In the Service of Canada

Cover Design

The Seventh Book's title page design is a 10-inch by 13-inch grid of red, blue and green rectangles. This type of pattern has been used for centuries to highlight and decorate illuminated manuscripts.

The pattern symbolizes the order, organization and precision associated with the military. Additionally, in its resemblance to a quilt, the grid provides a visual symbol of the warmth of the families and homes from which the men and women commemorated in the Seventh Book came. The poppy, the symbol of remembrance, is used in the middle of the grid to connect the English and French texts.

"The green represents the colour of life, as seen in Canada's green fields and forests. Blue represents both the skies and the waters that surround Canada. Red is the blood of Canadian sacrifice. The falling maple leaf moves through green to red, or from life to death, and, by its dying, nourishes our soil to produce a new generation of brave Canadians. They will carry on to meet a new foe: faithful to our traditions, loyal to our predecessors and honourable protectors of our Canadian way of life."

Padre Gerry Peddle