Canadian Expeditionary Force
Canadian Expeditionary Force | |
---|---|
Active | 1914–1919 |
Country | Canada |
Role | Expeditionary warfare |
Size | 619,646 men (total) |
Nickname(s) | CEF |
Engagements | World War I
|
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Lieutenant General Julian Byng Lieutenant General Arthur Currie |
The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the
Personnel
Recruitment
The CEF was mostly volunteers; a bill allowing conscription was passed in August 1917,[1] but not enforced until call-ups began in January 1918 (see Conscription Crisis of 1917); only 24,132 conscripts ended up being sent to France to take part in the final Hundred Days campaign.[2]
As a
To a lesser extent, several other cultural groups within the Dominion enlisted and made a significant contribution to the Force including Indigenous people of the First Nations, Black Canadians as well as Black Americans.[7] Many British nationals from the United Kingdom or other territories who were resident in Canada and the United States also joined the CEF.
Some units of the
Another entity within the CEF was the Canadian Machine Gun Corps. It consisted of several motor machine gun battalions, the Eatons, Yukon, and Borden Motor Machine Gun Batteries, and nineteen machine gun companies. During the summer of 1918, these units were consolidated into four machine gun battalions, one being attached to each of the four divisions in the Canadian Corps.
The Canadian Corps with its four
Establishment of corps
When it was deployed in 1914, the Canadian Expeditionary Force included only infantry battalions, but it became clear by 1915 that support and administrative units needed to be included on the Western Front.[10] After September 1915 it expanded to include supporting combat corps and what were considered administrative corps:
- Canadian Cavalry Brigade
- Canadian Forestry Corps
- Canadian Machine Gun Corps
- Corps of Guides (Canada)
- HQ Corps of Military Staff Clerks
- Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps
- Royal Canadian Army Pay Corps
- Royal Canadian Army Service Corps
- Royal Canadian Army Veterinary Corps
- Royal Canadian Corps of Signals
- Canadian Military Engineers
- Canadian Postal Corps
- Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery
Reserves and training
The Canadian Expeditionary Force also had a large reserve and training organization in England, and a recruiting organization in Canada.
Enlistment of foreign nationals
American Legion
A large number of United States citizens enlisted in the Canadian armed forces while the United States was still neutral. In November 1915, an all-American battalion of the Canadian Army was formed and given the title 97th Battalion (American Legion). The unit embarked for Europe in May 1916 at Toronto, but were held at Aldershot, Nova Scotia, due to objections by the US Government, causing a number of desertions and resignations. The battalion finally arrived in England in September, having officially dropped the "American Legion" title,[11] although the term continued to be used informally throughout the war. Further American battalions followed, but were either used as drafts for other CEF units or had been merged with the 97th Battalion by the end of the war. Approximately 2,700 US citizens are interred in Commonwealth War Graves. On returning to New York after the war, some 2,700 US citizens who had fought with British Empire forces, including 300 African Americans, were detained at Long Island because they lacked the correct documentation to be readmitted.[12] A United States Department of War report in early 1918 estimated that 25,000 to 30,000 Americans were serving in the Canadian Expeditionary Force.[13]
Bermudians
A sizeable percentage of
Chinese Labour Corps
Chinese labourers were also brought over to Europe, especially the
Operations
Battle of Ypres
The Second Battle of Ypres in 1915, the first engagement of Canadian forces in the Great War, exposed Canadian soldiers and their commanders to modern war. They had previously experienced the effects of shellfire and participated in aggressive trench raiding despite a lack of formal training and generally inferior equipment. They were equipped with the frequently malfunctioning
In April 1915, they were introduced to yet another facet of modern war, gas. The Germans employed
Battle of the Somme
According to historian
The corps did not participate in the battles of the Somme until September, but these began on 1 July after a seven-day bombardment. British losses on the first day amounted to 57,470, which included the casualties of the
Battle of Vimy Ridge
The
Passchendaele
In August 1917, the Canadian Corps attacked Lens as a distraction to allow two armies of the BEF to begin the
By September, it became clear that a fresh force would need to be brought in for the final push. With the situation in Italy and with the French army deteriorating, it was decided to continue the push and Currie was ordered to bring in the Canadian Corps. He insisted on time to prepare, on reorganizing the now-worn down artillery assets and on being placed under command of General Plumer, a commander he trusted. The first assault began on October 26, 1917. It was designed to achieve about 500 meters in what had become known as "bite and hold" tactics but at great cost (2,481 casualties) and made little progress. The second assault on October 30 cost another 1,321 soldiers and achieved another 500 metres but reached the high ground at Crest Farm. On November 6, after another round of preparations, a third attack won the town of Passchendaele, for another 2,238 killed or wounded. The final assault to capture the remainder of Passchendaele Ridge began on November 10 and was completed the same day. Nine Canadians earned the Victoria Cross in an area not much bigger than four football fields and the Canadian Corps completed the operation after it had taken the BEF three months to advance the eight kilometres onto the ridge. The Canadian Corps suffered 15,654 battle casualties in the muddiest, best-known battle of the Great War.[21]
Hundred Days Offensive
Since they were mostly unmolested by the German Army's offensive manoeuvres in the spring of 1918, the Canadians were ordered to spearhead the last campaigns of the War from the Battle of Amiens on August 8, 1918, which ended in a tacit victory for the Allies when the armistice was signed on November 11, 1918.
