The month of December was kind to the 18th. Very few wounded and no deaths due to action or wounds. As is tradition for Canadian Army units, the Officers of the Battalion served the N.C.O.s and other ranks Christmas dinner. Regrettably the War Diary does not expand on the event as it descrives Christmas Day... Continue Reading →
His Character is “Very Good”
There were more than 7,052 men of the C.E.F. and Royal Newfoundland Regiment with the surname SMITH. This is the story of one of them. Percy Smith was a farmer who worked at the Havelock Farm in the Woodstock, Ontario area. He joined 168th Battalion in May 1917 and by September 1917 he was assigned... Continue Reading →
Letters from Vincent
Michael Ritchie is the Great Grand Son of Lieutenant Vincent McCarter Eastwood, MC. He has devoted a significant time and effort transcribing the letters of his family relation at a web site called "Letters from Vincent". This is an important resource as it offers the reader the opportunity to see what aspects of military service... Continue Reading →
“Knapsack his pillow…”: The Grief of Mrs. McMullin
Private Leonard Calvin McMullin was killed May 25, 1918 by a “fishtail” bomb. Yet, the 18th Battalion War Diary makes no mention of this event and it is lost into obscurity. The War Diary Entry for that day: “Working parties again furnished by Bn. for works during the night on trenches. Our party of 1... Continue Reading →
A Thousand Dollars
On June 6, 1955 in Syracuse, New York, Mrs. Rose B. Scott became a widow. Almost a year passed and on May 8, 1956 she sent an inquiry through the mail to the “Department of Records, National Defence” in Ottawa, Canada regarding her husband’s military service with the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Her husband, Dennis Scott,... Continue Reading →
Battle Patrol Report December 1917
December 1917 found the 18th Battalion in the Acheville Sector. The general level of activity for the Battalion was a marked change from the hell of Passchendaele and the war diary gives the impression that both the Canadian and German units in this sector had hunkered down for December and were not overly interested in... Continue Reading →
War Diary of the 18th Battalion: December 1917
CONFIDENTIAL WAR DIARY -OF- 18th CANADIAN BATTALION – 2nd CANADIAN DIVISION From 1st December to 31th December 1917 Volume 28 With appendicix "A" Place Date Hour Summary of Events and Information Vancouver Road T28.a.5.2 1 Battalion in support area at Vancouver Rd. Situation quiet, nothing unusual occurred. Major J.R. Richardson rejoined Battalion from England. 5... Continue Reading →
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 