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What Was That War All About, Anyway?: The Army Life of Vincent Joseph Barnes

by Vincent Joseph Barnes

169 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); black and white images; catalogue #05-2663; ISBN 1-4120-7766-4; US$15.30, C$17.60, EUR12.57, £8.80

War stories are told from many different viewpoints. I see no reason to glorify war. I was right there and saw the aftermath of battles and tell what I saw.

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About the Book

War stories are told from many points of view. Some write the horrors of war, some boastful, others braggarts. I have never been a war enthusiast nor have I ever glorified war. A great Chinese philosopher wrote, 2500 years ago; "The purpose of war is to make peace. Any other reason is unacceptable."

I tell my story truthfully, as I remember these happenings. It was World War Two when our fighting began on the beaches of Normandy, France. I was not a front line fighter, but being part of a second echelon workshop, followed the 4th Armored Brigade of the 4th Division, Canadian Army, very closely. We saw the aftermath of battle before the burial crews arrived.

My Story begins with enli9sting, going through basic and advanced training to make us front line fighters if necessary. This story is about the humorous side of a soldier's life as well as the tragic.

When I finished my instrument course at camp Barryfield, I said my last, tearful goodbye to Lillian, my wife and boarded the Mauritania for England. There I joined the 4th Armored Brigade. We landed in France after D.Day. Our 4th Division engaged the enemy at Caen and Falaise and through Belgium to Holland, into Germany, April 1945 and the Germans surrendered on May 5th 1945. Repatriation took 7 months. I returned home a few days after Christmas, to a Lillia I barely knew. My future was about as uncertain as when I'd left for war.

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About the Author

Vincent Barnes was a columnist for a union newspaper, The Voice of the Worker where he wrote the "Doings From Davenport" column for ten years. Topics he covered included grievances, safety, health problems, why workers should join a union. Because of his nose for news, his column was the most read in the newspaper. Then, Barnes put his writing and research interests on the back burner until 1994 when he bought a computer. Since then he has written a proliferation of slice-of-life short stories, poetry and books. His short story, "Frozen Roots", was published in the Wordscape 4 Anthology and his poem, "The Beauty of Writing", was published in Wordscape 2. Vincent's first published book is co-written with his wife. Our Long Road To Happiness, by Dianne and Vincent Barnes, published by Trafford, Victoria, British Columbia and can be ordered at www.trafford.com. Second book also published by Trafford, The River Otonabee of My Boyhood. The story of his life along the Otonabee River and the City of Peterborough, Ontario, during the 1920's and 30's in the context of the times and conditions that existed then. Third book, What Was That War All About, Anyway? Soon to be published, a book of short stories and poems and book two co-written with Dianne, Adventure On a Frozen Island, by Dianne and Vincent Barnes.

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