With the outbreak of the First World War on August 4, 1914, guards and pickets from the Canadian Militia were placed along the St. Lawrence River canal system and at public buildings in Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry counties.[2] The following positions were guarded by the militia:[3]
Guard at the Morrisburg lock, Farrna's Point, and Cornwall
On August 8, Lt-Col. Alexander G.F. Macdonald, commanding officer of the 59th Regiment and son of Donald Alexander Macdonald, was appointed to command of all troops on guard duty from Prescott to Cornwall and established his headquarters in Morrisburg. By October, there were 22 officers and 258 men detailed for guard duty on the St. Lawrence Canal Patrol.[4] Men from Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry served on duty along the St. Lawrence and with other CEF Battalions until late 1915, when authorization was given to raise an Overseas Battalion within the counties.
Col. Macdonald, commanding officer of the 154th Battalion
On November 5, 1915, Parliament approved the recruitment of 150,000 more men for the CEF, and on December 1, Lt-Col. Macdonald was asked to form the 154th Overseas Battalion of men from Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry, Prescott, and Russell counties.[5] Macdonald would serve as Commanding Officer, with Maj. W.H. Magwood of the 59th Stormont and Glengarry Regiment serving as Second-in-Command.[6]
Training
Recruitment was conducted throughout the harsh winter of 1915–16, and the officers often used a horse-drawn sled or cutter to traverse the snow-covered roads of the counties. Officers were sent to the major village centers in each county to recruit and the following officers were sent:[7]
Recruiting Locations 1915-16
Location
Recruiting Officers
Cornwall
Capt. G.A. McNaughton Lt. J.R. MacDonald Lt. B.L. Irwin
Alexandria
Capt. J.A. Giles Lt. A.D. McInnes
Maxville
Lt. G.D. Gillie
St. Andrews
Lt. A.H. Wylie
Martintown and Williamstown
Lt. W. Govan Lt. J.A. Raymond
Morrisburg
Capt. E.J. Glasgow
Iroquois
Lt. W. Thwaite
Winchester
Lt. F.S. Broder
Chesterville
Lt. W.J. Baker
Mountain
Lt. W.J. Franklin
Hawkesbury
Maj. J.A. Cameron Lt. D.J. MacDonald
Vankleek Hill
Lt. J.L. Stevenson
Russell
Lt. R.W. Porteous
Throughout the winter, the various village detachments trained as best was possible and on May 31, 1916, the entire Battalion concentrated at Barriefield Camp with 1150 men of all ranks present. At Barriefield, the Battalion was brigaded with the 155th (Belleville-Quite) Battalion and the 156th (Leeds and Grenville) Battalion.
154th Battalion, Barriefield Camp, Ontario, Sept. 13, 1916Pipe Band of the 154th, c.1916
At this time a Battalion Pipe Band was raised and funded by John McMartin. Throughout the summer of 1916, the men trained in camp and conducted marches to Collins Bay and Gananoque before returning to Cornwall on August 23.[8] Upon their return to Cornwall on August 23, the Battalion paraded to St. Lawrence Park where the IODE presented them with a set of colours.[9]
Presentation of colours to the 154th, August 1916
On September 14, 1916, the Battalion, consisting of 27 officers and 928 other ranks, was inspected by Maj.-Gen. F.L. Lessard and pronounced fit for overseas duty.[10] On October 5, the battalion was restyled as the 154th Overseas Battalion, Highlanders in honour of the Scottish history of S,D & G, and was finally ready to proceed overseas.
Overseas
The 154th Battalion boarded the trains at Kingston on October 21, 1916, arriving in Halifax on October 24 and embarking on the HMT Mauretania the night of October 25–26.[11] The battalion docked in Liverpool, England, on October 31 and marched through the pouring rain to Bramshott Camp.
In England, the battalion conducted daily training consisting of physical training, bayonet fighting, squad drill, platoon and company drill, musketry, anti-gas drills, entrenching, field works, and route marching. Men from the battalion were detached to other CEF battalions as reinforcements were required for the front lines.[12]
Throughout their service in England, the 154th Battalion was stationed at Bramshott, Whitley, and East Sandling military camps from November 1916 to January 1917. On January 31, 1917, the battalion was broken up and absorbed into the 6th Reserve Battalion at East Sandling.[13] The officers and men of the 154th Battalion served in combat in the following front line units:[14]
Front-line battalions of the soldiers from the 154th Battalion
Donald Alexander Macdonald was a Canadian politician.
John Sandfield Macdonald, was the joint premier of the Province of Canada from 1862 to 1864. He was also the first premier of Ontario from 1867 to 1871, one of the four founding provinces created at Confederation in 1867. He served as both premier and attorney general of Ontario from July 16, 1867, to December 20, 1871.
The United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry (SDG) is an upper-tier municipality in the Canadian province of Ontario that comprises three historical counties and excludes the City of Cornwall and the Mohawk Nation of Akwesasne. However, both Cornwall and Akwesasne form part of a larger census division named for the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. The municipality's administrative office is located within Cornwall.
Stormont County area 248,608 acres (1,006 km2) is a county in the Canadian province of Ontario.
Glengarry County, an area covering 288,688 acres (1,168 km2), is a former county in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is historically known for its settlement of Scottish Highlanders. Glengarry County now consists of the modern-day townships of North Glengarry and South Glengarry and it borders the Saint Lawrence River.
The Princess of Wales' Own Regiment (PWOR) is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army.
