|
|
|
The 16th
Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force was a unit
raised for service in the First World War.
History
The 16th
Battalion was organized in Valcartier Camp in accordance
with Camp Order 241 of 2 September 1914.1
The battalion
was composed of recruits from Victoria and Vancouver (B.C.),
Winnipeg (Manitoba) and Hamilton (Ontario) and was
initially commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel R.G.E. Leckie. The
unit embarked for overseas from Quebec City on 30
September 1914 aboard S.S. Andania and disembarked in the U.K. on 14 October
1914 with a strength of 47 officers, 1111 other ranks.
The unit
moved to France on 7 February 1915 as a battalion of the
3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade, a component of the (1st)
Canadian Division.
The unit was
eventually reinforced by the 14th Canadian Reserve
Battalion and later the 11th Canadian Reserve Battalion.
At the
conclusion of the war, the battalion returned to England on
27 March 1919, and returned home to Canada on 4 May 1919,
with official demobilization following on 8 May 1919.
Disbandment occurred by General Order 149 of 15 September
1920 |
|
16th
Battalion, CEF |
|
 |
|
Organized: 2
September 1914
Initial Strength: 47 officers, 1111 other
ranks
Service: Component of the 3rd Infantry
Brigade, 1st Canadian Division in France and
Flanders.
Disbanded: G.O. 149/1920 eff 15 September 1920
Perpetuated by: The Canadian Scottish
Regiment |
|
The battalion had a
goat named Billy Mackenzie as a mascot and published two
newsletters, "The Brazier" (15 Feb 1916 - 1 April 1917) and
"Canadian Scottish".2 Battalion brass, bugle and
pipe bands also existed. The influence of the 48th Highlanders was
evident in dress and traditions, and the unit was a kilted battalion
wearing the Davidson tartan.3
The battalion was affiliated with the 48th, 67th, 88th, 103rd and
143rd Battalions, and after the war officially perpetuated by The
Canadian Scottish Regiment. Their colours had been transferred to
the 72nd Seaforth Highlanders on 17 July 1919.
Four soldiers of the battalion were
awarded the Victoria Cross:
-
Piper James Cleland Richardson, 8
October 1916 (Regina Trench)
-
Private William Johnstone Milne, 9
April 1917 (Vimy Ridge)
-
Lieutenant-Colonel Cyrus Wesley
Peck, DSO, 2 September 1918 (Cagnigourt)
-
Lance Corporal William Henry
Metcalfe, MM, 4 September 1918 (Arras)
The battalion was
raised from four Highland regiments of the pre-war Canadian Militia
and initially clad four companies in the tartans of those regiments:
-
No. 1 Company: Gordon tartan (50th
Gordon Highlanders of Canada)
-
No. 2 Company: Mackenzie tartan
(72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada)
-
No. 3 Company: Cameron of Erracht
tartan (79th Cameron Highlanders of Canada)
-
No. 4 Company: Government tartan
(91st Highlanders of Canada)
The battalion adopted
Mackenzie tartan kilts after arrival in the United Kingdom for the
entire battalion. Stewart notes that the battalion's pipe band was
the "champion pipe band of the Canadian Corps" with 25 pipers and 16
drummers.
Perpetuated by The
Canadian Scottish Regiment.
Insignia
In 1914, there had been little time to
adopt distinctive unit badges for the hastily assembled battalions
of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. As many battalions were drawn
from men from several of the pre-war Militia regiments, there was a
desire to avoid using existing badges and forming associations with
those existing units, in favour of creating new identities - the
General Officer Commanding the 1st Canadian Contingent (later 1st
Canadian Division) is quoted as saying sometime in October or
November of 1914 "there must be distinctive badges for each unit."4
Until unit badges were approved and issued, a mixture of
pre-war Militia badges and maple-leaf pattern General Service badges
were seen.
Metal cap and collar badges were also
worn on service dress.
 In
mid-1916, cloth "battle-patches" were added to the sleeves of the
Service Dress and greatcoat. The 1st Division was distinguished by a
red rectangle, 3 inches wide by 2 inches tall, worn on each upper
arm. The 16th Battalion was further distinguished by a blue square
worn above the rectangle, the blue indicating the 3rd Brigade, and
the square indicating the junior
battalion in the brigade. More information on formation patches can
be found in the article on the
organization of the division.
Metal cap and collar badges were also
worn on service dress.
Battle Honours
|
Ypres 1915, 17
St. Julien
Mount Sorrel
Pozieres
Ancre Heights
Arras 1917, '18
Arleux
Hill 70
Amiens
Hindenburg Line
Pursuit to Mons |
Gravenstafel
Festubert, 1915
Somme, 1916
Thiepval
Ancre 1916
Vimy, 1917
Scarpe, 1917, '18
Passchendaele
Drocourt-Quéant
Canal du Nord
France and Flanders, 1915-18 |
|
|
Notes
-
Guide to Sources,
p.89, (copy in RG24, vol. 1258, file HQ 593-2-1, pt. 1).
-
Ibid, which references RG24, vol.
1760, file DHS 10-37; vol. 1845, file GAQ 11-22) RG 9III, vol.
