18th Battalion Association[i] Windsor and Detroit Branch *MEMORIES[ii]* Do you remember that just before Christmas (1915) every member of the Battalion received a nice gift package from the people of Windsor. Inside each package was a card showing the name of the donor. You were supposed to sign the card and hand it back in. … Continue reading The Attentions of Miss Mary
Killed in Action
The Greatest Devotion to Duty: Casualties at Passchendaele
The 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade (4th C.I.B.) was engaged at Passchendaele in November 1917. Compared with some other Canadian Brigades and Battalions it was not as heavily engaged but the costs to the Brigade was high. The 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade suffered a total of 1,268 casualties (killed in action and wounded) with 73 men … Continue reading The Greatest Devotion to Duty: Casualties at Passchendaele
September 1915 Casualties: 18th Battalion
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 September 1915 Casualties: 18th Battalion
The Raid at Hill 70
4th Canadian Infantry Brigade Order No. 142 outlined the details of a raid on the German lines in detail. The order specifically directs the Battalion in the intention and actions during the raid and was an important preparatory step for the Battalion, and the other Battalions of the Brigade for the attach on Hill 70 … Continue reading The Raid at Hill 70
August 1917 Casualties
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 August 1917 Casualties
A Mother Found
Private Robert Mitchell Armitage was a little out of his element when he was transferred to the 18th Battalion. Private Armitage enlisted in London, Ontario but was originally born in Montreal, Quebec and listed his “current address” upon attestation as Charlestown, Ohio. This Canadian man who joined initially the 1st Depot Battalion, Western Ontario Regiment … Continue reading A Mother Found
April 1917 Casualties
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 April 1917 Casualties
The Butcher’s Bill: 18th Battalion Killed in Action, September 1916
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 The Butcher’s Bill: 18th Battalion Killed in Action, September 1916
He was loving and kind to all…
On the 7th of May, 1915 in London, Ontario a young 21 year old Herman Aitken, reg. no. 112168 enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force with the 7th Canadian Mounted Rifles. In England he was attached to the Fort Garry Horse on January 2, 1916 and transferred to the Continent to join that unit. It … Continue reading He was loving and kind to all…
“Why, what is the news?”: Underage Soldier Dies Serving with the 18th
"Why, what is the news?" Those words probably reverberated in the vestibule of 696 Ashdale Avenue[1] in Toronto, Ontario one day in early December of 1916. It was a question posed by the mother of Private Charles Duncan Compton as a Toronto Star newspaper reporter followed up on the news of this soldier’s death. His … Continue reading “Why, what is the news?”: Underage Soldier Dies Serving with the 18th
