51st Battalion (Edmonton), CEF

Last updated
51st Battalion, CEF
Colonel Harwood and staff of 51st Battalion, Sarcee Army Camp, Calgary, Alberta.jpg
Lt-Col Harwood and staff of the battalion
Active1914–1917
Disbanded1920
CountryCanada
Branch Canadian Expeditionary Force
TypeInfantry
Mobilization headquarters Edmonton
Battle honours The Great War, 1916–17

The 51st Battalion (Edmonton), CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War. The 51st Battalion was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Great Britain on 18 April 1916. It provided reinforcements for the Canadian Corps in the field until 13 November 1916, when it was reorganized as a garrison duty battalion. On 22 June 1917, its personnel were absorbed by the various regimental depots. The battalion was disbanded on 15 September 1920. [1]

The battalion recruited in and was mobilized at Edmonton, Alberta. [2]

While training at Sarcee Camp near Calgary, Alberta, the men of the battalion, along with many other units who trained at the camp, created hillside numerals of whitewashed stones overlooking their encampment. These stones, a 24 m (79 ft)-high number "51", are the remainder of only four units whose glyphs survive on the hillside at Battalion Park in the neighbourhood of Signal Hill, Calgary.

The battalion had three officers commanding:

The battalion was awarded the battle honour The Great War, 1916–17. [2]

A former member of the 51st, George Burdon McKean, was awarded the Victoria Cross while serving with the 14th Battalion at the front.

The perpetuation of the 51st Battalion, CEF, was assigned in 1920 to the 3rd Battalion, The Edmonton Regiment. When that regiment was split in 1924, the perpetuation went to the 2nd Battalion, The Edmonton Regiment. This regiment, now The Loyal Edmonton Regiment (4th Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry), continues to perpetuate the 51st Battalion today. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loyal Edmonton Regiment</span> Military unit

The Loyal Edmonton Regiment, or LER, is a Primary Reserve infantry unit of the Canadian Forces based in Edmonton, Alberta. The LER is part of 3rd Canadian Division's 41 Canadian Brigade Group. They are colloquially known as "The Loyal Eddies".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">137th (Calgary) Battalion, CEF</span> Unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War

The 137th Battalion, CEF, was a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. Based in Calgary, Alberta, the unit began recruiting in late 1915 in that city. After sailing to England in August 1916, the battalion was absorbed into the 21st Reserve Battalion on January 10, 1917.

The 151st Battalion, CEF, was a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battalion Park</span> Geoglyph site in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Battalion Park is a geoglyph site in southwest Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is located on Signal Hill, overlooking the Tsuu T'ina Nation, as well as lands formerly known as Camp Sarcee and later Sarcee Training Area, a military reserve used by the Canadian Forces from before the First World War up until the 1990s. The park extends over an area of 93 hectares, north of the Elbow River. Its heritage value is associated with its dedication to the heroic efforts of Albertan soldiers during the First World War. The site contains four geoglyphs, numbered 137, 113, 151, and 51. The large, whitewashed stones, totalling 16,000 in all, form the centrepiece of the park. Arranged on the side of the hill, and visible from various parts of the city, they represent the battalions numbered 137th, 113th, 151st, and 51st.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">31st Battalion (Alberta), CEF</span> Military unit

The 31st Battalion (Alberta), CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War. The battalion recruited in Alberta and was mobilized at Calgary. The battalion was authorized in November 1914 and embarked for Britain on 17 May 1915. On 18 September 1915 it disembarked in France, where it fought with the 6th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Division in France and Flanders until the end of the war. The battalion was disbanded in August 1920.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">19th Alberta Dragoons</span> Military unit

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 82nd Battalion, CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War. The 82nd Battalion was authorized on 10 July 1915 and embarked for Britain on 20 May 1916, where it provided reinforcements for the Canadian Corps in the field. On 18 July 1916, its personnel were absorbed by the 9th Reserve Battalion, CEF. The battalion was subsequently disbanded on 21 May 1917.

The Edmonton Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of the Canadian Militia and later the Canadian Army. First raised in 1908 as part of the 101st Regiment Edmonton Fusiliers, it became a separate regiment in 1924 when The Edmonton Regiment was split into two separate regiments. In 1946, the regiment was Amalgamated with the 19th Alberta Dragoons.

