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World War 1 Remembered - 49th Canadian Overseas Infantry Battalion - 1917 Q2
April 3, 2017
Last Updated on: July 5, 2017
1917 – April to June
Vimy Ridge: April 9-12, 1917 – This battle marked the first engagement of the complete Canadian Corps (4 Divisions), fighting as a formation within the British 1st Army. The Canadian Corps (with one British Division attached and over 100,000 soldiers) took the enemy trenches, gained control and held the high ground that dominated the region. They then stormed down the ridge and fought through and beyond the village of Vimy. The cost of winning the battle was high. Canadians suffered over 10,500 casualties, of which 3,598 soldiers were killed in action.
World War 1 Remembered - 49th Canadian Overseas Infantry Battalion - 1917 Q1
January 4, 2017
Last Updated on: April 3, 2017
1917 – January to March
During the first quarter of 1917 the 49th Battalion was in the Vimy Ridge sector. January saw two tours in the front lines while February was highlighted by the departure of Lt.-Col. Greisbach and the start of preparations for the epic Battle of Vimy Ridge.
World War 1 Remembered - 202nd (Sportsmen's) Canadian Overseas Infantry Battalion - 1917 Q1
January 5, 2017
Last Updated on: April 3, 2017
1917 – January to March
Mobilization of the 202nd Battalion was authorized on February 4, 1916. However, it wasn’t until eleven months later that the 202nd Battalion was finally ready to go to France and fight as Alberta’s fifth battalion of infantry and the second battalion primarily from the Edmonton area to be deployed as a unit. Heavy Canadian casualties and a dearth of recruits in 1917 cancelled that plan.
World War 1 Remembered - 196th (Western Universities) Canadian Overseas Infantry Battalion - 1916 Q4
October 13, 2016
Last Updated on: January 5, 2017
1916 – October to December
The 196th Battalion was the only Canadian infantry battalion in the Canadian Expeditionary Force raised by universities and largely composed of university staff and students. The universities involved were from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia. The University of Alberta’s President, Henry Marshall Tory, played a significant part in the initial planning and recruiting for the battalion, particularly the U of A’s contribution to it.
World War 1 Remembered - 49th Canadian Overseas Infantry Battalion - 1916 Q4
October 13, 2016
Last Updated on: January 4, 2017
1916 – October to December
During the final quarter of 1916 the 49th Battalion continued to fight in the final stages of the Battle of the Somme. Most significant was the battalion’s part in the Battle of the Ancre Heights (Regina Trench system) followed by its move to the Vimy Ridge sector.
World War 1 Remembered - XI Canadian Field Ambulance (Western Universities) - 1916 Q3
July 27, 2016
Last Updated on: October 13, 2016
1916 – July to September
Trench warfare resulted in many casualties, mostly from enemy action but also from illness and injury. There was a system in place to handle these casualties starting with each forward unit’s regimental aid post (R.A.P.) operated by the unit’s Medical Officer (MO). From there, as necessary, casualties would be moved back through a series of stations where they were further assessed and treated. These included advanced dressing stations (A.D.S.), casualty clearing stations (C.C.S.) and main dressing stations (M.D.S.). The handling of casualties from the R.A.P. back to the M.D.S. was the job of the Field Ambulance units, part of the Canadian Army Medical Corps (C.A.M.C.).
World War 1 Remembered - 49th Canadian Overseas Infantry Battalion - 1916 Q3
April 25, 2016
Last Updated on: October 13, 2016
1916 – July to September
During the summer of 1916 the 49th Battalion continued to fight in the Ypres sector of the front lines. In September the 3rd Canadian Division moved to the Flers-Courcelette sector in France and became part of the Battle of the Somme, a costly battle intended to relieve pressure on the French defenders of Verdun.
World War 2 Remembered - Edmonton Regiment - 1941 Q1
January 21, 2016
Last Updated on: July 27, 2016
1941 – January to March
While British, Australian and New Zealand forces battled the Italians and Germans in North Africa, the threat of an invasion of the British Isles still existed at the beginning of 1941. The Edmonton Regiment, in England for a year now, continued to train for their part in repelling the invasion should it come.
World War 1 Remembered - 49th Canadian Overseas Infantry Battalion - 1915 Q4
October 13, 2015
Last Updated on: July 27, 2016
1915 – October to December
Fourteen months after the start of the First World War, on October 9, 1915, the main body of the 49th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), with 30 officers and 890 other ranks, departed from Folkestone, England and arrived at Boulogne, France. Three days later they were 20 km behind the Ypres, Belgian, front lines.
World War 1 Remembered - 49th Canadian Overseas Infantry Battalion - 1916 Q2
April 25, 2016
Last Updated on: July 27, 2016
1916 – April to June
During the second quarter of 1916 the 49th Battalion fought in the Salient (bulge in the line) to the east of Ypres, Belgium. Together, with The Royal Canadian Regiment, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, and the 42nd Battalion (Royal Highlanders of Canada) from Montreal, they formed the 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade (CIB). Here they were under great pressure from the Germans who wanted to clear the salient and advance through Ypres.
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