On November 17, 1915 the HMHS Anglia was sunk of Folkestone by a submerged mine lain by a German UC series of mine laying submarines. It was the 1st sinking of an Allied hospital ship from enemy action and 134 souls where lost. Two of them were men from the 18th Battalion. From the war... Continue Reading →
Father and Son in the 18th Battalion
Smith... What a name to have to research. If one goes to the LAC database and does a last name search for 'Smith' you get approximately 7,000 results. Impressive if you think of this last name as a percentage of all the Canadian troops that served overseas - about 1%. I wonder how common, or... Continue Reading →
Private David Gray: Finding Peace in Shorncliffe
One of the challenges with the research with this blog is the amazing quantity and assortment of information. It leads you in all sorts of directions. On Twitter I became aware of the Shorncliffe Trust (twitter handle @shorncliffe95 ) which is working hard to preserve and commemorate the history of this area. Since the 2nd... Continue Reading →
Every Man Remembered Project
The Royal British Legion has created a site and is working with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to commemorate every Commonwealth soldier that fell during First World War. See: http://www.everymanremembered.org/ My commemoration of my Uncle John Taylor Dewar.
Interesting Documents Found
Found are two very interesting documents in PDF format. One document illustrates the hope and promise of an early victory and the other document illustrates the realistic expectations that a society faces after a conflict such as The Great War. 18th Battalion Christmas Greetings from The Women's Canadian Club PDF offers a glimpse of the... Continue Reading →
Research Paper: En Route to Flanders Fields: The Canadians at Shorncliffe During The Great War
This paper is a must read. En Route to Flanders Fields: The Canadians at Shorncliffe During The Great War By Diana Beaupré
A Servant Soldier’s Death
Holland, Mark: Service no. 53345 has a page but the research on this soldier has brought some more information as usual so I am posting the results in a post to highlight the life of the common Canadian soldier and how their death's were communicated. Note that the term "servant soldier" was a proper term... Continue Reading →
The Tragedy that Befell Pte. Hislop and Holland
On researching Pte. James Hislop (I am using this spelling as it is consistent with official government records) I was able to garner some more information from CEF Study group that helps illuminate not just this serving soldier but also 2 more soldiers. Please note the letter below. Pte. Jame Hislop had named his father... Continue Reading →
War Diary of the 18th Battalion: December 1915
Confidential War Diary Of 18th Canadian Battalion 2nd Division From 1st December to 31st December 1915 Volume 4 Place Date Hour Summary of Events and Information 1 4:30 PM Battn. Relieved 19th Battn a VIERSTRAAT- “B” . “D” Coys in trenches and “C” . “A” Coys in battalion reserve – 6 other ranks struck... Continue Reading →
“Brickfields” and Death: The Battle of Fler-Courcelette Page Posted
Read about this major battle that led to casualties equal to or greater than a Canadian Division at that time.Why did 93 men of the 18th Battalion die and why was it not recorded?
Brothers
As I work through the War Diary and do my Soldiers research I have found several stories belying the terrible toll the Great War had on families. Several times there have been brothers serving together such as the Nelson brothers. Today I found the Cash bothers. See their soldier pages here and here for more... Continue Reading →
18th Battalion “D” Company, Western Ontario Regiment Photo
According to the source this picture was taken in May 1919 by A.P. Taylor of Milford, Surrey, U.K. The photo can be viewed in a "composite" view which gives better detail but looses the text outlining the position of each of the soldiers in the photo. This find was related to the soldier page for... Continue Reading →
Photos of the 18th Battalion?
Below are a series of photos I found online at New York Public Library Digital Collection. The caption refers to the unit as the 18th Br(Brigade) but according a post at C.E.F. Study Group this term was really only applicable to C.E.F. Army units serving in France and not to units stationed and training in... Continue Reading →
War Diary of the 18th Battalion: November 1915
Confidential War Diary Of 18th Canadian Battalion 2nd Canadian Division From 1st November To 30th November 1915 Volume 3 Place Date Hour Summary of Events and Information 1 Battn in “D” trenches – [Wulverghem] 2 -Ditto- 3 6 pm Bn relieved by 19th Bn – “C” Coy remained at R.E. Farm in reserve – Bn Went to Div.... Continue Reading →
Medical Officer’s Diary of the 18th Battalion: October 1915
Confidential War Diary Of M.O. 18th Infantry Battalion From 1st October To 31st October 1915 Volume No. 4 PlaceDateHourSummary of Events and InformationR.E. Farm E of DRANTURE1 Very quiet. 54321 Pte. G. RUSHMERE [Rushmer] shot himself through left [hand?] while cleaning rifle + L.CPL. O’DYWER shot himself through fore arm. Both cases accidental. 2 LIEUT. F.G. NEWTON in... Continue Reading →
War Diary of the 18th Battalion: October 1915
Confidential War Diary Of 18th Canadian Battalion 2nd Canadian Division From 1st October To 31st October 1915 Volume 2 Place Date Hour Summary of Events and Information 1 Battn in “D” trenches – [Wulverghem] 2 -Ditto- 3 6 pm Bn relieved by 19th Bn – “C” Coy remained at R.E.... Continue Reading →
Medical Officer’s Diary of the 18th Battalion: September 1915
Note: This is the Medical Officer's War Diary and offers some many illuminating insights into the life of our Canadian soldiers. Sadly, the war diary has a lot of parts that are illegible and consequently it is very difficult to deduce the writing and the mean there of. Included are the images downloaded from the... Continue Reading →
Trench Art
There is a query regarding some trench art that was created or signed by a W. Collier. The description of the trench art is as follows: On the surface of the matchbook trench art is carved the 18th battalions crest and below is W.Collier, on the back side is Ypres 1915, Somme 1916, Loos 1917... Continue Reading →
Starting September 1915
Starting to transcribe the September 1915 diaries. One of the "problems" with doing this work is that there are references to places, people, and other things that I want to research as I am transcribing the documents. For example, I found this interesting history on Canadian field artillery in PDF form. Sadly, it is not... Continue Reading →
George W. Neil Information Request
There is a plaque at a cenotaph in Camlachie, Ontario that bears the name of George W. Neil, 18th BN C.E.F. reports on viewer. My research from the web does not confirm this as the source and several photographs do not mention this solder at the cenotaph in the article and photos. If anyone has a... Continue Reading →
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 