Volume 1, Issue 1 - NB Military Heritage Project / Project sur Le Patrimoine Militaire du N-BAn initiative of The Military and Strategic Studies Program, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB Purpose
| Plan | Project Management and
Direction | Publication Plans and Costs
PurposeThe New Brunswick Military Heritage Project (NBMHP) was initiated in 2000 by the Military and Strategic Studies Program of the University of New Brunswick. Its purpose is to inform the general public of the remarkable military heritage of the province, and to stimulate further research, education and publication in the field. It is likely, for example, that few New Brunswickers know of the dozen forts, more than a dozen blockhouses, several Martello Towers, the temporary batteries and small forts, the colonial garrison, or the half dozen significant battles fought in the province prior to 1867. How many know of the dramatic siege of Fort la Tour during the Acadian civil war of the 17th century, or the Dutch expedition up the Saint John River in the 1670s, or the Eddy Rebellion and the siege of Fort Cumberland, or the remarkable march of the 104th Regiment of Foot to Upper Canada during the War of 1812? Since Confederation New Brunswick has been home to over a dozen military bases, training areas, supply depots, ranges, and airfields, in addition to the elaborate coastal defence fortifications constructed at Saint John and the armouries - and their militia units - which feature so prominently in many NB communities. The remnants of that legacy lay all around us: we drive by them everyday with little knowledge of the stories they hold. And since we, as a community, have largely forgotten or ignored this remarkable resource it is also lost on the tourists who drive through. The intent of this project is, therefore, to promote and foster interest in the military side of our provincial history in four ways:
i) to raise general public awareness, The PlanThe NBMHP will draw on both existing but little known, seldom read and out of print sources, such as the magnificent works of Ganong and Webster, and new research by modern scholars to produce - initially - a series of small booklets. Each booklet will provide a basic account of a specific event or time period, and link that account with local geography, and surviving archeological or architectural sites. The booklets will be illustrated with a blend of both contemporary and modern illustrations and maps, closely tying the story to present day NB. The booklets are conceived as both history and guidebook. The series itself is organized into a combination of larger overviews (eg "Forts of Saint John, 1640-1954") which will be published first, followed by more detailed studies as appropriate (eg, a separate volume on the WWII fortification system at Saint John). Expansion of the NBMHP into other media, such as short videos, a website or interactive CDs, will depend upon the success of the booklet series. The NBMHP is an initiative of The Military and Strategic Studies Program at UNB, however other organizations have joined the project, and we hope more will follow. To date the Heritage Branch of the Provincial government, the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, King's Landing Historical Settlement, The Canadian War Museum, and The NB Museum have indicated a willingness to participate. The involvement of business and community groups throughout the province is seen to be central to the ultimate success of the NBMHP, and we encourage anyone with an interest to get involved. Project Management and DirectionManagement and direction of the project rests with the Military and Strategic Studies Program of the University of New Brunswick, which also acts as publisher and holds copyright. The Director of the MSS Program, Dr Marc Milner, and the Research Director of UNB's Centre for Conflict Studies, Brent Wilson, serve as Directors and Managing Editors. An Editorial Board (see below) has been tentatively established to provide guidance to the project. Final editorial control of manuscripts will rest with the managing editors. The
Editorial Board Publication Plans and CostsIn the initial phase the NBMHP is concentrating on a series of small booklets, well illustrated, well designed, affordably priced, and targeted at the general public. Work on the first booklets in the series is now well underway, with plans for many more. A tentative list is attached below: the potential is almost limitless. For example, a number of unpublished brief diaries of New Brunswickers at war which would make excellent booklets have already surfaced. So, too, has interest in republishing many out of print colonial period memoirs and accounts. Should the project prove to be a success CD editions, a website, a reprint series, memoirs, and videos are all possible. Moving to a fully bi-lingual format, with French language editions of the booklet series, is a priority once the project has been firmly established, if this can be done. Certainly, the value and impact of the project throughout the province depends a great deal on reaching and involving the francophone population. Based on preliminary estimates each booklet will cost approximately $5,000.00 to research, write and produce (with an initial print run of 1,000 copies). Each booklet will be roughly 40-45 pages of text and illustrations, in a 6"x9" format, with a four-colour soft cover. Production and printing costs have been estimated based on quotes from local firms. Authors for most booklets have been tentatively identified. We have budgeted for a $1000.00 honorarium to authors to complete the text and to recommend illustrations. Final acquisition of illustrations, design of the booklet, editing etc will be done by the project team, with some work paid as required. With a retail price of $10.00/booklet, the initial production costs could be recovered from the sale of half the print run. Details of the final financial plan have yet to be worked out. Much depends on the success of the first booklets and the ability of the NBMHP to raise local support. At present the NBMHP has no paid staff and no plans to hire unless or until marketing and distribution of materials becomes a major task. Initial funding for the first three booklets is being provided by the UNB MSS Program and a grant from the Canadian War Museum. The NBMHP as of the Summer of 2001Over the last year the NBMHP has made progress towards it goals. In the fall of 2000 a logo was designed, featuring the NB galleon enclosed in a trace of Fort Beausejour, and stationary supplies with the NBMHP logo were purchased. Work on the first three volumes was commenced, and we now have two overview volumes in draft:
Others volumes confirmed or in preparation include:
The MSS Program secured a grant from the Security and Defence Forum of the Department of National Defence to hire a student for the summer of 2001 to conduct a "Defence Infrastructure and Archival Resource" (DIAR) survey of the province. Although the thrust of the DIAR is to compile a data base of sites, monuments, and published and unpublished material on defence activity within the province, much of what it does will be of direct benefit to the NBMHP. The DIAR Project is also developing a list of contacts within the province, and its results will be made available to researchers and those interested. The Canadian War Museum has provided $5,000.00 to the project, and the UNB MSS Program has underwritten most of the start-up costs. Separate accounts for the NBMHP and an e-mail address, as well as legal support in the development of contracts for authors and office space for the DIAR project have been provided by the University of New Brunswick. The NBMHP is therefore gathering momentum. An official launching of the project will be held when the first booklet is published. How to contact us:General correspondence should be directed to The
New Brunswick Military Heritage Project Directors: Marc
Milner, PhD Or try contacting us by e-mail at: nbmhp@unb.ca Preliminary List of Booklets(This list is merely suggestive, not definitive.) 1. Fort La
Tour and Forts along the Saint John River prior to 1755
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