Wind, Gravel and Ice
Memoir of my Opa as a Canadian Soldier in the Second World War
When Christina discovers her Grandfather’s diary years after his death, she is surprised to learn he had been stationed in Iceland as a young Canadian soldier in the early days of the Second World War. Intrigued, she sets out on a decade-long journey to unravel his story and fill in a little-known piece of the Canadian war story.
From the National Archives in Ottawa to the windswept plains of Iceland, Christina follows the trail and crafts her Opa’s story in his voice. She vividly recreates the daily rigours of camp life experienced by her Opa, his childhood best friend and their platoon, as they struggle to carry out orders as new soldiers in a strange land, and to break down barriers with local Icelanders who resent the Occupation.
Then on February 9, 1941, a lone German Heinkel HE 111 bomber traded its bombs for extra fuel, set a course for the remote island and strafed an airfield 1,000 miles from the front lines of the war. This strange act, one plane attacking one obscure outpost, manned by her Opa’s platoon, is a story few will be familiar with, and yet that moment changed the course of the war.
“Christina has brought to life the little-known story of Canada’s garrison in Iceland during the Second World War. Her thorough research is transformed into an engaging, imagined narrative of the service of her Grandfather. The characters, from fellow soldiers and local Icelanders, are finely drawn and act as our guides in the strange and evocative landscape of the island. A much-needed chapter in the story of Canada’s wartime generation.”
“In the darkest days of the Second World War, Canada was involved in the occupation of a strategic island in the North Atlantic. This book tells the story of that little-known episode as seen through the eyes of one young Canadian soldier, Private Claude Arthur Hill of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa. His granddaughter, Christina, has crafted that rare and valuable treat: a work that skillfully mixes military history with social history.”
“Whether you are a fan of military history, war tales, or one that loves to delve into a story of pure beauty set during an era of darkness that opens the door to a moment in time that has, for the most part, remained untold, this engaging book is definitely the one for you.”
