Year: 1918

Commanding Office Sparling addresses the 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion Western Ontario Regiment thanking them for their service and extending his heartiest wishes for a prosperous and Happy New Year. The men are given the day off from their usual training routine. Instead the day is devoted to organized games and sports. The next day the men are back to training. Training included physical fitness, target shooting in trenches ( Butt Party where men stationed in trenches would hold up target signs ) , passing thru a tear gas chamber, and night marching using prismatic compasses. On the 14th 800 men attend a concert put on by the YMCA at Cinema Division. The Battalion heads back to the front on the night of the 22nd to relieve the 43rd Division at subsector St Emile near Cite St Pierre. To the end of the month the men spend significant time patrolling and reconnoitering no mans land for trip wires and enemy positions. The enemy is active on a number of night and on the 25th four men are wounded while out on one of these patrols. And what do you know? The Americans are starting to show up – finally. Yes, an American captain shows up for a few days of duty to learn what fighting on the Western front is all about. Well I guess better late than never.

The men remain in support in Cite St Pierre. This involves a number of tasks such as building a machine gun emplacement, construction of gas proof frames and curtains in their billeting area, transporting ammunition, and mostly trench improvements. Three hundred men are digging a new trench. The men are then relieved for a week before returning again to the front line on the 16th. This time they are back in familiar territory at Hill 70 near Loos. This is still an active area. The nights of the 18th thru the 20th are full of adventure. First a wring party is sent out, but promptly met by enemy machine gun fire. They quickly retreat, but without their leader who is assumed dead. Then the Germans put down intense trench mortar and pineapple (grenade) barrage and flatten a trench leading to one more death and seven wounded. The Canadians retaliate with 18 pounders, trench mortars and machine guns. The Germans could be heard screaming and groaning in their trenches. A Canadian is killed during one night of fighting. Another American shows up for Canadian War Lessons – this time a Lieutenant. The Germans try a surprise raid on a Canadian post but are taken by surprise by a returning Canadian wiring party. Fighting ensues resulting in one Canadian taken prisoner and one German left dead on the parapet in the Canadian trenches. Two other Germans are killed and a number wounded. One Canadian is missing and four are wounded . This is crazy. The Battalion is finally relieved, but there is no rest. The Germans start bombing Loos. On the last day of February the men are told to expect more bombing and to be on alert. The warning is merited. The Germans bomb Loos heavily. One more Canadian is killed in the bombardment.

The men remain in Brigade reserve at Hill 70 near Loos. Things are quieting down a bit, but enemy aircraft are still active with artillery fire. There is a heavy bombardment the night the Battalion is being relieved by the 10th Canadian Infantry Battalion. Corporal Dixon and his battalion march to billets in Bully Grenay just south of Loos and north of Arras. Reserves arrive, first 100 men from the 160th Bruce Battalion, and are trained in the usual things: physical, bayonet fighting, marching with respirators on, anti-gas equipment . The 7th Tank Battalion is also stationed at Bully Grenay. One of their Lieutenants gives a lecture , I assume on the use of tanks in the war. This is the first mention of tanks in the War Diaries of the 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion battalion. The 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion then play a football ( soccer) match against the Tank Battalion and lose 3-1 . Four Russian members of the Battalion are sent to the Canadian Corps Reinforcement Camp. This might be because Russia is no longer at war. The treaty of Brest-Litovsk is signed on March 3rd, 1918. I won’t go into all the history here, except to say that this has freed Germany from its involvement on the Russian front. As a result the Germans are moving resources to the Western front. What is is called the German Spring offensive is beginning. Also of note, is that on the 9th Daylight Savings time is implemented. The war was using up a lot of coal, and moving the clocks ahead was supposed to reduce the need for coal in the evenings. Think about Corporal Dixon the next time we move to Daylight Savings Time. The men move back into action on Hill 70. Things are active for a couple of nights, but the Battalion is quickly pulled back. They are moved to billets at Neoux Les Mines, but are told to be ready to move at any time due to situation Cambrai. Yes the German Spring Offensive has begun. Next the battalion moves to Mt St Eloi huts in Villiers des Bois. While there 100 men go to see a production of the Dumbells put on by the YMCA. Then the following night all 943 men are on the march at midnight. First they take busses , but then they are loaded on 36 Lorries. They spend 3 hours the following afternoon lying in a field. They then move forward to Dainville just west of Arras. I am not sure what is happening . They seem to be moving all over the place looking for the Germans. On the 30th they move into action in a funk hole Ficheux Telegraph Switch – relieving a Scottish battalion – the 9th Gordon Highlanders. That morning they immediately face three heavy barrages that result in four men being wounded. The constant change continues on the 31st as the men are relieved by the 4th Battalion. The Battalion moves back into Brigade Support. This is the first part of the German Spring Offensive – known as Operation Michael. The Germans are in a rush to make things happen before the Americans arrive in full force.

