Passchendaele – Canada's Other Vimy Ridge
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Canada 1919 a Nation Shaped by War Edited by Tim Cook and J.L
Canada 1919 A Nation Shaped by War Edited by Tim Cook and J.L. Granatstein Contents Timeline / viii Introduction / ! Tim Cook and J.L. Granatstein " #e Long "$"$: Hope, Fear, and Normalcy / "% Alan Bowker % Coming Home: How the Soldiers of Canada and Newfoundland Came Back / %& Dean F. Oliver ! “Playing with Fire”: Canadian Repatriation and the Riots of "$"$ / '! William F. Stewart ' New Battlegrounds: Treating VD in Belgium and Germany, "$"(–"$ / )& Lyndsay Rosenthal ) “L’honneur de notre race”: #e %%nd Battalion Returns to Quebec City, "$"$ / &% Serge Marc Dur!inger * Demobilization and Colonialism: Indigenous Homecomings in "$"$ / (* Brian R. MacDowall & Victory at a Cost: General Currie’s Contested Legacy / "+% Tim Cook ( Dealing with the Wounded: #e Evolution of Care on the Home Front to "$"$ / ""& Kandace Bogaert vi Contents $ In Death’s Shadow: #e "$"(–"$ In,uenza Pandemic and War in Canada / "!) Mark Osborne Humphries "+ #e Winnipeg General Strike of "$"$: #e Role of the Veterans / "'( David Jay Bercuson "" #e Group of Seven and the First World War: #e Burlington House Exhibition / "*% Laura Brandon "% Domestic Demobilization: Letters from the Children’s Page / "&& Kristine Alexander "! “At Peace with the Germans, but at War with the Germs”: Canadian Nurse Veterans a.er the First World War / "$+ Mélanie Morin-Pelletier "' A Timid Transformation: #e First World War’s Legacy on Canada’s Federal Government / %+' Je" Keshen ") Politics Undone: #e End of the Two-Party System / %%+ J.L. Granatstein "* Growing Up Autonomous: Canada and Britain through the First World War and into the Peace / %!' Norman Hillmer "& Past Futures: Military Plans of the Canadian and Other Dominion Armies in "$"$ / %'( Douglas E. Delaney "( #e Navy Reborn, an Air Force Created? #e Making of Canadian Defence Policy, "$"$ / %*% Roger Sarty "$ “Our Gallant Employees”: Corporate Commemoration in Postwar Canada / %&( Jonathan F. -
The Night Operation on the Passchendaele Ridge, 2Nd December 1917
Centre for First World War Studies A Moonlight Massacre: The Night Operation on the Passchendaele Ridge, 2nd December 1917 by Michael Stephen LoCicero Thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of History and Cultures College of Arts & Law June 2011 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. Abstract The Third Battle of Ypres was officially terminated by Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig with the opening of the Battle of Cambrai on 20 November 1917. Nevertheless, a comparatively unknown set-piece attack – the only large-scale night operation carried out on the Flanders front during the campaign – was launched twelve days later on 2 December. This thesis, a necessary corrective to published campaign narratives of what has become popularly known as „Passchendaele‟, examines the course of events from the mid-November decision to sanction further offensive activity in the vicinity of Passchendaele village to the barren operational outcome that forced British GHQ to halt the attack within ten hours of Zero. A litany of unfortunate decisions and circumstances contributed to the profitless result. -
General Sir William Birdwood and the AIF,L914-1918
A study in the limitations of command: General Sir William Birdwood and the A.I.F.,l914-1918 Prepared and submitted by JOHN DERMOT MILLAR for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of New South Wales 31 January 1993 I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of a university or other institute of advanced learning, except where due acknowledgement is made in the text of the thesis. John Dermot Millar 31 January 1993 ABSTRACT Military command is the single most important factor in the conduct of warfare. To understand war and military success and failure, historians need to explore command structures and the relationships between commanders. In World War I, a new level of higher command had emerged: the corps commander. Between 1914 and 1918, the role of corps commanders and the demands placed upon them constantly changed as experience brought illumination and insight. Yet the men who occupied these positions were sometimes unable to cope with the changing circumstances and the many significant limitations which were imposed upon them. Of the World War I corps commanders, William Bird wood was one of the longest serving. From the time of his appointment in December 1914 until May 1918, Bird wood acquired an experience of corps command which was perhaps more diverse than his contemporaries during this time. -
The Western Front the First World War Battlefield Guide: World War Battlefield First the the Westernthe Front