The 6th Battalion, CEF was a battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War.

The 9th Battalion, CEF, an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, was authorized on 10 August 1914. It embarked for Britain on 1 October 1914, where it was redesignated as the 9th Reserve Infantry Battalion, CEF, on 29 April 1915, to provide reinforcements for the Canadian Corps in the field. The battalion was formally disbanded on 15 September 1917.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">21st Battalion (Eastern Ontario), CEF</span> Military unit

The 21st Battalion, CEF was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in the Great War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">49th Battalion (Edmonton Regiment), CEF</span> Military unit

The 49th Battalion, CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War.

The 56th Battalion (Calgary), CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. The 56th Battalion was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Britain on 20 March 1916. It provided reinforcements for the Canadian Corps in the field until 6 July 1916, when its personnel were absorbed by the 9th Reserve Battalion, CEF. The battalion was disbanded on 15 September 1917.

The 63rd Battalion (Edmonton), CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. The 63rd Battalion was authorized on 20 April 1915. During its recruitment phase the battalion sent three reinforcing drafts to England on 11 September 1915, 22 January and 2 March 1916. The battalion as a whole embarked for Great Britain on 22 April 1916. It provided reinforcements for the Canadian Corps in the field until 7 July 1916, when its personnel were absorbed by the 9th Reserve Battalion, CEF. The battalion was subsequently disbanded on 1 September 1917.

The 66th Battalion, CEF was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. The battalion was authorized on 20 April 1915 and embarked for Britain on 28 April 1916. Its personnel were absorbed by the 9th Reserve Battalion, CEF on 7 July 1916 to provide reinforcements for the Canadian Corps in the field. The battalion was disbanded on 30 August 1920.

The 74th Battalion, CEF was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War. The battalion was authorized on 10 July 1915 and embarked for Great Britain on 29 March 1916 where it provided reinforcements to the Canadian Corps in the field. On 30 September 1916 its personnel were absorbed by the 50th Battalion (Calgary), CEF, the 51st Battalion (Edmonton), CEF, the 52nd Battalion, CEF and the 2nd Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles, CEF. The battalion was disbanded on 15 September 1917.

The 15th Battalion, CEF was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War. The 15th Battalion was authorized on 1 September 1914, embarked for Britain on 26 September 1914 and arrived in France on 15 February 1915. The battalion fought as part of the 3rd Canadian Brigade, 1st Canadian Division in France and Flanders throughout the war. The battalion was disbanded on 30 August 1920.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">89th Battalion (Alberta), CEF</span> Military unit

The 89th Battalion (Alberta), CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Great War Canadian Expeditionary Force. The 89th Battalion was authorized on 22 December 1915 and embarked for Britain on 2 June 1916, where its personnel were absorbed by the 9th Reserve Battalion, CEF, to provide reinforcements for the Canadian Corps in the field. The battalion disbanded on 21 May 1917.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">97th Battalion (American Legion), CEF</span>

The 97th Battalion, CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Great War Canadian Expeditionary Force. The 97th Battalion was authorized on 22 December 1915 and embarked for Britain in May 1916 but were halted in Aldershot, Nova Scotia when the American government protested the title of American Legion as they were officially a neutral state. The delay caused a number of officers to resign and a number of men deserted when it became clear they would not enter the front lines. Finally the designation ‘American Legion’ was dropped and the unit could proceed overseas. 31 officers and 798 other ranks boaded the RMS Olympic on 19 September 1916. The next month 270 men were absorbed by the Depots of The Royal Canadian Regiment, CEF and the rest, 428 soldiers joined the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, also, to provide reinforcements for the Canadian Corps in the field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">113th Battalion (Lethbridge Highlanders), CEF</span> Military unit

The 113th Battalion, CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Great War Canadian Expeditionary Force. The 113th Battalion was authorized on 22 December 1915 as part of a recruiting drive in which men from the same region could enlist and serve together.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Loyal Edmonton Regiment (4th Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry)". Official Lineages Volume 3, Part 2: Infantry Regiments. Directorate of History and Heritage. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Meek, John F. Over the Top! The Canadian Infantry in the First World War. Orangeville, Ont.: The Author, 1971. ISBN   0906158109

Sources