From the West Coast to the Western Front by Mark Forsythe and Greg Dickson, published by Harbour Publishing, will benefit VIU’s Canadian Letters and Images Project.
February 5, 2015 - 3:45pm
CBC announcer and author Mark Forsythe is coming to Vancouver Island University (VIU) Feb. 12 to present a public talk and book signing for the recently published book, From the West Coast to the Western Front, which he co-authored with historian Greg Dickson. The free event is from 1:30 to 3:30 pm in Building 200, Room 203.
From the West Coast to the Western Front is the latest CBC book from BC Almanac, and proceeds from its sale will be donated to VIU’s Canadian Letters and Images Project (CLIP).
The Canadian Letters and Images Project is an online archive of the Canadian war experience, from any war, as told through the letters and images of Canadians themselves. The collection includes digitized contemporary letters, diaries, photographs and other related materials. See www.canadianletters.ca.
“This is a significant donation to support work on the CLIP project in the upcoming year,” said Dr. Stephen Davies, a professor in VIU’s History department who launched the CLIP project in 2000. Currently, eights students are paid as interns to work on the project, along with three volunteers.
Forsythe’s talk and slide show will focus on the role of British Columbia in World War I. Of the 611,000 Canadians who fought in that war, more than 55,000 were from BC – the highest per capita rate of enlistment in the country. Of that contingent, 6,225 died in battle, a critical loss for a fledgling province of barely 400,000 people.
Forsythe will sign copies of From the West Coast to the Western Front, also provided for sale at the event. The book is a sweeping portrayal of BC’s involvement in WWI, including a compilation of stories, artifacts and photos sent in by BC Almanac listeners from throughout the province.
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For More Information on From the West Coast to the Western Front see http://www.harbourpublishing.com/title/FromWestCoastToWesternFront
For More Information on the Canadian Letters and Images Project, see www.canadianletters.ca
Media Contact:
Shari Bishop Bowes, Communications Officer, Vancouver Island University
P:250.740.6443 C: 250.618.1535 E: Communications@viu.ca
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