It has started – not the hell of writing or the darkness of war, but the light on the story. This historical fiction will be about common folk before, during and after World War 1. The writing has begun – first challenge a harrowing winter crossing of a lake with horse teams and heavy laden sledges. Then the love interests…
In 1913, what were the feelings at home and towards the jousting empires of Europe? Why did young men enlist? What were the pressures to commit oneself for King and Country? What relationships did the young men have with family members, girl friends, peers? Just what were lives like – urban, rural?
Then the war years 194 – 1919 , enlistment, conscription, training, travel and then the front. Hell! And what were the fears at home? What were the communications back and forth? Tragedy – loss – shell shock – humanity destroyed. Angst – grief – prayerful hope.
After the war – 1919- 1925, what was it like to return to a changed Canada? Buddies dead – jobs lost – families shattered. But there was the resilience of people who loved each other, who just got on, who tried to forget. There was the light of hope to the future. Happiness again allowed – lives continued.
The story is not a war story but a people story of those hurled into war and how things changed forever.
A number of characters will be in play – using the records and experiences of Canadians in the 3rd Ammunition Column, their friends – their relationships and how many survived, and how many did thrive in their own fashion. Goodness from evil. Human suffering to human love.
