November 15, 1893: - Clifford "Ace" Johnston was born to James Johnston and

Isabella Muir Johnston at the family farm in N. Plantagenet Twp., Prescott County, Ontario, CANADA, near the town of Pendleton.

- He was baptized in the Presbyterian Church at Pendleton; his mother, Belle, sang in the choir. Allan Presley, during a conversation with Clifford’s namesake in 1998 remembered Belle as having one of the most beautiful voices in the choir and as being "bright eyed". She was the woman that others looked to for advice and assistance.

- Clifford went to school at Pendleton, working on the family farm before and after school. One of his neighbors, Florence Anderson, fell in love with him, but kept it to herself.

June 28, 1914: - Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Habsburg throne, was assassinated in Sarajevo by Serbians. His military leaders convinced 88-year-old emperor Franz Josef of AUSTRIA-HUNGARY that he had to retaliate against the Serbs.

July 28, 1914: - Austrian artillery opened fire on Belgrade automatically bringing RUSSIA into the conflict as a treaty ally of SERBIA. GERMANY demanded that RUSSIA demobilize.

July 29, 1914: - GREAT BRITAIN advised CANADA to take precautions and to make provisions for a possible war. In Ottawa, Minister of Militia Colonel Sam Hughes made his feelings known that, "The worst feature of the British empire was that it was run by the English. ‘They’re going to skunk it.’ … at 8:55 P.M., Ottawa got the news; Hughes was ecstatic." CANADA was to prepare for war.

August 2, 1914: - GERMANY swept through BELGIUM and attacked FRANCE.

August 4, 1914: - Midnight. The British empire was at war officially as GREAT BRITAIN was treaty bound to assist BELGIUM. CANADA called for volunteers for an Over-Seas Expeditionary Force.

August, 1914: - The UNITED STATES OF AMERICA stayed out of the war, regarding it as a conflict among pompous, senile monarchs. Congress felt that it could not justify wasting the lives of free men from a democratic republic in support of non-democratic kingdoms - this non-involvement became known as the isolation policy.

1915: - The words "shell shock" became a heated topic of discussion. The Medical Corps banned the use of these words.

- The French word "triage" became a part of the English vocabulary. It referred to the practice of sorting the wounded - the salvageable were sent to an English hospital as quickly as possible; the remaining were left to die or heal/recover by chance.

January 19, 1915: - The first German Zeppelin raid on ENGLAND occurred.

February 4, 1915: - GERMANY declared unrestricted U-boat warfare on all ships flying enemy flags.

May 7, 1915: - A German U-boat sank the British liner, Lusitania, sister-ship of the Titanic. 123 citizens of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA died. Overnight the attitude of the U. S. toward the war began to change.

May 23, 1915: - ITALY declared war on AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

June 29, 1915: - Clifford "Ace" Johnston enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force at Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA.
- His regimental number was 89804.
- Canadian soldiers were part of the British army, disciplined by the Army Act and commanded by Sir Edwin Alderson, an English Brit.

July 22, 1915: - Clifford was assigned to the 3^rd Canadian Division, 7^th Brigade,

26^th Battery, Canadian Field Artillery of the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force by Major G. R. Hall, Commander of the 26^th Battery, 7^th Brigade, CFA.
- The 26^th Battery provided artillery support (howitzers) for the:
Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Royal Canadian Regiment, 42^nd Battalion (Royal Highlanders), and the 49^th Battalion (Edmonton).

August, 1915: - In CANADA married men no longer needed permission from their wives to enlist, and enlisted men could no longer buy their way out of the service for $15.
- The war was not popular. Enlistment lagged behind quotas, more so in Quebec than elsewhere. Officers are chosen more by whom they knew rather than by what they knew. Enlisted men lacked confidence in their officers and were openly disgruntled. None were pleased with the British (English) policy of having their officers issued side arms (a pistol). The purpose of the pistol was not to shoot Germans but any of their own soldiers who refused to leave the trenches during a charge, many of which were ill advised and regarded as suicidal by the enlisted men.

