History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth"
Articles, war diaries, and recognition to the Men of the "Fighting 18th"
On August 16, 1918, a Canadian soldier arrived at Southwark Military Hospital at East Dulwich Grove with a compound fracture of the right humerus. He had received these wounds just 8-days earlier as the Battalion stepped off on an attack at 4:20 AM for an objective 200 yards east of Marcelcave, France. During that operation... Continue Reading →
This hospital would be familiar to some of the men of the 18th Battalion as some of the wounded of the Battalion were treated here. It was also know as Eastern General Hospital. The wounded of the Battalion would proceed from a Regimental Aid Post then to a Field Ambulance, and then to a Casualty... Continue Reading →
Private John Dobson (Military Medal ), reg. no. 651436. WARNING: Some details in this post may be disturbing to readers. In a news clipping titled Letters from the Soldiers in the Paisely Advocate dated October 16, 1918, Private Edgar Joseph McAfee writes in it, “Let me know in your next letter if Jack Dobson is... 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 →
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 →
An article in the December 21, 1915 edition of the Galt Daily Reported relates the first casualty from former Galt Reporter employees serving in the war, Private John Hollins, had been wounded during service with the 18th Battalion. Private Hollins enlisted on November 4, 1914, at Galt with the 18th Battalion and gave his trade... 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 →
Speaker: Professor Amy Smith-Milne Venue: Guelph Civic Museum This talk by Amy Smith-Milne was an excellent pre-cursor to helping someone understand the perspectives towards the men who suffered from shell shock during World War 1. The work of doctors during the Victorian era would influence the treatment of mental illness during this war. Using the... Continue Reading →
18th Battalion Association[i] Windsor and Detroit Branch *MEMORIES[ii]* Every man who served in the Front Line for any length of time, whether he be an officer or in the ranks, had some unforgetable [sic] experience he would often recall during his lifetime. Some men had several and some of the experiences are much worse than... Continue Reading →
via Shell Shock, Unrequited Love, and Murder Recommended highly!
There were more than 7,052 men of the C.E.F. and Royal Newfoundland Regiment with the surname SMITH. This is the story of one of them. Percy Smith was a farmer who worked at the Havelock Farm in the Woodstock, Ontario area. He joined 168th Battalion in May 1917 and by September 1917 he was assigned... Continue Reading →
Percy Scanlan enlisted with the 91st Battalion at Chatham, Ontario on December 6, 1915. He was one of many eager recruits joining the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the second year of the war. Even the news of the Canadian experience at 2nd Ypres and the use of gas by the Germans did not dissuade him... Continue Reading →
This is a follow up post from a prior post entitled A Swim Binds Two Soldiers in Time in which the experiences of two members of the Battalion is examined. Further research has illuminated that there were three men of the 18th Battalion involved in this incident and this article is a response to the... Continue Reading →
On page 4 of the Wingham Times a short article relates: “Nearly all medical men in the West Indies advise wearing of thin woolen and not cotton underwear. Many persons wear “cholera belts” of flannel.” This garment was considered important enough that Sir Adam Beck's wife, Lady Beck, contributed enough of these belts to outfit... Continue Reading →
The front page of the December 1, 1921 of The Deseret News of Salt Lake City, Utah had numerous important news stories on that day. A British native force on the Afghan frontier was massacred, along with two of the British officers commanding it. Vienna, Austria is subject to bread riots due to the rising... Continue Reading →
Walter Perry, of Highland Creek, Ontario, decided to join the Canadian Army. His previous military experience consisting of serving three-and-a-half years as a Bugler. He joined the 81st Battalion in Toronto, Ontario on September 18th, 1915 and was assigned the regimental number 157659. From this point in time he served and trained in Canada until... Continue Reading →
Teresa Iacobelli, PhD. specializes in Canadian military history, public history and social memory. She is the author of Death or Deliverance: Canadian Courts Martial in the Great War (Winner, 2013 C.P. Stacey Prize, Canadian Commission for Military History and the Canadian Committee on the History of the Second World War) and currently is an historian... Continue Reading →
A recent contact by a relative allowed a more detailed examination of the service record of Private William Wilson Bryce. Below is a summary of service high-lighting the more significant aspects of his service. Private Bryce's service record only has one demerit for being absent without leave very early in his service and his experiences... Continue Reading →
An article in the Windsor Star circa 1916 gives topical news about a number of soldiers from the local area. Lance-Corporal (later Sergeant) Leslie Butler if the 18th Battalion is figured prominently in the story and several other soldiers of the 18th are also mention. The Battle of Flers-Courcelette on September 15, 1916 and the... Continue Reading →
In a previous post a letter sent by then Sergeant Babcock related some of his experiences in the war during his service with the 18th Battalion. After the war ended Lieutenant Babcock was demobilized and took up residence in London, Ontario. His obituary then outlines his involvement with the automotive industry working for a Dodge... Continue Reading →
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 