Sergeant Bill Byers (left) and his identical twin, Sergeant George Byers, took part in one of the Second World War’s deadlier raids staged by No. 6 Group, RCAF. [Commonwealth War Graves Commission]

The author of various non-fiction books, including Normandy ’44: D-Day and the Epic 77-Day Battle for France (2019) and the most recent Cassino ’44: Five Months of Hell in Italy (2024), has long respected Canada and Newfoundland for their tendency of “punching massively above their weight whether it be in the air forces, whether it be in the Battle of the Atlantic, whether it be on land.”

In a Legion Magazine exclusive, the acclaimed writer and TV presenter discussed the significant role two former colonies played in defeating Nazi Germany, and his own role in continuing to highlight their enduring importance.

James Holland is the best-selling author of more than 30 historical fiction and non-fiction books. [griffonmerlin.com]

I think it was back in 2014 that I did an interview with CNN. It was during the 70th anniversary of D-Day, and I got asked questions where I talked about the Americans and the Brits, but didn’t mention the Canadians. A Canadian who heard my answers got in touch with me and really tore me off a strip, and I thought after, Do you know what? That was completely, absolutely deserved.

It was because I was talking shorthand, bracketing the Canadians with the Brits, which was completely wrong and unfair. It made me think quite hard about the contribution of the Canadians. And from that moment onward, I’ve tried to include the Canadians in everything I say whenever it’s appropriate to do so.

On some of the most consequential contributions

Canada had a comparatively small population in the big scheme of things—around 11 million people—yet it jumped to Britain’s defence from the word go, sending its first troops almost literally from the moment the conflict broke out. The men were down in southeast England through much of 1940 and into 1941, chomping at the bit to get into the action. The fact that Canadians eventually saw that action—first in Dieppe and then in Sicily—was largely due to the Canadians’ tough lobbying.

Of course, before Dieppe and Sicily, Canada was incredibly involved in the Battle of the Atlantic—the single most important theatre of the entire Second World War, bar none. Winning that battle, defeating the U-boat wolf packs, is absolutely vital. And the contribution of the Canadians in their many duties is frankly astonishing.

There’s also the large number of Canadians who fought in the Battle of Britain and within the Royal Air Force overall. Equally, there’s the large number of Canadians in the RCAF, including the formation of No. 6 Group as a part of Bomber Command.

That’s not to diminish the effort of the Canadians on the ground.

Anyone who has been to Assoro in the centre of Sicily, for example, and wondered how the Hasty Ps [The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment] managed to scale those heights to take their objective, will know it’s something to behold. The Canadians performed absolutely brilliantly in [mainland] Italy as well. Ortona turned into such a brutal battle, becoming one of the first times the Allies were embroiled in proper street fighting—with many lessons learned from it. It was very much Stalingrad-esque.

And then you have the Scheldt. It’s again just brutal. By that stage, it was getting into winter, and a lot of the area was completely waterlogged. Now, it’s one thing to talk about being shot at by the Germans, but it’s also about having to deal with the privations of day-to-day existence. As I say, that must have been really brutal.

The interesting thing about the Canadians is they never waver. They never waver in Bomber Command. They never waver in the Atlantic. They never waver during the Italian Campaign. They never waver in northwest Europe. It’s frankly just amazing.

My admiration for the Canadians knows no bounds.

On his favourite Canadian military figures

I’m a big Farley Mowat fan—both of his writing during and outside of the war.

There’s also an amazing padre called Roy Durnford. He was actually born British, but emigrated over and became a priest. He served with The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada where he kept a remarkable diary, which is so fascinating and moving.

Another guy called Stan Scislowski [of The Perth Regiment] wrote a very honest memoir [Not All of Us Were Brave (1997)], just a brilliant read.

I also recall an amazing guy named Bill Byers, an identical twin with his brother George. Both ended up in Bomber Command within the same [RCAF] squadron. They were flying out of Croft-on-Tees, Yorkshire, while part of 6 Group when George never returned [from a bombing raid]. Several years ago, a memorial was erected to the Canadians who flew from there, and Bill was one of the guys who came over. He stuck out because he sported a silver quiff and a bomber jacket—cool as hell.

Anyway, I got talking to him and he couldn’t have been chattier, and I arranged to meet him again at his home in California. When I got there, he gave me the whole chapter and verse on him and his brother. It was so moving. I’ll never forget it.

On his podcast and history festival

Tony Pastor, who used to be head of sport on [U.K. television channel] ITV, and [U.K. soccer star, commentator and broadcaster] Gary Lineker set up a company called Goalhanger. Initially, it was sports-focused, but Tony, who also loves military history, eventually got in touch and asked if I wanted to do a Second World War podcast. I said damn right—that sounds like a total laugh. He then asked me if I could think of anyone to do it with. I said, “Al Murray,” and he replied, “what?”

At that time, Al Murray was really well known for his comedy stand-up alter ego, “The Pub Landlord.” But I knew Al a little, and I knew he was totally obsessed with the Second World War. I also knew he was really clever as I’d met with him plenty of times to discuss the war over a pint. So, after this, I again sat down to lunch with him and asked if he’d be interested in joining. He said, “Yep, great.”

That was that. We’ve now done nearly 900 episodes, with a recent focus on series and deep dives [into topics], but we won’t be running out [of ideas] anytime soon.

We’ve created a spin-off of sorts in the We Have Ways festival. It’s a mixture of talks, panels, live music, food, booze, and tons of [WW II-era] hardware. If you want to see rare Allied—including Canadian—kit and gear, then it’s the place to be. Everyone who goes there loves it. You’ll end up in your own history bubble.

On his future projects

Right now, I’m doing a book on the [1944-45] Battle of the Bulge, which involves using as many contemporary sources as I can and a lot of walking the ground. I’m currently planning to write that in the present tense, but I’ll see how that turns out.

Al Murray and I actually have a joint book called Victory ’45: The End of the War in Eight Surrenders coming out soon. The next book will be on the Atlantic war, covering events from October-November 1942 to May 1943. I’m really excited about that, and I literally can’t wait to come out to Nova Scotia for my research.

What I really want is to get a sense of the cruel sea by taking a wintertime trip on a freighter from England to Canada—or visa versa—to feel how cold and miserable it gets, how much the ship tosses and turns—but obviously, without the torpedoes.

This abridged interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.