The 29th Battalion (Vancouver), CEF was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

of the

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 ...

during the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

History

Known as "Tobin's Tigers", the battalion was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Britain on 20 May 1915. It disembarked in France on 17 September 1915, where it fought as part of the

6th Canadian Infantry Brigade The 6th Canadian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Canadian Army that fought during World War I and World War II. Raised in 1915, it formed part of the 2nd Canadian Division and fought on the Western Front during World War I befor ...

2nd Canadian Division The 2nd Canadian Division (2 Cdn Div; french: 2e Division du Canada) is a formation of the Canadian Army in the province of Quebec, Canada. The present command was created 2013 when Land Force Quebec Area was re-designated. The main unit housed ...

in France and Flanders until the end of the war. The battalion was disbanded on 30 August 1920. 29th Battalion (Vancouver), CEF

The 29th Battalion recruited in Vancouver and New Westminster, British Columbia and was mobilized at Vancouver. Raised by Lieutenant-Colonel Tobin on 24 October 1914 in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, British Columbia, the 29th derived its manpower from the Duke of Connaught's Own Rifles and the Irish Fusiliers of Canada. The SS ''Missanabie'' transported the battalion to England in May 1915. Subordinated to the 6th Canadian Brigade,

, the 29th consisted of 37 officers and 1,104 other ranks. The 29th Battalion had eight Commanding Officers: *Lt.-Col. H.S. Tobin, 20 May 1915 – 20 July 1916 *Lt.-Col. J.S. Tait, 20 August 1916 – 10 September 1916 *Lt.-Col. J.M. Ross, 10 September 1916 – 16 December 1916 *Lt.-Col. J.S. Tait, 16 December 1916 – 22 January 1917 *Lt.-Col. J.M. Ross, DSO, 22 January 1917 – 23 July 1917 *Lt.-Col. W.S. Latta, DSO, 23 July 1917 – 16 August 1918 *Maj. L.A. Wilmot, MC, 16 August 1918 – 5 September 1918 *Lt.-Col. H.S. Tobin, DSO, 5 September 1918-Demobilization One member of the 29th Battalion, Company Sergeant-Major (Warrant Officer Class II) Robert Hill Hanna was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on August 21, 1917, at Hill 70 near Lens, France.

Battle Honours

The 29th Battalion was awarded the following battle honours: *

MOUNT SORREL The Battle of Mont Sorrel (''Battle of Mount Sorrel'', ''Battle of Hill 62'') was a local operation in World War I by three divisions of the British Second Army and three divisions of the German 4th Army in the Ypres Salient, near Ypres, Bel ...

SOMME, 1916 The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

, '18 * Flers-Courcelette *

Thiepval Thiepval (; pcd, Tièbvo) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Thiepval is located north of Albert at the crossroads of the D73 and D151 and approximately northeast of Amiens. Population First World ...

Ancre Heights The Ancre (; ) is a river of Picardy, France. Rising at Miraumont, a hamlet near the town of Albert, it flows into the Somme at Corbie. It is long. For most of its length it flows through the department of Somme. For a short stretch near P ...

ARRAS, 1917 The Battle of Arras (also known as the Second Battle of Arras) was a British offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British troops attacked German defences near the French city of Arras on the W ...

, '18 *

Vimy, 1917 The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the Battle of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in the First Army, against three divisions of ...

* Scarpe, 1917, '18 *

HILL 70 The Battle of Hill 70 took place in the First World War between the Canadian Corps and five divisions of the German 6th Army. The battle took place along the Western Front on the outskirts of Lens in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France b ...

Ypres 1917 Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality co ...

* Passchendaele *

AMIENS Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

HINDENBURG LINE The Hindenburg Line (German: , Siegfried Position) was a German defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to Laffaux, near Soissons on the Aisne. In 191 ...

* Drocourt-Quéant *

Canal du Nord The Canal du Nord (, literally ''Canal of the North'') is a long canal in northern France. The canal connects the Canal latéral à l'Oise at Pont-l'Évêque to the Sensée Canal at Arleux. The French government, in partnership with coal-min ...

Cambrai, 1918 The Battle of Cambrai, 1918 (also known as the Second Battle of Cambrai) was a battle between troops of the British First, Third and Fourth Armies and German Empire forces during the Hundred Days Offensive of the First World War. The battle too ...

PURSUIT TO MONS Pursuit may refer to: Arts and entertainment Films * ''Pursuit'' (1935 film), a 1935 American action film * ''Pursuit'' (1972 American film), a made-for-TV film directed by Michael Crichton * ''Pursuit'' (1972 Hong Kong film), a Shaw Brot ...

FRANCE AND FLANDERS, 1915–18 The Western Front was one of the main theatres of war during the First World War. Following the outbreak of war in August 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of import ...

Perpetuation

The 29 Battalion's lineage was perpetuated by the 2nd Battalion,

British Columbia Regiment , colors = , colors_label = , march = "I'm Ninety-Five" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles ...

– constituted in 1920. Subsequent amalgamation in 1936 absorbed the 29th's history into that of the

Irish Fusiliers of Canada (The Vancouver Regiment) , colors = , colors_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment = , equipment_label ...

, which was placed on the

Supplementary Order of Battle In the Canadian Army, a regiment is placed on the Supplementary Order of Battle when the need for the regiment's existence is no longer relevant. When placed on the Supplementary Order of Battle, a regiment is considered "virtually disbanded", and ...

in 1965. On 13 June 2002, The Irish Fusiliers of Canada (The Vancouver Regiment) was amalgamated with

The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own) , colors = , colors_label = , march = "I'm Ninety-Five" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles ...

. The 29th Battalion is currently perpetuated by

The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own) , colors = , colors_label = , march = "I'm Ninety-Five" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles ...

.Canadian Forces Publication A-DH-267-003/AF-001 Volume 3: Combat Arms Regiments – Part One: Armour, Artillery and Field Engineer Regiments

Sources

''Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914–1919'' by Col.

G. W. L. Nicholson Colonel Gerald William Lingen Nicholson (6 January 1902 – 28 February 1980) was a British-Canadian soldier, historian, author, and teacher. From 1943 until his retirement in 1961, Nicholson served in the Historical Section, Canadian Army, wher ...

, CD, Queen's Printer, Ottawa, Ontario, 1962

References

{{reflist Military units and formations established in 1914 Military units and formations disestablished in 1920 029 History of Vancouver 1914 establishments in British Columbia Military units and formations of British Columbia British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own) Irish Fusiliers of Canada (The Vancouver Regiment)

History

Battle Honours

Perpetuation

See also

Sources

References