Bombs and Barbed Wire

Stories of Acadian Airmen and Prisoners of War, 1939-1945

New!

Little has been written about the Acadians who served in Canada’s armed forces during the Second World War. In fact, the prevailing notion suggested that Acadians refused to support the war effort. Bombs and Barbed Wire provides an alternative point of view, revealing the commitment and bravery displayed by the approximately 24,000 Acadians who voluntarily joined the war effort. Battling both language barriers and a culture of exclusion, they overcame frustrations and prejudice to fight for the freedom of the country they loved.

Based on extensive, in-depth interviews Cormier conducted in 1990 with eleven surviving Acadian veterans, Bombs & Barbed Wire brings to life the experience of Acadian soldiers for English-language readers for the first time.

Bombs and Barbed Wire is volume 29 of the New Brunswick Military Heritage Series.

Contributors

Ronald Cormier

A resident of Dieppe, New Brunswick, Ronald Cormier is the author of J’ai vécu la guerre (published in English as The Forgotten Soldiers), Entre bombes et barbelés, Les Acadiens et la Seconde Guerre mondiale, and Bombs and Barbed Wire. Cormier worked as a television producer in news and current affairs with Radio-Canada in Moncton before writing and directing four episodes of Turning Points of History for History Television about the Second World War and Korean War.
Chapter Contributors Pages Year Price
The Introduction highlights the role of Acadians in every theatre of the Second World War and states the book’s objective of bringing their stories to a wider audience.
3 $0.30
Chapter One focuses on the story of Blair Bourgeois, a member of the RCAF from Moncton, New Brunswick, discussing his training in England, the No. 425 “Alouette” Squadron, four-leaf …
12 $1.20
Chapter Two focuses on the story of Roger Pichette of the RCAF from Campbellton, New Brunswick, describing his education, time as a tail gunner, time with the No. 142 Squadron known as the …
17 $1.70
Chapter Three focuses on the story of Ulysse Gallant, from Moncton, New Brunswick, describing his career in the army with the New Brunswick Rangers before the war, joining the airforce and …
13 $1.30
Chapter Four focuses on the story of Laurie Cormier of Moncton, New Brunswick, describing his time as a tail gunner for the No. 427 “Lion” Squadron of the RCAF, his capture as a …
21 $2.10
Chapter Five focuses on the story of Henri Édouard Dubé from Edmonston, New Brunswick who was executed by the Nazi alongside Richard Noble, an American soldier for aiding the Resistance …
14 $1.40
Chapter Six focuses on the story of John Arsenault, from Adamsville, New Brunswick, describing his time with the Royal Canadian Engineers in the 7th Field Company, the failed storming of Dieppe, …
16 $1.60
Chapter Seven focuses on the story of Alcide Gallant, from Abrams Village, Prince Edward Island, describing his time Perth Regiment of the 11th Canadian Infantry Brigade of 5th Canadian Armoured …
11 $1.10
Chapter Eight focuses on the story of Armand Landry, from Saint-François-de-Madawaska, New Brunswick, his time with the Royal 22nd Regiment or “Van Doos,” his constant companions …
17 $1.70
Chapter Nine focuses on the story of Léo Vienneau from Caraquet Island, New Brunswick, describing his time with the riflemen of Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal, time as a corporal with B Company, …
13 $1.30
Chapter Ten focuses on the story of Léo Pitre from Jacquet River, New Brunswick, describing his time in Hong Kong in 1941 with the Royal Rifles of Canada and the Winnipeg Grenadiers, capture …
21 $2.10
Chapter Eleven focuses on the story of Guy Sirois from Saint-Hilaire, New Brunswick, describing his time in the Far East, capture by the Japanese, his captivity, conditioning of the working …
13 $1.30
The Conclusion reflects on the sacrifice of these men and the many more in the Canadian war effort and how they should be remembered.
2 $0.20