Ed 2 June 2015 2 June Ed The First World War Battlefield Guide: Volume 1 The Western Front The First Battlefield War World Guide: The Western Front The Western Creative Media Design ADR003970 Edition 2 June 2015 The Somme Battlefield: Newfoundland Memorial Park at Beaumont Hamel Mike St. Maur Sheil/FieldsofBattle1418.org The Somme Battlefield: Lochnagar Crater. It was blown at 0728 hours on 1 July 1916. Mike St. Maur Sheil/FieldsofBattle1418.org The First World War Battlefield Guide: Volume 1 The Western Front 2nd Edition June 2015 ii | THE WESTERN FRONT OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR ISBN: 978-1-874346-45-6 First published in August 2014 by Creative Media Design, Army Headquarters, Andover. Printed by Earle & Ludlow through Williams Lea Ltd, Norwich. Revised and expanded second edition published in June 2015. Text Copyright © Mungo Melvin, Editor, and the Authors listed in the List of Contributors, 2014 & 2015. Sketch Maps Crown Copyright © UK MOD, 2014 & 2015. Images Copyright © Imperial War Museum (IWM), National Army Museum (NAM), Mike St. Maur Sheil/Fields of Battle 14-18, Barbara Taylor and others so captioned. No part of this publication, except for short quotations, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the permission of the Editor and SO1 Commemoration, Army Headquarters, IDL 26, Blenheim Building, Marlborough Lines, Andover, Hampshire, SP11 8HJ. The First World War sketch maps have been produced by the Defence Geographic Centre (DGC), Joint Force Intelligence Group (JFIG), Ministry of Defence, Elmwood Avenue, Feltham, Middlesex, TW13 7AH. United Kingdom. -
THE WESTERN FRONT World War
INTRODUCTORY NOTES movement in their efforts to win. Also there is the opportunity to examine other aspects of life on the By 1907 Europe was divided into two armed camps Western Front which affected the life of the ordinary that involved all the major European powers, the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente. While the alliances soldier, such as living conditions, food, medical problems, army routine, discipline and humour. were meant to increase the security of each country, instead they ensured that a war that involved any of these powers would probably involve all of them. WAR PLANS Between the Anglo-French Cordiale of 1904 and the outbreak of war in 1914, there were a number of There had not been major war in Europe since 1870. Teacher's Notes crises in Morocco and the Balkans, any of which Much had changed since then. Population growth meant could have sparked a war. more men were available to be conscripted, industrial advancements meant armies could be equipped with It was the assassination of the Austrian heir to the more devastating weapons, railways meant armies could throne, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, be more easily moved and supplied. Every army had a 1914, that finally ignited the European powder keg. general staff, whose job it was to ensure their nations THE WESTERN Following the declaration of war on Serbia by Austria- army was properly equipped and organised for war and to Hungary on July 28, 1914, the Russian Government prepare plans to cover the most likely scenario. ordered its army to mobilise. -
The Portuguese Expeditionary Corps in World War I: from Inception To
THE PORTUGUESE EXPEDITIONARY CORPS IN WORLD WAR I: FROM INCEPTION TO COMBAT DESTRUCTION, 1914-1918 Jesse Pyles, B.A. Thesis Prepared for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS May 2012 APPROVED: Geoffrey Wawro, Major Professor Robert Citino, Committee Member Walter Roberts, Committee Member Richard McCaslin, Chair of the Department of History James D. Meernik, Acting Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School Pyles, Jesse, The Portuguese Expeditionary Corps in World War I: From Inception to Destruction, 1914-1918. Master of Arts (History), May 2012, 130 pp., references, 86. The Portuguese Expeditionary Force fought in the trenches of northern France from April 1917 to April 1918. On 9 April 1918 the sledgehammer blow of Operation Georgette fell upon the exhausted Portuguese troops. British accounts of the Portuguese Corps’ participation in combat on the Western Front are terse. Many are dismissive. In fact, Portuguese units experienced heavy combat and successfully held their ground against all attacks. Regarding Georgette, the standard British narrative holds that most of the Portuguese soldiers threw their weapons aside and ran. The account is incontrovertibly false. Most of the Portuguese combat troops held their ground against the German assault. This thesis details the history of the Portuguese Expeditionary Force. Copyright 2012 by Jesse Pyles ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The love of my life, my wife Izabella, encouraged me to pursue graduate education in history. This thesis would not have been possible without her support. Professor Geoffrey Wawro directed my thesis. He provided helpful feedback regarding content and structure. Professor Robert Citino offered equal measures of instruction and encouragement. -
