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The 10th
Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force was a unit
raised for service in the First World War.
History
The battalion
was organized in Valcartier Camp on 6 August 1914 under the
official authority of Camp Order 241 dated 2 September 1914.
The unit drew its recruits from Calgary and Winnipeg, as an
amalgam of drafts sent to Valcartier from the 103rd Regiment
(Calgary Rifles) and 106th Winnipeg Light Infantry.
The first
commanding officer was Lieutenant-Colonel Russell Lambert
Boyle, a veteran of the war in South Africa. He was killed
in the unit's first action at Kitcheners' Wood on 22 April
1915, and replaced by Lieutenant-Colonel J. G. Rattray on 1
June 1915. Lieutenant-Colonel Dan M. Ormond succeeded
Rattray on 25 September 1916.
The battalion
sailed from Quebec City on 29 September 1914 aboard S.S.
Scandinavian and arrived in the United Kingdom on 14
October 1914 with a strength of 43 officers and 1051 other
ranks.
The unit
moved to France as a component of the 2nd Canadian Infantry
Brigade of the Canadian Division (later 1st Canadian
Division) on 7 February 1915 and participated in every major
Canadian battle on the Western Front. The unit eventually
drew reinforcements from the 9th Canadian Reserve Battalion,
and was affiliated with the 56th and 82nd Battalions.
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10th
Battalion, CEF |
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Authorized:
6 August 1914
Initial Strength: 43 officers, 1051 other
ranks
Service: 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade, 1st
Canadian Division
Disbanded: 15 September 1920 (GO
149/20)
Perpetuated by: The Calgary Regiment and The
Winnipeg Light Infantry |
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Notable Members
During the course of
the war, two members of the 10th were awarded the Victoria Cross for
valour; Private Harry Brown, for actions during the fighting at Hill
70 on 16 August 1917, and Acting Sergeant Arthur Knight, for actions
at Villiers-les-Cagnicourt on 2 September 1918. Other notable
soldiers included Lance Corporal J.T. Milne, who was the first
Canadian to be awarded the Military medal three times (MM and two
bars), and two soldiers were nominated for the VC but had lesser
awards substituted; Captain Charles Costigan, DSO, MC, and Lance
Corporal George William Allan, DCM.
Sergeant William
Alexander, an NCO with the 10th Battalion, was one of 25 soldiers
executed by the Canadian Expeditionary Force for desertion during
the First World War.
Post War
The unit returned to
England on 16 March 1919, disembarked in Canada on 18 April 1919,
and was welcomed home to Calgary where it demobilized on 23 April
1919.1
On 15 March 1920, as
the Otter Committee recommendations began to make themselves felt,
General Order 29 was announced, and The Calgary Regiment replaced
the 103rd Regiment (Calgary Rifles) in the order of battle of the
Canadian Militia. The new regiment did not perpetuate the 10th
Battalion. The veterans of the 10th Battalion, who recently
organized an association, took their concerns to the provincial and
federal governments, and General Order 32, dated 1 April 1921,
granted a dual perpetuation of the 10th Battalion to both The
Calgary Regiment and The Winnipeg Light Infantry.
General Order 254 of
1921 ordered the 1st Battalion of The Calgary Regiment to become a
kilted unit with the designation 1st Battalion (10th Battalion, CEF)
Calgary Highlanders, The Calgary Regiment. In 1924 they were split
off to become their own distinct regiment, known simply as The
Calgary Highlanders, and they retained their dual perpetuation of
the 10th Battalion, along with The Winnipeg Light Infantry.2
In 1955, The Winnipeg
Light Infantry were amalgamated with The Royal Winnipeg Rifles.
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."3
Until unit badges were approved and issued, a mixture of
pre-war Militia badges and maple-leaf pattern General Service badges
were seen.
The 10th Battalion showed an interest
from early in the war of acquiring distinctive unit badges.
Lieutenant-Colonel Rattray selected a design which featured a wreath
of Canadian maple leaves surmounted by the crown, bearing a scroll
and Canadian beaver. Dan Ormond, the unit's first adjutant and later
commanding officer and eventually a Brigadier-General, noted that
the battalion attempted to avoid association with a particular
geographical locality throughout the war:
"...we have
always tried to have the simple name of THE TENTH CANADIANS
adopted but have made no effort to have this adopted in an
official way...We have not asked for localization of a name for
we have received many good men from all parts of Canada and in
all fairness to everyone do not wish to localize."4
Lieutenant-Colonel Rattray submitted the
design to Brigadier Lipsett on 9 November 1915, who relayed it to
the headquarters of the 1st Canadian Division who approved it. The
battalion was informed on further enquiries that the badges would
not be provided at public expense; Rattray assured authorities that
battalion funds would be used and Canadian military authorities in
England approved the badges in March 1916, with the proviso that
"the unit undertakes to bear the cost of provision." Daniel Dancocks,
the battalion's historian, was unable to determine the exact date of
issue, though Barry Agnew of the Glenbow Museum and later curator of
The Calgary Highlanders Regimental Museum and Archives located a
battalion order from mid-June 1916 noting that the badges were in
use - and chastising some troops for using red cloth as a backing,
rather than the officially prescribed dark blue.
