Vimy Ridge
War Diary of the 18th Battalion: October 1917
CONFIDENTIAL WAR DIARY of 18th CANADIAN BATTALION - 2nd CANADIAN DIVISION From 1st October to 31st October 1917 Volume 26 With appendix A Place Date Hour Summary of Events and Information VILLERS-AU-BOIS 1 Battalion in billets at VILLERS CAMP. Company parades and inspection of rifles & equipment. 2 ors admitted to hospital. Mapes … Continue reading War Diary of the 18th Battalion: October 1917
“Just a hole in the ground…”: Context Matters
I don’t know much about TripAdvisor member “MarkAlles”. His profile is new on this site. He has visited 9 cities and from those visits he has written 13 reviews, 6 of them attraction reviews. The reason he is on my radar is that, quite by accident, I stumbled onto a family member who is quite … Continue reading “Just a hole in the ground…”: Context Matters
100 Years Past: The “Fighting” 18th Battalion Lives!
18th Battalion Facebook member, Ed Wilson, forwarded these three photographs of re-enactors dressed as 18th Battalion soldiers visiting the Vimy Ridge battlefield. Specifically, the photographs of the soldier standing in the field is located in the approximate location of the 18th Battalion's position before the attack on their objectives at Vimy Ridge on April 9, … Continue reading 100 Years Past: The “Fighting” 18th Battalion Lives!
16 Days in the Line: The Death of Private Dorken
He only served 16 days in the front line. For is service he is honoured at the Vimy Memorial and he will not be forgotten. Private Ernest John Dorken joined the C.E.F. on January 4, 1916 in Woodstock, Ontario. It appears that he was one of three sons of the Dorkens that would volunteer for … Continue reading 16 Days in the Line: The Death of Private Dorken
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 The Luff Brothers of Chatham
Blog Updates for September 2016
This past month a focus on the activities of the 18th Battalion with its involvement in the actions that occurred 100 years ago at the Somme was made. Several posts outlining with more detail the events that affected the 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade offered some insight into the actions of the 18th Battalion on that … Continue reading Blog Updates for September 2016
“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
Letter About Vimy: “Of course he was dead so I suppose it didn’t inconvenience him any.”
Stuart Cameron Kirkland was a 33 year old barrister who joined the 91st Battalion at St. Thomas on April 26, 1916. Less then a year later, assigned to the 18th Battalion, he was to participate in the attack on Vimy Ridge where he was wounded. Eventually invalided back to Canada were he served on a … Continue reading Letter About Vimy: “Of course he was dead so I suppose it didn’t inconvenience him any.”
The Attack and Battle of Vimy Ridge
To my recollection, the first time I learned about Vimy Ridge was when my Mother pointed out to me a page notated by my Uncle William Dewar in Pierre Burton's book Vimy. A notation my Uncle made on a page hi-lighting a mention of the 18th Battalion in regards to Sergeant Ellis Welwood Sifton and … Continue reading The Attack and Battle of Vimy Ridge
