The Unwanted: Great War Letters from the Field

Fiercely nationalistic, at times blatantly jingoistic and politically incorrect by modern-day standards, The Unwanted reflects the passions of a man who was determined to serve his country during the First World War in any capacity he could, regardless of rank or pay. When Major John McKendrick Hughes OC, C Company, 151 Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force and his unit reached Shorncliffe in late 1915, he and the other officers were bluntly informed by the British that they were 'unwanted' -- officers deemed 'surplus to establishment'. Determined to contribute to the war effort, John became one of three Corps Agricultural Officers (AO) with the British 2nd Army, charged with growing vegetables and other foodstuffs to feed the troops. This is John's personal story, based on letters sent to his wife. It is a story that has never been told, about soldiers who worked behind the lines to feed the forces in the trenches.

Table of Contents:
Harry Stallworthy's Life of Adventure; A Young Mountie and Prosecutor; From the Chocolate Trade to Chesterfield Inlet; From a Near-Death Experience to Jasper' Stony Rapids, 1928-30; Bache Peninsula; Searching for Kruger, 1932; Moving to Craig Harbour; Marriage and Honeymoon; The Oxford University Ellesmere Land Expedition 1934-1935; North to Lake Hazen, Spring 1935; Southern Mountie; Timberlane; Index.

About the Author :
The Unwanted was written by Lt Col John McKendrick Hughes, retired over 50 years ago. His motivation for this was his discovery of a packet of letters he wrote to his wife Sara while in England and France during WWI, and his desire to tell a story that he believed had not been told. John Richard Hughes is the grandson of Lt Col Hughes. He is a freelance editor living in Edmonton, Canada.

Review :
"I can't say enough good things about this book. The author...has written his Great War memoirs using letters he sent to his wife Sara as building blocks for the book. The narrative is compelling, natural and fresh...What makes this story unique is what Hughes did as a soldier on the Western Front. Rather than be sent back home to Canada, he took a drop in rank to Staff Lieutenant, Second Class and became an Agricultural Officer in the British Army. His adventures in the fields of France as an AO are highly informative and show the reader another side of the Western Front. Also, his time spent in Germany as a member of the Army of Occupation are insightful. Do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of this excellent book." Canadian Expeditionary Force Group Study (www.cefresearch.com/phpBB2/) July 12, 2005 "My favourite type of Great War book is the personal memoir...There are relatively few that deal with life in "the logistic tail", and that in itself would serve to make this tale interesting. As it is, there is much more to justify your time in reading it. John R. Hughes has compiled and edited the book from his grandfather's many letters. The book is very nicely produced, and John has managed an excellent balance of providing background information and comment, threading throughout the story as told by John McKendrick Hughes...All in all, a very interesting, unusual and insightful work. I could not put it down." Chris Baker, The Long, Long Trail website, www.1914-1918.net/books/unwanted.htm, August 15, 2005