4TH CANADIAN INFANTRY BRIGADE NARRATIVE OF OPERATIONS. SOUTH OF SCARPE 26TH, 27TH, AND 28TH AUGUST, 1918.[i] CONFERENCE, DIVISIONAL H.Q. 23RD AUGUST. During the afternoon the G.O.C.[ii] and Brigade Major attended a conference at Divisional Headquarters, ETRUN where proposed operations for the advance South of the SCARPE were outlined. BRIDGE CONFERENCE, BERNEVILLE, 23RD AUGUST. During the... Continue Reading →
“Did I tell you how I got hit? “: A Letter Home to Glamis Ontario
Soldiers letters do not stand on their own. They impart small, discrete, often obscure, snippets of information that connect the writer with the people of his hometown, unit, and his social circle. They can often give clues that lead to a broader understanding of the writer and his experiences during his service. The letters also... Continue Reading →
War Diary of the 18th Battalion: August 1918
Confidential War Diary of 18th CANADIAN BATTALION – 2nd CANADIAN DIVISION From 1st August to 31st August, 1918 Volume 36 With appendices 1 – 15 PlaceDateHourSummary of Events and InformationG.H.Q. RESERVE PISSYMap Sht. 62.M.1 Battalion moved off, in battle order, to attend Tank Demonstration. “A” Coy. participated in afternoon. Remainder observed demonstration. Lieut. M.R. Sloan returned... Continue Reading →
Rest Easy Uncle John
You look like you filled out and put on weight in your uniform in the picture. You stand slightly cocked to one side beside your brother, which makes you appear shorter than your brother more than the 2 and ¾ inches between you. Perhaps a year’s worth of training allowed your 19-year frame to grow... Continue Reading →
August 1918 Casualties
August 1918 will be the worst month for men killed in action or died or wounds during the entire war. 131 soldiers would perish in this month, the vast majority were killed in action. On August 8, 1918 the War Diary records an action in which "...approximately 30 killed and 120 wounded were sustained in... Continue Reading →
HE GAVE HIS LIFE FOR HIS COUNTRY
So states the epitaph on a gravestone at plot IV. F. 14. at the Wancourt British Cemetery south-east of Arras. The death of Private Heny "Harry" Jack was unusual as he became a prisoner and from that moment his fate would be unknown until later and his family, especially his parents, Alex and Gertrude of Paisely,... Continue Reading →
Taken Prisoner: The action at Telegraph Hill near Arras
July 1918 found the 18th Battalion in the Arras Sector. The threat of Operation Michael in March had passed and the Battalion found the first of this month in an extended stay in reserve from the 1st of July to the 14th in the Latre-St-Quentin area. During this extended period 14 officers and 150 men... Continue Reading →
In Memory…
Private John Taylor Dewar, 730016 D Company, 4th Battalion, Western Ontario Regiment Canadian Expeditionary Forces Died of Wounds on April 3rd, 1918 at No. 2 Canadian Field Ambulance sustained on April 1st, 1918 at Telegraph Hill, Arras Sector 4th Battalion War Diary Entry: April 1, 1918 Battalion relieved 1st Canadian Battalion in the TELEGRAPH HILL... Continue Reading →