1st Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles, CEF | |
---|---|
Active | 1914–1920 |
Country | Canada |
Branch | Canadian Expeditionary Force |
Type | Mounted Infantry |
Role | Mounted Infantry, Infantry |
Size | One Regiment / One Battalion |
Part of | 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade |
Battle honours | Mount Sorrel; Somme, 1916; Flers-Courcelette; Ancre Heights; Arras, 1917, '18; Vimy, 1917; Hill 70; Ypres, 1917; Passchendaele; Amiens; Scarpe, 1918; Hindenburg Line; Canal du Nord; Cambrai, 1918; Valenciennes; France and Flanders, 1915–18 |
Insignia | |
Battle patch |
The 1st Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles, CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Army. Raised for service during the First World War as part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), it was formed in November 1914, in Brandon, Manitoba. Originally a mounted infantry unit named the 1st Regiment, Canadian Mounted Rifles, CEF, which was expanded, following its rerolling and dismounting as an infantry unit, by absorbing other units of the Canadian Mounted Rifles (CMR). [1] [2]
Following the outbreak of the war, the Canadian Government decided to raise an initially volunteer force for service overseas, with the force to be known as the Canadian Expeditionary Force. As a unit of this force, the 1st Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles was formed on 7 November 1914 in Brandon, Manitoba.
Part of the 1st Brigade Canadian Mounted Rifles, the unit landed in France on September 22, 1915, where the conditions of the Western Front made its mounted status more of a hindrance than a benefit. On January 1, 1916, both CMR brigades (six regiments) were dismounted, converted to infantry and reorganized as the 8th Infantry Brigade (four battalions). The 1st Regiment, CMR, became the 1st Battalion, CMR, [3] and it absorbed half the personnel of the 3rd Regiment, CMR (the other half going to the 2nd Battalion, CMR). [4] The battalion fought in most of the 3rd Canadian Division's engagements until the end of the war. The 1st CMR, along with the 4th CMR, was manning the 3rd Division's front on June 2, 1916, when the Germans launched their assault at the outset of the Battle of Mount Sorrel. Its positions were overrun, and 557 of its 692 members (80%) were killed, wounded or captured. [5]
The battalion was rebuilt over the summer, and it was one of the first Canadian Corps units to attack when the corps shifted to the Somme. On September 15, 1916, the 1st CMR was in the first wave attacking Mouquet Farm. Although the attack gained ground, the Canadians did not take the strong point, but the assault was considered a successful diversion from the main attack on Courcelette. [6]
At Vimy Ridge the 1st CMR took 350 prisoners but suffered 365 killed and wounded. [7]
Following the end of the war, and efforts of demobilisation, the battalion was disbanded on November 15, 1920.
Perpetuation of the 1st Battalion, CMR, was initially assigned to the Manitoba Mounted Rifles and The Saskatchewan Mounted Rifles. The Manitoba Mounted Rifles converted to artillery in 1946 as the 118th Medium Battery, RCA (in Fort William, Ontario) [8] [9] and this battery was virtually disbanded (see Supplementary Order of Battle) in 1965. [9] The Saskatchewan Mounted Rifles merged with the 16th Canadian Light Horse into the 16th/22nd Saskatchewan Horse in 1936, which converted to infantry in 1941 as the Battleford Light Infantry (16th/22nd Saskatchewan Horse). This regiment merged into the Prince Albert and Battleford Volunteers in 1946, which in turn became part of the North Saskatchewan Regiment (Machine Gun) in 1955. This infantry regiment (now simply "The North Saskatchewan Regiment") continues to perpetuate the battle honours and traditions of the battalion. [3]
The South Alberta Light Horse (SALH) is a Canadian Army armoured reconnaissance regiment of the Canadian Army Reserve. It traces its complicated lineage to the Rocky Mountain Rangers, and claims its direct ancestry to the 15th Light Horse, along with various other Alberta based cavalry units. The "Light Horse" designation comes from its light cavalry and mounted infantry origins.