August 18, 1915: - Clifford landed with his battery at Plymouth, ENGLAND.
He and his battery camped at Salisbury Plain, ENGLAND, for further training and equiping.
- Typical meals were porridge & tea for breakfast, stew & pudding for dinner and bread, cheese or jam & tea for supper.

September 6, 1915: - BULGARIA joined GERMANY and AUSTRIA in the war.

September 10 - November 18, 1915: - the 7^th CFA was at Otterpool Camp, Kent, ENGLAND - training.

November 19, 1915 - January 16, 1916: - the 7^th CFA was at Napier Barracks, Shorncliffe, ENGLAND - more training.
- January 16, 1916. Note from Part II Orders (daily orders) reads, "Amen Brigade gone to France."

January 16, 1916: - Clifford embarked with the 26^th Battery from Avonmouth, ENGLAND, for St. Nazaire, FRANCE. The unit was, "In the Field".
- He and his battery were moved to Hazebrouck on the Belgian border. It was a two-day journey across FRANCE in cattle cars.

February 3, 1916: - The Canadian Parliament Buildings were destroyed by fire.

March - April, 1916: - St. Eloi Craters. The Canadian 3^rd Division moved up to the German salient just south of St. Eloi. Raids, bombardments, mine explosions, sniping, attacks and counter-attacks were the order of the day. It was an ugly war of attrition, and the Canadians started questioning the competency of several British commanders.
- Major-General Louis Lipsett commanded the Canadian 3rd Division.

June 1 - 14, 1916: - Mount Sorrel, the Ypres Salient battle. The Canadian 3^rd Division with Pvt. Clifford Johnston occupied the only high ground, a hill called Mount Sorrel and the connecting Observatory Ridge.
- June 1. The Germans attacked at night on a front that faced the Canadian 3^rd Division, among others.
- June 2. "From Mount Sorrel to Sanctuary Wood, Canadian trenches and their defenders vanished. German observers saw dirt, trees, weapons, and human bodies hurled into the air. Four mines exploded under Mount Sorrel." The Canadians lost much ground and 8,000 men in the next 10 days. Clifford survived.
- June 12. The Canadian 3^rd Division artillery had regrouped and commenced 5 well-spaced bombardments of the German lines. They had started a new artillery tactic. They would start shelling, stop, wait for the Germans to re-man their lines for an anticipated Canadian frontal attack, and then hit the Germans with another artillery bombardment, effectively raising their kill numbers. The Canadian forces regained the lost ground.
- June 14. The battle ended.

Summer, 1916: - "…a number of officers have been killed or wounded. It seems a hard thing to say but from what we can learn the ones that used the men dirty over here sometimes get ‘accidentally’ shot during a charge…"

June 24 - November 19, 1916: - The Battle Of The Somme. Pvt. Clifford Johnston took part in The Battle of Flers-Courcelette from September 15^th - 22^nd, which included The Battle of Mouquet Farm on September 16, 1916, and the subsequent battles, specifically the Battles of Sugar Trench, McDonnell Trench, and Fabeck Graben.
- September 15 (Friday), 59� F.. The Canadian artillery guns were lined up wheel-to-wheel when they started firing at 6:20 P.M.. The events of September 15 were described by one British (English) observer as a sweeping victory because of the new tanks (the first battle for tanks in a war). As 4 of the 5 tanks were put out of action quickly, and the Germans dismissed the 5^th as a "toy" (it had a top speed of 1� mph), the Canadian Field Artillery should have gotten much of the credit for their effective bombardment; however, British propaganda preferred to minimize all colonial efforts, including those of the Canadian Field Artillery. Civilian spirits and support for the war effort were lagging across the channel, and the exploits of a new "secret weapon" were counted on to help out British morale. English newspapers picked up on the British tanks’ "contribution" and enhanced it for the readers at home. It helped. The Canadian’s took McDonnell Trench and Fabeck Graben, regardless of the tanks.
- 11 German counterattacks caused Colonel T. Tremblay of the Canadian 22^nd Battalion to write in his journal, "If hell is as bad as what I saw, I would not want my worst enemy to go there." (translated from the French)

October 1 - 18. The battle of Transloy Ridge. On October 7, a sunny day with a temperature of 63� F., at 7:00 AM the artillery of the 3^rd Division opened fire. The infantry reached the Regina Trench but had to fall back. The attack was renewed the following day in the rain at 4:50 A.M.. The Germans beat back the Canadian attack. On October 10 the 4^th Canadian Division started to replace the 3^rd Canadian Division.

