Appendix 16 of the September 1918 18th Battalion War Diary is described as “Disposition Sketch 18th Bn. on the 21st”. It is directly related to Battalion Operational Order No. D.242 dated September 20, 1918 detailing the relief by the 18th Battalion of the 21st Battalion in the “left front-line” on the night of the 2th … Continue reading Tip of the Sword on the Arras-Cambrai Road
Battles and Unit Actions
“…it is an old trick of his…”: Sifton’s Actions in a New Light?
Special thanks to Michael Ritchie, the author and caretaker of the blog, Letters From Vincent, from which this material was sources. Lieutenant Eastwood was a member of the 18th Battalion from Peterborough, Ontario and Michael is diligently transcriping the letters from his Great-Grandfather. At 5:15 a.m. on the morning of April 9, 1917 the weather … Continue reading “…it is an old trick of his…”: Sifton’s Actions in a New Light?
“Oh, to hell with it.”: Memories of Passchendaele
18th Battalion Association[i] Windsor and Detroit Branch *MEMORIES[ii]* On the night of November 5th[iii], 1917, our “A” Company was rushed into the line to relieve a company of a battalion of the 4th Division, who had been severely mauled and had suffered many casualties. Our own Company was only at half strength with four Officers … Continue reading “Oh, to hell with it.”: Memories of Passchendaele
3 Officers. One Action. 3 Results.
Charles Herbert Kerr had family ties in the Brussel, Ontario area and lived in Clinton until he eventually moved to Welland, Ontario. He enlisted with the C.E.F. and after being posted to the 36th Battalion in England was taken on strength with the 18th Battalion on December 14, 1915. It was during a fateful operation … Continue reading 3 Officers. One Action. 3 Results.
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 A Traitor in the Ranks
“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 “But should I die serving my country…”
Review of Somme Presentation at Laurie Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies
‘Ghastly and Gruelling’: Canada’s Ignored Campaign on the Somme, 1916 by William F. Stewart William F. Stewart is the author of "The Embattled General: Sir Richard Turner and the First World War" and a historian with a particular interest in the Canadian Expeditionary Force's involvement at the Somme in the late summer and fall of … Continue reading Review of Somme Presentation at Laurie Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies
Blog Updates for September 2016
This past month a focus on the activities of the 18th Battalion with its involvement in the actions that occurred 100 years ago at the Somme was made. Several posts outlining with more detail the events that affected the 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade offered some insight into the actions of the 18th Battalion on that … Continue reading Blog Updates for September 2016
Flers-Courcelette: the battlefield.
Stark reminders of the horror of war. Photographs from Lt.William Ivor Castle, Canadian Official Photographer.
Battle of Courcelette: Communications Record for September 15, 1916
Introduction The record below is a transcription of the 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade's appendices numbered 80 to 150. The appendices records the communications between the various units involved in the battle for Courcelette and relates to the units in the 4th C.I.B. as well as peripheral units attached or adjacent to the Brigade during the … Continue reading Battle of Courcelette: Communications Record for September 15, 1916