The men remain in Brigade support to start the month. The enemy artillery is very active using shells of various size calibers. Five men are wounded. One man is wounded by a self inflicted gunshot. The Battalion moves back into the frontline itself on the 4th. Right away they are met with all kinds of dangers. The Germans are throwing everything at them. Machine gun fire, bombing, sniping, 8 inch Hows, 6 pineapples thrown over, whiz bangs. More men are wounded. The next morning things are even worse. They are facing minenwerfers, and then look up to see 100 German soldiers attacking, running towards them about 500 yards away at this point. They allow the Germans to come closer. At 175 yards they open fire with the Lewis Guns and rifles. This causes the advancing Germans to split up into groups of 5 or 6 each. At 100 yards as the Canadians continue with the gunfire. The Germans start to fall. Others turn around and run. The German attack is repelled. It is estimated at least a third of the 100 have been killed. There are casualties on the Canadian side as well: 7 killed and 15 wounded. The men are relievex on April 6th. They take a train from Agny that takes them on a 3 hour ride to Warlus. In Warlus the heroes are rewarded with a hot meal, war blankets, dry socks and rum. They then march four hours to Durham Camp – Mont St Eloy. Once again they are told to be ready to move at an instants notice. Fortunately that doesn’t happen and the men stay at Durham camp for a few days. Excitement on the 10th as a newer model German plane is hit by a bullet causing damage to its water pump. The plane crashes in Durham camp and the German pilots and the plane are taken prisoner. The Battalion moves on the 11th to what is called Victory Camp – near Saint Catherine. ( there is a cemetery their now – the Anzin St Aubin British Cemetery) The area is active. Both sides have observation balloons up trying to figure out what each other are up to. But again the situation is fluid and the men are given new marching orders. They march via St Nicholas and Athies to Flanders Camp. ( this Flanders Camp is in Ecurie, France in the Pas de Calais area.) The enemy is active as they move into action on the 13th, but very quiet the night of the 14th before facing a lively strafe of 4.1s at 8pm followed by whiz bangs for an hour. Both sides artilleries are active until midnight. This continues on the 15th when two men are killed. They move back into a support position on the 16th. While in support the men are involved in working parties digging Stokes support, and digging Effie line, Effie Switch and Caroline trench. These trenches are in the Fampoux sector close to Arras. Being on a working party did not ensure safety as you were still subject to artillery shelling. On the 18th four men on working parties are wounded. The men then move to relieve the Third Canadian Infantry Battalion on the night of the 20th/21st. Relieving another battalion was never a safe manoeuvre. The war didn’t stop to allow the other side to make these Battalion changes easily. During relief that night the enemy opened a very heavy strafe that extended into the area of the 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion . One man is killed and 8 others are wounded. One of those wounded men is our Corporal Robert Dixon.

You could say that Corporal Dixon’s luck had finally run out. After having escaped being among the many wounded or killed at Vimy Ridge, Loos or Passchendaele a bullet finally finds his left leg . His Right leg takes some shrapnel . On the other hand you could say the Gods were still with the adventurous young English Canadian . He could easily have been killed like one of his colleagues was that morning. He could have taken the bullet somewhere else on his body close to a vital organ with serious repercussions. Not that a GSW wounds to both legs are any laughing matter and would not come with immense pain. But after 15 months on the front lines in one of the deadliest wars ever, maybe this was a godsend. Maybe it was time for Corporal Dixon to head home. The stretcher bearers move him through the trenches away from the front line. A horse drawn Canadian Field Ambulance (CFA on the forms) transports the wounded teamster to Casualty Clearing Station #42 (CCS#42 on the forms) which was in Aubigny en Artois. From there Corporal Dixon is transported by hospital train north to the English Channel. The Hospital Ship Stad Antwerpen then ferries Corporal Dixon across the English Channel. Once in England he is again transported by train north. He is on the outskirts of London on April 26th five days after being shot. There he makes a quick stop at Canadian Camp Witely in Surrey to be assessed and triaged. Corporal Dixon is then sent to the Princess Club Hospital in Bermondsey London where he is admitted on April 26th. Here he is treated for a thru and thru gunshot wound to his left leg ( note the Princess Club Hospital in Bermondsey no longer exists – it was at 106 Jamaica Road ) A through and through GSW again sounds lucky, but that doesn’t mean the bullet passed through his leg without hitting anything. It would definitely hit muscle and possibly some bone before exiting. Yes it could have been worse – but Corporal Dixon wouldn’t be walking in a park anytime soon.