On the night of July 26/27 men of the 18th Battalion carried out a “minor trench raid”. The weather was “Fine but dull”[i] on that day. In that raid were two men, originals with the Battalion, who both have quite different stories. Private Forrester Private Alfred Forrester, reg. no. 53648[ii] war service started out rather... Continue Reading →
“…of a roving nature.”: Private Archie Turner
Friend after friend departs; Who hath not lost a friend? There is no union of hearts That finds not here an end. Part of a hymn[i] laments for the death of Private Archie Turner. His sister-in-law selected this hymn to reflect on her brother-in-law’s passing. Private Turner enlisted in St. Thomas, Ontario October 23, 1914... 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 →
The Luff Brothers of Chatham
The Luff Brothers[i] of Chatham, Ontario took the approximate 115-kilometer trip to St. Thomas, Ontario to enlist in the 91st Battalion. They joined on the same day on December 6, 1915 and were give sequential regimental numbers. George was the oldest by one year over Harry and had obtained the age of 20 years and... Continue Reading →
Elgin County Soldiers Who Served in the 18th Battalion
The Elgin Military Museum at St. Thomas, Ontario works very hard to preserve and recognize the military history of the men and women of Elgin County. One of the efforts was a transcription by Joseph O'Gorman of the Elgin County Book of Remembrance. This document lists those that served and gives short biographical descriptions of... Continue Reading →
Special Event: 91st Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force ”Elgins Own” in St. Thomas, Ontario
Below are the details of a wonderful initiative taken by a series of volunteers and history buffs of an event to honour the formation of the 91st Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. I have included the details per a document from this group's Facebook page. Many soldiers of the 91st Battalion served with other... Continue Reading →
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 