Deployments to Russia
In August 1918, the Canadian Expeditionary Force's
Disbandment
The Canadian Expeditionary Force was a special force, distinct from the Canadian Militia which mobilized in 1914 on a limited basis for home defence and to assist with the recruitment and training of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. In 1918 the militia personnel active in Canada were granted Canadian Expeditionary Force status, to simplify administration in the wake of conscription coming into force. Beginning in 1918, in anticipation of the disbandment of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, plans for the re-organization of the militia were initiated, guided largely by the deliberations of the Otter Commission, convened for this purpose. Among the commission's recommendations was a plan by which individual units of the Canadian Militia, notably infantry and cavalry regiments, would be permitted to perpetuate the battle honours and histories of the Canadian Expeditionary Force units that had fought during the war.[22]
During the latter part of the war, the Canadian Military Hospitals Commission reported on provision of employment for members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force on their return to Canada, and the re-education of those who were unable to follow their previous occupations because of disability.[23]
Legacy
After extensive experience and success in battle from the
The Canadian Expeditionary Force lost 60,661 men killed or died during the war, representing 9.28 per cent of the 619,636 who enlisted.
Equipment
During the war the equipment used changed as tactics evolved. The standard issued rifle was, at the beginning of the war, the
Officially an infantry division would be classified at full animal strength at 5,241 horses and mules; 60.7 percent or 3,182 of these animals were part of the infantry division's artillery branch.
Uniforms and combat dress
Model/type | Period or years in use | Manufacturer/origins |
---|---|---|
Service dress 1903–1939 | ||
Canadian pattern and British pattern |
Load-bearing equipment
Model/type | Period or years in use | Manufacturer/origins |
---|---|---|
Oliver Pattern Equipment 1898–19?? | ||
1908 pattern web equipment (British and Canadian variants) | Canadian variant had ammunition pouches to hold ammo packets for use with Mk. II Ross Rifles as they were not charger loading | |
Canadian Pattern 1913 Equipment | Canadian trials with modernizing the P08 web gear. the PPCLI went overseas equipped with P13 gear. Many aspects would be utilized in later sets of gear | |
British Pattern 1914 Equipment | Wartime economy equipment | |
Canadian Pattern 1915 Equipment | Modification of 1899 Oliver Pattern gear | |
Canadian Pattern 1916 Dismounted Equipment | Upgrade of Pattern 1915 equipment |
Head dress
Model/type | Period or years in use | Manufacturer/origins |
---|---|---|
Glengarry | United Kingdom | |
Tam o' shanter |
United Kingdom | |
Field service cap | United Kingdom | |
Brodie helmet | after 1915 | United Kingdom |
Military equipment
The CEF used a mix of service
See also
- British Army
- Canada during World War I
- Canadian official war artists
- List of infantry battalions in the Canadian Expeditionary Force
- List of mounted regiments in the Canadian Expeditionary Force
References
Citations
- ISBN 978-0774858540.
- OCLC 985071597.
- ISBN 978-1630872908.
- ISBN 978-1782009061.
- ISBN 978-1465434906.
- ISBN 978-1442667631.
- ^ Morton, Desmond. When Your Number's Up
- ^ "Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914–1919" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-08-26. Retrieved 2015-03-02.
- ^ Stacey, C. & N. Hillmer "Canadian Expeditionary Force". The Canadian Encyclopedia.
- ^ "Military Structure – the Canadian Expeditionary Force".
- ^ "Guide to Sources Relating to Units of the Canadian Expeditionary Force – Infantry Battalions" (PDF). www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
- ISBN 978-0786471904.
- ^ Dickon 2014, p. 94
- ^ "CIVIL LIST OF THE PROVINCE OF LOWER-CANADA 1828: GOVERNOR". The Quebec Almanack and British American Royal Kalendar For The Year 1828. Quebec: Neilson and Cowan, No. 3 Mountain Street. 1812.
- ^ "STAFF of the ARMY in the Provinces of Nova-Scotia, New-Brunswick, and their Dependencies, including the Island of Newfoundland, Cape Breton, Prince Edward and Bermuda". The Quebec Almanack and British American Royal Kalendar For The Year 1828. Quebec: Neilson and Cowan, No. 3 Mountain Street. 1812.
