Pierre Burtons Death?

[Alex252]

Is Pierre Burton dead? Ive been hearing things like this but nothing on the news ???

 

[Jungle]

Read here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20041201/OBBERTON01/TPObituaries/

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Read here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20041201/OBBERTON01/TPObituaries/

Ugh.  Sandra Martin should know better, shouldn't she?

"The Royal Canadian Army beckoned and Mr. Berton served, first as a private in the Canadian Information Corps."

Firstly, as we all know, there is no Royal Canadian Army, and I believe she meant the Canadian Intelligence Corps... It's always sad when obituaries can't get the military stuff right.  I've seen many a veteran, so proud of his regiment or corps, whose obit was mangled by the family who had no clue who their husband/father/grandpa had served with.  Almost seems like an insult.

 

[1feral1]

I have his book Vimy, which he signed for me when he passed thru Regina in 1990. That sure is a good book.

I remember him on Front Page Challenge when that ran on the CBC for years.

I am sure he will be missed, as he was a damn good writer.

Regards,

Wes

 

[ibucephalus]

Strangely, I just borrowed Vimy from a friend the day before he died. I'm only part way through it but am enjoying it immensely. Is he the best write to have served in the Canadian military? I think he is a truly great Canadian. I guess the various Governor's General thought so as well, seeing fit to award him three Governor General's Awards and having made him a Companion to the Order of Canada.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Is he the best write to have served in the Canadian military?

Opinions will vary, but you can also check out Farley Mowat. He also served.

 

[Horse_Soldier]

Desmond Morton and JL Granatstein are excellent Canadian historians (as opposed to writers) who wrote some marvellous books on the Canadian military.  Both served in the Army during the 50s and 60s.

 

[ibucephalus]

recceguy and Horse_Soldier, great nominations.

Farley Mowat had a piece in the Globe this past weekend reminiscing about a time he showed up at Mr Burton's house drunk and depressed. Something in the Saturday Globe mentioned Mr Burton had written a series of columns for them so they will be publishing stuff by him for a while yet.

The only thing I've read by Desmond Morton is that foul tome A Military History of Canada. Now in a shocking fourth edition. I can't abide his prose style in that book. I think I need to read something else by him to get a feel for him.

I've got Who Killed the Canadian Military by Mr. Granatstein on order from the library. Good god! The man prolific. I quick search of the library catalogue shows 70 listings under his name.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

I thought Granatstein was an RMC grad but didn't serve for long - where can I find info about his service?

Military service is not a prerequisite for being a good military historian, incidentally, but it certainly helps

 

[Horse_Soldier]

He was in for 10 years, including his RMC time.  I can't remember what his branch was.

 

[Art Johnson]

While Burton may have been a good writer in my opinion he was an ass hole. I have his auto-biography in which he states that on VE day he and some other officers were frolicing in the fountain in Victoria BC.
When the McKenzie brothers produced their Valour and the Horror series and Cliff Chatterton of the War Amps wrote a letter condeming the production Burton wrote a scathing reply to Chatterton's remarks saying in effect that he, Chatterton was not competent to comment on the production.
Give me a break, on VE Day Cliff was in England recovering from having his leg amputated after being wounded in Belgium and good old Pierre was frolicing in the fountain in Victoria. Burton never served a day in action he knew nothing about war and should have kept his mouth shut.

 

[Disillusioned]

Desmond Morton and JL Granatstein are excellent Canadian historians (as opposed to writers) who wrote some marvellous books on the Canadian military.   Both served in the Army during the 50s and 60s.

I can't explain exactly why I don't like either of them, because they are great writers....I find them a bit dismissive of Canadian achievements....Granatstein at least definitely sides in favour with the empires even time I've read anything by him.....unless there were a Canadian empire, I can't do that.

Here is an excerpt of a James Laxer column regarding Granatstein:

In a paper written for the C.D. Howe Institute last year, historian Jack Granatstein argued for a much tighter military alliance between Canada and the United States. Granatstein's argument is that in the wake of September 11, the United States is determined to defend itself, with or without the cooperation of Canada. Therefore, "there is no choice at all: Canada must cooperate with the United States in its own interest." Dismissive of what he calls the Canadian penchant for "poking the Americans with the sharp stick of supposedly superior Canadian morality", he is sympathetic to the U.S. view of things. "The superpower neighbour," Granatstein writes "has global responsibilities and burdens, and it often tires of Canadian caution, endless remonstrances, and prickly independence when what it wants and needs is support."

www.jameslaxer.com/boer.htm

 

[Fishbone Jones]

What's your point?

 

[ibucephalus]

What's your point?

I think Disillusioned's point is that he disagrees with Granatstein's belief in assimiliation with the US and

(doesn't) like either of them (Morton and Granatstein)

 

[muskrat89]

If we started a thread here on "scented" vs "unscented" toilet paper, disillusioned would find a way to get in a US connection, most certainly in a negative light.

 

[ibucephalus]

disillusioned would find a way to get in a US connection

Ah. Apologies, I was unaware. Still, I think he raises a worthwhile point about Granatstein.