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 →
Announcement: Re-Release of Ordinary Heroes: Eastern Ontario’s 21st Battalion C.E.F. in the Great War
Having to admit a bias before I write this post... The work the people have done to preserve this history of the 21st Battalion, CEF, at their web site and Facebook Group is something I covet. The detail, depth, and consistent and unrelenting passion to insure that this part of our heritage is kept alive... Continue Reading →
Lieutenant Walter Garlick Worth’s Photographs
The Worth family has quite a history and some rare photos of one of their members brings part of his recuperation after being wounded a Vimy Ridge into a sharper focus. Walter Garlick Worth was part of a family that was industrious. His father, Dyson, was involved in the yarn industry, beginning at the ripe... Continue Reading →
“Did I tell you how I got hit? “: A Letter Home to Glamis Ontario
Soldiers letters do not stand on their own. They impart small, discrete, often obscure, snippets of information that connect the writer with the people of his hometown, unit, and his social circle. They can often give clues that lead to a broader understanding of the writer and his experiences during his service. The letters also... Continue Reading →
A “Soldier of Fortune” Returns…
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 →
“…we cannot buy a candle or any thing to eat…”: Letters from Lance-Corporal Parker
On January 24, 1916 a man from Hastings, Ontario enlisted with the 93rd Battalion, so beginning his military career. We have one postcard and three letters from his overseas service, and they give us the opportunity to look a bit deeper into the war experience of Private John Edward Parker (reg. no. 195573).[i] Private Parker... Continue Reading →
Remembering my Great-Grandfather, and the Battle of Vimy Ridge
100 years ago today, my great-grandfather, Russell Emerson Poste, joined 100,000 other Canadians in capturing Vimy Ridge.
Early in the morning on Easter Monday, April 9, 1917, the Battle of Vimy Ridge began. For the first time in the First World War, all four Canadian divisions fought on the same battlefield. They progressed quickly, and by April 12, the entire ridge was under Allied control. With the capture of Hill 145, the highest feature on the ridge, the operation was considered a resounding success. The ridge remained in Allied hands for the duration of the war. The victory at Vimy Ridge did not come without cost: Canadian casualties reached 10,602, of which 3,598 were killed.
Russell Emerson Poste had enlisted in the 18th Western Ontario Battalion when he was only 17 years old. He fought in the trenches alongside his brothers, Ernest and Arthur. Unlike so many, all three came…
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18th Battalion Association Event Circa 1940
A recent contribution to the 18th Battalion Facebook Group brought a candid photograph of two members of the 18th Battalion to life. The photograph is from an event circa 1940 and it is evident that it, most likely, an event related to the 18th Battalion association. The two men prominent in the photograph are Sergeant... Continue Reading →
First Galt Daily Reporter Employee to Be Wounded
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 →
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 →
“We Kingsville boys…”
A letter published in the November 4, 1915, edition of the Kingsville Reporter relates some of the experiences of Private "Harry" Sirverns, late of Kingsville, Ontario. The letter covers the early experiences of the 18th Battalion as it goes into the line and furnishes another lens from a foot soldier of the war from his... Continue Reading →
“Scouts should be picked men…”
On August 4, 1915, the London Advertiser published a picture on page 3. In this picture was the image of seventeen young men who were scouts for the 18th Battalion. The photograph appears to be taken in England as the Battalion was in training at West Sandling, near Hythe, Kent. In this picturesque and bucolic... Continue Reading →
Eager to Get Over There: Private Drinkwater’s Desire
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 →
“UNUSUAL VIEWS OF SHORNECLIFFE”: Familiar sights to the men of the 18th
A faded article in a local paper from over 100-years ago. The fades images do not offer much in the way of information as they lack detail and definition. The text offers some information about the images, but the locale is not known to many of the residents of Galt, and yet, there would be... Continue Reading →
“The boys promise to be home for Christmas in 1916.”: A letter from December 1915
On December 21, 1915, the Galt Daily Reporter reported that the 18th Battalion was in the front line based on letters dated November 30, 1915, from the “boys of the 18th Battalion”. The letter gives some perspective of the attitudes of the soldiers of this unit, thought, sadly, none of the “boys” who wrote the... Continue Reading →
The War Begins
The pace in rural Ontario was slower than the cities. An illustration of this was the manner in which the printer media could inform its readers of significant events. The First World War started on August 4, 1914, and the Vancouver Daily Province newspaper declared, “Britain and Germany Now at War” on that very date.... Continue Reading →
“Hale and Hearty”: Lucknow Ontario Veterans Return Home
100 years ago the Wingham Advance published an article about returning soldiers. In May 1919 just over a dozen veterans of the First World War from the Canadian and American Forces returned home. The articles that nearly all of them had been wounded but that they "...have recovered and are looking hale and hearty now."... Continue Reading →
A “most cherished souvenir”: A Request for a Memorial (Silver) Cross
On May 4, 1950, a letter was written to the Department of Veterans Affairs the illuminates the pride of service of a soldier of the 18th Battalion. This letter brings into relief the role of memory and how it shaped a family in bereavement as they wished to have tangible recognition of a loved one’s... Continue Reading →
