Both volumes: hardcover, red cloth cover, with The Canadian Bank of Commerce insignia on the front cover, along with a caduceus and text on the spine in gold-coloured ink, entitled "Letters From The Front - Being a Record of the Part Played by Officers of the Bank in the Great War 1914-1919", Volumes I and II, issued by The Canadian Bank of Commerce, published by Southam Press Limited of Toronto and Montreal in 1920-1921.
Volume I: begins with the statement: "The "Letters from the Front" pamphlets edited by CHARLES LYONS FOSTER have been supplemented, and incorporated in this volume by WILLIAM SMITH DUTHIE", followed by a three page Introduction by General Manager Sir John Aird (November 15, 1855 - November 30, 1938, a Canadian banker who joined the Canadian Bank of Commerce in 1878, becoming president of that organization in 1924 and holding the position until 1929) and dated March 31, 1920, and a four page Preface by the Editor, C.L. Foster and dated March 31, 1920 at Toronto. This is succeeded by a list entitled "The Enlistments from the Bank", plus 99 black and white plates featuring the portrait photographs of 392 of the bank's staff who gave their lives in the war, and of those who were decorated or mentioned in despatches, the gallery followed by a note of regret that they were unable to obtain photographs of five members of their staff who had received decorations. The bulk of the book is featured in the section entitled "Letters from the Front", with dated letters written by members of the bank's staff who were overseas during the war, documenting daily life, each letter with an editor's notation and update. It concludes with a four page Index to Letter-writers and References. It contains 510 pages, printed in black ink on a thick newsprint stock, plus 50 pages incorporating the plates printed in black ink, on a white paper stock, measuring 185 mm (w) x 250 (h) x 45 mm (d);
Volume II: begins with a photograph of the Memorial Plaque, followed by a poem entitled "The Volunteer", a List of Illustrations (35) and their corresponding page references, an Introduction by Assistant General Manager H.V.F. Jones and dated March 31, 1921, and a Prologue. Plate No. 2 has an eight-panel fold-out line map entitled "Map illustrating the Chief Operations in the Western Theatre of War". The map is followed by a five page Roll of Honour, with a photograph of Private L.J. Smith (KIA), and Honours Awarded, incorporating the portraits of five members of the staff who were decorated or mentioned in despatches. The bulk of book is Biographies of the participants, with photographic plates inserted at various intervals throughout, including: the portraits of eight lady members of the staff who saw active service; the King's Letter to wounded Canadian on the occasion of their departure for Canada; the King's Letter accompanying the Memorial Plaque; badges presented to Mr. H.V.F. Jones (the bank's Assistant General Manager); two plates featuring ten British awards; a plate featuring six foreign awards; two plates of Branch Memorial Tablets; two plates featuring Memorial Statues that the bank planned to erected in its Head Office Building; ten plates illustrating various British Navy and Army cap badges; nine plates illustrating various Canadian Corps cap badges; an assortment of badges of United States units; and a pair of German heavy machine guns (the British, Canadian and American badges designating units in which members of the Bank's staff saw active service). It contains 546 pages, printed in black ink on a thick newsprint stock, plus 37 pages incorporating the plates printed in black ink, on a white paper stock, the map in black ink on an off-white paper stock, page i fronted by a vellum insert, measuring 185 mm (w) x 250 (h) x 50 mm (d).
Both volumes together weigh 3 kilograms and feature scalloped edges on the pages, having experienced partial separation of the cover from the body of the book, with light soiling on some pages, however, the majority of the pages remain pristine and unaffected. Fine.
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