The badge was issued in bronze with
white metal overlays for officers and warrant officers/senior NCOs,
and in brass for other ranks.
Collar badges of matching design were
worn only by officers and warrant officers/senior NCOs, being also
in bi-metal; they were also mirrored in design, worn with the
beavers facing inward. Other ranks wore a C-over-10 badge that had
been in use since the summer of 1915.
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Interim badge, with battalion numeral on maple leaf. |
Officers' and Senior NCO's pattern battalion badge, with
white metal overlay on bronze.
Other ranks wore solid brass badges. |
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 10th Battalion was further distinguished by a red square
worn above the rectangle, the red indicating the 2nd 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.
Battle Honours
Ypres 1915, '17
St. Julien
Mount Sorrel
Thiepval
Arras, 19175
Arleux
Passchendaele
Scarpe, 1918
Hindenburg Line
Pursuit to Mons |
Gravenstavel
Festubert, 1915
Somme, 1916
Ancre Heights
Vimy, 1917
Hill 70
Amiens
Drocourt-Quéant
Canal du Nord
France and Flanders, 1915-18 |
Notes
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Stewart, p.5 and Guide to
Sources p.61.
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Dancocks, D.G. Gallant
Canadians: The Story of the 10th Canadian Infantry Battalion
1914-1919 (Calgary Highlanders Regimental Funds
Foundation, Calgary, AB, 1990) ISBN 0-9694616-0-7 pp.208-212
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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
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Dancocks, Ibid, pp.88-89
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Dancocks points out that while The
Calgary Highlanders were awarded the Battle Honour "Arras 1917,
'18", under General Order 110/29 dated 15 September 1929, the
10th Battalion received the Battle Honour Arras, 1917 by General
Order 123/29 on 15 October 1929. Possibly a clerical error, as
it was not one of the honour selected by the 10th Battalion for
emblazonment, the point is perhaps academic. Stewart lists the
honour as "Arras 1917, 18'" for the 10th Battalion.
References
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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
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Stewart, Charles
H. Overseas: The Lineages and Insignia of the Canadian
Expeditionary Force 1914-1919 (Little & Stewart,
Toronto, ON, 1970)
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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:
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Special badge
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Records of personnel
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Band
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Promotions
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Promotions, appointments
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Minor operations. Petit Douve,
1916
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RG 9, III-C-1, vol. 3858,
folder 84, file 6
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Minor operations. Entreprise,
1-2 March 1916
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RG 9, III-C-1, vol. 3858,
folder 84, file 11
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Badges, 1915 - 1916
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RG 9, III-C-1, vol. 3876, folder
6, file 2
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Trophies. Machine guns, 1917
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RG 9, III-C-1, vol. 3890, folder
46, file 11
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Strength. Dec. 1918 - Jan. 1919
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RG 9, III-C-1, vol. 3894, folder
57, file 31
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Defence schemes, Nov. 1915
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RG 9, III-C-2, vol. 4001, folder
1, file 3
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Minor operations, Feb. 1916 and
March 1918
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4017, folder
34, files 9-10
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Collar badge
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4045, folder
2, file 3
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Dispositions
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4047, folder
6, file 3
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Machine and Lewis guns
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4049, folder
14, files 1-4
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Move to 2nd Brigade
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4051, folder
18, file 5
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Officers’ records of service
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4051, folder
18, file 8
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Operations. Thiepval, 1916
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4051, folder
19, file 6
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Operations. Somme, 1916
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4051, folder
19, file 8
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Operations. Passchendaele, 1917
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4052, folder
21, file 2
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Operations. Amiens, 1918
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4052, folder
22, file 4
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Operations. Drocourt-Quéant Line,
1918
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4052, folder
22, file 6
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Operations. Canal du Nord, 1918
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4052, folder
22, file 7
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Operations. Sensée Canal, 1918
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G 9, III-C-3, vol. 4052, folder
22, file 8
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Operations. Arleux, 1918
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4052, folder
22, file 10
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Minor operations, March 1916 - July
1918
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4053, folder
24, file 2
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Reports on operations, 9-28 Sept.
