History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth"
Articles, war diaries, and recognition to the Men of the "Fighting 18th"
History and memory can be tenuous. As time passes and the source of history - the people who experienced the events - fade with each death. With each passing year after an event, be it small or world shaping, there is a loss of the source of information about the event. There are books, archives,... Continue Reading →
The 18th Battalion was nearing the end of its training. As it was formed in the latter part of October 1914 from South-Western Ontario the soldiers were collected in London, Ontario for training. As the Battalion was about to leave for England via Halifax on the S.S. Grampian on April 18, 1915. Thus, the Battalion... 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 →
On April 10, 1919 two news stories about the 18th Battalion were published on page three in the Border Cities Star. One story was about the past, told of a traitor in the 18th who “surrendered” to the Germans in July 1918 while the Battalion was stationed in the Telegraph Hill area in the Arras... Continue Reading →
The war is over. Not long over but the reverberations and attitudes to people considered “others” by Canadian society appears to still be prevalent and on the minds of the general public even at wars end. At least it was important enough to make a page three story in the Border Cities Star published in... Continue Reading →
21-year-old George Marsden woke up on October 22, 1914 in Windsor, Ontario and enlisted in the 18th Battalion and was assigned the regimental number 53264. Also on that day and location a Frank Marsden was to enlists under the regimental number 53263.[i] One of these soldiers had a secret which would affect their military service.[ii]... Continue Reading →
In the August 31, 1915 edition of the Montreal Gazette on page 13 is a news story. Pushed back inside the paper in the Sports Section is a story. The headlines of the day decry: EXPECT SEASON TO SET BAR TO TEUTON’S SURGE: Military Observers Hope That Equinoctial Period Will Limit Forward Movement or MINES,... Continue Reading →
Doing research on Lieutenant Colonel William Frederick Richard Hart-McHarg I happened on this site. Matt Barrett is a historian, animator and caricaturist who also maintains a blog specializing in the colonels of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. The site is well laid out and organized with a lot of content. Each colonel has a short biography... Continue Reading →
Then Captain Samuel Monteith Loghrin wrote a letter dated November 8th, 1914 gives some insight into the activities and responsibilities of an officer in the Canadian Army preparing for embarkation to England for further training and preparation before moving to Belgium to active service in the line. Note the envelope. The post mark indicated the... Continue Reading →
Confidential War Diary of 18th Canadian Battalion 2nd Canadian Division From 1st February to 29th February 1916 Volume 6 Place Date Hour Summary of Events and Information VIERSTRAAT Feb. 1 “B” and “D” Coys in trenches “M” + “N”. Lt. Col. E.S. Wigle acting Brigadier 4th Can. Infy. Bgde. Lieut. RISPIN went to 1st Infy.... Continue Reading →
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 