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James L. McWilliams
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R. James Steel
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The Suicide Battalion (The History of World War One) Kindle Edition

by J.L. McWilliams (Author), R. James Steel (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 440 ratings
A staggering history of one of the First World War’s most daring military units. An essential book for readers of Peter Hart, Tim Cook and Nick Lloyd.

The men of the 46th Canadian Infantry Battalion were some of the most effective shock troops of the Allied forces in the Great War.

They drove back German forces wherever they met and refused ever to surrender.

Such tactics struck fear in their enemies, yet, it came at a tremendous cost.

Of the 5374 officers and men who passed through the unit, a total of 4917, or 91 per cent, were either killed or wounded.

J.L. McWilliams and R. James Steel chart the history of this battalion from when it was formed on 7th November 1914 through all of its major battles, including the Somme, Vimy Ridge, Hill 70, Passchendaele, Amiens, the Hundred Days Offensive and breaking through the Hindenburg Line, to when it was finally disbanded at the end of the war.

Rather than focus simply on the grand strategies of generals, McWilliams and Steel use numerous personal accounts, both written at the time and afterwards, to depict what life was life for the regular soldier of the 46th Battalion during these treacherous years spent in muddy trenches in France and Belgium.

“a grim reminder of the atrocious conditions in which that war was fought, and a shocking realization of the futility of costly and pointless attacks ordered by generals blindly dedicated to the delusive doctrine of attrition.” G. W. L. Nicholson, The Canadian Historical Review

“fascination derives from the depiction of ordinary soldiers from this hard-luck battalion from the Canadian prairies.” A. M. J. Hyatt, Canadian Military History

The Suicide Battalion is an engrossing history of one remarkable battalion’s journey through the First World War. These hardened, Canadian veterans became the shock troops Allied forces and were used time again to pierce the German frontline.
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  1. Part of series
    The History of World War One
  2. Print length
    263 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    May 24, 2020
  6. File size
    1.2 MB
  7. Page Flip
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  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

R. James Steel is coauthor, with J. L. McWilliams, of several books, including Amiens: Dawn of Victory, The Suicide Battalion, and Gas!: The Battle for Ypres, 1915.

J. L. McWilliams is the author of The MacHugh Memoirs, a series of historical adventure novels based on a Canadian adventurer, Rory MacHugh, in the early 1800s. One book in the series, A Secret of the Sphinx, was a finalist in the global Book Excellence Awards. McWilliams has also coauthored several books with R. James Steel, including Amiens: Dawn of Victory, The Suicide Battalion, and Gas!: The Battle for Ypres, 1915.

Graham Rowat, an Earphones Award-winning narrator, is a television and theater actor who is best known for his stage performance in Dracula, Beauty and the Beast, and Mamma Mia.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08544JZPB
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sapere Books
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 24, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.2 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 263 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1913518165
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Part of series ‏ : ‎ The History of World War One
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 440 ratings

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  1. James L. McWilliams

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
440 global ratings

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Customers find the book to be an excellent read with engaging personal stories throughout. One customer particularly notes how it provides good information about Canadian troops in WWI.

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ReadabilityStory quality
9 customers mention "Readability"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be an excellent read.

"...The dedication of the front line troops was amazing. It was a good read. Very insightful." Read more

"Very much enjoyed this book. Personal stories, for me, are better than stats and figures...." Read more

"...A heart-rending story of sacrifice and endurance. Amazing and awl inspiring." Read more

"...It was heartbreaking. This book is about the men from Canada. Well done." Read more

7 customers mention "Story quality"7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the personal stories in the book, with one review highlighting the heart-rending narrative of sacrifice and another noting its detailed coverage of Canadian troops in WWI.

"...The dedication of the front line troops was amazing. It was a good read. Very insightful." Read more

"Very much enjoyed this book. Personal stories, for me, are better than stats and figures...." Read more

"The book tells what the war was like, and the horrors the men endured. It is hard to believe how bad it really was" Read more

