Courage, sacrifice and Betrayal by Richard R. Pyves

"Courage, Sacrifice and Betrayal gave me a deeper understanding of the role my grandfather – Frederick Arthur de Long Gascoigne – played as Commanding Officer of the 60th Battalion in WWI. Rick Pyves has done an excellent job putting together a story rich in historical facts yet providing personal first-hand accounts and insights into the experiences of the individual soldiers making it a compelling read."  -  Barry Gascoigne Dumas

Courage, Sacrifice and Betrayal - The Story of the Victoria Rifles of Canada - 60th Battalion in the First World War provides a detailed account of the day-to-day operations of the 60th Battalion and the lives of its many soldiers (2,813) including the author's grandfather Sergeant Edward Lewis Pyves, Private A.Y. Jackson (future Group of Seven artist) and the Battalion Commanding Officer Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick de Long Gascoigne.

The Battalion engagements include the Ypres Salient, Sanctuary Wood, Hill 60, the Somme, Zollern Graben and Regina trenches, Thelus, Vimy Ridge, Vimy, Petit Vimy and La Chaudiere set against the backdrop of the broader Canadian, British and French operations versus the Germans and their allies.

The 60th Battalion was one of only four Canadian battalions with front line experience, which were disbanded before war's end in April 1917. The breakup was due to politics and regional rivalries among the various Canadian provinces.

Available in both UK and Canadian bookstores.