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The 8th Battalion (90th Winnipeg Rifles), CEF, also known by the nickname of ''The Little Black Devils of Canada'', 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 ...
. The battalion was authorized on 10 August 1914 and embarked for Great Britain on 1 October 1914. It disembarked in France on 13 February 1915, where it fought as part of the 2nd Canadian Brigade,
1st Canadian Division The 1st Canadian Division (French: ) is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short notice, and is staffed and ...
in France and Flanders until the end of the war. The battalion was disbanded on 15 September 1920.Canadian Forces Publication A-DH-267-003 Insignia and Lineages of the Canadian Forces. Volume 3: Combat Arms Regiments.


History

The 8th Battalion was mobilized at
Valcartier, Quebec 2nd Canadian Division Support Base Valcartier (2 CDSB Valcartier), formerly known as and commonly referred to as Canadian Forces Base Valcartier (CFB Valcartier), is a Canadian Forces base located in the municipality of Saint-Gabriel-de-Valca ...
on 24 September 1914.Meek, John F. ''Over the Top! The Canadian Infantry in the First World War.'' Orangeville, Ont.: The Author, 1971. and was initially commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Louis James Lipsett. The battalion incorporated the 90th Regiment Winnipeg Rifles which had a history dating back to 1883, elements of the
96th Lake Superior Regiment The Lake Superior Scottish Regiment is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces. The regiment is in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and is part of the 3rd Canadian Division's 38 Canadian Brigade Group. Also known as "The Lake Sups" (pron ...
as well as fresh recruits from Brandon and
Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...
, Manitoba and
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 ...
and Port Arthur, Ontario and was assigned the numeric designation as the 8th Battalion as part of a re-organization initiative of
Minister of Militia and Defence The Minister of Militia and Defence was the federal government minister in charge of the volunteer army units in Canada, the Canadian Militia. From 1855 to 1906, the minister was responsible for Canada, Canadian militia units only, as the British ...
Sam Hughes Sir Samuel Hughes, (January 8, 1853 – August 23, 1921) was the Canadian Minister of Militia and Defence during World War I. After a stormy tenure in the position, he was dismissed by Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden in 1916. Early life H ...
. The 8th Battalion was attached to 2nd Infantry Brigade,
1st Canadian Division The 1st Canadian Division (French: ) is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short notice, and is staffed and ...
for the duration of the war and saw action in many the Canadian Corps' most famous and infamous battles including 2nd Ypres,
the Somme 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 ...
,
Vimy Vimy lemish: Wimi or ; ) is a commune in the French department of Pas-de-Calais. Located west of Vimy is the Canadian National Vimy Memorial dedicated to the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the Canadian soldiers who were killed during the First Wor ...
, 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 ...
,
Arras Arras ( , ; ; historical ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the Artois region, with a ...
and
Cambrai Cambrai (, ; ; ), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the Escaut river. A sub-pref ...
. Three members of the 8th Battalion were 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 ...
. Company Sergeant-Major
Frederick William Hall Frederick William Hall, (21 February 1885 – 24 April 1915) was a 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 forc ...
was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on the night of 24 April 1915 during the
Second Battle of Ypres The Second Battle of Ypres was fought from 22 April – 25 May 1915, during the First World War, for control of the tactically-important high ground to the east and the south of the Flanders, Flemish town of Ypres, in western Belgium. The ...
. He was one of the three Great War Victoria Cross recipients who lived in the 700 block of Pine Street in Winnipeg, the others being Leo Clarke and
Robert Shankland Robert Shankland (10 October 1887 – 20 January 1968) was a 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 forces. ...
. In 1925, Pine Street was renamed
Valour Road Valour Road is a street in the West End area of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Originally called Pine Street, it was renamed ''Valour Road'' in 1925 to recognize three young men—Corporal Leo Clarke, Sergeant-Major Frederick William Hall, and L ...
. Cpl. Alexander Picton Brereton and Cpl. Frederick George Coppins were both awarded the Victoria Cross for their actions on 9 August 1918 during the Battle of Amiens.Meek, John F. ''Over the Top! The Canadian Infantry in the First World War.'' Orangeville, Ont.: The Author, 1971. After the
Armistice of 11 November 1918 The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed in a railroad car, in the Compiègne Forest near the town of Compiègne, that ended fighting on land, at sea, and in the air in World War I between the Entente and their las ...
, the 8th Battalion (90th Winnipeg Rifles), CEF was re-designated as The Winnipeg Rifles on 12 March 1920 and are today perpetuated by
The Royal Winnipeg Rifles The Royal Winnipeg Rifles (R Wpg Rif) are a Primary Reserve one-battalion infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. Nicknamed the "Little Black Devils", they are based at Minto Armoury in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Royal Winnipeg Rifles are part of 3rd ...
.


