Surname Forename Date of Death Rank Reg. No. CALVERT HUGH 03/01/1917 Private 226535 LEASK JAMES LESTER 04/01/1917 Private 745118 MOSS STANLEY 10/01/1917 Private 226623 SHORT ROBERT WILLIAM 25/01/1917 Private 769243 TAYLOR ISAAC 08/01/1917 Private 195959 WILSON ROBERT THORNTON 05/01/1917 Private 745220 Note: The title of subsequent casualty list posts will be changed as the old... Continue Reading →
The Harvard Class of ’19 Student: Private David Sidney Laird
Question 10 on the Attestation Paper filled out for each man that enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force asks: Have you ever served in any Military Force? If so, state particulars of former Service. In the majority of cases this question, if answered, involves a recruit’s involvement in either the Canadian Militia or in the... Continue Reading →
Video: Newfoundland News, No.1 (1916)
The Library and Archives Canada has a YouTube channel with videos that are of interest. Below is video entitled "Newfoundland News, No.1 (1916)" with a run time of 9 minutes and 10 seconds. The description is as follows: Newfoundland Soldiers Visit Home of Robbie Burns. Soldiers visit the sites of Scotland including Burn's birthplace, the... Continue Reading →
News from the Frontlines
New exhibit at The Canadian Centre for the Great War... Source: News from the Frontlines
Digitizing History: Site for Private Raymond Joseph Allen
At a recent conference, The 11th Windsor Military Studies Conference, there was one presentation that reflected some of the work that this blog is trying to achieve. Kyle Lariviere, a history student at the University of Windsor, spoke about the work he did in digitizing the life of Private Raymond Jospeh Allen of the Highland... Continue Reading →
The Trench Art Mystery
An inquiry was posted regarding some trench art that was created by a "W. Collier". The inquiry was asking for assistance in finding the family of the soldier that created the trench art. This trench art is very unique. It was created by a W. Collier and has the 18th Battalion crest on it. Trench... Continue Reading →
Update on Blog February 2016
Just a brief update on the status of the blog: To date 794 soldiers' pages have been entered in the blog. A significant source of new soldiers has been two book mentioned previously in the blog - "Duty Nobly Done" and "Kiss the kids for dad. Don't forget to write." There are currently a... Continue Reading →
Mitigating the Ennui of Trench Life
Romance from the trenches. Below is a story relating to one unknown member of the 18th Battalion who, with his first Christmas in the trenches in 1915, used a unique method to assuage and address his boredom and loneliness. This is related by Lieutenant Harry Anderson Secord during an interview for the CBC Radio broadcast... Continue Reading →
Book: The Apathetic and Defiant: Case Studied of Canadian Mutiny and Disobedience, 1812-1919.
During my research regarding Lieutenant Colonel Charles Sydney Woodrow my Google search happened about a book titled "The Apathetic and Defiant: Case Studied of Canadian Mutiny and Disobedience, 1812-1919." edited by Craig L. Mantle. My interest in the 18th Battalion was not related to the passage involving Lt.-Col. Woodrow but there was a wonderful paragraph... Continue Reading →
He has been supplied with satisfactory peg and artificial leg.
Private Arthur Wilfred Hardcastle of Chatham, Ontario, lost part of his right leg on August 28, 1918 at an action at the Sensee River. The Battalion was located on the Sensee River Line and was involved in an attack on this date. This was a particularly hard day for the 18th Battalion as the War... Continue Reading →
A Painful Duty
Form letter informing Mrs. W. Maberley that one of her sons has died. A full transcription of this letter at the end of this entry. Some time shortly after April 7th, 1917 Mrs. W. Maberley, the mother of Private Henry Kiddle, reg. no 745109, was informed of his death from pneumonia on April 2nd, 1917.... Continue Reading →
3 Boys From Blenheim
3 boys of Blenheim, Ontario, did not come home. All of them served with the 18th Battalion and one of the other connections they share is the display of their original grave markers at the Blenheim and District Freedom Library and Museum. This discovery all began with entering the data for Private James Peter Pegg,... Continue Reading →
It’s Still In There
The case of Private John Henry Burr, with a little help from the book "Kiss the kids for dad. Don't forget to write.: The Wartime Diaries of George Timmins, 1916 - 18" combined with the digitize x-rays a more personal and relevant historical picture of this 18th Battalion soldier's experience comes to light. Private John... Continue Reading →
Kern’s Comrade Writes
Sometimes things just click. While researching Private Frank Allen Kern, reg. no. 2448430 a review of this historical site for Kaukauna Area Historical Society brought me to the article below. It is well worth a read and, hopefully, I can find the author of the piece on the LAC and add him to the web... Continue Reading →
11th Annual Windsor Military Studies Conference
A 2 day conference being held February 5th and 6th in Windsor, Ontario, Canada will cover a series of lecture topics and also offer the opportunity to witness the French Government honour 5 Canadian World War II veterans with the National Order of the Legion of Honour for their service in that conflict. The lecture... Continue Reading →
Lecture Series in Brantford, Ontario
Informing you that there is a lecture series taking place this year in Brantford, Ontario pertaining to subjects relating to World War 1. Lectures are Tuesday evenings at 7:30 PM located at the Laurier Research and Academic Centre, West Wing, Room 203, 15o Dalhousie Street, Brantford, Ontario.
Help From a Reader: Leads One to Consider the Change of Anglicanism in Canada
A reader left a comment about the account I had found on his life. As this was one of the first soldiers I added to this blog it looks like my systematic work habits were not in place as I had taken the time to download the attestation papers for this soldier but had not... Continue Reading →
Until the Shadows Flee: The death of Private Harry Phillips
During a recent casualty search in relation to the recent post about an action the 18th Battalion was involved in near Telegraph Hill in the Arras Sector the list of Canadian soldiers killed on July 18th, 1918 had one soldiers place of burial stand out. Switzerland. How, during the First World War did a Canadian... Continue Reading →
War Diary of the 18th Battalion: December 1916
CONFIDENTIAL WAR DIARY WAR DIARY OF 18th Canadian Battalion – 2nd Canadian Division from 1st December to 31st December, 1916 Volume 16 Place Date Hour Summary of Events and Information CALONNE II 1 18th Canadian Battalion in front line at CALLONE II sector. On the night of December 1/2 a minor operation was directed against... Continue Reading →
The Elliott Brothers of Cape Croker
The Elliott brothers came for Cape Croker, in the Bruce Peninsula, and if one looks at their service records it may show the concern of an older brother over that of the younger. Daniel and Joseph Elliott joined the 160th Battalion in Cape Croker. This village was approximately 90 kilometers from the headquarters in Walkerton,... Continue Reading →
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 