They Shall Grow Not Old: My Nova Scotian Roots and the Fallen Sons of World War One

As the 100th anniversary of the end of the first world war approached, I had been thinking a lot about the young men in our family who were killed in action during that conflict. Many were in their 20’s when they died, and one can only speculate what might have been had they survived. Their deaths certainly changed the course of the lives in their immediate families, and quite likely the communities in which they were born and raised. The family names of these young men still ring through the Nova Scotian hills and valleys, in the cities and the villages, and along the rugged coastlines. I set out across the country from Saskatchewan (for several summers), a retired grandmother in a motorhome, to travel the roads of my ancestors and research their stories which are shared here. My gratitude goes out to them for their sacrifice, and to their families who suffered such loss. This book is also dedicated to the thousands who joined, fought the fight, and came home, probably more damaged than anyone will ever know.