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When the boys came marching home: True stories of the men who went to war and the women and children who took them back
Book by WICKS, Ben
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
189 pages, Hardcover
First published December 31, 1991
14 people want to read
About the author
Ben Wicks
50 books5 followersBen Wicks was a London-born Canadian cartoonist, illustrator, journalist and author. He was a saxophone player who toured throughout Europe in a band with Leonard Bigg before emigrating to Canada in 1957. There, he initially worked as a milkman in Calgary and as a musician in the Canadian Army. His first cartoons were published in the Saturday Evening Post.
Wicks settled in Toronto in 1963, where he became a cartoonist with the Toronto Telegram. His topical cartoon 'The Outcasts' (later retitled to simply 'Wicks') was at its height syndicated to over 80 Canadian newspapers and 100 American. He moved over to the Toronto Star in 1971. He also illustrated the children's book series 'Katie and Orbie', written by his daughter Susan.
Wicks was additionally a humanitarian and TV personality, who even hosted his own show on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in the 1970s. He also had his own pub in Toronto's Cabbagetown district. He died of cancer at the age of 73 in 2000.
Wicks settled in Toronto in 1963, where he became a cartoonist with the Toronto Telegram. His topical cartoon 'The Outcasts' (later retitled to simply 'Wicks') was at its height syndicated to over 80 Canadian newspapers and 100 American. He moved over to the Toronto Star in 1971. He also illustrated the children's book series 'Katie and Orbie', written by his daughter Susan.
Wicks was additionally a humanitarian and TV personality, who even hosted his own show on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in the 1970s. He also had his own pub in Toronto's Cabbagetown district. He died of cancer at the age of 73 in 2000.
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December 5, 2019
Wicks has written another book about the World War Two years, fashioning a narrative that draws on personal letters he received from all over the world. The results of that war reached far and wide affecting not only those in the battle fields in Europe but at home where families waiting anxiously for the return of their loved ones.
Wicks explores the joy and pain of the long awaited return of servicemen after VE-Day on May 8, 1945. For most, it was not an easy transition. The hasty marriages that had taken place in 1940 no longer seemed wise, as once romantic partners had now spent more time apart than together and quickly discovered they were now almost strangers to each other.
Many fighting men lost their lives, some lost their limbs and others lost their minds, so badly damaged they were never able to resume a normal life.
But it was not only the men who suffered. Their arrival home affected their wives, their children, and the female dominated family units that had adapted to function without a male at the helm. Children were puzzled, initially unable to understand why their lives in a female dominated home changed so quickly with a gruff stranger called Daddy calling the shots and disrupting their usual routines. The reconfiguration of family units was a difficult transition and there were many rough spots. Some marriages fell apart, while others painfully re-integrated a physically or mentally damaged member into their fold. But life was definitely different. Children, often quick to adapt, knew not to ask too many questions, ignore unusual behavior and stay clear when and if things got physical. Some families were able to survive the transition, changed but intact.
Women had migrated to the workplace entering the factories and businesses that needed to continue to function to feed the war effort and taking over jobs previously done by men. Many enjoyed the escape from the drudgery of domestic duties and although wages were small, they had their own money in their pockets, something they were reluctant to give up. Returning servicemen had difficulty finding decent jobs and the women they displaced in the workplace resented being forced to return to the kitchen.
Wicks debunks the entire idea of the soldier as hero. Most were just ordinary men whose experience had damaged them. They had no idea how to handle the pain and rid themselves of the horrific memories of what they had seen and done during those years. They had lived so long in a male dominated military framework, where strict discipline and line of command ruled the day that many found it difficult to move on to civilian life where they were expected to use their initiative, make decisions, negotiate their way with bosses, live respectfully with women and children and abandon the use of fighting to make an impact. Although many made it through these challenges, they did not do so without difficulty. And some failed the transition completely.
The return home, such a joyful occasion for some, was sad for those whose sons, brothers and husbands never returned. But for those who did return their arrival home disrupted the social structures that had evolved to get through the terrible years of the overseas conflict.
This book is one more reminder about the far reaching effects of war, which was not limited to surviving the horrendous battles on the fields and in the trenches overseas, but also lived out by those left at home who wondered every day if their loved one was alive. Later, if their loved one was lucky to return, families tried to fashion a new life for themselves with their sons, husbands or fathers affected by their gruesome experiences.
Written in Wicks straight forward prose this is an informative, moving and insightful read.
Wicks explores the joy and pain of the long awaited return of servicemen after VE-Day on May 8, 1945. For most, it was not an easy transition. The hasty marriages that had taken place in 1940 no longer seemed wise, as once romantic partners had now spent more time apart than together and quickly discovered they were now almost strangers to each other.
Many fighting men lost their lives, some lost their limbs and others lost their minds, so badly damaged they were never able to resume a normal life.
But it was not only the men who suffered. Their arrival home affected their wives, their children, and the female dominated family units that had adapted to function without a male at the helm. Children were puzzled, initially unable to understand why their lives in a female dominated home changed so quickly with a gruff stranger called Daddy calling the shots and disrupting their usual routines. The reconfiguration of family units was a difficult transition and there were many rough spots. Some marriages fell apart, while others painfully re-integrated a physically or mentally damaged member into their fold. But life was definitely different. Children, often quick to adapt, knew not to ask too many questions, ignore unusual behavior and stay clear when and if things got physical. Some families were able to survive the transition, changed but intact.
Women had migrated to the workplace entering the factories and businesses that needed to continue to function to feed the war effort and taking over jobs previously done by men. Many enjoyed the escape from the drudgery of domestic duties and although wages were small, they had their own money in their pockets, something they were reluctant to give up. Returning servicemen had difficulty finding decent jobs and the women they displaced in the workplace resented being forced to return to the kitchen.
Wicks debunks the entire idea of the soldier as hero. Most were just ordinary men whose experience had damaged them. They had no idea how to handle the pain and rid themselves of the horrific memories of what they had seen and done during those years. They had lived so long in a male dominated military framework, where strict discipline and line of command ruled the day that many found it difficult to move on to civilian life where they were expected to use their initiative, make decisions, negotiate their way with bosses, live respectfully with women and children and abandon the use of fighting to make an impact. Although many made it through these challenges, they did not do so without difficulty. And some failed the transition completely.
The return home, such a joyful occasion for some, was sad for those whose sons, brothers and husbands never returned. But for those who did return their arrival home disrupted the social structures that had evolved to get through the terrible years of the overseas conflict.
This book is one more reminder about the far reaching effects of war, which was not limited to surviving the horrendous battles on the fields and in the trenches overseas, but also lived out by those left at home who wondered every day if their loved one was alive. Later, if their loved one was lucky to return, families tried to fashion a new life for themselves with their sons, husbands or fathers affected by their gruesome experiences.
Written in Wicks straight forward prose this is an informative, moving and insightful read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review