The 6th Battalion, (Fort Garrys) CEF was a battalion 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
First World 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 battalion was authorized on 10 August 1914, and embarked for
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
on 29 September 1914. It formed the nucleus of the Remount Depot on 20 January 1915, and the remainder of the battalion's personnel were absorbed by the Canadian Cavalry Depot, CEF, on 6 March 1915 to provide reinforcements for the
Canadian Corps
The Canadian Corps was a World War I corps formed from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian Division in France. The corps was expanded by the addition of the 3rd Canadian Division in December ...
in the field. The battalion was disbanded on 5 April 1918.
[Canadian Forces Publication A-DH-267-003 Insignia and Lineages of the Canadian Forces. Volume 3: Combat Arms Regiments.]
The band of the
106th Regiment Winnipeg Light Infantry received permission to go overseas with the battalion, and in January 1915 transferred to the
10th Battalion, CEF
The 10th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force was a unit of the First World War Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), specifically in the 1st Canadian Division from 1914 to 1919. The battalion participated in every major Canadian battle of the ...
.
The battalion recruited in
Portage la Prairie
Portage la Prairie () is a small city in the Central Plains Region of Manitoba, Canada. As of 2016, the population was 13,304 and the land area of the city was .
Portage la Prairie is approximately west of Winnipeg, along the Trans-Canada Hig ...
,
Roblin,
Pipestone and
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
, Manitoba;
Lloydminster, Saskatchewan
Lloydminster is a city in Canada which has the unusual geographic distinction of straddling the provincial border between Alberta and Saskatchewan. The city is incorporated by both provinces as a single city with a single municipal administrati ...
; and
Pincher Creek, Alberta
Pincher Creek is a town in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located immediately east of the Canadian Rockies, west of Lethbridge and south of Calgary.
History
For centuries before European settlers reached this area and inhabited it, Indigeno ...
and was mobilized at
Camp Valcartier, Quebec.
[Over the Top!: Canadian Infantry in the First World War, John F. Meek 1971, Orangeville, Ontario, ] Most of the recruits would come from detachments from at least 6 different cavalry militia regiments from across Western Canada: the
34th Fort Garry Horse, the
20th Border Horse, the
18th Manitoba Mounted Rifles, the
32nd Manitoba Horse, the
15th Canadian Light Horse from Alberta, and the
22nd Saskatchewan Light Horse.
The 6th Battalion was commanded by Lt.-Col. J.G. Rattray and by Lt.-Col R.W. Paterson.
Perpetuations
The 6th Battalion, CEF was first perpetuated by
The Border Horse
The Border Horse was a cavalry regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of the Canadian Militia (now the Canadian Army). In 1935, the regiment was amalgamated with the 12th Manitoba Dragoons.
Lineage
* Originated on 1 April 1908, in Estev ...
.
In 1936, The Border Horse was Amalgamated with the
12th Manitoba Dragoons
, colors =
, march = "Colonel Bogey"
, mascot =
, battles = North-West RebellionSecond Boer WarFirst World WarSecond World War
, notable_commanders ...
and the Perpetuation passed to that regiment. The 12th Manitoba Dragoons are currently 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 ...
.
Battle honours
The battalion was awarded the following battle honours
*
Ypres 1915
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 ...
,
'17
*
Festubert, 1915
The Battle of Festubert (15–25 May 1915) was an attack by the British army in the Artois region of France on the western front during World War I. The offensive formed part of a series of attacks by the French Tenth Army and the British ...
*
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 ...
* THE GREAT WAR, 1914-15.
See also
*
References
{{reflist
Sources
*Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914-1919 by Col G.W.L. Nicholson, CD, Queens's Printer, Ottawa, Ontario, 1962
006
Military units and formations of Manitoba
Military units and formations of Alberta
Military units and formations of Saskatchewan
12th Manitoba Dragoons