18th Battalion Association[i] Windsor and Detroit Branch *MEMORIES[ii]* Some time ago, we read of the passing of an 82 year old woman named Lahoud. We remembered her as the operator of a large rooming house at the corner of Windsor Avenue and Chatham Street during the first war. Among her roomers were Andy Galbraith, Jock... 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 →
Apparently, it is an actual hell out there at times: The Letters of Sergeant Wallace
A photograph of 18th Battalion soldiers training. These soldiers are are members of "C" Company. Sergeant John Wallace stands at the ready with a Ross Rifle and Bayonet with other members of his company. He is standing front row, 3rd from the right. Lance-Sergeant Sifton, VC, is standing to the extreme right with the tip... Continue Reading →
Untold Misery Has Been the Harvest Now: The Letters of Major George Whitford Nelson
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 →
Our Boys Were Certainly No Angels
Introduction The role of an Assistant Provost Marshal is basically the Chief of Police for a military unit or encampment. Keeping control of the approximately 15,000 troops from all branches of the Army in the 2nd Division was a very real challenge. The “boys” being young, many far from home, but conversely many native... Continue Reading →
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 