The Brockville Rifles is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. The unit is a part of the 33 Canadian Brigade Group, 4th Canadian Division. It is fifteenth in the order of precedence of Canadian Army Infantry Regiments.
Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. It is part of 33 Canadian Brigade Group, 4th Canadian Division and is headquartered in Cornwall, Ontario.
Chesterville is a village in the township of North Dundas, within the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. It is located north of Morrisburg, west of Cornwall and south-east of Ottawa. The village is situated along the South Nation River.
William Mack was an Ontario businessman and political figure. He represented Cornwall from 1879 to 1883, Cornwall and Stormont from 1886 to 1890 and Stormont from 1890 to 1894 in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal member.
William John McCart was an Ontario merchant and political figure. He represented Stormont in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1902 to 1904 and from 1908 to 1911 as a Liberal member.
John McMartin was a businessman, mining executive and political figure in Ontario, Canada. He represented Glengarry and Stormont in the House of Commons of Canada from 1917 until his death in 1918, as a Unionist Party member.
George Greenfield Macdonell was from a prominent family in Upper Canada. He was the first son of Alexander Macdonell of Greenfield, a nephew of John Macdonell of Greenfield and Donald Macdonell of Greenfield, and a great-nephew of Sir Hugh MacDonell of Aberchalder and John McDonell of Aberchalder.
The Dundas County Militia was a regiment of the provincial militia of Upper Canada that was raised in Dundas County, Ontario, in the 1780s. The battle honours and legacy of the Dundas Militia are perpetuated by the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders.
Jacob Farrand Pringle was a Canadian judge, soldier, and politician in Cornwall.
Alexander George Fraser Macdonald was a Canadian soldier and publisher who commanded the 154th Battalion, CEF during the First World War. He was also a good friend of Sir Sam Hughes.
The Battle of Point Iroquois was a small skirmish fought on the morning of November 8, 1813, as part of Wilkinson's advance up the St. Lawrence towards Montreal. The skirmish occurred on the shores of the St. Lawrence River at Point Iroquois, Dundas County, where the river reached its narrowest point, only 500 yards across.
The Skirmish at Doran's Farm was a small skirmish during the War of 1812 fought during Wilkinson's advance up the St. Lawrence.
The Battle of Hoople's Creek,, was a skirmish fought on November 10, 1813, as a precursor to the Battle of Crysler's Farm.
The Occupation of Cornwall was the capture and occupation of the town of Cornwall following the Battle of Crysler's Farm.
References
↑ "Annex 1B". Official Lineages Volume 3, Part 1: Armour, Artillery and Field Engineer Regiments. Directorate of History and Heritage. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
↑ Patterson, B.Gen. W.J. (1995). Up The Glens: Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Highlanders 1784-1994. Cornwall: Old Book Store Publishing. p.60.
↑ Patterson, B.Gen. W.J. (1995). Up The Glens: Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Highlanders 1784-1994. Cornwall: Old Book Store Publishing. p.60.
↑ Patterson, B.Gen. W.J. (1995). Up The Glens: Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Highlanders 1784-1994. Cornwall: Old Book Store Publishing. p.60.
↑ Patterson, B.Gen. W.J. (1995). Up The Glens: Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Highlanders 1784-1994. Cornwall: Old Book Store Publishing. p.63.
↑ Patterson, B.Gen. W.J. (1995). Up The Glens: Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Highlanders 1784-1994. Cornwall: Old Book Store Publishing. p.63.
↑ Patterson, B.Gen. W.J. (1995). Up The Glens: Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Highlanders 1784-1994. Cornwall: Old Book Store Publishing. p.64.
↑ Patterson, B.Gen. W.J. (1995). Up The Glens: Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Highlanders 1784-1994. Cornwall: Old Book Store Publishing. p.65.
↑ Patterson, B.Gen. W.J. (1995). Up The Glens: Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Highlanders 1784-1994. Cornwall: Old Book Store Publishing. p.66.
↑ Patterson, B.Gen. W.J. (1995). Up The Glens: Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Highlanders 1784-1994. Cornwall: Old Book Store Publishing. p.66.
↑ Patterson, B.Gen. W.J. (1995). Up The Glens: Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Highlanders 1784-1994. Cornwall: Old Book Store Publishing. p.67.
↑ Patterson, B.Gen. W.J. (1995). Up The Glens: Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Highlanders 1784-1994. Cornwall: Old Book Store Publishing. p.67.
↑ Patterson, B.Gen. W.J. (1995). Up The Glens: Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Highlanders 1784-1994. Cornwall: Old Book Store Publishing. p.68.
↑ Patterson, B.Gen. W.J. (1995). Up The Glens: Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Highlanders 1784-1994. Cornwall: Old Book Store Publishing. p.68.
↑ "Annex 1B". Official Lineages Volume 3, Part 1: Armour, Artillery and Field Engineer Regiments. Directorate of History and Heritage. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
↑ Patterson, B.Gen. W.J. (1995). Up The Glens: Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Highlanders 1784-1994. Cornwall: Old Book Store Publishing. p.68.
↑ Patterson, B.Gen. W.J. (1995). Up The Glens: Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Highlanders 1784-1994. Cornwall: Old Book Store Publishing. p.68.
↑ Patterson, B.Gen. W.J. (1995). Up The Glens: Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Highlanders 1784-1994. Cornwall: Old Book Store Publishing. p.67.
↑ Canadian Forces Publication A-DH-267-003 Insignia and Lineages of the Canadian Forces. Volume 3: Combat Arms Regiments.
Meek, John F. Over the Top! The Canadian Infantry in the First World War. Orangeville, Ont.: The Author, 1971.
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