The recently published book, Merry Hell: The Story of the 25th Battalion (Nova Scotia Regiment), by Captain Robert N. Clements, is the only complete history of the 25th Canadian infantry battalion, Fifth Brigade, Second Division, CEF. The men in the battalion were recruited in the autumn and winter of 1914–15 and men served overseas from spring 1915 to spring 1919.
Capt. Clements, who served in the battalion and rose from private to captain, wrote the story many years after the war. It is based on his personal memories and experiences, and edited by military historian Brian Douglas Tennyson.
More than 5,500 men passed through the ranks of the 25th Battalion. Of these, 32 officers and 686 ranks were killed. A further two officers and 64 other ranks were reported missing and presumed killed. There were 156 officers and 2,557 other ranks reported wounded. The strength of the battalion on its return to Halifax on May 16, 1919 was 45 officers and 975 other ranks.
An appendix in the book provides the nominal roll of the officers and men of the 25th Battalion at the muster parade on June 6, 1915, immediately following their arrival in England.
Publisher University of Toronto Press describes Merry Hell as a “captivating tale for those who enjoy stories of war and battle, and one that will entertain readers with Clements’ richly colourful anecdotes and witty poems.”
A look inside the book is available on Amazon.
