War Diary of the 18th Battalion CEF
Articles, war diaries, and recognition to the Men of the "Fighting 18th"
Patrick Parnell Welsh was a 34-year-old clerk when he enlisted with the 186th Overseas Battalion at London, Ontario in June of 1916. A little older than average for a soldier of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, he felt the need to leave the security of his job and join the army to be of service to... Continue Reading →
On August 28, 1918, the following was making news in the town of Peterborough, Ontario. The news would be of interest as this town of approximately 20,00 people had, as had many other Canadian communities big and small, given freely of its sons to the war that was currently encompassing the globe. Sergeant Percy Bertrand... Continue Reading →
On May 13, 1916, a shell landed in a trench bay killing two men of the 18th Battalion. The Circumstances of Death Card for one of the men, Private John Humphreys, relates ‘“Killed in Action” He was with two comrades sitting in the bay of a trench in front of St. Eloi about 1 a.m.... Continue Reading →
RankSurnameForenameDate of DeathReg. No.PrivateBETTONJ R10/11/1918198966PrivateBRETTINGHAM 10/10/1918739520PrivateCAMPBELLF D10/10/1918769610LieutenantCASHWILFRID ARTHUR10/10/1918LinkPrivateCATERARCHIBALD LEONARD10/2/1918730648PrivateCLEARYJERRY10/18/1918226542PrivateCROWLEYW10/11/1918769411PrivateDRUMMONDCHARLES10/10/1918124363PrivateELLISA C10/11/19183130434PrivateENGLISHB G10/1/1918651604PrivateFLOOKWILLIAM GEORGE10/11/1918189801CorporalFREEE B10/11/1918769634PrivateGRADYJ10/22/19182448453LieutenantHANKINSONELMORE LESLIE10/6/1918LinkPrivateHASTINGSNEWELL10/31/1918844575LieutenantHOSFORDGEORGE ERNEST10/17/1918LinkPrivateHUTCHISONJAMES WESLEY10/10/19183130241PrivateIRWINC E10/12/19183130715PrivateJACKSONWILLIAM CLIFFORD10/11/1918514260PrivateJOHNSTONA D10/8/1918652183PrivateKINGF P10/11/1918928690PrivateLAVELLEL S10/10/19183131642PrivateMcCAULEYGORDON10/11/1918195833PrivateMcKEIGANNEIL10/10/1918878420LieutenantMILFORDT V10/20/1918LinkPrivatePOOLEYERNEST GEORGE10/8/1918651340PrivatePOUNDSF E10/1/19182453306PrivateROACHHARRY10/11/1918123589PrivateROBINSARTHUR DAVID10/11/1918803183PrivateSCRIVERR10/9/1918195437PrivateSHETLERGEORGE EDWARD10/25/1918406167CorporalSOUTERJ P10/11/191856PrivateSPRATLINGWILLIAM JOSEPH10/14/1918158526PrivateTILLSONGEORGE EDWIN10/20/1918802108PrivateWALLISJ10/11/19182448484PrivateWEEKSIRA RALPH ALLAN10/15/1918123344PrivateWHITTAKERA R10/11/19183131518PrivateWILLIAMSF J10/3/19182448462PrivateWILLIAMSONJ R10/11/19183131754LieutenantWILSONMATTHEW MAURICE10/10/1918Link
This is an imagining of the lives and experiences of two brothers who enlisted with the 161st Battalion and were transferred to active duty with the 18th. I have always been struck by the loss of one, or both brothers that served together and this short story is my expression of what it would have... Continue Reading →
Barrington Rucker[i] appears to have had a sense of humour evident in his attestation papers when he enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Forces. Arriving from Virginia at Windsor, Ontario, he joined the 18th Battalion on February 15, 1915 and claimed his “Trade or Calling” was an “Orange Picker.” The officers assisting this man to enlist... Continue Reading →
Private Ira William Sumner had been, in peace time, a clerk for the London Life Insurance Company. With the advent of the war in August 1914, he felt that is duty was bound to a different path and enlisted with the 18th Battalion on April 10, 1915. This was very close to the departure of... Continue Reading →
Captain Frederick George Newton was an original member of the 18th Battalion when it was formed in the fall of 1914. His records indicate he joined the Battalion on December 28, 1914 and served with the Battalion until he was assigned to the 4th Field Company on October 21, 1917. During his service with the... Continue Reading →
McCalmont, Alexander: Service no. 880093 This soldier died of wounds on June 11. 1918. He received these wounds on June 10, 1918. Immigration Story regarding this soldier. June 1918 War Diary.
On the night of July 26/27 men of the 18th Battalion carried out a “minor trench raid”. The weather was “Fine but dull”[i] on that day. In that raid were two men, originals with the Battalion, who both have quite different stories. Private Forrester Private Alfred Forrester, reg. no. 53648[ii] war service started out rather... Continue Reading →
On August 4, 1915, the London Advertiser published a picture on page 3. In this picture was the image of seventeen young men who were scouts for the 18th Battalion. The photograph appears to be taken in England as the Battalion was in training at West Sandling, near Hythe, Kent. In this picturesque and bucolic... Continue Reading →
The seems to be no lack of enthusiasm for the Galtonians that joined the 18th Battalion to get into the fight. Even with the advent of static trench warfare due to the mechanization of combat from the use of rapid-fire weapons and massed artillery ending in casualties that had amounted to 9,182 Canadian casualties since... Continue Reading →
Private William J. Bartlett was a wizened 35-years old when the letter transcribed below was published. He was a journalist by profession and the object of his letter was 13-years his junior. The former survived the war, the latter did not. “HE DID HIS BIT”[i] [BY W.J. BARTLETT.] Pte. W.J. Bartlett of the 18th Battalion,... Continue Reading →
Used with permission of Iris Russak (www.irisrussak.com) and The Kingston Association of Musuem Art Galleries + Historic Sites Blog. The original article is here (Broken Link). Thomas Neill had joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force along with his brother James in March 1916, when he enlisted with the 111th South Waterloo Battalion. They had completed basic... Continue Reading →
Rank Surname Forename Date of Death Reg. No. Private BLOOMFIELD A D 12/09/1918 844064 Private CLARK G M 20/09/1918 651472 Corporal CRIESS LOUIS JAMES 10/09/1918 225548 Private DOLSEN F 15/09/1918 189748 Private DUFFY J F 02/09/1918 844269 Private ELLERY WILLIAM SAMUEL 14/09/1918 54203 Private ENGLISH R 23/09/1918 3131583 Private HIGGINS F 17/09/1918 675969 Private HOPKIN... 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
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
18th Battalion Association[i] Windsor and Detroit Branch *MEMORIES[ii]* I would like to pay a special tribute to Capt. Dick Shuttleworth, another of our splendid officers who never forgot the men who served with him in France and Belgium, many under his own command. When some of our members go to Westminster, they often call and... Continue Reading →
Rank Surname Forename Date of Death Reg. No Private BRODIE JAMES BENJAMIN 25/02/1916 53776 Private COLVIN D 24/02/1916 54223 Private HADLEY J 28/02/1916 412764
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 →
War Diary of the 18th Battalion CEF 