The 176th (Niagara Rangers) Battalion, CEF, was a unit in the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF; French: ''Corps expéditionnaire canadien'') was the expeditionary warfare, expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed on August 15, 1914, following United Kingdom declarat ...

during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

History

Based in

St. Catharines, Ontario St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2021, St. Catharines has an area of and 136,803 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, south of Toronto ac ...

, the unit began recruiting in January 1916 in Lincoln and

Welland Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada. As of 2021, it had a population of 55,750. The city is in the centre of Niagara and located within a half-hour driving distance to Niagara Falls, Niagara-on ...

counties. Their training ground and campsite was on Spring St., Niagara Falls, where Memorial School was built in 1921. The unit left Niagara on 24 April 1917 bound for England. Upon arrival, the

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

was absorbed into the 12th Reserve Battalion. The 176th (Niagara Rangers) Battalion, CEF, had one Officer Commanding: Lieutenant-Colonel Donald Sharpe.

Perpetuation

After the war, the perpetuation of the battalion was assigned to The Lincoln Regiment in 1920, and then to

the Lincoln and Welland Regiment The Lincoln and Welland Regiment is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army based in St. Catharines, Ontario. The regimental colonel-in-chief is the Duchess of Edinburgh and the regimental motto is , "Not for us but for our count ...

in 1936.

Insignia

The 176th Battalion were identified by a horseshoe surrounding Niagara Falls on a wreath of maples. Contained within scrolls were the words "Niagara Rangers", "Canada", "Overseas Battalion". The number 176 was placed between the ends of the horseshoe.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:176th Battalion (Niagara Rangers), Cef Battalions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Organizations based in Ontario St. Catharines Lincoln and Welland Regiment