History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth"
Articles, war diaries, and recognition to the Men of the "Fighting 18th"
The issue of compensation for our service men and women has been a long-standing issue.[i] In the First World War X Canadians were wounded and many stories outline inadequate pension and compensation for the sacrifices they made. One soldier, Private Donald Roy MacDonald (reg. no. 53709)[ii] was one such man. Hailing from the Bruce-Huron area... Continue Reading →
In the darkness of a soft summer’s Kentish night a chorus of an old Scots love song wafted in the night sung by the men of the 18th Battalion recently arrived in England… Maxwelton's braes[i] are bonnie,Where early fa's[ii] the dew,Twas there that Annie LaurieGave me her promise true.Gave me her promise true -Which ne'er... Continue Reading →
The 18th Battalion trained in England from May to September 1915. It was based at West Sandling Camp near Shorncliffe Military Base and the 18th Battalion War Diary does not do a good job in relating the activities of the soldiers while they trained there. It is epic in its brevity. Twenty-five of May’s diary... Continue Reading →
It is like a mist, history is. The comings and goings of the myriad of individuals who populate our world is significant to them and their kin. But, as time goes by, as family members die, and when a family’s future is not guaranteed by the issue of progeny, that person’s history dies out very... Continue Reading →
Bookkeeper Walter James Buchanan of Goderich, Ontario enlisted with the 71st Battalion on 21 September 1915. At the age of 21 he had 4 years of militia experience and lived in a small Ontario town routed in its connection to Lake Huron and the surrounding farms. At the time of his enlistment he never would... Continue Reading →
Each soldier in the Canadian Expeditionary Force had their own unique experience. When one watches a battalion marching during a parade there is a perception of one-mindedness and that the military ethos involves the sublimation of the individual and their unique personality and experiences. But, no matter how hard an army tries to forge individuals... Continue Reading →
Witley Camp. January 1918. It had just snowed 4 inches and Private Charles Arthur Reed (reg. no. 651593), formerly of Eden Grove, Ontario was responding to a letter from his mother. Letter dates 14 January 1918 from Private Reed to his mother, Isabella Ann (McNaugthon) Reed (1871-1953) His primary concern at the beginning of the... Continue Reading →
A soldier’s letter published in the London Advertiser in November of 1915 gives a glimpse of the perspective of a new soldier to his introduction to combat conditions. It was written at the end of October or early November by a Welshman serving with the 18th Battalion to a friend residing in the Iroquois Hotel... 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 February 21, 1906, a couple married at Sparkbrook, Warwichshire in England. The groom was 27 years old and his bride one year younger. He was a returned army veteran with experience in South Africa and would post 8-years of military experience with the 3rd and 4th Battalion of the Rifle Brigade attaining the position... Continue Reading →
A recent post at the 18th Battalion Facebook Group pointed to a Vimeo video “The Crucified Soldier” was posted in the context that it “may be offensive and can be reported as such.” The concern, one can surmise, that the content of this video was not related to the subject matter the Facebook Group focuses... 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 →
Our conception of trench life is shaped by the various descriptions of it from historiographies, eyewitness accounts, and popular media such as the excellent documentary They Shall Not Grow Old gives us but a glimpse into the tough and horrible life in the trenches. Some of the men mentioned in Captain Carlisle's letter. To the... Continue Reading →
A photograph from the Toronto Telegram entitled "OUT OF SOMME BATTLE" shows 6 men who are bombers with the 18th Battalion. The photograph bears a caption and identifies the men by their initials and last name. Taking this source one can get excited that these men can be identified and connected to their service numbers.... Continue Reading →
Coincidence. What series of events need to come together to create one? Many people attribute unseen forces to coincidence, and some dismiss that, by chance alone, there is no way a series of events or connections can occur without some unseen force conspiring to create the event that seems but impossible to have occurred. There... Continue Reading →
The three men stand together. Their faces are such that one cannot define emotion. Two of the men are not stoic as much, it seems, attempting to suppress laughter while being serious soldiers. The man on the left has his eyes fixed at the photographer is there is no hint of a smile, unlike the... Continue Reading →
On July 29, 1915, The London Advertiser reported, in one line, that Private Hugh Marshall, reg. no. 54266 had “Died of injuries sustained by motor car accident. Glasgow, July 22.” London Advertiser. July 29, 1915. Not much of an epitaph for a man and his life. Born in Glasgow on November 10, 1883, he was... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
Two photographs have striking similarities. The men are uniformed and look seriously, almost in admonishment, at the camera. Five hold swagger sticks and most of the men sport moustaches. If not for the captions on the photographs the sleeve brassards at the bottom left-hand jacket sleeve cuff would indicate what they all shared in common... Continue Reading →
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 