Government Series RG 8-20 Despatches of the Department of the Provincial Secretary
List of: Government Series RG 8-20 Despatches of the Department of the Provincial Secretary Reference File Item Title and Physical Description Date Ordering Information Code Code RG 8-20 100.001 Imperial Cancer Research Fund 1910-1911 To view, order RG 8-20, in 1 file of textual records container B224124 RG 8-20 100.002 Judge D.W. McIntyre, Judge of County Court at Whitby 1910 To view, order RG 8-20, in 1 file of textual records container B224124 RG 8-20 100.003 Indian and Ordinance Lands 1910-1943 To view, order RG 8-20, in 1 file of textual records container B224124 RG 8-20 100.004 Erasures from the Medical and Dental Register 1909-1933 To view, order RG 8-20, in 1 file of textual records container B224124 RG 8-20 100.005 Privy Council Minutes for January 17th 1910 To view, order RG 8-20, in 1 file of textual records container B224124 RG 8-20 100.006 Complaints of [Name withheld under the Freedom of 1910 To view, order RG 8-20, in Information and Protection of Privacy Act] of Lynden, container B224124 Ontario, against H.E.P.C. 1 file of textual records RG 8-20 100.007 Request by Secretary of State for copy of Ontario 1910-1931 To view, order RG 8-20, in sessional papers container B224124 1 file of textual records RG 8-20 100.008 Appointment of A.J. Comber of Port Arthur, as the 1910 To view, order RG 8-20, in Consular Agent of the U.S.A. -
The Story of One Man, Thomas O’Connor, a 27-Year-Old Farmer Who Was Born in the Chateauguay Valley of Southwestern Quebec
2nd Edition March 2004 Private Thomas O’Connor Canadian Expeditionary Force 1917-1919 Dedication To my mother, first born of Tom and Grace, on the occasion of her “39th” Birthday. This is dedicated to Thomas O’Connor, Private, Canadian Expeditionary Force 1917-1919, and to all the others who served their country in the Great War. “Honour the Canadians who on the fields at Flanders and of France, fought in the cause of allies, with sacrifice and devotion.”i In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved, and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. Colonel John McCrea, Ypres, Belgium, 1915 Special thanks to Gerry Leroux, and particularly to Carole and Bill Barton, who were invaluable in helping in tracking down details that were not easily accessible from the United States. A very special thanks to Penney Adams for proofreading, cover design and supporting me through this project. Also many thanks to “Bakers Pals”, the participants of the on-line Great War Forum for their extraordinary help (www.1914-1918.org). Copyright © 2004-2005 Marc Leroux 2.5 2 April 2005 Private Thomas O’Connor Canadian Expeditionary Force 1917-1919 Preface It has been called the “Great War”, and “The War to End All Wars”. -
The British Empire on the Western Front: a Transnational Study of the 62Nd West Riding Division and the Canadian 4Th Division
University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2013-09-24 The British Empire on the Western Front: A Transnational Study of the 62nd West Riding Division and the Canadian 4th Division Jackson, Geoffrey Jackson, G. (2013). The British Empire on the Western Front: A Transnational Study of the 62nd West Riding Division and the Canadian 4th Division (Unpublished doctoral thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/28020 http://hdl.handle.net/11023/1036 doctoral thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY The British Empire on the Western Front: A Transnational Study of the 62nd West Riding Division and the Canadian 4th Division By Geoffrey Jackson A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY CENTRE FOR MILITARY AND STRATEGIC STUDIES CALGARY, ALBERTA SEPTEMBER 2013 © Geoffrey Jackson 2013 Abstract This dissertation is a detailed transnational comparative analysis focusing on two military units representing notably different societies, though ones steeped in similar military and cultural traditions. This project compared and contrasted training, leadership and battlefield performance of a division from each of the British and Canadian Expeditionary Forces during the First World War. -
Milton's War Trophy #9563
