“In the Access to History series I’ve found battles and their consequences presented in brief, crisp narratives, supplemented by readable maps and apt quotes of participants, better than I once thought possible.”                                 Doug Fisher, Legion Magazine

The Access to Canadian History Series is a unique series of booklets, profusely illustrated with color reproductions of war art, specially designed maps, and drawings, Each volume focuses on a specific battle, which allows the reader to see the action through the eyes of the men who were there. They are concise and effective in their use of quotations, maps and ephemera. Each volume is written by a leading authority on his subject. Nine volumes are currently available; four of the First World War and five on the Second World War.

NO.1: GAS ATTACK! THE CANADIANS AT YPRES, 1915
by Norm Christie

In this volume the story of the first Canadians to fight in the Great War is told, starting from mobilization to the grim battlefields of Flanders. On Thursday, April 22nd, 1915 the Canadians would fight their first great battle against the Germans, and would face their secret weapon, poison gas. By the end of the weekend 2000 Canadians would be dead and 4000 wounded. It was a bloody introduction to the new war. None-the-less the Canadians performed courageously, and fought as no one thought they could. It was a “great day for Canada, Boys.” Asides in the book include; The Nationalities that Served, Technological Slaughter, Some Slang of the Great War and In Flanders Fields.