Organizing the 1st
Division in Canada
As the situation in Europe deteriorated in Europe in July
1914, Canada started to make the move to mobilize the militia
into a force that could be sent to England in support of His
Majesty, presumably in the form of Imperial Troops. The
original plans were for a CEF of up to 25,000 men. The
majority of the early recruits came from the already established
Militia Regiments, however this quickly changed as the need for
recruits expanded.
The first contingent of the Canadian Expeditionary Force
arrived at the Valcartier training camp near Quebec City on
August 10, 1914, quickly followed by the first CEF volunteers
(not yet "Attested"), a process that continued until
32,665 men and some 5,000 horses were at Valcartier on September
8, 1914. The contingent was to be formed into 4 Brigades
and 16 Battalions, all sequentially numbered, none of which were
to perpetuate (carry their designation after the war - at which
time they would revert back to militia units).
The 1st Division Moves to England
Upon completion of the training at Valcartier the first CEF
contingent prepared to move to England in a fleet of some 40
ships, including the 8 naval escort ships. They arrived in
England on October 14, 1914 where they were sent to the
Salisbury Plain for another 16 weeks of training. On
November 1, 1915 to contingent was restructured, as previously
noted, to change the Division structure to 4 Battalions rather
than the 8 in the preliminary plan. The residual units
were redesignated to reinforcement and training.
From the GreatWar.co.uk
web site comes this description of the crossing:
The fleet of 33 Atlantic liners assembled in Gaspé
Basin off the coast of Quebec province for a rendezvous with
their Royal Navy warship escorts. On 3 October the transport
ships steamed ahead out of Gaspé Bay in three lines led by
Royal Navy warships: His Majesty's Ships were Charybdis,
Diana, and Eclipse, with the
Glory and Suffolk on the
flanks, and the Talbot in the rear. Later,
the Suffolk's place was taken by the battle-cruiser, Queen
Mary.
Making its way up the St. Lawrence seaway the convoy
passed through the gateway of Canada, the Gulf of St.
Lawrence. As it passed the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland
the sealing-ship SS Florizel, with the Newfoundland
Regiment aboard, joined the fleet.
As the army set sail for Europe it was the first time
that such a large contingent of troops had ever crossed the
Atlantic.
The 1st Division at Ypres, April
1915
Love makes note (page 88) that the 1st
Canadian Division arrived in France on February 15, 1915 to be
attached to the III Corps, British 2nd Army, and stationed in
the Ypres area.
From the GreatWar.co.uk
web site comes this description of the travel to France:
Early in December 1914 Princess Patricia's
Canadian Light Infantry regiment left Salisbury Plain and
joined the British 27th Division in France. The Regiment was
brigaded with the 3rd King's Royal Rifles, 4th King's Royal
Rifles, 4th Rifle Brigade and 2nd King's Shropshire Light
Infantry.
A few days after an inspection by King George V on 4
February 1915 the 1st Canadian Division marched off
Salisbury Plain and entrained for their port of embarkation at
Avonmouth on the Bristol Channel under the command of
Lieutenant General Edwin Alderson. The Division was composed
of three infantry brigades, three artillery brigades, an
ammunition column, divisional engineers, divisional mounted
troops and divisional train.
The 6th, 9th, 11th, 12th, and 17th Battalions were left
in England as the Base Brigade of the Division. These
battalions were formed later into the Canadian Training Depot
and later still, together with reinforcements from Canada,
into the Canadian Training Division.
The 1st Canadian Division sailed for the Bay of Biscay.
The last transport reached St. Nazaire on the north-west coast
of France on 16 February.
The Division was then put into freight railway cars and
taken on a three-day 500 mile rail journey to Steenwerk,
twenty miles west of Ypres in Belgian Flanders. (It was only
50 miles from the French port of Boulogne.)
On 1 March the Division was part of the British
First Army under the command of General Sir Douglas Haig.
Having replaced the British 7th Division in the line at
Fleurbaix the 1st Canadian Division formed the left wing of
the British IV. Corps under the command of Lieutenant-General
Sir Henry Rawlinson. Between 10-12 March the Division
took part in the Battle of Neuve Chapelle.
On 27 March the 1st Canadian Division was
relieved from the line and sent to rest at Estaires.
From 6 April the division was moved into the
British Second Army area, arriving at Oudezele, 10 miles west
of Ypres. Their orders were to take over the line from the
French 11 Division in the north east of the Ypres Salient.
From 15 to 17 April 1st
Canadian Division took over the Allied front line from the
west of Gravenstafel to the Poelcapelle-Keerselare road.
Following the launch of a German offensive on 22
April 1915, the division was involved in the Second
Battle of Ypres.
Nicholson - 1st Division at Ypres April
1915, page 56
The
1st Canadian Division’s relief of the French 11th Division
took place between 14 and 17 April, General Alderson assuming
command at 10:00 a.m. on the 17th. The Canadian sector, 4500
yards in length, lay obliquely astride the valley of the
Stroombeek, northernmost of the Steenbeek’s tributaries
within the Salient. Between 1000 and 2000 yards to the rear
was the Gravenstafel Ridge, which took its name from the
hamlet lying just inside the Canadian boundary with the 28th
Division. On the left the junction with the 45th (Algerian)
Division lay 1000 yards south-west of Poelcappelle on the road
leading to
Ypres
. The Canadian
front was held by the 2nd Brigade on the right and the 3rd on
the left, each with two battalions in the line, one in
support, and one in divisional reserve on the northern
outskirts of
Ypres
. The 1st Brigade
was in corps reserve at Vlamertinghe, two and a half miles
west of Ypres.1’ French artillery remained in position while
the infantry was taking over, and was relieved section for
section on the two succeeding nights by batteries of the 2nd
and 3rd Brigades, Canadian Field Artillery. Reports on the
divisional relief pay tribute to the courtesy and helpfulness
of French officers and men in making the handing over as easy
and methodical as possible.
