "It made you think of home" comes from a
phrase that appears in the diaries on several occasions.
Deward used it whenever he was experiencing something
particularly nasty or boring, from camp fatigues to
the hell of the front trenches and bombardments.
The book is nicely produced, and
represents good value. It is published by a Canadian
firm; I have not seen it in UK but it is available
from Amazon.co.uk.
Overall, a strongly recommended addition
to your Great War library.