November 10. The Canadian 4th Division took the ultimate objective, the Regina Trench. By then the Regina Trench was no longer a trench but a shallow ditch, 20 feet wide. Some additional ground was taken, but the Canadians dug in at the Regina Trench.

November 19. The battle ended.
- The Canadians lost 24,029 men. Survivors of the 3^rd Division wore "Somme Patches" - a gray, flannel patch on the shoulder of their jackets. Clifford and his fellow battery survivors had their individual photos taken. His namesake has his photograph with the Somme Patch visible on his right shoulder.

January 31, 1917: - GERMANY proclaimed unrestricted submarine warfare on all ships, enemy and neutral, that were sailing in and out of enemy ports.

February 2, 1917: - President Woodrow Wilson of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA severed diplomatic relations with GERMANY.

February 24, 1917: - Clifford was appointed Acting Bombardier.

March 20, 1917: - Clifford was assigned to the 2^nd Canadian Division, 5^th Brigade, 17^th Battery, In the Field.
- The 17^th Battery provided artillery support for the: 22^nd Battalion (Canadien Francais), 24^th Battalion (Victoria Rifles), 25^th Battalion (Nova Scotia Rifles), and the 26^th Battalion (New Brunswick).

April 6, 1917: - THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA declared war against GERMANY and GERMANY’s allies.

April 9 - 12, 1917: - Vimy Ridge, the battle began on Easter Monday at 5:30 AM, "… as a sudden storm of sleet and snow gusted from the west, almost a thousand guns opened fire. ‘Imagine the loudest clap of thunder you ever heard,’ Lieutenant E.L.M. Burns recalled, ‘multiplied by two and prolonged indefinitely.’"
- British aircraft had been used to spot 83% of the German artillery on the other side of the ridge. Canadian artillery zeroed in on these guns and effectively targeted them for destruction.
- The 2^nd Canadian Division reached its primary objective by 8:00 A.M..
- June 12. The Germans had pulled their line back on the Douai Plain but put up another defensive effort at Givenchy and The Pimple. Eighteen Canadian artillery batteries in driving snow and sleet supported Canadian infantry as they won the battle.
- Canadian losses were 3,598 killed and 7,004 wounded.
- a Paris newspaper described Vimy Ridge as "Canada’s Easter gift to France".

April – May, 1917: The Scarpe (still researching)

April 29, 1917: - An exhausted French battalion with 2/3^rds of its men killed refused to go back to the front to attack. The next day the French shot the "mutiny" ringleaders.

May 3, 1917: - An entire French division refused orders. The mutiny spread so that by June most of the French army was affected. General Henri-Philippe Petain was given command. He corrected grievances about food, leave and quarters. "Courts martial convicted 23,385 mutineers, and sentenced 412 to death. Petain ordered 55 mutineers shot and sent hundreds more to penal colonies."

July, 1917: - In July the Germans had introduced two new weapons, the "…flame-throwers that threw a jet of fire fifty feet or more, and a new gas that smelled of mustard and raised agonizing blisters wherever droplets fell, especially in the crotch, armpits, lungs or wherever the skin was damp." The infamous gas became known as mustard gas. The German scientist Fritz Haber who won a 1919 Noble Prize for pre-war work on nitrates made its discovery. He would later formulate the gas Zyklon-B of World War II infamy.

July 24, 1917: - A leave of absence, In the Field, is recorded for Clifford. The number of days and return to Unit date are unknown (records not researched yet).

