The 49th Battalion (Edmonton Regiment), CEF, was an
infantry
Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
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), ...
of 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
Great 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
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 Northwestern Ontario including the ...
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, 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 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
*
*
Vimy, 1917
*
*
Ypres, 1917
The Third Battle of Ypres (; ; ), also known as the Battle of Passchendaele ( ), was a campaign of the First World War, fought by the Allies against the German Empire. The battle took place on the Western Front, from July to November 1917, f ...
*
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 in Pont-l'Évêque to the Sensée Canal in 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