The Canadian Cavalry Brigade was raised in December 1914, under its first
commanding officer
The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...
Brigadier-General
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
J.E.B. Seely
John Edward Bernard Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone, (31 May 1868 – 7 November 1947), also known as Jack Seely, was a British Army general and politician. He was a Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Mem ...
. It was originally composed of two Canadian and one British
regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation.
In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...
s and an attached
artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to fac ...
. The Canadian units were the
Royal Canadian Dragoons
The Royal Canadian Dragoons (RCD) is the senior armoured regiment of the Canadian Army by precedence. It is one of three armoured regiments in the Regular Force and forms part of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps.
The colonel-in-chief of The RC ...
,
Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)
Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) (LdSH C is a regular armoured regiment of the Canadian Army and is Canada’s only tank regiment. Currently based in Edmonton, Alberta, the regiment is part of 3rd Canadian Division's 1 Canadian Mechanize ...
and the
Royal Canadian Horse Artillery battery. The British regiment was the
2nd King Edward's Horse (The King's Overseas Dominions Regiment). 2KEH was replaced by
The Fort Garry Horse in February 1916.
History
The brigade's units arrived in England in 1914, then left as a dismounted formation for France in April 1915. The brigade arrived in France during the
Battle of Festubert and then served in the trenches during the
Battle of Givenchy. The brigade remained serving as infantry until the end of January 1916, when it was re-formed as a cavalry force. It became part of the
2nd Indian Cavalry Division
The 2nd Indian Cavalry Division was a division of the British Indian Army formed at the outbreak of World War I. It served on the Western Front, being renamed as 5th Cavalry Division on 26 November 1916. In March 1918, the 5th Cavalry Divisio ...
(later 5th Cavalry Division) in the British
Cavalry Corps.
[
It was held in reserve during the ]Battle of the Somme
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 ...
, its first mounted operation being during the German retreat to the Hindenberg Line. In the final days of the war the brigade, finally able to get into open ground, cleared nine French villages, captured around 400 enemy, with several artillery pieces and about 100 machine guns.
The painter Alfred Munnings was assigned as a war artist to the brigade and produced numerous paintings of the unit's men and horses.
Formation
;Commanders
:Brigadier-General
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
J.E.B Seely: December 1914 May 1918
:Brigadier-General R.W. Paterson: from May 1918
;Units
:Royal Canadian Dragoons
The Royal Canadian Dragoons (RCD) is the senior armoured regiment of the Canadian Army by precedence. It is one of three armoured regiments in the Regular Force and forms part of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps.
The colonel-in-chief of The RC ...
:Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)
Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) (LdSH C is a regular armoured regiment of the Canadian Army and is Canada’s only tank regiment. Currently based in Edmonton, Alberta, the regiment is part of 3rd Canadian Division's 1 Canadian Mechanize ...
: 2nd King Edward's Horse (The King's Overseas Dominions Regiment) later replaced by
: The Fort Garry Horse
: Royal Canadian Horse Artillery[
]
Notable members
*Lieutenant Harcus Strachan, VC, MC
*Lieutenant Frederick Maurice Watson Harvey
Brigadier Frederick Maurice Watson Harvey, VC, MC (1 September 1888 – 24 August 1980) was an Irish-born Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, Canadian soldier and rugby union player. During the First World War, while serving in the Canadi ...
, VC, CBE, MC
*Lieutenant Gordon Flowerdew
Gordon Muriel Flowerdew (2 January 1885 – 31 March 1918) was an English-born 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 ...
, VC
References
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017
Cavalry brigades
Canadian World War I brigades
Military units and formations disestablished in 1918