Introduction The intent of this blog post is to expand upon a series of letters diligently transcribed by the Bruce County Archives entitled Correspondence from Lieutenant Colonel George Whitford Nelson to his sister, Mrs. William Kidd, 1914-1916, A99.058.008. This resource was found during research into this soldier and offers an invaluable insight into the feelings,... Continue Reading →
A Letter From Major Nelson Aboard the S.S. Grampian
Major George Whitford Nelson, adjutant for the 18th Battalion writes from the S.S. Grampian: Mrs. W. Kidd Elsinore, Ont., Bruce Co. Canadian Pacific Railway Ocean Services R.M.S. Grampian Mid Ocean April 25, 1915 Dear Friends, I can’t very well tell you where I am but will know better when I get a chance to post... Continue Reading →
…and no battalion has a more glorious record than our good old 18th.
On April 10, 1919 two news stories about the 18th Battalion were published on page three in the Border Cities Star. One story was about the past, told of a traitor in the 18th who “surrendered” to the Germans in July 1918 while the Battalion was stationed in the Telegraph Hill area in the Arras... Continue Reading →
A Traitor in the Ranks
The war is over. Not long over but the reverberations and attitudes to people considered “others” by Canadian society appears to still be prevalent and on the minds of the general public even at wars end. At least it was important enough to make a page three story in the Border Cities Star published in... Continue Reading →
GWCA Second Lecture – Forgotten Enemies: Great War Interments in Canada
GWCA Second Lecture - Forgotten Enemies: Great War Interments in Canada by Mary Chaktsiris. Mary Chaktsiris is affiliated with Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies and her doctoral work focused on the City of Toronto regarding recruitment, conscription, the Toronto Soldier's Insurance Plan, internment of enemy aliens, and the 1918 Toronto Riots. Lecture... Continue Reading →
September 1917 Casualties
During September 1917 622 Canadian service personnel ware listed at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission of dying. Of these military personnel five of them were members of the 18th Battalion. Surname Forename Age Date of Death Interned Reg. No. AMOR FRANK 25 13/09/1917 France 158030 DANIEL JESSE 28 11/09/1917 France 53794 LUCAS REGINALD GUY 36... Continue Reading →
Summary of Service: Bryce, William Wilson: Service no. 770063
A recent contact by a relative allowed a more detailed examination of the service record of Private William Wilson Bryce. Below is a summary of service high-lighting the more significant aspects of his service. Private Bryce's service record only has one demerit for being absent without leave very early in his service and his experiences... Continue Reading →
“He is survived…”
Preface This article is a departure from previous biographical pieces about the soldiers of the 18th Battalion because of the personal experiences of the author in the geographic area in which this story unfolds. Thus, it is more personal and subjective with the attendant personal observations and valuations of someone that has been there and... Continue Reading →
The Letters of Private Henry Roward Barrett, reg. no. 739518
Private Barrett was a mystery soldier since January 2016. He was found quite by accident when a letter he wrote was found in The Grand River Sanchem[i] under the name of Harry Barrett. After searching vainly for this soldier using a manual search at the Library and Archives Canada the search was abandoned to focus... Continue Reading →
A French Town Remembers
The French town of Givenchy-en-Gohelle is situated adjacent to the Vimy Ridge Memorial and I had the pleasure of taking a coffee at the Leleu Martine Cafe in September 2015 when my sister and I visited the Vimy Memorial and battlefield. The cafe had many mementos reflecting the Canadian presence in the sector of France and... Continue Reading →
February 1917 War Diary Summary
Map 51b NW1 - Thelus Sector (original trench map from the archives of Lt. G. V. Laughton, M.C.) Source: http://cefww1soldierrregan.blogspot.ca/ February 1917 found the Battalion engaged in rest, refitting, and training in the Auchel sector from February 1 to 12 with one day of marching to its next duty station with the 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade,... Continue Reading →
“But should I die serving my country…”
John Archibald McCallum was old by the standards of the average Canadian soldier enlisting in 1916. The attestation papers remark that his hair was “Black sprinkled with grey” when he joined the 160th Battalion at Lion’s Head, Ontario. Regardless of this sign of age the doctor examining him declared his physical development as “excellent.” The... Continue Reading →
“Probably Just a Little Used Up.”
An article in the Windsor Star circa 1916 gives topical news about a number of soldiers from the local area. Lance-Corporal (later Sergeant) Leslie Butler if the 18th Battalion is figured prominently in the story and several other soldiers of the 18th are also mention. The Battle of Flers-Courcelette on September 15, 1916 and the... Continue Reading →
They were shelling while I was writing…
IN THE MIDST OF THE CONFLICT Lieut. Wm. McLean Writes of His Experiences in France. The following letter was received recently from Lieut. Wm. McLean by his father, Mr David McLean. Lieut. McLean went overseas with the 130th Battalion and has been in France in the think of the conflict for some time: France,... Continue Reading →
16 Days in the Line: The Death of Private Dorken
He only served 16 days in the front line. For is service he is honoured at the Vimy Memorial and he will not be forgotten. Private Ernest John Dorken joined the C.E.F. on January 4, 1916 in Woodstock, Ontario. It appears that he was one of three sons of the Dorkens that would volunteer for... Continue Reading →
August 1917 Casualties
Casualties from August 1917. Not all the soldiers died in the field or in action. Several of the soldiers listed here died in Canada after receiving wounds in action and returning. Surname Forename Rank Reg. No. AIKIN DAVID Private 880497 ALLEN HENRY Private 158529 ARNOLD MARK Private 53770 BARTLEMAN SCOTT Private 730043 BEAUDIN ELIE Private... Continue Reading →
The Obituary of Lieutenant A.E. Babcock
In a previous post a letter sent by then Sergeant Babcock related some of his experiences in the war during his service with the 18th Battalion. After the war ended Lieutenant Babcock was demobilized and took up residence in London, Ontario. His obituary then outlines his involvement with the automotive industry working for a Dodge... Continue Reading →
…a very uplifting effect: A Letter from the Front
On May 3, 1916, the Paisely Advocate included a letter[i] written by then Sergeant Andrew Enos Babcock, a native son of Paisely, about his experiences with the 18th Battalion. Sergeant Babcock was an original member of the 18th Battalion with the assigned regiment number of 53989 when he enlisted on October 27, 1914 in Walkerton,... Continue Reading →
A Swim Binds Two Soldiers in Time
This post has been superseded by this post. Two soldiers. One from Paisley, Ontario, a small town in the Grey-Bruce region of Ontario with rolling hills of trees and farmer’s fields. The other from the urban environs of Toronto. Both were in a technical trade; one being a tinsmith and other a steam fitter. Both... Continue Reading →
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 