“In Ticklish Places…”: A sniper writes to his Reverend. On December 7, 1915, Private James Parker, reg. no. 54357, having finished having his feet inspected for trench foot, settled down to write a letter to his Reverend, H.H. Bingham while the 18th Battalion was in Divisional Reserve at La Clytte (De Klijte). Source: The London... Continue Reading →
“…it is an old trick of his…”: Sifton’s Actions in a New Light?
Special thanks to Michael Ritchie, the author and caretaker of the blog, Letters From Vincent, from which this material was sources. Lieutenant Eastwood was a member of the 18th Battalion from Peterborough, Ontario and Michael is diligently transcriping the letters from his Great-Grandfather. At 5:15 a.m. on the morning of April 9, 1917 the weather... Continue Reading →
Letters from Vincent
Michael Ritchie is the Great Grand Son of Lieutenant Vincent McCarter Eastwood, MC. He has devoted a significant time and effort transcribing the letters of his family relation at a web site called "Letters from Vincent". This is an important resource as it offers the reader the opportunity to see what aspects of military service... Continue Reading →
Mitigating the Ennui of Trench Life
Romance from the trenches. Below is a story relating to one unknown member of the 18th Battalion who, with his first Christmas in the trenches in 1915, used a unique method to assuage and address his boredom and loneliness. This is related by Lieutenant Harry Anderson Secord during an interview for the CBC Radio broadcast... Continue Reading →
Blog Post by Elinor Florence: Two Letters From France
Elinor Florence has a wonderful blog with information pertaining to her interests about Canadian history and a recent blog post details two distinct letters by a family member of hers that served in the First World War. The juxtaposition of the tone of the two letters is startling and I recommend you read it. Excerpt... Continue Reading →
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 