The Unwanted: Great War Letters from the Field
The Unwanted is the personal memoir of John McKendrick Hughes, a Canadian farmer (who also happened to be an Major in the local militia) who joined the army in 1915. Upon his arrival in England in the fall of 1916, John discovered that the British Army did not want Canadian militia officers, whom they considered to be rank amateurs. Unwanted by the British Army but not allowed by the Canadian government to return home, John determined to serve his country in any way he could. He did this by...
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The Unwanted reflects the passions of a man who was determined to serve his country during the Great War in any capacity he could regardless of rank or pay. As it turned out, he did it best by growing potatoes! When Major John McKendrick Hughes, O.C., C Company, 151st Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, and his unit reached Shorncliffe in late 1916, he and the other officers were bluntly informed by the British that they were "unwanted" - officers deemed "surplus to the establishment." Determined to contribute to the war effort, John became one of the three Corps Agricultural Officers with the British 2nd Army, charged with growing vegetables and other foodstuffs to feed the troops. This is John's personal story, based on the letters he sent to his wife nearly every day for 3 1/2 years.
