James Pottinger
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Below
is an e-book of letters published on issuu.com, by me, Krysteena White, and
written by VHS Graduate and World War One soldier, James Pottinger. His letters are organized chronologically
from when James sent them back home, from Petawawa Training Camp, England, and from
France where he served with the Battery.
Throughout these letters, readers will notice the mention of several
Victoria High School Graduates, in particular of someone named Claude. Claude is James’ older brother with whom he
enlisted and served alongside amongst the many Canadians who fought in World
War One.
This project began when school archives volunteer Debbie Blackie asked if I could print the Pottinger letters for her. Moreover, author Dr. Barry Gough asked for Claude’s letter home in November of 1918. (I won’t say why; I don’t want to spoil the e-book.) I approached my teacher, Ms. Burleson, who guides my IDS 12 course with the letters from James Pottinger, and although a significant undertaking, we both agreed that the letters represent a key element missing that will help my fellow students relate to a man who fought in the Great War.
The challenges of this project were vast and ranged in difficulty; however, the biggest challenge involved the legal permissions to use these letters. As a student myself, I thought that this would be a simple process, but it turned out quite the contrary. Obtaining the permissions required to use these letters involved jumping through many proverbial hoops over a long duration. I inquired about these letters to several different people at least two or three times each. I believed my issues were resolved once I was given permission to use not only James Pottinger’s letters but also those of his elder brother, Claude’s; however, I was wrong. My issue moved from permissions to considering the most effective platform for showcasing these letters: a platform that would allow me to incorporate images that James sent home, but that also could handle a vast amount of information and to engage an online audience. The platform issuu.com was suggested by Mrs. Burleson for these reasons.
I hope you enjoy the e-book below and follow James’ journey from the comforts of home to the unknown perils of the battlefield.
This project began when school archives volunteer Debbie Blackie asked if I could print the Pottinger letters for her. Moreover, author Dr. Barry Gough asked for Claude’s letter home in November of 1918. (I won’t say why; I don’t want to spoil the e-book.) I approached my teacher, Ms. Burleson, who guides my IDS 12 course with the letters from James Pottinger, and although a significant undertaking, we both agreed that the letters represent a key element missing that will help my fellow students relate to a man who fought in the Great War.
The challenges of this project were vast and ranged in difficulty; however, the biggest challenge involved the legal permissions to use these letters. As a student myself, I thought that this would be a simple process, but it turned out quite the contrary. Obtaining the permissions required to use these letters involved jumping through many proverbial hoops over a long duration. I inquired about these letters to several different people at least two or three times each. I believed my issues were resolved once I was given permission to use not only James Pottinger’s letters but also those of his elder brother, Claude’s; however, I was wrong. My issue moved from permissions to considering the most effective platform for showcasing these letters: a platform that would allow me to incorporate images that James sent home, but that also could handle a vast amount of information and to engage an online audience. The platform issuu.com was suggested by Mrs. Burleson for these reasons.
I hope you enjoy the e-book below and follow James’ journey from the comforts of home to the unknown perils of the battlefield.