Michael Moosberger with members of the West Nova Scotia Regiment 

On January 9, Dalhousie had the honour of hosting members of the West Nova Scotia Regiment in the Archives and Special Collections Reading Room at the Killam.

The Regiment’s Honorary Colonel, The Honourable John Leefe, Honorary Lieutenant Colonel, Eric Meisner, Lieutenant Colonel Todd Harris, Commanding Officer of the Regiment, Regimental Sergeant Major, Chief Warrant Officer Richard Mills, Colonel (Ret’d) Ron Stonier and Sergeant (Ret’d) Garry Randall were on hand to present Michael Moosberger (Dalhousie University Archivist and Associate University Librarian for Research & Scholarly Communication) with a signed copy of the third printing of Thomas Raddall’s “West Novas: A History of the West Nova Scotia Regiment.”

Some background on Thomas Raddall . . . 

Born at Hythe, Kent, on November 13, 1903, Thomas Head Raddall was the son of British Army Officer Thomas Head Raddall and Ellen (née Gifford) Raddall. At the time, the family lived in the married quarters of the School of Musketry where Thomas’ father taught. In 1909 his parents enrolled him in St. Leonard’s Primary School for boys in Hythe. He continued there until 1913, when his family moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in order for his father to assume a training position in the Canadian Militia.  A little over a year after the family’s move, Raddall’s father joined the war effort. Acting Lieutenant Colonel Raddall, D. S. O., of the Winnipeg Rifles, was killed in action in August 1918 at Amiens.

Over his forty year writing career, Raddall published twenty five books, dozens of articles on a wide variety of subjects, more than seventy short stories, and an autobiography; made radio and television appearances; became increasingly called upon as a guest speaker by various historical and literary societies; and was asked to become Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia (1968), an offer he declined. He first received national recognition in 1944 when “The Pied Piper of Dipper Creek and Other Stories” received the Governor General’s Award for Fiction. He subsequently won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-fiction in 1948 for Halifax, “Warden of the North” (1948) and again in 1957 for “The Path of Destiny” (1957).

Thomas was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1953 and two years later received the Society’s Lorne Pierce Medal “for distinguished service to Canadian literature.” He was also made an Officer of the Order of Canada (1971) and received honorary doctorates from Dalhousie (1949), Saint Mary’s (1969), University of King’s College (Halifax; 1972), and Saint Francis Xavier (1973).

In 1973, Dalhousie University Archivist, Charles Armour, approached Raddall about the possible donation of his papers to the University.  He was obviously amenable to the idea, with the first transfer of his working papers, correspondence, personal narratives, research notes, souvenirs, unpublished writings, photographs, and miscellaneous printed items taking place in the fall of 1973.

The second transfer, which included his diaries, complete memoirs, and more photographs, arrived during the summer of 1994, shortly after his death.

As part of his last will and testament, Raddall also transferred to the University all the intellectual property rights to both his published and unpublished works, a bequest that has allowed the University to administer the rights to his books and other published works and grant permission for the re-publication of any work deemed appropriate by the University.

In April of 2014, Michael Moosberger received an e-mail from Lt. Colonel Todd Harris enquiring into the possibility of receiving permission from the University for a limited edition third printing of Raddall’s “West Novas: A History of the West Nova Scotia Regiment.”  He indicated that a small group of serving and former members of the West Nova Scotia Regiment were interested in funding the project. The University enthusiastically granted the Regimental members permission to proceed with the project and offered whatever assistance was needed.

It is thrilling to see the culmination of this work. “This event showed the type of community involvement and collaboration that we have always tried to encourage in the Dalhousie University Archives,” says Michael Moosberger.  “It promotes and strengthens the value and importance of preserving our documentary and publishing heritage while bringing the past to life for current and future generations.”

A copy of the book will be added  to the Raddall Collection.