History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth"
Articles, war diaries, and recognition to the Men of the "Fighting 18th"
On 5 April 1912 at Chatham, Ontario a young couple began their life together. The former bachelor was 21 years old, and his new bride was all of 19. The former was of the Presbyterian faith while the latter was Methodist. Both resided in Chatham at the time of their betrothal and would make their... Continue Reading →
The soldier sits, relaxed, on a stool. A comrade, face out of frame, leans into him as he sits. He holds a swagger stick, a common affectation of the Canadian troops of the other ranks. The photo is sadly indistinct, and we cannot see the details of his face, but he is looking directly at... Continue Reading →
In November of 1915 a 32-year-old single man enlisted with the 91st Battalion. With the help of a biography written in 1971 we can fill in the blanks of this long dead officer of the 18th Battalion. Lieutenant G.G. Brackin. Circa 1916. Garnet Garfield Brackin came from an established middle class Canadian family. His brother,... Continue Reading →
The weather a West Sandling Camp on May 7, 1915, was in the full throws of spring. The famous Kent countryside resplendent with verdant greens and the soft waving grass as the winds from the English Channel played over the lush meadows near Tolsford Hill. The land was being transformed into a camp for the... Continue Reading →
On March 30, 1916, at Hamilton, Ontario George Reginald Parke, a 27-year-old druggist, enlisted as a lieutenant with the 173rd Overseas Battalion. He had all of 4-months experience with the 91st Canadian Highlanders. Lieutenant G R Parke (HU 116591) Lieutenant G R Parke. Unit: 173rd Battalion, Canadian Infantry, Canadian Expeditionary Force. Copyright: © IWM. Original... Continue Reading →
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 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
Via Operation Picture Me.Wiarton Echo. February 14, 1917. Near the end of January 1917, a 24-year-old soldier from Cape Croker[i] wrote a letter to his parish priest. He was not an exceptional soldier, in that he earned military recognition through medals[ii], but he was exceptional as he represented a community in the minority and with... Continue Reading →
Presented here are the memories of one Canadian who made the pilgrimage to the Vimy Memorial. Without further ado, and with thanks to the author, Bonny Hoyer, please read. Private George Cunningham November 10th, 2013, I found myself quietly being regarded by a petite older woman on a bus in Paris, France. I smiled at... Continue Reading →
Young’s Point, Ontario, is approximately 25-kilometers north-east of the City of Peterborough. Founded in 1825 and named after the first family to settle there, it is the south terminus of Curve Lake and a set of locks (No. 27) of the Trent-Severn Waterway connects it with the Ontonabee River which forms the Katchewanooka Lake. This... Continue Reading →
With thanks to Patrick Dennis, Colonel (RET’D), OMM, CD who reached out to me and pointed me in the right direction. His work to inform us about the role of conscription can be best appreciated by his book, “Reluctant Warriors: Canadian Conscripts in the Great War” Without his help and his work my interest and... Continue Reading →
Bouvigny Huts. Bouvigny Huts. Those two words may have spelled mixed feelings with the Battalion. This would be the first time they ware billeted there but other battalions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force reported the conditions for this facility in the rear that “…life in the trenches was less irksome and monotonous and no more... Continue Reading →
Introduction One of the challenges of understanding the service and experiences of the men of the 18th Battalion is that experience, removed in time and distance, is sanitized by the War Diaries. The 18th Battalion war diaries are often bereft of detail and often only deal with the bare minimum of the military events that... Continue Reading →
Lieutenant Frederick Charles Garland Maund was from Kingston and perished on the first day of the attack by the Canadian Expeditionary Force during its involvement at the Somme on September 15, 1916. But for the work of like-minded people dedicated to bringing his memory to life, he would be all but forgotten.[i] Lieutenant Maund was... 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 →
18th Battalion Association[i] Windsor and Detroit Branch *MEMORIES[ii]* While we were at La Clyte[iii] [sic], Jack Gehl[iv] and Dick Hamill[v] were assigned to a special work party with the Engineers. While they were away the rest of us went in the M. & N. trenches for our regular turn. Several days later, Dick Hamill came... 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
Friend after friend departs; Who hath not lost a friend? There is no union of hearts That finds not here an end. Part of a hymn[i] laments for the death of Private Archie Turner. His sister-in-law selected this hymn to reflect on her brother-in-law’s passing. Private Turner enlisted in St. Thomas, Ontario October 23, 1914... Continue Reading →
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 