Private Gordon Wellington Wilder, regimental no. 54265[i] of the 18th Battalion, CEF is an enigma. From his attestation papers on his enlistment he was a 30-year old Anglo-Irish British subject that indicated prior military experience with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and had served 2-years in the Sudan; 3-years in South Africa; and 13-months in China.... Continue Reading →
Poetry and Regret
Some time after the Armistice in 1918 and July 1921 a former private of the 18th Battalion wrote a poem and published it in pamphlet form. It is now an obscure document and would be lost to history save for the work of Canadiana Online. Hidden, waiting to be found was the pamphlet with its... Continue Reading →
Grave Images of Private Albert Edward Miller
Pte. A. E. Miller. Source: CVWM Matt Miller, a descendant of Private A.E. Miller, who died of wounds sustained during the first day of the battle at Vimy Ridge was kind enough to furnish some photographs of Private Miller's resting place. He is buried along with 5776 other casualties of war. 459 of those dead... Continue Reading →
“Knapsack his pillow…”: The Grief of Mrs. McMullin
Private Leonard Calvin McMullin was killed May 25, 1918 by a “fishtail” bomb. Yet, the 18th Battalion War Diary makes no mention of this event and it is lost into obscurity. The War Diary Entry for that day: “Working parties again furnished by Bn. for works during the night on trenches. Our party of 1... Continue Reading →
Her “Boy Scout”
The smile seems more intimate than a smile a young officer would give a stranger. It is a smile of familiarity and pride as the Officer marches past. The young boys stand with apparent casual regard for the men of the 99th Overseas Battalion marching past. The Sergeant to the officer’s left looks askance with... Continue Reading →
His Parents Must Have Known…
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 →
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 