We Stand on Guard
Michael Richardson and John Robert Colombo
We Stand on Guard is the first and so far
only comprehensive collection of the songs, poems, and verses of Canadians in
battle. It brings together famous poems ("In Flanders Fields"), well-loved songs
("Mademoiselle from Armentières"), and previously unpublished verses ("The
Fenian Blood-Hounds") to dramatize the history of Canada, conflict by conflict.
Over three hundred years of martial experience are covered, from the early
Indian battles through rebellions and insurrections to the World Wars (and even
World War III). Many of the contributors are poets as well known as Earle Birney,
Robert W. Service, Charles G.D. Roberts, Al Purdy, Alden Nowlan, and Raymond
Souster; others are soldier-poets unknown to literary history who put into words
the meaning of heroism, sacrifice and human suffering.
We Stand on Guard was compiled by John Robert Colombo and Michael Richardson in
1985 and first reprinted in 1998. The compilers explain in their Introduction
that far from being a glorification of warfare, this anthology is a tribute to
the spirit of man and the love of freedom. The same note is sounded in the
Foreword, which was contributed by Richard Rohmer.
John Robert Colombo has been called "the Master Gatherer" for his many
collections of Canadian lore and literature. Among his more than 180 books are
Colombo's Canadian Quotations, Canadian Literary Landmarks, Mysterious Canada,
and Colombo's All-Time Great Canadian Quotations.
Michael Richardson works in the North York Public Library System. He is the
editor of Maddened by Mystery, the first anthology of Canadian detective
fiction, and Double Double, an international anthology of short fiction
on the subject of doublegoing. He is also a founding member of the Crime Writers
of Canada. Richardson and Colombo collaborated on Not to Be Taken at Night,
a compilation of Canadian tales of horror and terror.
Richard Rohmer contributed the Foreword. Major-General Richard Rohmer, CCM, DFC,
CStJ, CD, QC, BA, LL.D, former Chief of Reserve of the Canadian Armed Forces, is
a leading barrister and solicitor as well as a best-selling novelist.
Other Books Written or Introduced by John Robert
Colombo
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Other Military Literature and Memoirs