August 15 - 18, 1917: - The battle for Hill 70 began at dawn on the 15^th with an artillery barrage, smoke screen from 500 blazing barrels of oil and 10 advancing Canadian battalions.
- The 2^nd Canadian Division’s objective was the south sector of the hill, which had several mining villages.
- By 9:00 A.M. the Germans had launched their first counter-attack, and Canadian "Artillery observers used wireless for the first time to zero in on advancing German columns."
- "Certainly the Canadian artillery suffered heavily. German mustard-gas shells lobbed at the gun positions cost two artillery brigades 178 casualties after gunners had yanked off their masks to see what they were doing. Somehow, the survivors kept the batteries firing."
- August 18. The Canadians stopped the 21^st and last German counter-attack. The main battle was over; however, mopping up continued until the 25^th.
- The exact time frame of the following story is uncertain. There is a family oral history that a German artillery shell exploded wounding Clifford and killing everyone else on his artillery piece during the war. One version had the German shell hitting Clifford’s artillery piece. While on a trip to the Imperial War Museum in London, ENGLAND, in 1998, his namesake saw some photos in the archives of a Canadian field artillery piece that had received a direct hit on the barrel from a German artillery shell. The photo was the only one of its kind from all of the pictures of all of the battles. The battle was Hill 70. According to the story Clifford was knocked unconscious. The Germans overran their position. Several hours or days later the Canadians retook the lost ground. The first infantry men through saw that Clifford was still alive; however, as they had to continue their advance they couldn’t stop to give medical attention to him. In lieu of medical help they affixed a dead German in an upright position with rifles and bayonets so that he pointed toward Clifford who was under a bush or tree. They pinned a note on the dead German and continued on their way. This was a fairly common way of marking the wounded by the Canadians. The next wave of Canadians had medics who rendered assistance to Clifford. In spite of his wounds, Clifford was never sent to a hospital during the war. He may have received his head wound in this battle. The date is uncertain for this injury.
- Canadian casualties were 5,843 men.

September 14, 1917: - Clifford was wounded by shell gas (mustard gas).

July 31 - November 10, 1917: - This includes the First Battle of Passchendaele,

October 12, and the Second Battle of Passchendaele, October 26.
- October 3. The British called the Canadians into The Battle Of Passchendaele - also known as 3^rd Ypres ( pronounced ‘ee-pray’), BELGIUM, to replace Australian troops.
- Canadian General Currie protested as his troops had not recovered from the battle at Hill 70, and he did not like the proposed battle front. The British were in a low swamp while the Germans occupied high, dry ground. He estimated excessive losses of approximately 16,000 Canadians. The British insisted, but agreed to leave the Australian guns in place for the Canadians to use.
- "Canadian gunners reported that of the 250 Australian heavy guns they were supposed to take over, only 227 could be found and 89 of them were out of action. Barely half the 306 field guns farther forward were usable." German snipers picked off 1,500 men before the battle even began.
- Acting Bombardier Clifford Johnston was on the front line from October 26 - November 17, although supposedly in a reserve position until November. Shell gas (mustard gas) fell every day. Germans diverted heavy Gotha bombers designed to bomb London and had them bomb the Canadian troops. Smaller fighter aircraft strafed ground troops whenever the weather allowed. Years afterward family members reported that Clifford would dive for cover whenever he heard an airplane overhead or even saw the shadow of a big crow on the ground.
- October 26. The First Phase. The first Canadian attack by the 3^rd and 4^th Canadian Divisions was launched at 5:40 AM. The 3^rd Division’s objective was the Bellevue Spur, located north of the ravished Valley of the Ravebeek River. The 4^th Division’s objective was the Passchendaele Ridge.
- October 28. 5:50 AM. The second Canadian attack by 3^rd and 4^th Divisions was made.
- October 30. The Second Phase. 5:50 AM. The 3^rd and 4^th Canadian Divisions renew their offensive. The 3^rd Division had not met their initial objectives and were barely hanging on and surviving in German shell holes. The 4^th Division had been successful and gained the heights. They assisted the 3^rd Division now with a 3-pronged attack on the Bellevue Spur. It was a "do or die" battle for both sides. The British units faltered exposing the Canadian flank to deadly enemy fire. The 3^rd Division, 5^th Canadian Mounted Rifles took the initiative and captured the strategic Source Farm for the Brits. The Canadians advanced taking horrible losses, but they did not achieve an outright victory.
- November 3. Saturday. The Third Phase. The 2^nd Canadian Division consisting of the 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th Infantry Brigades relieved the 4^th Canadian Division. The 2^nd Canadian Division, 5^th Infantry Brigade consisted of the 22^nd Battalion (Canadien-Francais), the 24^th Battalion (Victoria Rifles of Montreal), the 25^th Battalion (Nova Scotia), and the 26^th Battalion (New Brunswick). Acting Bombardier Clifford Johnston was with the 2^nd Division, 5^th Brigade, 17^th Battery (Field Artillery), In The Field.
- November 4. The 1^st Canadian Division relieved the 3^rd Canadian Division.
- November 6. The third Canadian attack was started, this time by the 1^st and 2^nd Divisions. The Germans were pushed back and Passchendaele was secured by noon. All that was left of the village was dust and broken bricks. By dusk German counter-attacks had failed, but they still retained control of the slopes east of the village. Fortunately the battle was almost over.
- November 10. The Fourth Phase. The 1^st Canadian Division succeeded in pushing the Germans off the high ground north of the village and onto the plains. The 2^nd Canadian Division had succeeded in pushing the Germans off the eastern slopes. The Canadians had prevailed but at a terrible cost.
- The 5^th Artillery Brigade started the battle with approximately 926 men & were down to 624 by the end of the battle in November.
- Total Canadian losses were 15,654 killed or wounded.
- November 14. British troops replaced the Canadians.