1916
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4053, folder
24, file 23
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Operation orders, Oct. 1916 - July
1917
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4055, folder
30, file 3
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Orders, 23 July 1917 - 17 Jan. 1918
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4062, folder
10, file 6
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Operation orders, 10 March - 16
April 1918
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4067, folder
6, file 3
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Casualties at St. Julien, 26 Feb.
1915 - 21 Nov. 1917
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4070, folder
1, file 1
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87 Army books containing material on
a variety of subjects, 1915 - 1918. See finding aid
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4070,
folders 1-3; vol. 4071, folders 4-6; vol. 4072, folder 7
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Defence schemes, 1916 - 1918
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4072, folder
8, file 1
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Dispositions, 1917
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4072, folder
8, file 2
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Gas, 1916
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4072, folder
8, file 3
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Machine and Lewis guns
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4072, folder
8, file 4
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Maps
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4072, folder
8, file 5
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Report on mining, 27 Feb. 1917
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4072, folder
8, file 6
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Moves and reliefs, 1916 - 1917
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RG 9, III, vol. 4072, folder 8,
file 7
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Nominal rolls
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RG 9, III, vol. 4072, folder 8,
file 8
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Reports on officers, 1916 - 1917
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4072, folder
8, file 9
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Operations. Courcelette, 1916
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4072, folder
8, file 10
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Operations. Souchez Sector, 1916
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4072, folder
8, file 11
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Orders, 16 July 1915 - 20 Feb. 1917
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4072, folder
8, files 12-16
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Battalion orders, 15 Nov. 1914 - 26
Nov. 1915
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4072, folder
9, files 2-5
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Battalion orders, 26 Nov. 1915 - 31
Oct. 1916
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4073, folder
10, files 1-6
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Battalion orders, 3 Nov. 1916 - 17
Sept. 1917
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4073, folder
11, files 1-5
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Organization of battns., 16-17 Dec.
1916
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4073, folder
12, file 1
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Pay, 1917
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4073, folder
12, file 2
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Personnel, 1916 - 1918
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4073, folder
12, file 3
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Signal service, 1915 - 1916
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4073, folder
12, file 4
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Situation reports
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4073, folder
12, file 5
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Strength
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4073, folder
12, file 5A
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Training
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4073, folder
12, file 6
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Transport and traffic
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4073, folder
12, file 7
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Trenches and dugouts
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4073, folder
12, file 8
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Visits
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4073, folder
12, file 9
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War loan
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4073, folder
12, file 10
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Wind reports, 22 Jan. 1917
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4073, folder
12, file 11
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Issue of Yukon packs, May 1917
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Operations orders, 20 April 1918
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4077, folder
4, file 17
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Minor operations, March - June 1916
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4106, folder
23, files 4-5
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Report on minor operations
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4116, folder
4, file 6
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Defence scheme, 1918
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RG 9, III-C-3, vol. 4210, folder
1, file 4
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Badges
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RG 9, III-D-1, vol. 4691, folder
49, file 6
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Historical record
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RG 9, III-D-1, vol. 4691, folder
49, file 5
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Honours and awards
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RG 9, III-D-1, vol. 4691, folder
49, file 7
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Operations. Hill 63 (Messines), Jan.
1916
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RG 9, III-D-1, vol. 4691, folder
49, file 9
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Operations. St-Eloi, 15 April 1916
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RG 9, III-D-1, vol. 4691, folder
49, file 10
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Minor operations, 4 May 1916
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RG 9, III-D-1, vol. 4691, folder
49, file 11
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Operations. Mount Sorrel, June 1916
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RG 9, III-D-1, vol. 4691, folder
49, files 12-13
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Operations. Passchendaele, 9-10 Nov.
1917
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RG 9, III-D-1, vol. 4691, folder
49, file 14
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Photographs
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RG 9, III-D-1, vol. 4691, folder
49, file 8
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Nominal roll on embarkation, 1914
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Promotions, appointments
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Copy of pamphlet “The Story of the
Tenth Battalion”
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Daily Orders
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RG 150, vol. 66
File Part 1=1914/10/29-1914/12/31
File Part 2=1915/01/02-1915/07/17
File Part 3=1915/07/17-1916/06/30
File Part 4=1916/07/17-1916/12/31
File Part 5=1917/01/03-1917/06/30
File Part 6=1917/07/02-1917/12/31
File Part 7=1918/01/03-1918/03/30
File Part 8=1918/03/30-1918/12/31
File Part 9=1918/12/31-1919/12/23
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RG 150, vol. 1
RG 9, 54 = 1919/08/12 - 1919/08/18
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