CONFIDENTIAL WAR DIARY -OF- 18th CANADIAN BATTALION – 2nd CANADIAN DIVISION From 1st December to 31th December 1917 Volume 28 With appendicix "A" Place Date Hour Summary of Events and Information Vancouver Road T28.a.5.2 1 Battalion in support area at Vancouver Rd. Situation quiet, nothing unusual occurred. Major J.R. Richardson rejoined Battalion from England. 5... Continue Reading →
Her Cup of Sorrow Was Well Filled
Private Frank Edward Wrightsell sits in an ornate chair. He looks at the camera and it appears his body is tight and tense. Perhaps he is trying to portray stern confidence that a soldier newly minted from his enlistment with the 186th Battalion would have. He enlisted on March 9, 1916 at Chatham, Ontario. He... Continue Reading →
Delinquent in Düren: The Tragedy of Private Sherman
Undated photograph. One of these men is Private Dauphin. Is the other Private Sherman? Source: Gathering Our Heroes "It was cold and dark. The two Canadian Privates from Chatham, Ontario stood on the rail platform momentarily and lit their cigarettes. Drawing deeply from the cigarettes the blew the smoke out and turned to walk up... 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 →
War Diary of the 18th Battalion: November 1917
Confidential War Diary OF 18th CANADIAN BATTALION - 2ND CANADIAN DIVISION FROM 1ST November to 30th November 1917 Volume 27 With Appendicies 1 - 2 Place Date Hour Summary of Events and Information CAESTRE 1 Battalion in Reserve Camp. Coy parades, inspection of arms and equipment. Extra water bottle (1 per man) issued. 2 o.r.... Continue Reading →
The Best Rest in Many Moons: A Letter by Major Sale
Major Sale was an active and influential member of the Goderich, Ontario community as a dentist. He was active in the Canadian Militia with the 33rd Regiment and joined the 18th Battalion as a captain shortly after its inception in October 1914. He served his Battalion diligently and was earned a promotion to major in... 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 →
A Swim Binds Three 18th Battalion Soldiers in Time
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 →
January 1918 Casualties
January 1918 found the Battalion at Febvin Palfart with assignments in the front line in the Avion sector. It was a relatively quiet tour with no apparent casualties or deaths in the Battalion. Only two men of the 18th died this month. In the case of Private Brocklebank, he was to suffer wounds to his... Continue Reading →
Laurier Military Speaker Series: Colonel (Ret’d) Patrick M. Dennis, OMM, CD
Patrick will be speaking about his recent research and subsequent book "Reluctant Warriors: Canadian Conscripts and the Great WarReluctant Warriors: Canadian Conscripts and the Great War". The LCMSDS site describes his presentation as: “What stubborn-hearted virtues they disguised!” Canadian Conscripts at War – 1918 (talk to be followed by a book signing) In this the... Continue Reading →
The Men of the Menin Gate
Date of First Casualty: January 30, 1916. Privates Emerald Broadwell (reg. no. 53892) and Albert James Reeves (reg. no. 53847). They would both perish under unusual circumstances: "Previously reported missing, now for official purposes presumed to have died. About 9 a.m. on January 30th, 1916, he and a comrade [Private Broadwell] left their trench under... Continue Reading →
The Greatest Devotion to Duty: Casualties at Passchendaele
The 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade (4th C.I.B.) was engaged at Passchendaele in November 1917. Compared with some other Canadian Brigades and Battalions it was not as heavily engaged but the costs to the Brigade was high. The 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade suffered a total of 1,268 casualties (killed in action and wounded) with 73 men... Continue Reading →
War Diary of the 18th Battalion: October 1917
CONFIDENTIAL WAR DIARY of 18th CANADIAN BATTALION - 2nd CANADIAN DIVISION From 1st October to 31st October 1917 Volume 26 With appendix A Place Date Hour Summary of Events and Information VILLERS-AU-BOIS 1 Battalion in billets at VILLERS CAMP. Company parades and inspection of rifles & equipment. 2 ors admitted to hospital. Mapes... Continue Reading →
A Rousing Send Off
The First World War energized and enabled Canada to express its loyalty to the Crown and the Empire. News articles, like the one below, show the enthusiasm and support the citizenry of this new country barely 50 years old. The community of Seaforth, Ontario took considerable time and effort to acknowledge the service of the... Continue Reading →
Stuff of Legend: The Wounding of Private Dickson on Christmas Day 1915
Introduction There is no doubt that Sergeant Fred Young was an ardent supporter and chronicler of the 18th Battalion. He was very active in the 18th Battalion Association after the war, serving on its executive and being designated as its “poet laureate”. But, perhaps his enthusiasm for his Battalion allowed him to exercise some “poetic... Continue Reading →
September 1915 Casualties: 18th Battalion
The month of September 1915 was the first time the 18th Battalion served in the front-line and it was not until the end of the month that it suffered its first battle deaths. Rank Surname Forename Date of Death Reg. No. Lance Corporal FREW WILLIAM WALLACE 30/09/1915 53227 Captain HALLAM ERNEST WALTER 29/09/1915 Link Private... Continue Reading →
An Enthusiastic Shrapnel Slide: Private Young writes a letter full of irony.
Private Fred Young wrote a letter on February 15, 1916 relating some of his thoughts and experiences as a member of the 18th Battalion, C.E.F. This may well have been the later Sergeant Fred Young who was to become the “poet laureate” for the 18th Battalion after the war. His poetry and efforts as a... Continue Reading →
December 1915 Casualties: 18th Battalion
The month of December 1915 was the full second month of active service for the Battalion and it had come at some cost. This month seven soldiers were to perish from the actions at the front. Rank Surname Forename Date of Death Reg. No. Private CARTHY ERIC 26/12/1915 54209 Private GERBIG JOHN 20/12/1915 53918 Private... Continue Reading →
“We sleep in huts instead of tents…”: A Letter to a Friend.
Percy Harris was an Englishman. Born at Norwich, England on May 1, 1893 he emigrated to Canada some time before his enlistment with the 18th Battalion at Clinton, Ontario on October 23, 1914. He was all of 21 years and 5 months old and he would survive the war with the rank of Sergeant. Perhaps... Continue Reading →
Rifle Grenades Revisited
In a post entitled "The narrow escapes that some fellows have are nothing short of marvellous": A Letter from the Front the, then, Private Caldwell relates in some detail a battle between the 18th Battalion, C.E.F. and it opposite German numbers: "Our last term in the front line was rather exciting. Our bomb throwers had been... Continue Reading →
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 