July 1918 found the 18th Battalion in the Arras Sector. The threat of Operation Michael in March had passed and the Battalion found the first of this month in an extended stay in reserve from the 1st of July to the 14th in the Latre-St-Quentin area. During this extended period 14 officers and 150 men... Continue Reading →
2015 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog. Here's an excerpt: The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 14,000 times in 2015. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 5 sold-out performances for that many... Continue Reading →
New Years Eve 100 Years Ago for Farm Labourer Lingham
Herbert Spencer Lingham was from Grays, Essex, England and had come to Canada eventually ending up as working on a farm. From is attestation address he was living on the East side of Galt near Valens. Something possessed him to heed the call of service and he joined the C.E.F. in Galt and eventually joined... Continue Reading →
News Story Puts Light on the Carthy Brothers
Pte. Eric Carthy would be the first brother to perish on December 26, 1915. Pte. Percy Carthy survived his brother only to be killed at the Somme on September 15, 1916. A recent news article by Jeff Outhit hi-lights two brothers who served with the 18th Battalion. A strongly recommended read. "'To Avenge his death.'... Continue Reading →
Updates and the Year to Come
The year 2015 has been a productive one. The database of soldiers found is at 959 records with more to come. In rough terms this blog has added and recognized 460 members of the 18th Battalion using Soldiers' Pages. Each page has information pertaining to that soldier. Approximately 100 blog posts relating to the 18th... Continue Reading →
No Liberties Were Taken: Christmas 1915 for the 18th Battalion
The Christmas of the 1915 was the second Christmas that the Battalion had experienced since it formation in the Fall of 1914. Since that Christmas in London, Ontario the Battalion had moved from Canada to England in April, 1915 where it trained and the embarked to France and thence, to Belgium for its baptism... Continue Reading →
Being a Mason Brings Biographical Pay Dirt
On researching Private Maurice Arthur Searle his involvement as a Mason helped land some quality biographical information. Often when researching the soldiers of the 18th Battalion they are lost to history. Sometimes this is not the case. This is one of those times. Private Searle survived the war and became involved in Freemasonry. He became... Continue Reading →
“Come and kiss me, mother,” she heard Morris say…
The sad story of the Searle brothers is brought into sharp relief in the news story below. Two men, far from their native land, join the Canadian Army and the eldest, William, lands in England the very day his mother leaves for Canada. It makes one wonder what the intent was? Was there a miscommunication... Continue Reading →
Another Connection with the HMHS Anglia Sinking
Another member of the 18th Battalion was on board the HMHS Anglia when she sank. Wilfred "Grit" Laurier Callander, one of the originals, was on board being transferred to England to have a case of trench foot treated. He was able to survive the sinking and the war.
A Birthday at the Front
The 18th Battalion was in the trenches near Vierstraat 1oo years ago today on December 13, 1915. The company cook for Lieutenant George Kerr did something special for him: On December 13 Lieutenant George Kerr had a special celebration in the trenches. For his twenty-first birthday the company cook scrounged all the chocolate he could... Continue Reading →
A Plaintiff Message
Found in the 18th Battalion War Diary, a message showing some of the frustration experienced: 14-8-17 To Adjut Radish Our 18 pounders are firing short on CHICORY [trench]. Send up fifty picks and shovels. Two houses at N 14.a.40-45 and N14.a.40-30 have BOCH [German] SNIPERS. M.H. MOORE has been here and wants seven stretchers and... Continue Reading →
Blog of Note: PATRIOTS, CROOKS AND SAFETY-FIRSTERS: Colonels of the Canadian Expeditionary Force
Doing research on Lieutenant Colonel William Frederick Richard Hart-McHarg I happened on this site. Matt Barrett is a historian, animator and caricaturist who also maintains a blog specializing in the colonels of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. The site is well laid out and organized with a lot of content. Each colonel has a short biography... Continue Reading →
Cherries for the Police Mess
On Tuesday, July 31, 1917, page 3 of the Gaffney Ledger had a news story about a news story about an American who had died near the town of Ammetes. The Canadian Light Horse was stationed near Divion in France at this time. Mrs. G. T. Clark, of 813 N. Gra-nard [sic] street, has received... Continue Reading →
1,200 “Tommies,” Members of the 18th Battalion of London, Parade for Entertainment of Windsor Delegation
Caption reads: This is the way the 18th Battalion looked yesterday when the men were drawn up by Lieut.-Col. Wigle, the commanding officer, for inspection by the party of Border City folks brought to London under of the Windsor Board of Trade. From the position in which the picture was taken the men presented a... Continue Reading →
Bruce in Khaki Newspaper
The 160th Battalion had a newspaper overseas called "Bruce in Khaki" and it was published from October 1917 to January 1918. The 7 editions are a fascinating insight into a Canadian soldiers' life overseas and contained topical articles relating to the Battalion. The main source page that contains the editions is here.
The Mystery of Quarter-Master Sergeant H. McGinley
Francesca, a writer of a blog regarding the history of Kingston, Ontario, has sent me a mystery. Us (me at least) amateur historians/historiographers can be a canny bunch of information gathers. Francesca wrote me: "...I've attached a photo that I took several months ago in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery here in Kingston. It's of a... Continue Reading →
Database File
Attached below is an Excel spreadsheet of the database used to keep a record of the soldiers of the 18th Battalion that have been found so far. I have stripped any unnecessary columns off so that the raw data is available. I will make updates. Please feel free to use this file in your research.... Continue Reading →
“A” Company, 18th Battalion Mystery Photo
A photograph posted previously, purporting go be of "A" Company, 18th Battalion. The photograph is addressed to a Mrs. Paris Anderson of Crediton, Ontario. The inscription reads: ""Sandling Camp, September 1.4.1915. Tuesday evening 5 p.m. Dear Paris, This will let you know the time we are leaving England. This shows 'A Co' y ' 18th... Continue Reading →
An Unknown Officer of the 18th Battalion
Below is a picture of a currently unknown officer and the text applied to it.
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 