Varsity Soldiers University Toronto

Varsity's Soldiers: The University of Toronto Contingent of the Canadian Officers’ Training Corps, 1914−1968

Illustrated image of three men: one is wearing a red sweater with pants holding books, one is wearing a graduation gown and cap, and one is wearing a soldiers uniform. — “Varsity’s Soldiers: The University of Toronto Contingent of the Canadian Officers’ Training Corps, 1914−1968”, 2021 Heritage Toronto Awards Book Nominee.

“Varsity’s Soldiers: The University of Toronto Contingent of the Canadian Officers’ Training Corps, 1914−1968”, 2021 Heritage Toronto Awards Book Nominee.

Author: Eric McGeer

Publisher: University Toronto Press

Based on the rich fund of documents housed in the university archives, Varsity’s Soldiers offers the first full-length history of military training in Toronto. Beginning with the formation of a student rifle company in 1861, and focusing on the story of the COTC from 1914 to 1968, author Eric McGeer seeks to enlarge appreciation of the university’s remarkable contribution to the defence of Canada, the place of military education in an academic setting, and the experience of the students who embodied the ideal of service to alma mater and to country.

About the Author: Eric McGeer

Eric McGeer holds a PhD from the Universitié de Montréal and teaches at St Clement’s School in Toronto.