- ISBN 978-0773548770.
- ^ Nicholson, G. W. L. (1962). Canadian Expeditionary Force (1914–1919), Official History of the Canadian Army in the First World War (PDF). Ottawa, Ontario: Queen's Printer. p. 500. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 August 2011.
- ^ Ma, Suzanne (11 November 2011). "Chinese recruited for war had secret passage through Canada". ctvnews.ca. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
- ^ Dancocks, Daniel G. Welcome to Flanders Fields: the First Canadian Battle of the Great War : Ypres, 1915. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1988
- ^ a b c Nicholson, Gerald W. L. Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1914–1919: Official History of the Canadian Army in the First World War. Ottawa: R. Duhamel, Queen's Printer and Controller of Stationery, 1962.]
- ^ [Bercuson, David Jay. The Fighting Canadians: Our Regimental History from New France to Afghanistan. Toronto: HarperCollins, 2008.]
- ^ "Otter Committee". www.canadiansoldiers.com. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
- ^ The Provision of Employment for Members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force on Their Return to Canada, and the Re-Education of Those Who Are Unable to follow their previous occupations because of disability. Canada Military Hospitals Commission Nabu Press August 2010. This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.
- ISBN 978-0006395768.
- ISBN 978-0070929074.
- ISBN 978-1550026122
- ^ Comeau, Robert (November 12, 2008). "Passchendaele cemented Canada's world role". National Defence and the Canadian Forces. The Maple Leaf. Archived from the original on July 3, 2013.
- ISBN 978-0815634065.
- ^ a b c "Canadian Expeditionary Force – Library and Archives Canada Blog". thediscoverblog.com. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
- ^ "Guide to Sources Relating to Units of the Canadian Expeditionary Force – Cavalry" (PDF). Library and Archives Canada. pp. 8, 47.
- ^ a b "History of the First Canadian Division". Archived from the original on 2009-04-06. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- ^ "The Horse in the Canadian Army in WWI | the Royal Montreal Regiment". 31 May 2023.
Notes
- Alan Brooke, serving with the Corps HQ.
Further reading
- ISBN 0771013396.
- Christie, Norm (1999). For King & Empire, The Canadians at Amiens, August 1918. CEF Books.
- Christie, Norm (1997). For King & Empire, The Canadians at Arras, August–September 1918. CEF Books.
- Christie, Norm (1997). For King & Empire, The Canadians at Cambrai, September–October 1918. CEF Books.
- Dancocks, Daniel G (1987). Spearhead to Victory – Canada and the Great War. Hurtig Publishers.
- Cook, Tim (2007). At the Sharp End – Canadians Fighting the Great War 1914–1916. Vol. I. Viking Canada.
- Cook, Tim (2008). Shock Troops – Canadians Fighting the Great War 1917–1918 Vol. Two. Vol. II. Viking Canada.
- Morton, Desmond; Granatstein, J.L. (1989). Marching to Armageddon. Lester & Orpen Dennys Publishers.
- Morton, Desmond (1993). When Your Numbers Up. Random House of Canada.
- Newman, Stephen K. (2000). With the Patricia's in Flanders: 1914–1918. Bellewaerde House Publishing.
- Nicholson, G. W. L. (1962). Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914–1919 (PDF). Official History of the Canadian Army in the First World War. Ottawa: Queen's Printer and Controller of Stationery. OCLC 59609928. Archived from the original(PDF) on 26 August 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- Schreiber, Shane B (2004). Shock Army of the British Empire – The Canadian Corps in the Last 100 Days of the Great War. Vanwell Publishing Limited.
- Canada Military Hospitals Commission The Provision of Employment for Members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force on Their Return to Canada, and the Re-Education of Those Who Are Unable to follow their previous occupations because of disability. Canada Military Hospitals Commission Nabu Press August 2010. This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.
External links
Government links
- The First World War from Library Archives Canada
- Remembrance: The First World War from Veterans Affairs Canada
- Oral Histories of the First World War: Veterans 1914–1918 from Library Archives Canada
- Official Histories – Free online PDF books on the C.E.F. Archived 2015-10-16 at the Wayback Machine from The Department of National Defense
Museums and media links
- Canada and the First World War from the Canadian War Museum
- The First World War: Canada Remembers from CBC archives
- National Film Board – Images of a Forgotten War
Other links
- Canadian Great War Project
- The C.E.F. Paper Trail
- The C.E.F. Study Group
- Central Ontario Branch Western Front Association
- Regimentalrogue website has a variety of information on researching soldiers of the Canadian Expeditionary Force and the conditions of the war
- canadiansoldiers.com