The North Saskatchewan Regiment is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army, headquartered in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, with companies in Saskatoon and Prince Albert. Its current commanding officer is Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Graver, and the Regimental Sergeant-Major is Chief Warrant Officer Jason Balcaen. The N Sask R is part of the 3rd Canadian Division's 38 Canadian Brigade Group, with the regiment's mission task as of 2024 being to provide direct fire support.
The 20th Battalion, CEF was a unit of the First World War Canadian Expeditionary Force.
The Royal Regina Rifles is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. Prior to 1982 the regiment was known as The Regina Rifle Regiment. The Royal Regina Rifles are part of 3rd Canadian Division's 38 Canadian Brigade Group.
The 19th Alberta Dragoons was a cavalry regiment and later an armoured regiment of the Canadian Militia and later the Canadian Army. It was placed on the Supplementary Order of Battle in 1965. In 2006, it was taken off the Supplementary Order of Battle and amalgamated with the South Alberta Light Horse.
The 5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles were a mounted infantry unit of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) during World War I. The unit was raised from volunteers of the 7th and XIth (Canadian) Hussars from the Eastern Townships of Quebec.
The 27th Battalion, CEF was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. The battalion was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Great Britain on 17 May 1915. It disembarked in France on 18 September 1915, where it fought as part of the 6th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Division in France and Flanders until the end of the war. The battalion was disbanded on 15 September 1920.
4th Battalion, CEF was an infantry battalion raised as part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force for service during the First World War. Raised in Canada in September 1914, the battalion sailed to the United Kingdom within weeks of its establishment. After a short period of training it was committed to the fighting on the Western Front, remaining in France and Belgium until the war ended. It returned to Canada in mid-1919 and after its personnel had been demobilized, the battalion was subsequently disbanded in 1920.
The 3rd Regiment, Canadian Mounted Rifles, CEF, was a mounted infantry unit of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in the First World War.
The 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles Battalion, was authorized on 7 November 1914 as the 2nd Regiment, Canadian Mounted Rifles, CEF. The battalion recruited in Victoria and Vernon, British Columbia and was mobilized in Victoria. An earlier incarnation was raised for Boer War.
The 5th Battalion, CEF, known as "Tuxford's Dandys," was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War.
The 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion was a battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force that saw service in the First World War.
The 18th Battalion, CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in the Great War.
The 4th Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles was authorized on 7 November 1914 as the 4th Regiment, Canadian Mounted Rifles, CEF and embarked for Britain on 18 July 1915. It disembarked in France on 24 October 1915, where it fought as part of the 2nd Brigade Canadian Mounted Rifles until 31 December 1915, when it was converted to infantry and allocated to the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Division. The regiment was redesignated the 4th Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles, CEF on 1 January 1916 and was disbanded on 6 November 1920.
The 28th Battalion (Northwest), CEF was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War.
The 8th Battalion, CEF, also known by the nickname of The Little Black Devils of Canada, was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War. The battalion was authorized on 10 August 1914 and embarked for Great Britain on 1 October 1914. It disembarked in France on 13 February 1915, where it fought as part of the 2nd Canadian Brigade, 1st Canadian Division in France and Flanders until the end of the war. The battalion was disbanded on 15 September 1920.
The 46th Battalion, CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War.
The 60th Battalion, CEF was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War.
The Manitoba Mounted Rifles was a cavalry regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of the Canadian Militia and later the Canadian Army. In 1946, the regiment was converted to artillery.
The Saskatchewan Mounted Rifles was a cavalry regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of the Canadian Militia. First formed in 1908 as the Saskatchewan Light Horse, the regiment was later redesignated that year as the 22nd Saskatchewan Light Horse and again in 1920 as The Saskatchewan Mounted Rifles. In 1911, the regiment transferred two of its squadrons to the newly formed 29th Light Horse. In 1936, the regiment was amalgamated with the 16th Canadian Light Horse to form the 16th/22nd Saskatchewan Horse.