The 49th Battalion (Edmonton Regiment), 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
The 49th Battalion was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Great Britain on 3 June 1915. It disembarked in France on 9 October 1915, where it fought as part of the
7th Infantry Brigade,
3rd Canadian Division
The 3rd Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for the command and mobilization of all army units in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, as well as all units extending westwards from th ...
in France and Flanders until the end of the war. The battalion was disbanded on 15 September 1920.
The Battalion's newspaper, ''The Forty-Niner'', was founded while the Battalion had not yet embarked for France and continued throughout the war.
The 49th Battalion recruited in and was mobilized at Edmonton, Alberta.
[Meek, John F. ''Over the Top! The Canadian Infantry in the First World War.'' Orangeville, Ont.: The Author, 1971. ]
The 49th Battalion had four commanding officers:
*Lieutenant-Colonel
William Antrobus Griesbach
Major General William Antrobus Griesbach, (January 3, 1878 – January 21, 1945) was a Canadian politician, decorated soldier, mayor of Edmonton, and member of the House of Commons and of the Senate.
Early life
Griesbach was born in Fort Qu' ...
, DSO, 4 June 1915 – 11 February 1917
*Lieutenant-Colonel R.H. Palmer, DSO, 14 February 1917 – 1 July 1918
*Lieutenant-Colonel C.Y. Weaver, DSO, 1 July 1918 – 1 October 1918
*Lieutenant-Colonel R.H. Palmer, DSO, 2 October 1918 – demobilization
Two members of the 49th Battalion were awarded the Victoria Cross. Private
John Chipman Kerr
John Chipman Kerr VC (January 11, 1887 – February 19, 1963), 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.
I ...
for his actions on 16 September 1916 at Courcelette, France and Private
Cecil John Kinross for his actions on 30 October 1917 during the Battle of Passchendaele.
Battle Honours
The 49th Battalion was awarded the following battle honours:
*
*
*
Flers–Courcelette
*
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 ...
*
*
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 o ...
*
*
Ypres, 1917
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 t ...
*
Passchendaele
*
*
Scarpe, 1918
*
*
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 ...
*
*
Perpetuation
The 49th Battalion (Edmonton Regiment), CEF, is perpetuated by
.
See Also
*
References
{{reflist
Sources
*Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914–1919 by Col. G.W.L. Nicholson, CD, Queen's Printer, Ottawa, Ontario, 1962
Loyal Edmonton Regiment
049
Military units and formations of Alberta