A. J. Stacey (1890–1969)

This interesting little memoir/history documents the roll of the Newfoundland Regiment in WWI and in particular the first 500 volunteers known as the Blue Puttees, for the color of their leg wrappings. A.J. Stacey was number 466 and was with the regiment through some of the worst battles of the war: Gallipoli, Ypres, Battle of the Somme, and Vimy Ridge, to name a few. His memoirs are bracketed by the history of the regiment written by his daughter-in-law, Jean Edwards Stacey.

Whereas the show more history recounts the battles and losses, Stacey's memoirs focus more on day to day life and personal interactions. During the war Stacey served in roles which provide unique perspectives. He worked in the mess, so often talked about the food; as a Battalion runner, which allowed him to move between units and have an overview of battles; and as a mailman of sorts, delivering mail to the units. He writes often of the hijinks he and his friends got up to and of ways in which he subverted military discipline.

As with any account of WWI, this book astonished me at the loss of life that accompanied each gain, not of miles, but of yards. The most profound day of battle for the Newfoundland Regiment was July 1, 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme. It is now commemorated as Canada Day. It was the regiment's first battle in France, and out of the 801 men of the regiment who fought at Beaumont Hamel, only 68 answered roll call the following day. The rest were dead, wounded, or missing (usually blown up).

I enjoyed the snippets of everyday life that Jean Stacey wove into her history: newspaper clippings, advertisements, poems. And photos are always interesting. What I didn't enjoy was the formatting of the text. There was very little line spacing, with 44 lines per page. (Whereas the last book I read, [The Memory Police] had a comfortable 31.) To make reading even more challenging, all of A.J. Stacey's memoir sections, sometimes pages long, were printed in italics. Overall, I would recommend this book for those interested in regional history and those who like unusual WWI memoirs. show less