This wonderful die-cut 1918 Christmas card was sent by one of the 92 officers that made up the 1st Canadian Tank Battalion in 1918. The officer, whose initials were either “I.H.J.” or “V.H.J.”, extended his best wishes for the season and thanked the recipient for the socks.
The officers, recruited entirely from Canadian Universities, and 716 men arrived in Britain aboard the S.S. Cassandra on June 21, 1918 and eventually made their way to the Imperial Tank Training Camp at Bovington in Dorset. The Battalion was preparing to leave for France when the Armistice was signed and so the 1st Canadian Tank Battalion never did see action on the Western Front. The majority of men, along with those from the 2nd Canadian Tank Battalion that had recently arrived from Canada, would remain in England until May 1919.
Categories: Christmas at the Front
Very cool, my grandfather was a part of the 1st Tank Battalion.
That’s very cool Conor … thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Cheers, Steve.
Hi! I made it to your site when doing some research on a book I purchased outside of Charleston SC. It was a copy of Treasure Island and the name handwritten in the front was Watts F. Linderman (based on the age of the book, it was likely purchased for him when he was about 10). A little bit of research led me to his Canadian Military records and his service in 1st Tank Battalion of the Canadian Tank Battalion of WWI. Fascinating stuff!
That’s great Carol! I have a lot of second-hand books and have always enjoyed the stamps, scribblings and other annotations. These books have had a life of their own and it’s great to learn more about its original owner. Thanks very much for sharing your story.