The 205th (Tiger) Battalion, CEF was a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. Established in late 1915, it was stationed in Hamilton, Ontario and began recruiting toward the end of February 1916. In late 1916, the unit was redesignated a machine gun battalion, but a few months later, in April 1917, the 205th (Tiger) Battalion was broken up for drafts. One company (250 men) was transferred to the 164th (Halton and Dufferin) Battalion, CEF, which was recruiting in nearby Halton County. The unit continued to exist as the 205th Machine Gun Depot and then the 205th Machine Gun School.
The 205th (Tiger) Battalion, CEF, also referred to as the Sportsmen's Battalion, was named in honour of the Hamilton Tigers athletic club, one of the oldest athletic clubs in the city at that time. Many of the early recruits were local athletes, the most notable being the Olympic medalist Robert Kerr.
The 205th Battalion is perpetuated by The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment). [1]
One member of the battalion was George Malcolm (Snooze) Ireland who was a member of the 1915 Grey Cup Team. When World War I ended Ireland was the captain of the Hamilton Tigers 1919 Team. During the war, no Grey Cup games were played including 1919. [2]
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: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division. The division subsequently fought at Ypres on the Western Front, with a newly raised second division reinforcing the committed units to form the Canadian Corps. The CEF and corps was eventually expanded to four infantry divisions, which were all committed to the fighting in France and Belgium along the Western Front. A fifth division was partially raised in 1917, but was broken up in 1918 and used as reinforcements following heavy casualties.
The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment) (RHLI) is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army, based at John Weir Foote VC Armoury in Hamilton, Ontario. The RHLI is part of 31 Canadian Brigade Group, which is part of 4th Canadian Division.
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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.