6077
-
Stewart, p.8
-
Harper, Joseph A Source of
Pride: Regimental Badges and Titles in the Canadian
Expeditionary Force 1914-1919 (Service Publications,
Ottawa, ON, 1999) ISBN 0-9699845-8-8 p.5
References
-
Love, David W.
A Call to Arms: The Organization and Administration of
Canada's Military in World War One (Bunker to Bunker
Books, Calgary, AB, 1999) ISBN 1894255-03-8
-
Stewart, Charles
H. Overseas: The Lineages and Insignia of the Canadian
Expeditionary Force 1914-1919 (Little & Stewart,
Toronto, ON, 1970)
-
Guide to Sources Relating to
Units of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Infantry Battalions (Library
and Archives Canada, Ottawa, ON, 2012)
Archival Holdings
The following holdings at Library and
Archives Canada may be useful for further research on this unit:
-
DHS file
-
Review of battalion history by Army
Quarterly
-
Special badge
-
Designation
-
Special honours
-
Records of personnel
-
Promotions
-
Promotions, appointments
-
Clothing and equipment
-
War trophies
-
Strength, Dec. 1918 - Jan. 1919
-
Minor operations, 26-27 July 1918
-
Minor operations, 3-5 Aug. 1916
-
Operation orders, 24 Feb. 1918
-
Operation orders, 21 April 1918
-
Operation orders, 23 July 1917
-
Aircraft, 1915 - 1917
-
German ammunition, 1915
-
Artillery, 1915
-
Bombs and grenades, 1915
-
Casualties: Ypres, St-Julien,
Festubert, 1915
-
Clothing and equipment, 1915
-
Correspondence, Valcartier,
Salisbury Plain, 1914
-
Defences, 1915
-
Devices, 1915
-
Establishment, 1915
-
Gas, 1915 - 1916
-
Machine and Lewis guns, 1916 - 1918
-
Intelligence, 25-26 July 1915
-
Liquid fire, 1915
-
Moves and reliefs, 1916
-
Nominal rolls, 1914 - 1915
-
Officers, 1914 - 1916
-
Operations. Festubert, 20-25 Dec.
1914
-
Operations. Mount Sorrel, 12-13 June
1916
-
Operations. Pozieres, Aug. 1916
-
Operations. Courcelette, Sept. -
Oct. 1916
-
Operations. Regina Trench, Oct. 1916
-
Operations. Vimy Ridge,
Willerval-Arleux and Fresnoy, April - May 1917
-
Operations. Hill 70, Oct. 1916 -
Aug. 1917
-
Operations Hill 70 and Puits 14 Bis.,
Aug. 1917
-
Operations. Amiens, Aug. 1918
-
Operations. Arras-Drocourt-Quéant
Ligne, 1918
-
Operations. Canal du Nord to Cambrai,
1918
-
Operations. Lessons learned, Aug.
1916
-
Battalion orders 1917 - 1918
-
Salisbury Plain camp orders, 1914 -
1915
-
Oxygen, 1915
-
Enemy patrols, 28 July 1915
-
Prisoners of war, 14-18 Aug. 1915
-
Publications, 1916 - 1917
-
Rations, 1916 - 1918
-
Reinforcements, 1915
-
Remounts, 1917 - 1918
-
Sanitation, 22-25 July 1915
-
Signal service, 1915
-
Trench stores, 1915 - 1917
-
Strength, 1916 - 1918
-
Traffic, 1915 - 1918
-
Training, 1916
-
Trench mortars, 22 Aug. 1916
-
Trenches and dugouts, 1-2 Aug. 1915
-
Badges
-
Historical record
-
Operations. Ypres, 29 April 1915
-
Operations. Festubert, 18-21 May
1915
-
Operations. St-Eloi, April 1916
-
Operations. Mount Sorrel, 12-13 June
1916
-
Operations. Hill 70, 15-16 Aug. 1917
-
Operations. Raid, 13 Feb. 1918
-
Operations. Raids, 28 April 1918
-
Operations. Amiens, 8 Aug. 1918
-
Operations. Drocourt-Quéant Line,
1-2 Sept. 1918
-
Photographs
-
Nominal roll on embarkation, 1914
-
Promotions, appointments
-
Daily Orders
-
RG 150, vol. 70
-
File Part
1=1914/10/22-1915/01/02
-
File Part
2=1915/01/05-1915/03/28
-
File Part
3=1915/04/01-1915/06/27
-
File Part
4=1915/07/04-1915/12/25
-
File Part
5=1916/02/29-1916/05/31
-
File Part
6=1916/06/17-1916/08/31
-
File Part
7=1916/09/02-1916/10/31
-
File Part
8=1916/11/01-1916/12/31
-
File Part
9=1917/01/03-1917/02/28
-
File Part
10=1917/03/02-1917/04/30
-
File Part
11=1917/05/02-1917/06/30
-
File Part
12=1917/07/03-1917/08/31
-
File Part
13=1917/09/01-1917/10/31
-
File Part
14=1917/11/03-1917/12/31
-
File Part
15=1918/07/03-1918/09/30
-
File Part
16=1918/01/05-1918/03/31
-
File Part
17=1918/04/02-1918/06/30
-
File Part
18=1918/10/01-1918/12/31
-
File Part
19=1919/01/03-1919/03/31
-
File Part
20=1919/04/01-1920/02/17
|
