And Momma Cried: The True Story of War, Brotherhood, and Regular, Remarkable People By Francene Gillis

And Momma Cried is a compelling intergenerational family history centering on four brothers and their young uncle before, during, and after the Second World War. Rather than a typical military strategy book, it emphasizes the emotional resilience of those left at home and the lasting aftermath for survivors. Spanning from the late 1800s to the present day, the narrative explores sacrifice, personal transformation, and the hidden costs of war on family life, specifically within the Maritime community. In weaves in historical events of significance. It is an authentic, emotionally resonant legacy project featuring a historical preface by retired Canadian Army Intelligence Officer Major Harold Skaarup who owns the website, Silverhawk, and an introduction by retired Corporal Robert Furlong, owner of Rob Furlong's Marksmanship academy in Alberta, Canada.

And Momma Cried bridges the gap between frontline combat and the home front, capturing the deep emotional toll felt by the families left behind. It tracks how historical conflict echoes across generations, expanding far beyond a standard military timeline into a sweeping family saga. It offers a deeply human, honest, unromanticized look at the real costs of war, focusing heavily on human endurance, sacrifice, and community legacy.

Bravery is knowing what you are signing up for and doing it anyway. Follow the true war stories of the Gillis family from Glencoe Mills, NS, through Europe and the Second World War. This creative, historical, nonfiction book provides a window into humanity, resilience, the human spirit, fortitude, determination. Celebrate war mothers through Philomena Gillis, who lived to see three centuries, and discover the heart and humility of those who fought for us, their families, and what made them unassumingly remarkable. An absolute must for those who like a book with different narrators: the men themselves, their parents, friends, and the author, herself. Learn of major events of the time locally and in Europe. Take a walk through history so you better understand the true costs and sacrifices of your relatives and friends of the family. A rare look at the Cape Breton Highlanders, West Nova Scotia Regiment, and just how difficult war was on mothers and fathers and families home in the Atlantic provinces. Told through 30 plus years of interviews and research these stories would not go away until the author worked on them and released them into the world. Ordinary people answering the call, and risking it all for a cause and country.

You will laugh, cry, scream, and hold your breath as not all soldiers make it home, and some, if they did, were never the same. An excellent creative, nonfictional, historical book that should be in all Canadian schools, museums, legions, and homes. Our veterans of the two world wars may have passed, but their stories live on as reminders and cautions; may their silent voices echo into our world and in our history.