FIGHT OR PAY: SOLDIERS' FAMILIES IN THE GREAT WAR.

Vancouver: UBC Press, 2004. 326 pp, large 8vo (9 1/4" H). B&w plates. "Aware that the recruiting effort might fail if men were forced to choose between their families and the front, the Canadian government and its wealthy backers introduced the Canadian Patriotic Fund, known in its day at 'the Patriotic'. Charged with support of soldiers' loved ones, the Patriotic and its volunteers set out to transform them into a middle-class model of frugality and self-denial. At the same time, the Militia Department took on the task of determining which dependants a soldier could or should support. Suddenly, the state and private philanthropists were managing family decisions that had never been their business before. 'Fight or Pay' brings to light the lives of thousands of valiant women whose sacrifices have been overlooked. It is an incisive, humane look at the beginning of a social welfare system that Canadians have come to think of as intrinsic to citizenship. This is a compelling addition to the landscape of Canadian history." Minor wrinkle at top of spine; Christmas notation, place, date and signature in pencil on free front endpaper. Dust jacket has very light wrinkling at top/bottom of spine and flap-folds, minor rubbing.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good+/Very Good+.