Milton’s War Trophy #9563 - The 3rd Canadian Infantry Battalion at the Canal du Nord in September 1918 By Richard Laughton Most Canadians, like me, probably thought that the armaments that adorn our local parks, cenotaphs and memorials are Canadian. While researching the background to our “Milton War Trophy”I asked numerous friends, Legion Comrades and Veterans about our Milton Victoria Park War Trophy. Only one person knew it was of German origin, captured during the Great War (WW1 1914-1919). Specifically, it was captured during the famous period of “Canada’s Hundred Days”, from August 8th to November 11th 1918. This is the incredible story of the capture of that gun by the 3rd Canadian Infantry Battalion on Friday September 27th 1918. Lt. G. V. Laughton, M.C. Bill Smy of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Study Group (CEFSG) has written an excellent summary of history of War Trophies in Canada. For further details on that document, please refer to Note 1. The Milton War Trophy was captured by the 3rd Canadian Infantry Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Canadian Division during “Canada’s Hundred Days” 1. During this period the Canadian Expeditionary Force advanced through the Hindenburg Line to Cambrai, ending the stalemate of “Trench Warfare”. Specifically the Canadians crossed the Canal du Nord and captured Bourlon Wood, and in doing so captured a German Field Gun #9563, Milton’s War Trophy. More pictures of Milton’s War Trophy On-Line The battles that were fought by the Canadians to end the First World War were not inconsequential. As Christie reported 2, the final 100 days of the Great War accounted for one-fifth (20 percent) of all Canadian casualties during the war. -
The German Army, Vimy Ridge and the Elastic Defence in Depth in 1917
Journal of Military and Strategic VOLUME 18, ISSUE 2 Studies “Lessons learned” in WWI: The German Army, Vimy Ridge and the Elastic Defence in Depth in 1917 Christian Stachelbeck The Battle of Arras in the spring of 1917 marked the beginning of the major allied offensives on the western front. The attack by the British 1st Army (Horne) and 3rd Army (Allenby) was intended to divert attention from the French main offensive under General Robert Nivelle at the Chemin des Dames (Nivelle Offensive). 1 The French commander-in-chief wanted to force the decisive breakthrough in the west. Between 9 and 12 April, the British had succeeded in penetrating the front across a width of 18 kilometres and advancing around six kilometres, while the Canadian corps (Byng), deployed for the first time in closed formation, seized the ridge near Vimy, which had been fiercely contested since late 1914.2 The success was paid for with the bloody loss of 1 On the German side, the battles at Arras between 2 April and 20 May 1917 were officially referred to as Schlacht bei Arras (Battle of Arras). In Canada, the term Battle of Vimy Ridge is commonly used for the initial phase of the battle. The seizure of Vimy ridge was a central objective of the offensive and was intended to secure the protection of the northern flank of the 3rd Army. 2 For detailed information on this, see: Jack Sheldon, The German Army on Vimy Ridge 1914-1917 (Barnsley: Pen&Sword Military, 2008), p. 8. Sheldon's book, however, is basically a largely indiscriminate succession of extensive quotes from regimental histories, diaries and force files from the Bavarian War Archive (Kriegsarchiv) in Munich. -
Canadian Official Historians and the Writing of the World Wars Tim Cook
Canadian Official Historians and the Writing of the World Wars Tim Cook BA Hons (Trent), War Studies (RMC) This thesis is submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Humanities and Social Sciences UNSW@ADFA 2005 Acknowledgements Sir Winston Churchill described the act of writing a book as to surviving a long and debilitating illness. As with all illnesses, the afflicted are forced to rely heavily on many to see them through their suffering. Thanks must go to my joint supervisors, Dr. Jeffrey Grey and Dr. Steve Harris. Dr. Grey agreed to supervise the thesis having only met me briefly at a conference. With the unenviable task of working with a student more than 10,000 kilometres away, he was harassed by far too many lengthy emails emanating from Canada. He allowed me to carve out the thesis topic and research with little constraints, but eventually reined me in and helped tighten and cut down the thesis to an acceptable length. Closer to home, Dr. Harris has offered significant support over several years, leading back to my first book, to which he provided careful editorial and historical advice. He has supported a host of other historians over the last two decades, and is the finest public historian working in Canada. His expertise at balancing the trials of writing official history and managing ongoing crises at the Directorate of History and Heritage are a model for other historians in public institutions, and he took this dissertation on as one more burden. I am a far better historian for having known him.