|
147th (Grey) Battalion, CEF
The 147th (Grey) Battalion, CEF was a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War, raised by the 31st Grey Regiment. History Based in Owen Sound, Ontario, the unit began recruiting in late 1915 in Grey County. It departed to Camp Niagara 19 May 1916 under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel G.F. MacFarland, where it trained until 4 July when it moved to the brand new Camp Borden. The 147th left Camp Borden on 5 October for embarkation overseas, sailing on the sister ship to RMS Titanic, RMS Olympic, arriving at Liverpool, England on 20 November. After sailing to England in November 1916, the battalion was absorbed into the 8th Reserve Battalion on 1 January 1917. The 147th (Grey) Battalion, CEF had one Officer Commanding: Lieut-Col. G. F. McFarland. The 147th received its Regimental colours on 22 August 1916 at Camp Borden, which were subsequently laid-up for safe keeping in St. Nicholas Cathedral, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, on 26 May 1917. They wer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Regimental Colours
In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours (or colors), standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 years ago. The Roman Empire also made battle standards a part of their vast armies. It was formalized in the armies of Europe in the High Middle Ages, with standards being emblazoned with the commander's coat of arms. General use As armies became trained and adopted set formations, each regiment's ability to keep its formation was potentially critical to its, and therefore its army's, success. In the chaos of battle, not least due to the amount of dust and smoke on a battlefield, soldiers needed to be able to determine where their regiment was. Regimental flags are generally awarded to a regiment by a head of state during a ceremony. They were therefore treated with reverence as they represented the honour and traditions of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Vivian Currie
David Vivian Currie, (July 8, 1912 – June 20, 1986) was a Canadians, Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth forces. Early life Currie was born in Sutherland, Saskatchewan, the only son and eldest child of David Henry Currie and his wife Mable Brimble. The elder Currie worked as an engineer for the Canadian Pacific Railroad. From 1913 to 1939 the family lived in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. D.V. Currie was educated at King George Public School, the Central Collegiate and Moose Jaw Technical School. He was trained as an automobile mechanic and welder. Military service In 1939 he joined the militia, before joining the Regular Army the following year. He was commissioned as a lieutenant shortly afterwards, before being promoted to Captain (land), captain in 1941. By 1944 he had reached the rank of major. Currie was awarded the Victoria Cross for his a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Billy Bishop
Air Marshal William Avery Bishop, (8 February 1894 – 11 September 1956) was a Canadian flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ... of the First World War. He was officially credited with 72 victories, making him the top Canadian and British Empire ace of the war, and also received a Victoria Cross. During the World War II, Second World War, Bishop was instrumental in setting up and promoting the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Early life William Avery Bishop (commonly called Billy Bishop to distinguish him from his father) was born in Owen Sound, Ontario, on 8 February 1894, blond, blue-eyed, and weighing 11 pounds. He was the third of four children born to William Avery Bishop Sr. and Margaret Louisa (Green) Bishop. William Avery Bishop Sr. was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Grey And Simcoe Foresters
The Grey and Simcoe Foresters is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces. Within the Canadian Army, it is part of the 4th Canadian Division's (formerly known as Land Force Central Area) 31 Canadian Brigade Group. Due to the restructuring of the British Army, The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment was amalgamated into The Mercian Regiment, as its 2nd Battalion (Worcesters and Foresters), leaving The Grey and Simcoe Foresters as the only remaining unit in the Commonwealth of Nations known to be distinctly designated as a regiment of ''Foresters''. Origin and Regimental Lineage While many regiments of fusiliers, grenadiers and highlanders may be found in the armies of the Commonwealth, only one regiment of foresters exist – The Grey and Simcoe Foresters of the Canadian Army. The Canadian Foresters have had a unique history that has lived up to its rural versatility and spirit. The Foresters have enjoyed one of the most diverse roles in the Canadian Arm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in the line of duty. Following a tradition inaugurated by King George V in 1919, the day is also marked by war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth countries. In most countries, Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the end of First World War hostilities. Hostilities formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" of 1918, in accordance with the armistice signed by representatives of Germany and the Entente between 5:12 and 5:20 that morning. ("At the 11th hour" refers to the ''passing'' of the 11th hour, or 11:00 am.) The First World War officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919. The tradition of Remembrance Day evolved out of Armistice Day. The initial Armist ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of Passchendaele
