David Campbell, faculty member in the History DepartmentBA, University of Prince Edward Island
MA, University of Toronto
PhD, University of Calgary

david.campbell@msvu.ca

Originally from Bridgetown, Prince Edward Island, David Campbell studied history, classics, and fine arts at the University of Prince Edward Island; Egyptology at the University of Toronto; and military/diplomatic history at the University of Calgary. He has been teaching courses at the Mount since 2006.

David’s research interests lie mainly in the social and operational history of armed forces, with a special focus on Canada’s army during the First World War. Additional interests lie in the regional development of Canada’s armed forces and the influence of culture and memory in public commemoration of military experience. He has published works dealing with recruitment, tactical development, and social dynamics in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. He also has published a monograph examining the history of the 19th Battalion of the Canadian Corps during the First World War.

Currently, David is working on a social history of Halifax militia during the period 1896-1914. This study will be part of a broader project titled, “Military Service, Citizenship and Political Culture: Militia Studies in Atlantic Canada, 1700-2000.” The project is conducted by a research network organized jointly by the Institut d’études acadiennes at the Université de Moncton, the Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society at the University of New Brunswick, and the Department of History at the University of New Brunswick. This research network is supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Development Grant.

Specific courses taught by Dr. Campbell at the Mount include:

  • HIST 1121: Canoes and Colonialism: A History of Canada to Confederation
  • HIST 1122: Consolidation and Conflict: A History of Canada from Confederation
  • HIST 2200: History of Greece
  • HIST 2201: History of Rome
  • HIST 2300: A History of Ancient Egypt
  • HIST 3326 (Selected Topics in the History of Atlantic Canada): War and Society in the Atlantic Region
  • HIST 3385: (Selected Topics in Twentieth-Century History): The First World War in History and Memory
  • HIST 3385: (Selected Topics in Twentieth-Century History): Canada at War

Publications

Books

It Can’t Last Forever: The 19th Battalion and the Canadian Corps in the First World War. Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2017.

Articles and Essays

“‘A Leap in the Dark’ – Intelligence and the Struggle for the St. Eloi Craters: Reassessing the Role of Major-General Richard Turner.” In Great War Commands: Historical Perspectives on Canadian Army Leadership, 1914-1918. Edited by Andrew B. Godefroy. Kingston, ON: Canadian Defence Academy Press, 2010, 21-52.

“Military Discipline, Punishment, and Leadership in the First World War: The Case of the 2nd Canadian Division.” In The Apathetic and The Defiant: Case Studies of Canadian Mutiny and Disobedience, 1812 to 1919. Edited by C.L. Mantle. Toronto: Dundurn, 2007, 297-342.

“Courcelette: A Forgotten Victory, 15 September 1916.” Canadian Military History 16, no. 2 (Spring 2007): 27-48.

“A ‘Most Spectacular Battle’: 2nd Canadian Division and the Battle of Vimy Ridge.” In Vimy Ridge: A Canadian Reassessment. Edited by Geoff Hayes, Andrew Iarocci, Mike Bechthold. Waterloo, ON: Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies and Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2007, 171-191.

“‘The First 100,000 Came Easily’: Recruiting the Canadian Expeditionary Force in the First World War.” International Review of Military History. No. 86 (Brussels, 2006): 62-87.

“‘I Would Not Have Missed It For the World’: Sir Andrew Macphail’s War, Part 2.” The Island Magazine. No. 52 (Fall/Winter, 2002): 2-9.

“‘I Would Not Have Missed It For the World’: Sir Andrew Macphail’s War.” The Island Magazine. No. 51 (Spring/Summer, 2002): 2-10.

“Schooling for War: Canadian Infantry Training, 1914-1917.” In Perspectives on War: Essays on Security, Society and the State. Edited by Chris Bullock and Jillian Dowding. Calgary: Society for Military and Strategic Studies, 2001, 15-30.

Op-ed Publications

“Heritage vs. History in the Commemoration of War in Cape Breton Highlands National Park,” David Campbell, Jonathan Roberts, Corey Slumkoski, and Martha Walls. ActiveHistory.ca. July 7, 2015.
(http://activehistory.ca/2015/07/heritage-vs-history-in-the-commemoration-of-war-in-cape-breton-highlands-national-park/)

“‘Mother Canada’ Elevates Bombastic Heritage Over Subtlety of History,” David Campbell, Jonathan Roberts, Corey Slumkoski, and Martha Walls. Chronicle Herald (Halifax, NS): June 5, 2015.