Book launch this weekend on local’s WW1 experience

May 31, 2018 · 0 Comments

Written By JASEN OBERMEYER

Rick Law, a math professor and resident of Bolton for over 30 years, will be at Forster’s Book Garden for his book launch on his novel dealing with his great uncle’s experiences in the Canadian Army during World War One.

The launch will be on Saturday June 2nd from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The book, Flowers of the Forest, is a historical fiction based on Farquhar McLennan, his great uncle’s experience in the 58th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War.

“I never started out thinking I was going to write a book,” said Mr. Law when speaking to the Citizen. “It started out as a project to learn about him, and find out all I could.”

His great uncle’s experiences were based on facts gleaned from historical records. In the book, two friends he goes overseas with are fictional.

“It just hit me like a brick one day that there’s a really good story here,” he said, and added that he is very excited on the book signing.

“It’s support for the community,” commented Donna Kamiel-Forster, co-owner of Forster’s Book Garden. She added it’s great for history enthusiasts, as the bookstore recently has book launches through a variety of genres.

There will be a second launch on Sunday, June 10th from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Fort York Armory in Toronto where the 58th Battalion is perpetuated with the Royal Regiment of Canada. The battalion will celebrate the Battle of Mt. Sorrel, the battle where Mr. Law’s great uncle died in June 1916.

Buried in Flanders Fields, Mr. Law has been there to visit his grave. “It’s amazing to see, and it’s very enlightening.”