Communities across Canada memorialize the service members who, through their triumphs and sacrifices in the First World War, are remembered as laying the foundation for a free and independent country. Often overlooked are the triumphs and sacrifices of those who supported these soldiers, and the war effort in general, on the home front.

The Frontier of Patriotism provides an in-depth look at all aspects of Alberta’s involvement in the First World War, reflecting Albertans’ experiences both on the battlefield and on the home front. Drawing on national and local archival resources the letters, diaries, and memoirs of individuals who lived through the conflict, and accounts in local newspapers, a wide variety of experiences are explored in depth.

For many, the tumultuous years of the First World War represented a time of individual valour and of communities pulling together and sacrificing for a noble cause. Yet, for others, the war left disillusionment and anger. Exploring regional and local stories, The Frontier of Patriotism helps us to understand the many different ways Albertains experienced the First World War, and through their stories, to understand what it means to be Canadian.

Adriana A. Davies’s accomplishments include From Realism to Abstraction: The Art of J. B. Taylor (2014); The Rise and Fall of Emilio Picariello (2016); and the anthology The Frontier of Patriotism: Alberta and the First World War (2016). From Sojourners to Citizens: Alberta’s Italian History (Guernica 2021) places Italian immigrants in the narrative of Canadian nation building.

Adriana A. Davies' profile page

JEFF KESHEN is Dean of Arts at Mount Royal University. He is also an adjunct professor in the Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary.

Jeff Keshen's profile page

• Winner, Gold Medal, Pub West Design Awards: Historical or Biographical Book
• Winner, Gold Medal, BPAA Alberta Publishing Award for Book Design

The Frontier of Patriotism is a terrific addition to scholarship of the Great War, and a welcome companion to the many broader histories that have previously been written.

—Mark Collin, Canada's History Magazine