Confidential War Diary of 18th CANADIAN BATTALION – 2nd CANADIAN DIVISION From 1st December, 1918 to 31st December, 1918 Volume 40 With appendices 1 – 30 Place Date Hour Summary of Events and Information Maps for reference: Marche 9, Germany 1 M, 1 L, 2 L. 1/160,000 attached. Appendix No. 27. 28.... Continue Reading →
“This Colassal Struggle”
William Henry Fenton was relatively “old” soldier of 32-years when he wrote his uncle, Joseph M. White, in February 1916. His uncle forwarded a copy of the letter to the Walkerton Telescope and they felt that some war news from the front would be of interest to its readers. When it is paired with the... Continue Reading →
Pte. Thomas Neill and Hill 70
Used with permission of Iris Russak (www.irisrussak.com) and The Kingston Association of Musuem Art Galleries + Historic Sites Blog. The original article is here (Broken Link). Thomas Neill had joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force along with his brother James in March 1916, when he enlisted with the 111th South Waterloo Battalion. They had completed basic... Continue Reading →
Fritz mush have got his eyes on us…
The letter below is a wonderful example of the process Canadian Expeditionary Force soldiers experienced during the Great War when they were transferred from their training bases in England to active duty with a combat unit on the Continent. Private Frank Allan Westlake had enlisted with the 161st Huron Battalion on January 10, 1916 and... Continue Reading →
Private Charles Bigler, A Dane in the Service of Canada
It was a Friday, the end of the work week perhaps for Charles Bigler when he went to the local recruitment centre in Sarnia and enlisted. He was not the typical man of the 2nd Contingent to enlist. He was not British or Canadian born and he was 12-years older than the average age of... Continue Reading →
Tragically, He Got His Wish…
Edgar Berwick of Kitchener, Ontario was very much the Englishman. A product of his times he emigrated to Canada and worked for the Arthur Pequegnat Clock Factory when war was declared. He enlisted in Galt, Ontario as member of the 18th Battalion listing his trade or calling as a mechanic. He served with a spotless... Continue Reading →
War Diary of the 18th Battalion: November 1918
ConfidentialWar Diaryof18th CANADIAN BATTALION – 2nd CANADIAN DIVISION From 1st November, 1918 to 30th November, 1918 Volume 39With appendices 1 – 26 PlaceDateHourSummary of Events and InformationANICHE G.6.a.7.3 1 Map for reference: 51.A 1/40,000 VALENCIENNES 12 and NAMUR 8 1/100,000, & MARCHES 9 attached. Appendix No. 24, 25, and 26. Battalion Training as per... Continue Reading →
A Stunt?: Lieutenant Eastwood’s Military Cross
Lieutenant Vincent McCarter Eastwood was a young University of Toronto student aged 19 years and 3 months when he enlisted with the 93rd Battalion at Peterborough, Ontario. His uncle, a medical doctor, signed his attestation papers certifying his medical fitness for duty with the Canadian Expeditionary Forces. His father, Vincent Senior, was the Royal Bank... Continue Reading →
New Page at the Blog
A new page has been created at the blog. The page (highlighted in yellow) will be have links to all the monthly war diary transcriptions from April 1914 to March 1919. If they don't exist the transcription is not complete and will come due on the 100th anniversary of the month being transcribed.
The Canadians and the Fall of Cambrai
Following their success at the Canal du Nord, the Canadian Corps could now turn their attention to Cambrai. Situated in the Nord-Pas de Calais region, Cambrai was a key logistical centre that was surrounded by an elaborate network of canals. The area was heavily occupied by a retreating German army who showed no signs of slowing their resistance.
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Faceless No More: Lieutenant Frederick Charles Garland Maund
Lieutenant Frederick Charles Garland Maund. Source: 18th Battalion Facebook Group via member. Lieutenant Frederick Charles Garland Maund was from Kingston and perished on the first day of the attack by the Canadian Expeditionary Force during its involvement at the Somme on September 15, 1916. But for the work of like-minded people dedicated to bringing his... Continue Reading →
War Diary of the 18th Battalion: October 1918
Confidential War Diary of 18th CANADIAN BATTALION – 2nd CANADIAN DIVISION From 1st October to 31st October, 1918 Volume 38 With appendices 1 – 15 Place Date Hour Summary of Events and Information Buissy Switch & Hindenburg Line V.30.b & D Map 51.b. SE. 1 Maps for Reference: 51.b.SE. 1/20,000 51a.SW. 1/20,000 51.A 1/40,000 At 06:00... Continue Reading →
The Deliquency of an Entire Battalion
Baseball was a large part of battalion life. Numerous articles attest to this at this blog. The Battalion played at Folkestone[i], at a Sports Day at Hythe, and during brigade and divisional sports days, amongst other mentions. Baseball was of keen interest to the men of the Canadian Expeditionary Force and the 18th Battalion. So... Continue Reading →
A Postscript to the Memories
I wanted to reflect on the contribution to the Group by Dan Moat with his "Memories" documents. In review, these valuable documents where a series of written memories collected by the 18th Battalion Association in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They appear to be collected by Company Sergeant Major Abbott Ross, D.C.M. and... Continue Reading →
Strong-Point on the Arras-Cambrai Road
In the previous blog post “Tip of the Sword on the Arras-Cambrai Road” one of the positions on the disposition map was conjectured to be a strong-point that was created from an existing structure. Evidence has come to light that indicates that the units of the 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade, comprising the 18th and, possibly... Continue Reading →
Tip of the Sword on the Arras-Cambrai Road
Appendix 16 of the September 1918 18th Battalion War Diary is described as “Disposition Sketch 18th Bn. on the 21st”. It is directly related to Battalion Operational Order No. D.242 dated September 20, 1918 detailing the relief by the 18th Battalion of the 21st Battalion in the “left front-line” on the night of the 2th... Continue Reading →
September 1918 Casualties
Rank Surname Forename Date of Death Reg. No. Private BLOOMFIELD A D 12/09/1918 844064 Private CLARK G M 20/09/1918 651472 Corporal CRIESS LOUIS JAMES 10/09/1918 225548 Private DOLSEN F 15/09/1918 189748 Private DUFFY J F 02/09/1918 844269 Private ELLERY WILLIAM SAMUEL 14/09/1918 54203 Private ENGLISH R 23/09/1918 3131583 Private HIGGINS F 17/09/1918 675969 Private HOPKIN... Continue Reading →
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 