Militia Myths

Book excerpt: This cultural history of the amateur military tradition traces the origins of the citizen soldier ideal from long before Canadians donned khaki and boarded troopships for the Western Front. Before the Great War, Canada’s military culture was in transition as the country navigated an uncertain relationship with the United States and fought an imperial war in South Africa. Militia Myths explores the ideological transformation that took place between 1896 and 1921, arguing that by the end of the War, the untrained citizen volunteer had replaced the long-serving militiaman as the archetypal Canadian soldier.