The 52nd Battalion (New Ontario), CEF, was an infantry battalion 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 52nd Battalion was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Britain on 23 November 1915. It disembarked in France on 21 February 1916, where it fought as part of the
9th Canadian 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 30 August 1920.
[Canadian Forces Publication A-DH-267-003 Insignia and Lineages of the Canadian Forces. Volume 3: Combat Arms Regiments.]
The 52nd Battalion recruited in
Port Arthur,
Kenora
Kenora (), previously named Rat Portage (), is a city situated on the Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Canada, close to the Manitoba boundary, and about east of Winnipeg by road. It is the seat of Kenora District.
The history of the name exten ...
,
Fort Frances
Fort Frances is a town in, and the seat of, Rainy River District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census was 7,466 Fort Frances is a popular fishing destination. It hosts the annual Fort Frances C ...
and
Dryden, Ontario
Dryden is the second-largest city in the Kenora District of northwestern Ontario, Canada, located on Wabigoon Lake. It is the least populous community in Ontario incorporated as a city. The City of Dryden had a population of 7,388 and its Census g ...
and was mobilized at Port Arthur.
[Meek, John F. ''Over the Top! The Canadian Infantry in the First World War.'' Orangeville, Ont.: The Author, 1971. ]
The 52nd Battalion had seven Officers Commanding:
*Lt-Col A.W. Hay, 23 November 1915 – 3 June 1916
*Lt.-Col.
D.M. Sutherland
Donald Matheson Sutherland, (December 3, 1879 – June 4, 1970) was a Canadians, Canadian physician and politician.
Biography
He ran for public office, as a Laurier Liberals, Laurier Liberal, in the 1917 Canadian federal election, 1917 fe ...
, 27 July 1916 – 25 September 1916
*Lt.-Col. W.B. Evans, DSO, 25 September 1916 – 11 July 1917
*Maj. E.A.C. Wilcox, 11 July 1917 – 4 August 1917
*Lt.-Col. W.W. Foster, DSO, 4 August 1917 – 24 September 1918
*Lt.-Col. D.M. Sutherland, DSO, 24 September 1918 – 9 October 1918
*Lt.-Col. W.W. Foster, DSO, 9 October 1918-Demobilization
One member of the 52nd Battalion was awarded the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
. Captain
Christopher O'Kelly was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on 26 October 1917 at Passchendaele, Belgium. He had previously been awarded the Military Cross.
Battle honours
The 52nd Battalion was awarded the following battle honours:
*
Mount Sorrel
The Battle of Mont Sorrel (Battle of Mount Sorrel) was a local operation in World War I by three divisions of the German 4th Army and three divisions of the British Second Army in the Ypres Salient, near Ypres in Belgium, from 2 to 13 June ...
*
Somme, 1916
The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...
*
Flers-Courcelette
*
Ancre Heights
*
Arras, 1917
The Battle of Arras, also known as the Second Battle of Arras, was a British offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British troops attacked German defences near the French city of Arras on the We ...
,
'18
*
Vimy, 1917
*
HILL 70
The Battle of Hill 70 took place in the First World War between the Canadian Corps and attached units against five divisions of the German 6th Army. The battle took place along the Western Front on the outskirts of Lens in the Nord-Pas-de-Ca ...
*
Ypres 1917
Ypres ( ; ; ; ; ) 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 comprises the city of Ypres/Ieper ...
*
Passchendaele
*
Amiens
Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...
*
Scarpe, 1918
*
Drocourt-Quéant
*
Hindenburg Line
The Hindenburg Line (, Siegfried Position) was a German Defense line, defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in France during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to ...
*
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 ...
*
Cambrai, 1918
*
Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...
*
France and Flanders, 1916-18
Perpetuation
The 52nd Battalion (New Ontario), CEF, is perpetuated by
The Lake Superior Scottish Regiment.
See also
*
References
{{reflist
Sources
*Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914-1919 by Col. G.W.L. Nicholson, CD, Queen's Printer, Ottawa, Ontario, 1962
052
Military units and formations of Ontario
Lake Superior Scottish Regiment