Nickname

The 8th Battalion acquired their nickname of The Little Black Devils of Canada’'' through its connection to its ancestor unit, the 90th Regiment "Winnipeg Rifles" who had earned the moniker during the
North-West Rebellion The North-West Rebellion (), was an armed rebellion of Métis under Louis Riel and an associated uprising of Cree and Assiniboine mostly in the District of Saskatchewan, against the Government of Canada, Canadian government. Important events i ...
. During that conflict, government forces, clad in dark uniforms, combatted uprisings by the
Métis people The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They hav ...
under
Louis Riel Louis Riel (; ; 22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political leader of the Métis in Canada, Métis people. He led two resistance movements against the Government of ...
and the
Cree The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...
and
Assiniboine The Assiniboine or Assiniboin people ( when singular, Assiniboines / Assiniboins when plural; Ojibwe: ''Asiniibwaan'', "stone Sioux"; also in plural Assiniboine or Assiniboin), also known as the Hohe and known by the endonym Nakota (or Nakoda ...
of the
District of Saskatchewan The District of Saskatchewan was a regional administrative district of Canada's North-West Territories. Formed in 1882, it was later enlarged then abolished with the creation of the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta in 1905. Much of the are ...
. This led to the indigenous and
Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...
fighters referring to their opponents as 'little black devils', which the soldiers came to adopt as an ironic badge of honour. Thus, the 90th Regiment adopted the nickname into their regimental insignia and in their motto "''Hosti acie nominati"'' which is Latin for ''"named by the enemy force".''


Commanding officers

The 8th Battalion had six Officers Commanding: *Lt.-Col. L. J. Lipsett, CMG, 22 September 1914 – 13 September 1915 *Lt.-Col. H. H. Matthews, DSO, 28 September 1915 – 18 June 1916 *Lt.-Col. K. C. Bedson, 14 July 1916 – 3 August 1916 *Lt.-Col. J. M. Prower, DSO, 3 August 1916 – 20 April 1918 *Lt.-Col. T. H. Raddall, DSO, 20 April 1918 – 9 August 1918 *Lt.-Col. A. L. Saunders, DSO, MC, 13 August 1918 – DemobilizationMeek, John F. ''Over the Top! The Canadian Infantry in the First World War.'' Orangeville, Ont.: The Author, 1971.


Battle honours

The 8th Battalion was awarded the following battle honours:


See also

*
List of infantry battalions in the Canadian Expeditionary Force During the First World War, the Canadian Army authorized the formation of 260 infantry battalions to serve in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Only fifty-three of these battalions ever reached the front lines. The remaining battalions, most oft ...


References

{{reflist


Sources

*Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914–1919 by Col. G.W.L. Nicholson, CD, Queen's Printer, Ottawa, Ontario, 1962
008 008, OO8, O08, or 0O8 may refer to: * "008", a fictional 00 Agent In Ian Fleming's James Bond novels and the derived films, the 00 Section of MI6 is considered the secret service's elite. A 00 (pronounced "Double O") is a field agent who ho ...
Royal Winnipeg Rifles Military units and formations of Manitoba Military units and formations of Ontario