Early in World War One, a young Canadian soldier is wounded and trapped behind German lines. He uses quick thinking and ingenuity to evade capture, then deeper into enemy territory, he meets a young woman who recently lost her father and brothers to...
For those unfamiliar or a little rusty with the history and geography of World War One, here are a few paragraphs to assist with the setting.
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On the first day of August 1914, the German Empire declared war on France and Russia. Three days later, they invaded neutral Belgium. Their intention was to quickly sweep across that country and into France to encircle Paris and cause the French to surrender. With that accomplished, they would turn to concentrate on the Russians.
As the German armies swarmed into their country, the Belgians destroyed their own railway bridges and other transportation infrastructure, slowing the advance toward Paris and forcing it to stall as it outran supply lines. The stalled German positions became the Western Front, and this remained rather stable during more than four years of horrific trench warfare.
When Belgian neutrality was violated on the 4th of August, the British Empire declared war on Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, bringing Canada and other Commonwealth nations into the conflict. After being recruited and mobilised and undergoing initial indoctrination, the Canadian troops were transported to England for further training. They arrived in France in February 1915, and within days, they were sent into the trenches to become accustomed. In mid-April, they were moved north to Flanders to take over large sections of the Front Line near Ypres.
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The opening scene in this story is during the Second Battle of Ypres, which began on the 22nd of April when the Germans released chlorine toward our trenches as the first effective use of poisonous gas in warfare. The French fled from their positions, but the Canadians, despite heavy casualties, held on.
When the Germans advanced toward the broad gap left by the French, the Canadian 8th Battalion was ordered forward from reserve to push them back and retake the higher ground near Saint-Julien. The line moved back and forth for three days with fierce fighting and more gas, as the Canadians continued, unreinforced, bluffing being a larger force. By the 25th, their numbers were so diminished, their ruses were no longer credible.
The preceding paragraphs are fact. The fictional story opens in the late afternoon as David watches the casualties from recent skirmishes being carried down the slope toward Ypres. Among them are the last of his company's officers and NCOs.
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During this battle, John McCrae penned his poem, In Flanders Fields, marking the beginning of the poppy as a symbol of remembrance.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.
— Surgical-Major John McCrae
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