Edgar Wardell McInnis (July 26, 1899 – September 28, 1973) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

poet and historian,Edgar Wardell McInnis
Biographies of Prominent Quebec and Canadian Historical Figures (

Marianopolis College , mottoeng = "Under the Guidance of Mary" , established = 1908 , type = Private college , endowment = , director = Mr. Christian Corno , provost = E ...

), 2004. best known for his ''Oxford Periodical History of the War'', a six-volume year-by-year history of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and for ''Canada: A Political and Social History'', which was an important and influential textbook in

Canadian history The history of Canada covers the period from the arrival of the Paleo-Indians to North America thousands of years ago to the present day. Prior to European colonization, the lands encompassing present-day Canada were inhabited for millennia by ...

classes in its era. A longtime professor at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

and

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

, he was a two-time winner of the

Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction The Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian writer for a non-fiction book written in English. Since 1987 it is one of fourteen Governor General's Awards for Litera ...

, winning for ''The Unguarded Frontier: A History of American-Canadian Relations'' at the 1942 Governor General's Awards and for ''The War: Fourth Year'' at the 1944 Governor General's Awards."Three Women and One Man Win Awards in Literature". ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', March 31, 1945. Originally from

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlottetown was an unincorporated town until it was incorporated as a city in ...

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

, McInnis served as an artilleryman with the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Writing poetry in his spare time, he published the collections ''Poems Written at the Front'' (1918) and ''The Road to Arras'' (1920), and won the Newdigate Prize in 1925 for his poem "Byron". He completed a bachelor's degree in history at the University of Toronto in 1923. A

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1926 and a Master of Arts degree in 1930 from

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. He taught history at the University of Toronto for several years before becoming executive director of the

Canadian Institute of International Affairs The Canadian International Council (CIC; french: Conseil international du Canada, link=no) is a Canadian think tank on foreign relations. It is an independent, member-based council established to strengthen Canada's role in international affair ...

in 1951. He joined York University in 1960, becoming the institution's dean of graduate studies in 1964. He won the

J. B. Tyrrell Historical Medal The J. B. Tyrrell Historical Medal is an award of the Royal Society of Canada "for outstanding work in the history of Canada." It was established in 1927, endowed by the Canadian geologist and amateur historian Joseph Burr Tyrrell. The medal is ...

in 1966.

Works

*''Poems Written at the Front'' (1918) *''The Road to Arras'' (1920) *''The Unguarded Frontier: A History of American-Canadian Relations'' (1942) *''The War: First Year'' (1940) *''The War: Second Year'' (1941) *''The War: Third Year'' (1942) *''The War: Fourth Year'' (1943) *''The War: Fifth Year'' (1944) *''The War: Sixth Year'' (1945) *''North America and the Modern World'' (1945) *''Canada: A Political and Social History'' (1947) *''Canada at the United Nations'' (1953) *''The Commonwealth Today'' (1959) *''The Atlantic Triangle and the Cold War'' (1959) *''The Shaping of Postwar Germany'' (1960)"German Background". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', December 24, 1960. *''The North American Nations'' (1963)

References

1899 births 1973 deaths 20th-century Canadian historians 20th-century Canadian poets Alumni of the University of Oxford Canadian male poets Canadian Rhodes Scholars Governor General's Award-winning non-fiction writers University of Toronto alumni Academic staff of the University of Toronto Writers from Charlottetown Academic staff of York University 20th-century Canadian male writers Canadian male non-fiction writers Canadian Expeditionary Force soldiers Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery personnel Canadian military personnel from Prince Edward Island {{Canada-poet-stub