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The 259th
Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force was a unit
raised for service in the First World War.
History
The
259th
Canadian Infantry Battalion mobilized in Victoria, British
Columbia drawing
troops from London and Kingston, Ontario, as well as
Montreal and Quebec City.1
The battalion was one of two
Canadian infantry battalions sent to Siberia and northern
Russia as a component of the 16th Canadian Brigade Group,
whose mandate was to protect lines of communication during
the Russian Revolution. The unit was commanded by
Lieutenant-Colonel A.E. Swift, and included conscripted men. |
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259th
Battalion, CEF |
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Organized: 1
November 1918 (G.O. 128/1918)
Service: Component of the Canadian
Expeditionary Force (Siberia)
Strength: 33 officers, 1038 other ranks
Disbanded: 15 November 1920 (G.O. 215/1920)
Perpetuated by:
12e Régiment
blindé du Canada |
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The 259th Battalion was authorized
by CEF Routine Order 1087 dated 20 September 1918, as well as by
General Order 128 dated 1 November 1918, as the '259th Battalion, Canadian Rifles, CEF
(Siberia)' and embarked for Russia on the S.S. Protesilaus
and S.S. Teesta on 22 and 26 December 1918.2 The
unit disembarked at Vladivostok on 12 and 15 January 1919, where it
served with the 16th Infantry Brigade as part of the Allied Forces
in eastern Russia before returning to Canada on 19 May 1919. The
battalion officially disbanded on 6
November 1920.
The battalion was not perpetuated during
the Otter Committee reorganizations. In more recent years, an effort
to perpetuate the Siberia battalions led to grants of perpetuation to existing
units of the Regular Force. The
12e
Régiment blindé du Canada was named the official perpetuating unit
of the '259th Battalion
(Canadian Rifles), CEF (Siberia)'
on
25 June 1998.3
Insignia
A contemporary
newspaper account described the insignia of the C.E.F. (Siberia) as follows:
The infantry units of
this force will be known as the 259th and 260th Battalions,
Canadian Rifles, C.E.F., Siberia. The cap badge in the case of
officers will be an oxidized silver bugle with maple leaf
enclosed, the whole backed by a red cloth badge. The collar
badge will be an oxidized silver letter "C", with the numerals
"259th" or "260th as the case may be, underneath. Rank badges of
oxidized silver "Canada" badges will also be worn on the
shoulders and the buttons will be of the black rifle pattern.4
Metal cap and collar badges were also
worn on service dress. Distinctive cap and collar badges were
approved on 17 September 1918.5
 The
C.E.F. (Siberia) used a system of battle patches identical to that worn by
the C.E.F. in France and Flanders. The force as a whole was
distinguished by a maroon coloured rectangle, 3 inches wide by 2
inches tall, worn on each upper arm. The exact shade was known as
"garnet" and was the same battle patch worn by the 5th Canadian
Division in the United Kingdom. The 259th Battalion was further
distinguished by a red circle worn above the rectangle, the red
indicating the 16th Brigade, and the circle indicating the senior
battalion in the brigade.6
Detail of a photo of two
259th Battalion signallers, showing the cap badge,
battle patch, and what appears to be a "C-over-numeral"
collar badge. Vancouver Archives photo AM1535-: CVA
99-745
Notes
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Love, p.140 as well as
Guide to Sources, p. 688
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Guide to Sources gives only a
single embarkation date, but two disembarkation dates. Other
sources mention two embarkation dates.
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NDHQ Memorandum 5400-34 (DHH), 23
June 1998. See also.Annex 1B to A-AD-267-000/AF-003,
also viewable online at Directorate of History and Heritage
list of lineages.
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September 28, 1918 edition of the Edmonton Morning Bulletin via
CEF Matrix
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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.82
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Law, Clive M. Distinguishing
Patches (2nd Ed.) (Service Publications Ltd., Ottawa,
ON, 2008) ISBN 978-894581-50-9 p.10
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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War diary, 19 Sept. 1918 - 30 April
1919
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Audit reports
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Inspection reports
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Inspection reports, clothing and
equipment
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Demobilization
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Inspection reports prior to leaving
Canada
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