War Diary of the 18th Battalion CEF
Articles, war diaries, and recognition to the Men of the "Fighting 18th"
Fresh from arriving in England on the next stage of his military journey, having enlisted with the 18th Battalion on October 27, 1914, Corporal Herbert Tripp, reg. no. 53622, a chef, late of Sarnia, Ontario, and a former resident of London, Ontario, writes home to friends in London of his recent experiences in the Canadian... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
The ties between Canadians and the sea-side town of Folkestone, England go back to the First World War. A popular image was of a soldier holding a rifle with a bayonet, advancing in front of the Union Jack with the assurance: “Don’t be Alarmed, the Canadians are on guard at Folkestone”. The impression made upon... Continue Reading →
A series of four news articles from the St. Thomas Times-Journal illuminates the career of John A. Wallace who was an original member of the 18th Battalion[i]. The articles span from November 1914 to October 1915 and offer insights into the life of Wallace, and by extension, the other non-commissioned men of the Battalion. The... Continue Reading →
Introduction The intent of this blog post is to expand upon a series of letters diligently transcribed by the Bruce County Archives entitled Correspondence from Lieutenant Colonel George Whitford Nelson to his sister, Mrs. William Kidd, 1914-1916, A99.058.008. This resource was found during research into this soldier and offers an invaluable insight into the feelings,... 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 →
Sometime in the early spring of 1915 a young man from Pennsylvania with gainful employment with Ingersoll-Rand as a draughtsman took a trip to Philadelphia to inquire with the British Consulate on how best to pursue an engagement with the Imperial Forces so he could participate in the war. The advice led him, with four... Continue Reading →
In the paper En Route to Flanders Fields there is a quote that is currently a mystery: Sergeant Dickson of the 18th Battalion Canadian Infantry was, until enlistment, a pastor at the Methodist Episcopal Church in Cleveland City, Ohio and was invited to lead a service from the pulpit in the Grace Hill Wesleyan Church,... Continue Reading →
On November 17, 1915 the HMHS Anglia was sunk of Folkestone by a submerged mine lain by a German UC series of mine laying submarines. It was the 1st sinking of an Allied hospital ship from enemy action and 134 souls where lost. Two of them were men from the 18th Battalion. From the war... Continue Reading →
Note: This is the Medical Officer's War Diary and offers some many illuminating insights into the life of our Canadian soldiers. Sadly, the war diary has a lot of parts that are illegible and consequently it is very difficult to deduce the writing and the mean there of. Included are the images downloaded from the... Continue Reading →
Note: the war diaries for this month available online are in two parts. One part is the battalion diary kept by the Paymaster with the rank of Captain. As of the date of this entry his name is unknown as his signature is illegible on the form. The second diary to be posted later is... Continue Reading →
War Diary of the 18th Battalion CEF 