November 8, 1917: - Acting Bombardier Clifford Johnston was promoted to Bombardier, In the Field.
- Bombardier Arthur Webber, #89807, died of wounds. From his regimental number and Clifford’s coincidental promotion, it is a reasonable assumption that they knew each other and possibly were on the same artillery piece. As Webber died from "wounds" it is also possible that Clifford received his head wound at this time. The date is uncertain for this injury.
- RUSSIA announced an armistice with GERMANY.

December 6, 1917: - Bombardier Clifford Johnston was promoted to Corporal, In the Field, with the promotion of Vice Corporal G. Davidson.
- At 8:00 AM in Halifax harbor, CANADA, 2 ships collided. One, the Mont Blanc had 3,000 tons of TNT aboard. At 9:00 A.M. it exploded. The working class end of Halifax was leveled. 1,630 people died and thousands were injured.

January 19, 1918: - "Liberal member of the Quebec assembly, J.N.Francoeur, proposed that Quebec leave Confederation…". The war was not popular at all in CANADA, even less so in Quebec.

January 20 - January 31, 1918: - Corporal Clifford Johnston was sent to a physical training course behind the lines.

January 31, 1918: - Corporal Clifford Johnston rejoined his Unit.

March 21 - April 5, 1918: - The German offensive "Operation Michael" was launched with 2,500 artillery guns and a new infantry assault group called Storm Troopers, the best in the army. In 3 days the Germans regained all of the ground that they had lost since April of 1917 up to the Somme.

March 23 - April 4, 1918: - Corporal Clifford Johnston was granted 14 days leave to Paris, FRANCE.
- March 23. British General Haig commandeered the 1^st and 2^nd Canadian Divisions because of the force of the attack of GERMANY’S "Operation Michael".
- March 26. The Germans continued to advance, severely punishing the British forces. General Haig commandeered the 3^rd and 4^th Canadian Divisions.
- March 28. The British dug in and finally stopped the German drive.
- April 5. Operation Michael ended with the Germans loosing 239,000 Storm Troopers, the French 77,000 men and the British 163,500 men.

March 28, 1918: - Quebec City, CANADA, "…a riot exploded when federal police tried to arrest defaulters…" (draft dodgers).