"...To the good, it does have good information on the Canadian troops in WWI, along with some names I'm familiar with: Sir Arthur Currie, Julian Byng,..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars The real heroes of the First World War
    Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Very informative. Easy to read format. A wealth of information on what it was like to serve in WW I. As with other books on the first world war you find the guys in the trenches giving their all for country. It is too bad that senior leadership was so much out of touch with what was really going on. The dedication of the front line troops was amazing. It was a good read. Very insightful.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good account of WWI using first hand accounts
    Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2020
    Format: Kindle
    I’ve always thought the contributions of Canada in the two World Wars has been under appreciated. The Suicide Battalion goes a long way to correct that. Well researched using first hand accounts, it gives a vivid description of the horrors of trench warfare.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • .338Edge
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing first hand accounts of WWI
    Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Very much enjoyed this book. Personal stories, for me, are better than stats and figures. This book kept my attention throughout, and is very well written.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Warren Edmunds
    5.0 out of 5 stars good read
    Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    The book tells what the war was like, and the horrors the men endured. It is hard to believe how bad it really was
    One person found this helpful
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  • Lynne M. Mikesh-Whitney
    3.0 out of 5 stars Good Information, Interesting Events And Personal Stories But Not Good Writing
    Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    After having read "Gas! The Battle For Ypres, 1915" by the same authors and enjoyed it, I saw this book and decided to give it a read. I was disappointed that it wasn't as well written as "Gas!" is which is a shame.

    To the good, it does have good information on the Canadian troops in WWI, along with some names I'm familiar with: Sir Arthur Currie, Julian Byng, Will Bird, to name three, and I enjoyed reading the "Where Are They Now?" at the end of some of the people who were mentioned in the book to see where they were at that point in time, if they were alive or deceased. I found the battles interesting, the personal triumphs, tragedies and descriptions of their baptisms of fire-and the gruesome details of the poor souls who were blown to bits by shells-of the soldiers also engrossing but sad. There was also touches of humour amidst the horrors of war: I had a good chuckle over Sir Arthur Currie's question "Who the hell was shooting at me?" while walking toward the trench, bullets flying thickly around him.

    Of the not so good, it was clumsily written with choppy sentences for over half the book which made it irritating to get through and is something that I find highly annoying as a reader. (To be fair, it did iron itself out in the final three chapters of the book but it was a slog getting through to that point. If I hadn't been interested in reading more about the soldiers or that Canada in WWI is an area of history I am very interested in, I would have stopped reading after three chapters.)

    Overall, its is interesting with good information on the battles; the soldiers' personal stories, their baptisms of fire are engrossing though sad but the writing is clunky. Three stars.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • michael J Monteith
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
    Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    We Americans rarely hear of the sacrifices of our neighbors in Canada. A heart-rending story of sacrifice and endurance. Amazing and awl inspiring.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Richard Myers
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book
    Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This book is about the men of the 46th Canadian Infantry Battalion in WW1. Ninety one percent of the soldiers were either killed or wounded in WW1. The book is full of first person stories of the men who served.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Bookwyrm61
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Suicide Battalion
    Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I learned a lot about World War I by reading this book. It really told the story of what men endured during this war. I was written from the viewpoint of the enlisted men, no the officers. It was heartbreaking. This book is about the men from Canada. Well done.
    6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Darren
    5.0 out of 5 stars Unable to out down
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 30, 2025
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Story of normal men doing an extremely brave and humbling experience
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Important history
    Reviewed in Canada on August 28, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    First hand account of a Canadian battalion in WW1. The book describes the battles the unit fought and the men it lost. Doesn't sugarcoat warfare. It mentions some of the innovations the CDN Corp produced. The story has a certain feel that makes one sad at the end.
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  • jennifer
    5.0 out of 5 stars It is an emotional read!
    Reviewed in Canada on December 8, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I am liking the story and the documentary story line. There is a lot of history and stories to hear. We need to respect them all and make sure that they are never forgotten. Especially those who where never found, like my Great Grandpa. There is a lot of gruesome detail in this book but a very good tribute to the 46th battalion of Moose Jaw Saskatchewan.
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  • Dave D
    4.0 out of 5 stars Canada's best
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 19, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    A gripping story of how Canada served during WW1 and how one regiment served in the most horrendous conditions and some of the most terrible battles during that period of history thoroughly enjoyable read
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  • Paul Ellmes
    5.0 out of 5 stars A gripping first hand account of the war
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 2, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    The account follows the men from the days before the war to going home in 1919. No matter how many books I read on this subject, not how well the writer conveys the experiences, it's still difficult to grasp not just the horror, but how men and women lived with it and through it. I'm eternally grateful that I have not had to fight in war, but as a historian, equally angered that the same politicians and power brokers now, have the same disregard for our generations as they did for my grandfather's and great grandfather's generation.
    Report

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