NOTE: This list needs to be updated. Current update is as of September 16, 2021. The men who sacrificed from the 18th Battalion whose death were attributed to their participation in the war. In some cases these men died while serving with other units. This list may never be complete but reflects best efforts on... Continue Reading →
Bivouac of the Dead: The 18th Battalion’s Experience at the Battle at Flers-Courcelette.
“On France's eternal camping groundTheir silent tents are spread.While glory guards with solemn roundThe Bivouac of the Dead.”Poem attached to Sergeant Chester P. Smiths Memorial Page. Adaptation of Bivouac of the Dead, Theodore O’Hara, 1851. There is a succinct, enigmatic entry in the pages of the 18th Battalion’s War Diary for September 1916. “NOT MUCH... Continue Reading →
Three Men Stand Together
The three men stand together. Their faces are such that one cannot define emotion. Two of the men are not stoic as much, it seems, attempting to suppress laughter while being serious soldiers. The man on the left has his eyes fixed at the photographer is there is no hint of a smile, unlike the... Continue Reading →
Finances and the Private
On October 29, 1914, a 27-year-old labourer[i] enlisted with the 18th Battalion. He had 1-year experience with the 30th Wellington Rifles. He had previously enlisted with the 6th London Battery (Independent), Canadian Field Artillery (CFA), but that enlistment, for some reason, only lasted from August 12 to 29 of 1914. Now, he had permission to... Continue Reading →
A Fate Awaited Him at Home
On July 29, 1915, The London Advertiser reported, in one line, that Private Hugh Marshall, reg. no. 54266 had “Died of injuries sustained by motor car accident. Glasgow, July 22.” London Advertiser. July 29, 1915. Not much of an epitaph for a man and his life. Born in Glasgow on November 10, 1883, he was... Continue Reading →
The Toms Brothers of Bayfield
This is an imagining of the lives and experiences of two brothers who enlisted with the 161st Battalion and were transferred to active duty with the 18th. I have always been struck by the loss of one, or both brothers that served together and this short story is my expression of what it would have... Continue Reading →
“…an intense desire to meet the enemy…” Corporal Tripp Writes Friends in London.
Fresh from arriving in England on the next stage of his military journey, having enlisted with the 18th Battalion on October 27, 1914, Corporal Herbert Tripp, reg. no. 53622, a chef, late of Sarnia, Ontario, and a former resident of London, Ontario, writes home to friends in London of his recent experiences in the Canadian... Continue Reading →
Some News From Hastings to London, Ontario
Fred Young, reg. no. 53180, was a prolific letter writer to the newspapers in London and Windsor, Ontario during the war, and poet laurate of the 18th Battalion after the war. In this letter written while he was posted with the Administration Staff at Hastings with the Assistant Director of Medical Services, he outlines some... Continue Reading →
“Love for liberty and for you is all that keeps our pluck. ” A Letter to a Priest.
Via Operation Picture Me.Wiarton Echo. February 14, 1917. Near the end of January 1917, a 24-year-old soldier from Cape Croker[i] wrote a letter to his parish priest. He was not an exceptional soldier, in that he earned military recognition through medals[ii], but he was exceptional as he represented a community in the minority and with... Continue Reading →
Russell Stanley 1891
From a wonderful resource we find that several men of the 18th Battalion came from Uxbridge, Ontario.
Information about Private Van Luven, Lorne: Service no. 409245
The efforts of these sites to commemorate Canadian soldiers is so precious. This page is about a soldier that served with the 18th Battalion.
No. 55 General Hospital Wimereux
This hospital would be familiar to some of the men of the 18th Battalion as some of the wounded of the Battalion were treated here. It was also know as Eastern General Hospital. The wounded of the Battalion would proceed from a Regimental Aid Post then to a Field Ambulance, and then to a Casualty... Continue Reading →
“In Ticklish Places…”: A sniper writes to his Reverend.
“In Ticklish Places…”: A sniper writes to his Reverend. On December 7, 1915, Private James Parker, reg. no. 54357, having finished having his feet inspected for trench foot, settled down to write a letter to his Reverend, H.H. Bingham while the 18th Battalion was in Divisional Reserve at La Clytte (De Klijte). Source: The London... Continue Reading →
Solace: a father-and-son story
This article by Kristen den Hartog is a touching and poignant reminder of the cost of war and how companionship can help both parties. See the article at this link: https://www.geist.com/fact/dispatches/solace/
Note that the link is also in the post.
❤ Many of you know that for the past several years I’ve been working on a book about WW1 patients and staff of a military hospital here in Toronto. The research is incredibly time-consuming but fascinating too, and I have had some wonderful encounters with the descendants of my “characters.” I wrote about one of the most moving exchanges for Geist magazine recently, and the article, titled “Solace,” is now viewable online.
Below, a photo of Bud Colquhoun and one of his father Stewart, sent to me from his friends in Northern Ontario.
Battle of St. Eloi Podcast
Craig Baird hosts a series of podcasts about Canadian history. In this one he reviews the Battle of St. Eloi. The 18th Battalion was involved in this battle and was their first major engagement of the war since they arrived in Belgium in September 1915. St. Eloi Craters. Kemmel in background. Canada Department of National... Continue Reading →
Remembrance Day
Presented here are the memories of one Canadian who made the pilgrimage to the Vimy Memorial. Without further ado, and with thanks to the author, Bonny Hoyer, please read. Private George Cunningham November 10th, 2013, I found myself quietly being regarded by a petite older woman on a bus in Paris, France. I smiled at... Continue Reading →
“I shall miss this boy dreadfully…”
Barrington Rucker[i] appears to have had a sense of humour evident in his attestation papers when he enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Forces. Arriving from Virginia at Windsor, Ontario, he joined the 18th Battalion on February 15, 1915 and claimed his “Trade or Calling” was an “Orange Picker.” The officers assisting this man to enlist... Continue Reading →
A Family That Will Not Forget: Private Nicholas Scott of Young’s Point
Young’s Point, Ontario, is approximately 25-kilometers north-east of the City of Peterborough. Founded in 1825 and named after the first family to settle there, it is the south terminus of Curve Lake and a set of locks (No. 27) of the Trent-Severn Waterway connects it with the Ontonabee River which forms the Katchewanooka Lake. This... Continue Reading →
The Prisoner’s Character Was Irreproachable: Busbies and a Barmaid
Introduction[i] A soldier of some ability and reputation joins the 111th Battalion at Galt, Ontario. As the 111th Battalion began to fill its ranks its composition was like that of the 1st and 2nd Contingent. Its demographics included a large proportion of men who were born in the British Isles, and of that there were... Continue Reading →
Video: Actions of St. Eloi Craters in the Great War
The Battle of St. Eloi Craters was the first "blooding" of the 18th Battalion as it took part of operations when the 2nd Canadian Division was tasked in the efforts to take possession of the craters. The Canadian Expeditionary Force Resource Group presents a video montage relating to this event. https://youtu.be/Z1udIgw3dow
