There have been thousands of books on the Great War, and hundreds on Canada’s part in the conflict, but most have focused on commanders, battles, strategies, and tactics. However, few accounts have chronicled the daily lives of the combatants and how they endured the horrors of modern industrial warfare: the rain of shells, bullets, and chemical agents. The Secret History of Soldiers examines how those who managed to survive on the Western Front found camaraderie, relief, distraction, and even entertainment amid the mud and misery of the trenches.