April 8, 1918: - Currie got back the 1^st, 3^rd and 4^th Canadian Divisions, but not the 2^nd Division.

April 13, 1918: - Corporal Clifford Johnston rejoined his Unit.

May 27, 1918: - Another major German assault was made with few losses for the Canadian Divisions. "When he met Borden, Sir Arthur Currie had an explanation for Canadian immunity: during the winter, his men had worked hard to improve defenses and strengthen the wire entanglements while British generals had built tennis courts."

May - mid-July, 1918: - The Canadian Corps were pulled out of the front lines for two months to rebuild. They had sustained such losses that they were no longer an effective fighting force.

June 21, 1918: - "The new committee agreed that the Dominions would have "a direct voice in the conduct of the war…" British generals would not have the final word anymore.

June 27, 1918: - The Canadian hospital ship, Llandovery Castle, was torpedoed by a German submarine. "Survivors had been machine-gunned in the water: only 24 of the 244 men and none of the 14 nursing sisters aboard were saved."

July 12, 1918: - Sergeant John McQueen Johnston, M.M., Clifford’s first cousin, was killed instantly by a single German sniper’s bullet to the head.
- Moments before his death John had been warned by an officer of the dangers of lighting a cigarette on the front lines while standing up. The lieutenant turned and walked away. He had gotten no further than 15 - 20 feet when John lit up another cigarette and was killed immediately. Clifford confirmed his identity and was told by others who were at the time of the incident standing close to John that his death was instantaneous. After the war Clifford had to retell the events to his aunt and uncle whose only consolation was that John did not suffer.
- Sergeant John McQueen Johnston was buried in a British cemetery at Caix, FRANCE, where he rests to this day.

August 1 - 8, 1918: - 100,000 Canadians, along with 1,000 artillery guns and 100,000 tons of ammunition, moved into the Amiens front from the north, only at night, so as to not alert the Germans of an impending attack. The move was made because the Australians did not want to fight with the French on their flank. The Australians considered the French undependable. They preferred the Canadians even though the Australian and Canadian troops did not get along behind the lines. This put the French on the Canadian flank.
- Just before the battle assault the Canadian officers reminded their troops of the fate of the Llandovery Castle, the torpedoed Canadian hospital ship, and the machine-gunning of the survivors in the water by the Germans. The Canadians were inspired. They would give no quarter and show no mercy.

August 8 - 15, 1918: - Amiens. At 4:20 A.M., in thick fog the Canadian bombardment began with the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd Divisions’ artillery. The 4^th Division was held back until 12:20 PM.
- The Canadians advanced 8 miles. The Australians advanced 7 miles. The French advanced only 5 miles leaving the attacking, Canadian flank exposed to the Germans. The Canadians had to help the French take Mezieres in the French sector so that they could achieve their own objectives.- August 8. The Canadians continued to advance and the French continued to lag. The 3^rd Canadian Division stepped into the French sector and took Bouchoir and Arvillers by 5:00 P.M., once again for self-preservation.
- August 10. The Canadians attacked again and advanced.
- August 15. The battle ended.
- Canadian casualties for the first 4 days were 9,074 to advance 14 miles.

August 26 - September 3, 1918: - Arras. Several running battles took place as the British forces advanced along a broad front. In particular, Clifford took part in the battles of the Fresnes-Rouvroy Line/Canal Du Nord and the Drocourt-Queant Line (the D-Q Line).
- At 3:00 AM the Canadian 2^nd and 3^rd Divisions attacked.
- August 29. The Canadian 1^st and 4^th Divisions along with the 4^th British were in place to attack and took their objective, Buissy Switch.
- September 2. The British 10^th Hussars came in as a relief force, took one look at the battlefield, turned around and left.
- Monday, September 3. The attack was resumed and the Germans retreated behind the Canal Du Nord. 

September, 1918: The British version of mustard gas is used against German troops.

September 1 - 14, 1918: - Corporal Clifford Johnston was granted 14 days leave to SCOTLAND.

