War Diary of the 18th Battalion CEF
Articles, war diaries, and recognition to the Men of the "Fighting 18th"
The third in a series of posts exploring men of the 18th Battalion who were buried in the Canadian Maritimes. The author visited the grave of this soldier to acknowledge his service to our nation and to let him know he is not forgotten. This is only part of his story. Private Thomas Luff’s story... Continue Reading →
La morti a tutti trova e lu munnu s'arrinova. Sicilian Proverb. English: Death finds everyone and the world gets renewed. Acknowledgement With acknowledgement to Patrick M. Dennis who brought the role of conscripts and conscription into a sharper realistic relief with his presentations and excellent book, Reluctant Warriors: Canadian Conscripts in the Great War. I... Continue Reading →
In a letter written in the fall by Private Joseph Edgar McAfee, regimental number 651738 the news that Neil McDermid[i] late of Glamis [Glammis], Ontario was wounded made its way across the Atlantic to find its way into the Paisley Advocate as “news from the front.” In the letter, Private McAfee relates that a fellow... Continue Reading →
On the 22nd of September 1914, the war was in its 39th day[i]. A young man, all of 20-years joined the 1st Battalion CEF which had only been created 20-days before. This soldier, reg. no. 1288904[ii] served with that battalion with a clean record, but it was determined that on October 2, 1914 at Valcartier,... Continue Reading →
Soldiers letters do not stand on their own. They impart small, discrete, often obscure, snippets of information that connect the writer with the people of his hometown, unit, and his social circle. They can often give clues that lead to a broader understanding of the writer and his experiences during his service. The letters also... Continue Reading →
TEXT Rank Surname Forename Date of Death Reg. No. Private COLLIE J 18/07/1918 928739 Private GRANT JAMES ALBERT 19/07/1918 651989 Private JACK HENRY 18/07/1918 651736
William Robb Dewar was Canadian. He was Scottish. He was subject of the British Empire and after living in Canada for three years upon landing in Canada he achieved the status of being a Canadian citizen. This was his right under The Immigration Act, S.C. 1910, c. 27. He earned that right fully with his... Continue Reading →
TEXT Rank Surname Forename Date of Death Reg. No. Private ALLSOP GEORGE HENRY 10/06/1918 3130373 Private BRADDOCK SYLVESTER 07/06/1918 53065 Private McCALMONT A 11/06/1918 880093 Private PIERSON H 28/06/1918 213415 Lieutenant SCULLY HAROLD LEO 07/06/1918 Link Private TURNEY W 28/06/1918 802279
Thirty-two men of the 18th Battalion perished this month. The Battalion was... Surname Forename Date of Death Reg. No. BROWN A E 05/04/1918 455391 ADIE ARCHIBALD WILLIAM 10/04/1918 851119 AVEY H 04/04/1918 540036 BEVEL THOMAS J. 22/04/1918 454031 BONE F S 04/04/1918 880120 BUCKMAN W 04/04/1918 769631 CLIMO F C 06/04/1918 675537 COMBOYE J W... Continue Reading →
January 1918 found the Battalion at Febvin Palfart with assignments in the front line in the Avion sector. It was a relatively quiet tour with no apparent casualties or deaths in the Battalion. Only two men of the 18th died this month. In the case of Private Brocklebank, he was to suffer wounds to his... Continue Reading →
There were no casualties that resulted in death due to action, wounds, or illness. The Battalion started its service in the Acheville Sector in support at the beginning of the month and was in the front lines as of December 3, 1917. They were active with wiring parties in the front line. A group of... Continue Reading →
The 18th Battalion was active in the Passchendaele Sector and the number of men in the 18th that have no known grave bears witness to the terrible conditions and ferocity of the fighting in that sector. Rank Surname Forename Date of Death Reg. No. Private ABERCROMBY J 09/11/1917 123978 Private AKINS J 09/11/1917 770008 Private... Continue Reading →
Men of the 18th Battalion who made the ultimate sacrifice.
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 →
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 →
Of the 1,161 Canadian service personnel who perished in June 1917 none of them were members of the 18th Battalion,
Summary of May 1917 Activities (for more information please refer to war diary transcription to be posted at a later date) 42 members of the 18th Battalion perished this month. The beginning of May 1917 found the Battalion in service in the vicinity of Arras, France and were in reserve at NUEVILLE ST VAST where... Continue Reading →
October 1916 finds the 18th Battalion still engaged at the Somme. October 3rd was a particularly bad day for the Battalion. Rank Surname Forename Age Date Reg. No. Private BARTON ALBERT 34 10/10/1916 415134 Private BROCK H E 27/10/1916 54003 Private BURTON SIDNEY 33 02/10/1916 157097 Private CLARKE ARTHUR RAYMOND 03/10/1916 124362 Private DANIEL... Continue Reading →
There are four men represented by sequential regimental numbers that are tied by their common experience and their relationship to each other. Two men were brothers and three men were Barnardo Boys. The fourth man shared the experience of serving with them and their act of enlisting tied them together until their ultimate fates. The... Continue Reading →
Creating the 18th Battalion Facebook Group has paid dividends in many ways. In this specific case a member of the group forwarded an image that officially recognizes the illness of Private David Knight, reg. no. 888057 as being directly related to his service. Private Knight attested to the 186th Battalion on March 7, 1916 and... Continue Reading →
War Diary of the 18th Battalion CEF 