The book follows the author Will Bird through his Great War experiences as a member of the 42nd Battalion (Black Watch of Canada) Canadian Expeditionary Force.
The title may be a little misleading to some, as although the book does have supernatural references, these are limited in comparison to the rest of the text. The original edition was titled "And We Go On", being published in 1930.
The title actually becomes apparent as you read the book and understand the close relationship between Bird and his brother. The author's brother Stephen Bird had been killed earlier in the war, but not before leaving him the promise "If I don't come back, I'll try to find some way to keep an eye on you". Whether you believe in the supernatural or not, the authors encounters with his brother after his death make for a gripping read.
The book was written after the war with the authors diaries for reference. This explains why sometimes it became a little fragmented and hard to follow. I found myself having to reread sections to bring me back in. This being said, it is very well written and is almost like an adventure story littered with danger and humour. Full of excitement, the book isn't all doom as somebody may expect from a soldiers experiences in the trenches. Having said this, the author also doesn't shy away from sharing and describing for us the horrors associated with the war.
A part of the book that stands out for me is the description of Bird's first experience at sniping. This obviously had a deep impact on him as he records in great detail the appearance of each of his victims.
Will Bird comes across as being quick thinking and level headed throughout the book, which must be credited to his character, being awarded the Military Medal. He seems to have lived extremely interesting life, I would be happy to read anything else he had written. Ironically, Will Bird was in Mons when the war ended, right where the British Army had started from in 1914.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know what life was like for a Canadian soldier in the Great War. Due to the writing skills of Bird, little knowledge of the war is need to understand and enjoy his adventure. I personally consider this to be the best memoir published by a Canadian soldier of the Great War.
If you're in the UK like myself, getting hold of a copy of the book can be somewhat problematic. When copies do come up for sale here they can be quite expensive. The alternative option is to order a copy from Canada, but again with postage this can still work out quite expensive. Again www.abebooks.co.uk and ebay seem to be the best options as the book is out of print. For the battlefield visitors amongst us, I did notice on my last trip to the old western front the military book shop by the Menin Gate had copies at a reasonable price.
Note: In this 1997 CEF Books reprint, a handy list of those mentioned in the text is included, with a brief snippet of information on them.