September 21, 1918: - Corporal Clifford Johnston rejoined his Unit.

September 27 – October 11, 1918: - Canal Du Nord and Cambrai. (still researching)

September 29, 1918: - King Ferdinand of BULGARIA asked for an armistice after his army collapsed during an Allied attack on the 15^th. von Ludendorff and Field Marshal von Hindenburg of GERMANY demanded an immediate armistice, but the German forces kept fighting.

September 30, 1918: - BULGARIA surrendered.

October 12, 1918: - German Chancellor Prince Max of Baden agreed to withdraw German forces from occupied territory in order to affect an armistice; however, a German U-boat torpedoed the S. S. Leinster in the Irish Sea and 450 people drowned, including some Americans. An enraged President Wilson called off the talks. The war continued.

October, 1918: The British use mustard gas against the German’s 16^th Bavarian Reserve Infantry. One of the German soldiers affected and treated for mustard gas poisoning is an obscure corporal, Adolf Hitler.

October 23,1918: President Wilson told the Allied commanders to arrange a cease-fire. They were not pleased.

October 26, 1918: - The German Kaiser dismissed von Ludendorff who went to SWEDEN almost immediately. General Wilhelm Groener took his place.

October 29, 1918: - The German Kaiser went to army headquarters not knowing what to do. The admirals decided to continue the war and ordered the High Seas Fleet to sea. The sailors mutinied.

October 31, 1918: - TURKEY surrendered.

November, 1918: - By this time the 2^nd Canadian Division had expanded to the following units:
Artillery: 5^th Brigade, C.F.A.
6^th Brigade, C.F.A.
*17^th Field Battery 15^th Field Battery18^th Field Battery 16^th Field Battery
20^th Field Battery 25^th Field Battery
23^rd Howitzer Battery 22^nd Howitzer Battery
2^nd Division Ammunition Column Engineers:
2^nd Brigade, C.E.
4^th Battalion
5^th Battalion
6^th Battalion
2^nd Division Signal Company Infantry:
4^th Infantry Brigade 18^th (Western Ontario) Battalion
19^th (Central Ontario) Battalion
20^th (Central Ontario) Battalion
21^st (Eastern Ontario) Battalion
4^th Trench Mortar Battery
5^th Infantry Brigade
22^nd (French Canadian) Battalion
24^th (Victoria Rifles of Canada) Battalion
25^th (Nova Scotia Rifles) Battalion
26^th (New Brunswick) Battalion
5^th Trench Mortar Battery
6^th Infantry Brigade
27^th (City of Winnipeg) Battalion
28^th (Northwest) Battalion
29^th (Vancouver) Battalion
31^st (Alberta) Battalion
6^th Trench Mortar Battery
Machine Gun Corps: 2^nd Battalion, C.M.G.C.
Army Service Corps: 2^nd Divisional Train, C.A.S.C.
Army Medical Corps: 4^th, 5^th, 6^th Field Ambulances, C.A.M.C.

November 1-2, 1918: - Capture of Valenciennes. (still researching)

November 3, 1918: - The German sailors’ mutiny had spread, and they had  taken over the dockyards.

November 4, 1918: - AUSTRIA-HUNGARY surrendered.

November 9, 1918: - The sailors’ mutiny was now a revolution, had grown and had reached Berlin, GERMANY.
- Corporal Clifford Johnston proceeded to artillery school.

November 10, 1918: - The German Kaiser crossed into HOLLAND and never returned to GERMANY.

November 11, 1918: - 10:55 A.M., Private George Price of the Canadian Expeditionary Force’s 28^th Northwest Battalion was shot in the chest by a German sniper and was dead within 5 minutes. He has the dubious distinction of being the last Canadian soldier killed in battle in WWI.
- 11:00 A.M.. An armistice was declared. The fighting stopped. The war was not all over, but the killing had ceased. Just the paperwork remained. GERMANY had surrendered.

Date unknown, 1919: - Corporal Clifford Johnston had his first seizure as a result of his mustard gas poisoning from a German artillery shell. The seizure is mentioned in his medical records.

