A Soldier's Sketchbook - John Wilson

This book was received for free from LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers in return for a review.

In 1916 World War I, while raging, had devolved to attrition in the trenches. Any news received from the front for public consumption was censored, sanitized and reframed in such a way that most people on the home front had no idea what conditions were really like. Fortunately soldiers kept diaries, providing first-hand accounts of their own experiences. RH Rabjohn was one such soldier, signing up at 18 with the Canadian Expeditionary Force. In possession of an arts background he put his skills to use, illustrating what he saw, seeing action in such battles as Vimy Ridge, Arras and Passchendaele.

His drawings have a kinetic feel to them, most with figures in motion whether on the clock or on leave. But he doesn’t shy away from death or the aftermath of battle. These scenes provide a real sense of the horror he and others must have experienced, a true telling of the cost of war.   

The book is divided up chronologically in terms of battles and locations, allowing the reader to see what Rabjohn did and where he was. This is further divided into categories such as “mud” and “POWs”. The book is clearly an abridged version of the diary but it’s unclear if only sections with accompanying illustrations were included or if the choice was random.

One confusing aspect was the font choice. Alongside the diary entries are additional notes written by the book’s author. The entries though use a more modern font while the author’s contributions look more archaic. Normally I would have expected this to be reversed to reflect and reinforce the differing time periods in which Rabjohn and Wilson wrote. The fact that this isn’t the case, sometimes led me to start reading Wilson’s portions as if they were Rabjohn’s.

Overall an enjoyable read that provided a personal look into one soldier’s experiences, peeling back the layers of time on events quickly receding into history.