History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth"
Articles, war diaries, and recognition to the Men of the "Fighting 18th"
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 →
In the early 1970s the last members of the 18th Battalion Association, purportedly the first post-Great War battalion association formed in Canada, was winding down. The number of members had declined due to age and many of these men, now in their 80s, wanted to put together a series of memories to share amongst themselves.... Continue Reading →
18th Battalion Association[i] Windsor and Detroit Branch *MEMORIES[ii]* I would like to pay a special tribute to Capt. Dick Shuttleworth, another of our splendid officers who never forgot the men who served with him in France and Belgium, many under his own command. When some of our members go to Westminster, they often call and... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
ConfidentialWar Diary of 18th CANADIAN BATTALION - 2nd CANADIAN DIVISION FROM 1st August to 31st August 1917 Volume 24 With appendicis 6 - 13 PlaceDateHourSummary of Events and InformationMap reference, 36B Edition 6, 1/40,000. BOVIGNY 1st. R.19.central.1 18th. Canadian Battalion at BOVIGNY village in billets, the Brigade being in Divisional Reserve. Owing to heavy rain,... Continue Reading →
October 1917 found the 18th Battalion in the Vimy Sector engaged in working parties. A review of the War Diary for this month does not find any mention of any action in which Privage Swan was involved in that may have caused his death. His service records as of the date of this posting are... Continue Reading →
Casualties from August 1917. Not all the soldiers died in the field or in action. Several of the soldiers listed here died in Canada after receiving wounds in action and returning. Surname Forename Rank Reg. No. AIKIN DAVID Private 880497 ALLEN HENRY Private 158529 ARNOLD MARK Private 53770 BARTLEMAN SCOTT Private 730043 BEAUDIN ELIE Private... Continue Reading →
Link to November 1916 War Diary Transcription November found the 18th Battalion approximately 50 kilometers from the hell that was the Somme. Now located in the Lens Sector in the vicinity of Bully-Grenay the Battalion was able to find relative rest and recuperation after the actions of September and October. The first part of the... Continue Reading →
April 1917 is a historical focal point in Canadian history. The Battle of Vimy Ridge is lauded over every year as a seminal moment in Canada's history and from this author's point of view the attention is well deserved. The battle was effectively fought and realized its aims with dash and elan. There were problems... Continue Reading →
September 1916 was a particularly bloody month of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. During the 30 days of September 1916 the Canadian Army suffered 4,759 deaths. The Canadian Army was transferred to the Somme and took part in that battle. Of the 4,759 Canadian soldiers killed in action 111 of them were from the 18th Battalion.... Continue Reading →
March 1917 involved 1,036 casualties resulting in death. Of those 11 where of the 18th Battalion. Rank Surname Forename Age Date of Death Reg. No. Additional Information Corporal BUCK ARTHUR LAWRENCE 28 24/03/1917 124539 SON OF FREDERICK WILLIAM BUCK AND ELLEN BUCK, OF 6, RICHMOND TERRACE, NORTHGATE, PONTEFRACT, YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND. Private BUCKLEY JOHN... Continue Reading →
100 years ago today Private James Benjamin Brodie, reg. no. 53776 died of wounds he sustained to both legs. A poignant reminder of his existence is his will. It reads: Will Pte. J.B. Brodie. no. 53776 In the event of my death I leave all that is due me to my Wife Esther Brodie 160... Continue Reading →
On November 28, 1917 Lieutenant McLean, a banker from Montreal Quebec, was on duty as a member of the 3rd Canadian Divisional Ammunition Column. The day had started out with a frost but was characterized as a "fine day" in the Unit's War Diary. McLea, with 200 pack mules had collected ammunition at "B" Dump... Continue Reading →
There will be a post that will be generated on November 11, 2015 commemorating the personnel of all branches of Canada’s military that served and died on November 11th during World War 1. Of these soldiers there are two 18th Battalion soldiers that died on the last day of the conflict. These men are Privates... Continue Reading →
14 soldiers of the 18th Battalion were killed in action or died of wounds in April 1916. Compare this to the 22 officers and 658 other ranks who became casualties in one action of the Newfoundland Regiment at Beaumont-Hamel on July 1, 1916. Rank Last Name First Name Age Date of Death Reg. No. Private... Continue Reading →
June 1916 was, sadly, a notable month for C.E.F. casualties. 3,334 service people were killed this month. 19 of them belonging to the 18th Battalion. Of note: 489375 Private Fred Storey was only 16 when he died. Last Name First Name Age Killed Rank Reg. No. BIRKS J 06/06/1916 Private 409544 CUNNINGHAM R, DCM 20... Continue Reading →
Of the 652 Canadian combatants that were killed in action or died of wounds 9 sacrificed their lives. Rank Surname Forename Date of Death Reg. No. Private BOUTILIER N W 10/05/1916 488677 Private CLARK W 14/05/1916 415552 Private DUDLEY WILLIAM HOWARD 10/05/1916 404827 Private GILBERT P S 11/05/1916 53233 Private HUMPHREYS JOHN 13/05/1916 413050... Continue Reading →
Of the 1,067 Canadian combatants who died during April 1916 29 were members of "The Fighting 18th." Links are the Library Archives Canada regimental number page. Some of those entries have service records at date of posting this blog post. Rank Surname Forename Decoration Date of Death Reg. No. Private DREW ALFRED HENRY 02/04/1916 402060... Continue Reading →
CONFIDENTIAL WAR DIARY of 18th Canadian Battalion 2nd Canadian Division From 1st April to 30th April 1916 Volume 8 With appendices 1 -3 Place Date Hour Summary of Events and Information CLYTTE April 1 10:00 AM Battalion in Divisional Reserve at LA CLYTTE. B coy and 2 platoons of D coy moved to hold trenches... Continue Reading →
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 