The Third Battle of Ypres (german: link=no, Dritte Flandernschlacht; french: link=no, Troisième Bataille des Flandres; nl, Derde Slag om Ieper), also known as the Battle of Passchendaele (), was a campaign of the First World War, fought by the Allies against the German Empire. The battle took place on the Western Front, from July to November 1917, for control of the ridges south and east of the Belgian city of Ypres in West Flanders, as part of a strategy decided by the Allies at conferences in November 1916 and May 1917. Passchendaele lies on the last ridge east of Ypres, from Roulers (now Roeselare), a junction of the Bruges-(Brugge)-to-Kortrijk railway. The station at Roulers was on the main supply route of the German 4th Army. Once Passchendaele Ridge had been captured, the Allied advance was to continue to a line from Thourout (now Torhout) to Couckelaere (Koekelare). Further operations and a British supporting attack along the Belgian coast from Nieuport ( Nieuwpoo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously awarded by countries of the Commonwealth of Nations, most of which have established their own honours systems and no longer recommend British honours. It may be awarded to a person of any military rank in any service and to civilians under military command. No civilian has received the award since 1879. Since the first awards were presented by Queen Victoria in 1857, two-thirds of all awards have been personally presented by the British monarch. The investitures are usually held at Buckingham Palace. The VC was introduced on 29 January 1856 by Queen Victoria to honour acts of valour during the Crimean War. Since then, the medal has been awarded 1,358 times to 1,355 individual recipients. Only 15 medals, of which 11 to members of the Britis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thomas William Holmes
Thomas William Holmes VC (14 October 1898 – 4 January 1950) was a soldier in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces, during the First World War. Holmes is the youngest Canadian to ever win the Victoria Cross. Early life Although Holmes was born in Montreal, Quebec, his family was from Owen Sound, Ontario. His father's work had taken them to Montreal; however, they returned to Owen Sound when Tommy was about six years old. During his last year of school, he worked for the butcher J.R. Boyd, and just before enlisting Holmes was working on the farm of Templeton Day at nearby Annan, Ontario. World War I On 20 December 1915, No. 838301 Tommy Holmes enlisted as a private soldier in the 147th (Grey) Battalion, CEF, at Owen Sound in Grey County. The 147th Battalion was raised by the Grey Regiment, which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Newcastle Upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is also the most populous city of North East England. Newcastle developed around a Roman settlement called Pons Aelius and the settlement later took the name of a castle built in 1080 by William the Conqueror's eldest son, Robert Curthose. Historically, the city’s economy was dependent on its port and in particular, its status as one of the world's largest ship building and repair centres. Today, the city's economy is diverse with major economic output in science, finance, retail, education, tourism, and nightlife. Newcastle is one of the UK Core Cities, as well as part of the Eurocities network. Famous landmarks in Newcastle include the Tyne Bridge; the Swing Bridge; Newcastle Castle; St Thomas’ Church; Grainger Town including G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
8th Reserve Battalion
8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of the form , being an integer greater than 1. * the first number which is neither prime nor semiprime. * the base of the octal number system, which is mostly used with computers. In octal, one digit represents three bits. In modern computers, a byte is a grouping of eight bits, also called an octet. * a Fibonacci number, being plus . The next Fibonacci number is . 8 is the only positive Fibonacci number, aside from 1, that is a perfect cube. * the only nonzero perfect power that is one less than another perfect power, by Mihăilescu's Theorem. * the order of the smallest non-abelian group all of whose subgroups are normal. * the dimension of the octonions and is the highest possible dimension of a normed division algebra. * the first number ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Canadian Expeditionary Force
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. Personnel Recruitment The Canadian Expeditionary Force was mostly volunteers; a bill allowing conscription was passed in August, 1917, but not enforced until call-ups began in January 1918 (''see'' Conscription Crisis of 1917). In all, 24,132 conscripts had been sent to France to take part ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
