The Canadian Cavalry Brigade was raised in December 1914, under its first commanding officer Brigadier-General

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 conscript ...

s and an attached artillery battery. 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 ...

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 The Royal Canadian Horse Artillery is the name given to the regular field artillery units of the Canadian Army. Organization The Regular Force has three RCHA regiments: ; 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery: this is the descendant of ...

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 The Fort Garry Horse is a Canadian Army Reserve armoured regiment based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is part of 3rd Canadian Division's 38 Canadian Brigade Group. It traces its history to a cavalry regiment first formed in 1912 that first took ...

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 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 ...

and then served in the trenches during the

Battle of Givenchy A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

. 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 Divisi ...

(later 5th Cavalry Division) in the British Cavalry Corps. It was held in reserve during the Battle of the Somme, 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 Sir Alfred James Munnings, (8 October 1878 – 17 July 1959) was known as one of England's finest painters of horses, and as an outspoken critic of Modernism. Engaged by Lord Beaverbrook's Canadian War Memorials Fund, he earned several presti ...

was assigned as a war artist to the brigade and produced numerous paintings of the unit's men and horses.

Formation

;Commanders : Brigadier-General J.E.B Seely: December 1914 May 1918 :Brigadier-General R.W. Paterson: from May 1918 ;Units :

: 2nd King Edward's Horse (The King's Overseas Dominions Regiment) later replaced by :

Notable members

*Lieutenant

Harcus Strachan Henry Mareus "Harcus" Strachan (; 7 November 1884 – 1 May 1982) was a Scottish born Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for valour in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Co ...

, 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 Canad ...

, VC, CBE, MC *Lieutenant Gordon Flowerdew, VC

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Cavalry brigades Canadian World War I brigades Military units and formations disestablished in 1918