January 5, 1919: - A Mrs. M. Johnston of 20 Cowcaddin St., Glasgow, SCOTLAND, was listed as Clifford’s wife and entered on his payroll record as of this date.

March 23, 1919: - Corporal Clifford Johnston was granted 14 days leave, UK, from Le Havre, FRANCE.

March 27, 1919: - Corporal Clifford Johnston was granted permission to marry, Rouen, FRANCE.
- Clifford was listed as Gunner C. A. Johnston.

April 6, 1919: - Corporal Clifford Johnston was retained in ENGLAND for return to CANADA "with dependents".

April 9, 1919: - Corporal Clifford Johnston listed as being with RIPON (Canadian Artillery Ripon Division).

April 26, 1919: - Corporal Clifford Johnston arrived at Rhyl (a town in WALES, and an artillery training station), RIPON.

May 11, 1919: - Corporal Clifford Johnston embarked to CANADA without dependents aboard the S. S. Saturnia from Glasgow, SCOTLAND. His sailing number was 65. It is speculated that the influenza that was running rampant killed his wife and family. No records of them have been found to date (the registers in Scotland, England, Wales, and Ireland have been searched).
- Military records indicate that Clifford got on board the S. S. Saturnia on May 11. Anchor-Donaldson Line records indicate that the ship sailed on May 12 and arrived in Montreal, Quebec, on May 22.
- The Saturnia was an 8,611 gross ton ship, length 456.3 ft. x beam 55.3 ft., one funnel, two masts, twin screw and a speed of 14 knots. There was accommodation for 250-2^nd and 950-3^rd class passengers. Built by C. Connell & Co., Glasgow for the Donaldson Line Ltd., she was launched on 29^th March, 1910. Her maiden voyage started on 11^th June, 1910, when she left Glasgow for Quebec and Montreal, and in August, 1911, she collided with an iceberg near Belle Isle but managed to complete her homeward voyage. Her last voyage started on 12^th March, 1925, when she sailed from Glasgow for Portland. She was sold in December, 1928 and scrapped the following year.

May 22, 1919: - Corporal Clifford Johnston was discharged from the Canadian Expeditionary Force, reason - demobilization.
- He was noted as having a V-shaped scar in the center of his forehead, 1� inches above the eyebrows.

August 27, 1919: - Clifford bought a farm in Clarence Township, Russell County, Ontario, CANADA, consisting of 4 parcels of land of 50 acres, 5 acres, 1 acre, and 5 acres for $2,500 from Eugene Charette.
- Many people advised him to not buy the farm. Land prices were the highest that they had ever been because of the demands of the war for agricultural products. Much of the land was heavily wooded and would be very difficult to clear. Other parts were very low and wet. Clifford was impatient and felt that he could make a go of it. He cut down the trees for useable and sellable wood and proceeded to use his war gained knowledge of explosives to blast the tree stumps out of the ground, clearing the land in record time. The wetland (referred to locally as "muck") produced bumper vegetable crops, and the dry land was farmed. Within 2 years land prices plummeted to below pre-war levels. Unfortunately, the war wounds from mustard gas and a shell fragment to the head took their toll, and he was never able to realize all of his dreams.

December 9, 1920: - Clifford "Ace" Johnston married Florence Robina Anderson.
Both the Anderson and Johnston families had seen the budding romance, and both families did their best to discourage it. It was obvious to most that Clifford was on a very slow but finite journey with death. It did not matter to Florence Anderson Johnston. They had 3 children: Glen, Evelyn and Orville. In October, 1924, Clifford realized that the end was near. He arranged his financial matters, which included signing the farm over to Florence in November. One week later he entered Ste. Anne’s Hospital, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, CANADA, where he spent the next 15 months. He died on the morning of March 2, 1926. He was buried at the Glenburn Cemetery near Pendleton, Ontario, CANADA. Even to the end of her time Florence Johnston never voiced a single regret about her all-too-short marriage with Clifford. She never remarried.