author
R. J. (Robert James) Manion
1881–1943
A Canadian surgeon, soldier, and politician, he brought firsthand wartime experience to his writing. His best-known book, A Surgeon in Arms, reflects the medical and human realities he witnessed during the First World War.
1 Audiobook
A Surgeon in Arms
by R. J. (Robert James) Manion
About the author
Born in Pembroke, Ontario, on November 19, 1881, Robert James Manion trained as a physician at Trinity College in Toronto and continued his studies in Edinburgh before settling in Fort William, Ontario. He built a career in medicine, but public service soon became a major part of his life as well.
During the First World War, he served as a medical officer and later wrote A Surgeon in Arms (1918), a work drawn from his experiences in military medicine. That background as both doctor and veteran helped shape the practical, observant voice associated with his writing.
Manion also became a prominent figure in Canadian politics, serving as a member of Parliament, cabinet minister, and later leader of the Conservative Party of Canada from 1938 to 1940. He died in Ottawa on July 2, 1943, and remains an unusual literary figure: a physician and political leader whose book offers a direct glimpse into wartime life.