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The 19th
Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force was a unit
raised for service in the First World War.
History
The 19th
Battalion was organized in October 1914, mobilizing at
London, Ontario and officially authorized by General Order
36/1915 dated 15 March 1915. The unit recruited in
Toronto, Hamilton, St. Catharines, Brantford and Sault Ste.
Marie.1
Units of the
2nd Division were concentrated in their home towns during
the recruiting process, and the 19th Battalion went into
camp at the Toronto Exhibition Grounds under their
commander, Lieutenant-Colonel J.I. McLaren.2
The unit
travelled to the United Kingdom on Scandinavian,
embarking on 13 May 1915 at Montreal and arriving in England
on 22 May. The unit then moved to France with the 2nd
Canadian Division on 14 September 1915. The unit saw
extensive combat as a unit of the 2nd Division.
The unit was
reinforced by the 3rd Canadian Reserve Battalion, and
returned to the UK on 6 April 1919. The unit disembarked in
Canada on 22 May and demobilized at Toronto on 24 May.3
The unit was perpetuated after the Otter Commission
reorganizations of 1920 by The Argyll and Sutherland
Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's).4 |
19th
Battalion, CEF |
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Organized:
October 1914
Initial Strength: 41 officers, 1073 other
ranks
Service: 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 2nd
Canadian Division
Disbanded: General Order 149/1920 eff 15
September 1920
Perpetuated by: The Argyll and Sutherland
Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's) |
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Traditions
The unit had no
colours, and instead carried a bunting flag into Germany after the
Armistice which was later deposited at St. Paul's Church in
Hamilton.5
Insignia
The cap badge illustrated above appears
in the
Babin catalogue as E-19 with an officers version bearing white
metal overlays as E-19a.
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."6
Until unit badges were approved and issued, a mixture of
pre-war Militia badges and maple-leaf pattern General Service badges
were seen.
In
mid-1916, cloth "battle-patches" were added to the sleeves of the
Service Dress and greatcoat. The 2nd Division was distinguished by a
blue rectangle, 3 inches wide by 2 inches tall, worn on each upper
arm. The 19th Battalion was further distinguished by a green semi-circle
worn above the rectangle, the green indicating the 4th Brigade, and
the semi-circle indicating the second senior
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
Battle Honours were granted by General
Order 110 of 1929. Honours selected for emblazonment are in bold:
Mount Sorrel
Flers-Courcelette
Ancre Heights
Vimy 1917
Ypres, 1917
Amiens
Drocourt-Quéant
Canal du Nord
Pursuit to Mons |
Somme, 1916, 18
Thiepval
Arras 1917, '18
Hill 70
Passchendaele
Scarpe, 1918
Hindenburg Line
Cambrai, 1918
France and Flanders 1915-18 |
Notes
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Guide to Sources Relating to
Units of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Infantry Battalions (Library
and Archives Canada, Ottawa, ON, 2012)
p.101, (copy in RG24, vol. 1258, file HQ 593-2-1, pt. 1).
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"Toronto Volunteers" Saskatoon
Daily Star, 7 November 1914, p.10
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Guide to Sources, Ibid
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Love, David W. A Nation in Making: The Organization and
Administration of the Canadian Military During the First World
War (Service Publications Ltd., Ottawa, ON, 2012) ISBN
978-1-894581-72-1 Volume II, p.331
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Guide to Sources, Ibid
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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
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
Archival Holdings
The following holdings at Library and
Archives Canada may be useful for further research on this unit:
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War diary, 6 Nov. 1914 - 30 April
1919
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Visit to Hamilton
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Inspection reports, clothing and
equipment
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Badges
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Pay and paysheets
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Demobilization
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History
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DHS file
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Overseas Ministry file 1915 - 1916
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Muster parades
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Sale of clothing
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Promotions
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Promotions, appointments,
commissions
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Mining. Report of explosion, 11-14
March 1916
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Strength, Dec. 1918 - Jan. 1919
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Minor operations, 3 April 1918
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Minor operations, March 1917 - June
1918
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Defence schemes, 15 Jan. 1919
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Minor operations, 1916 - 1918
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Operation orders, Nov. 1915 - Jan.
1919
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Daily Part I Orders, 16 Nov. 1918
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Aircraft, 1916 - 1917
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Small arms and ammunition, Jan. 1916
- Sept. 1917
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Hostile artillery, instructions re,
13 Sept. 1915
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Claims for damage to fields, Oct.
1917 - Jan. 1918
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Congratulatory messages, 1916
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Trench distribution, etc. 1916
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Trench dress, trench mask
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Defences, 15 April 1916
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Trenches and dugouts, 4 April 1916
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Instructions re wire, 22 April 1916
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Work and working parties, 1916
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Establishment, Nov. 1917
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Field messages, April 1915
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Orders and instructions, re fires,
1918
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Gas attacks, April - July 1916
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Grenades, 1916 - 1917
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Machine and Lewis guns, 1916 - 1917
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Steel helmets, 7 March 1916
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Instructions re investiture, 1916
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Intelligence, 1915 - 1918
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Intelligence summaries, 1916 - 1918
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Intelligence reports, 18 Oct. - 26
Nov. 1916
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Administrative instructions, 30 Oct.
1917
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Return of leave, 1917
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Maps, 1916
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Medical arrangements, 3 Nov. 1917
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Moonlight chart
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Miscellaneous, 1917
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Moves and reliefs, 1916
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Nominal rolls, 1917
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Trench observation report, 1915 -
1918
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Officers, 1916 - 1917
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Operations, The Bluff, 1916
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Operations, Hill 60, 1916
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Operations, Somme, 1916
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Operations, Courcelette, 1916
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Operations, Paschendaele, 1917
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Minor operations, 1915 - 1916
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Minor operations, 29 July 1916
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Minor operations, lessons learned
from 1916
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Notes on and lessons learned from
operations, 1915 - 1918
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Operations orders, 14 Dec. 1915 - 21
Dec. 1916
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Trench orders, 1915
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Special orders of the day, 1915 -
1918
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Battalion orders, Pt I and Pt II, 30
Oct. 1915 - 31 Dec. 1917
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Patches, 1916 - 1917
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Pigeon service, 1 May 1916
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Rations, 1917 - 1918
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Reinforcements, 1916 - 1917
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Remounts, 29 June 1917
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Salvage, 10 July 1916
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Scouts, snipers, patrols, 1916
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Signals, 1917
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Situation reports, 12-15 Feb. 1916
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Sports, July 1916 - Oct. 1917
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Strength, 24 Aug. 1915 - 22 Dec.
1916
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Strength, 29 Dec. 1916 - 28 Dec.
1917
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RG 9 III-C-3, vol. 4117, folder
9, files 1-2
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Training, 1917
RG 9 III-C-3, vol. 4117, folder 9, file 3
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Transport, 1917
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Returns of trophies, 22 Nov. 1917
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Visits, 11-12 Nov. 1915
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Correspondence re war diaries, 1916
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Wireless news, 1916
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Minor operations, 28 April 1918
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Operation orders, 8 June - 12 Sept.
1918
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Minor operations, June 1918
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Minor operations, 21 Dec. 1915
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Badges
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Historical record
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Operations. St-Eloi, April 1916
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Minor operations, 29 July 1916
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Minor operations, 15 Aug. 1916
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Operations. Somme, Sept. -Oct. 1916
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Operations. Hill 70, 15-17 Aug. 1917
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Photographs
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Inspection reports prior to going
overseas
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Nominal roll on embarkation, 1915
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Promotions, appointments
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Colt gun
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