Far From Home: A Memoir of a Twentieth-Century Soldier

Far From Home recounts the life of a soldier who grew up in 1920s Calgary, became an officer in the Canadian army, and travelled the world.

Jeffery Williams offers a vivid retelling of his childhood in Calgary during the depression, followed by the outbreak of war and his enthusiastic enrolment in the Canadian Army. First sent to England in 1939, eager and untrained, Williams went on to a thirty-three year career, experiencing wars in Europe and Korea, and serving inCanada, Germany, the United States, and England.

With an uncanny memory, William recounts his fascinating history with remarkable people both famous and unknown, including the Royal Family, John, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Jeffery Williams’ transition from "the most untrained officer in the army" to a man equally at home on the field or in the houses of government, and the bumps and shocks of growing from a simple upbringing to the sophisticated life of an international officer is told with great humour and rare interest. Far From Home is a rare insight into the rarely seen human side of military life.

Jeffery Williams is the Governor General’s Literary Award winner of the 1983 Non-Fiction Award for his biography of Field Marshal the Viscount Byng of Vimy. Committed to the interests of veterans, he represented the Royal Canadian Legion on the executive of the British Commonwealth Ex-Services League.

Far From Home was published as a part of Legacies Shared

Chapter 1. Boyhood
Chapter 2. School
Chapter 3. Bowness
Chapter 4. Outdoor Life
Chapter 5. High School
Chapter 6. Air
Chapter 7. Growing Up
Chapter 8. Amateur Soldiers
Chapter 9. Calgary
Chapter 10. To England
Chapter 11. Aldershot
Chapter 12. Regimental Duty
Chapter 13. Divisional Headquarters
Chapter 14. On the Fringe of War
Chapter 15. Staff Course
Chapter 16. France
Chapter 17. Winter
Chapter 18. 1945
Chapter 19. Peacetime
Chapter 20. Korea
Chapter 21. Washington
Chapter 22. Germany
Chapter 23. Canada
Chapter 24. London
Epilogue
Glossary
Index

An excellent autobiography by a Calgary Highlander staff officer.

– Michael Dorosh, GoodReads 

Williams presents a rich narrative that offers special views from a Canadian perspective. His ability to see through red tape and confusion, his understanding of the complexity and fog of wartime preparations, and his insights into the human side of life make for a significant contrition to the field of military studies and memoir writing. Williams’ study will occupy a special niche for works of this type.

—Christon Archer, University of Calgary

This memoir represents the experience of an international Canadian from the 1920s until 1970, mainly as an army officer, but with considerable contact with the civilian world. It makes a significant contribution because it recounts so many stories involving well–known figures and ordinary citizens over a period of 50 years, and because it covers in a personal way some very significant events in world history, namely World War II, Korea, and the Cold War.

—Tim Travers, University of Calgary