The 22Nd Battalion and the Memory of Courcelette

Canadian Military History Volume 19 Issue 3 Article 4 2010 “Il a bien merité de la Patrie” The 22nd Battalion and the Memory of Courcelette Geoff Keelan Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh Part of the Military History Commons Recommended Citation Geoff Keelan "“Il a bien merité de la Patrie” The 22nd Battalion and the Memory of Courcelette." Canadian Military History 19, 3 (2010) This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Canadian Military History by an authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. : “Il a bien merité de la Patrie” The 22nd Battalion and the Memory of Courcelette “Il a bien merité de la Patrie” The 22nd Battalion and the Memory of Courcelette Geoff Keelan he 22nd Battalion’s assault on the the successes at Courcelette, but that Abstract: This article examines Ttown of Courcelette in September the role of the French Canadian the victory remained an important 1916 was one of the few successes in soldiers of the 22nd Battalion and the “harbinger of greater victories to the prolonged offensive known as reaction to their achievements on the come.”5 For the 22nd Battalion the the Battle of the Somme, 1 July to 18 battlefield (specifically at the battle action became much more than that. of Courcelette) as well as tracing November 1916. During this period The story of the French Canadian the development of the literature British Empire troops suffered 432,000 published by veterans after the war. battalion at Courcelette was one of casualties.1 The British Fourth Army The dominant narrative for French courage and heroism. At 1530 hours, under General Sir Henry Rawlinson Canada’s experience of the First Lieutenant-Colonel T.L. Tremblay, bore the responsibility of leading the World War focuses on the domestic commander of the battalion, received offensive. Rawlinson was an advocate experience of the province and places word that the unit would assault the little emphasis on the actions and of heavy artillery bombardments and German lines at 1800 hours. As the Canadian War Museum (CWM) 19880309-005 Canadian War experience of its many soldiers on limited objectives, and his conception the Western Front. This work will assault began, two companies, single of the attack conflicted with the offer some balance to that narrative file and 350 yards apart, marched views of breakthrough-obsessed and combat the myth of a monolithic towards the village of Martinpuich Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, experience for French Canadians and the “Candy Trench,” with two during the Great War. commander-in-chief of the British companies following in reserve. The Expeditionary Force. The result forward companies then swung to was what historian Hew Strachan reports of disorganized German the left directly towards the southern described as a “plan for the battle forces, Byng ordered the seizure edge of Courcelette. Shells and that was fatally compromised at the of the village itself.3 The resulting shrapnel rained down upon the tactical level.”2 Canada paid a heavy attack, led by the 22nd Battalion, beleaguered soldiers, who kept the price for that failure. the only French-Canadian front line line moving forward. By the time The Canadian Corps, commanded unit, captured the village and the they had taken the entire village and by Lieutenant-General Sir Julian Canadians received widespread established a defensive line north Byng, arrived on 30 August and praise. Field-Marshal Haig wrote of it, they had captured over 300 was set to take part in the upcoming that Courcelette “was a gain more prisoners, a 4.1-inch German gun offensive in mid-September. General considerable than any which had with 1,000 rounds of ammunition, Sir Hubert Gough’s Reserve Army attended our arms in the course several machines guns and a large assigned the Canadians to attack of a single operation since the quantity of German hand grenades. Courcelette to help protect the left commencement of the offensive.”4 Throughout the battle, there were flank of Rawlinson’s Fourth Army. Still, the success of the Canadians on many instances of individual courage Leading was Major-General Sir the Somme would be brief. Despite and initiative. Lieutenant Charles Richard Turner’s 2nd Canadian heavy losses they failed to take Greffard, knocked unconscious for Division, whose objectives were to Regina Trench, and left the theatre on two hours by a shell, refused to stay seize German-held territory to a 10 October. David Campbell argues at the dressing station and continued depth that varied from 400 to 1000 that this setback and the “overall the attack until he was wounded yards. After initial success during the dismal reputation that the Somme in the shoulder. With that wound morning of 15 September, and amidst campaign gained” overshadowed dressed, he returned to the battle Published© Canadian by Scholars Military Commons History @, Laurier,Volume 2010 19, Number 3, Summer 2010, pp.28-40. 29 1 Keelen - 22nd Battalion.indd 29 9/27/2010 11:14:36 AM Canadian Military History, Vol. 19 [2010], Iss. 3, Art. 4 Canadian War Museum (CWM) 19880309-005 Canadian War CHARGE VICTORIEUSE DU 22IEME BATAILLON (CANADIENS-FRANCAIS) LIEUT-COL. T.L. TREMBLAY, COMMANDANT by E.P. Gartlan https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh/vol19/iss3/428 2 Keelen - 22nd Battalion.indd 28 9/27/2010 11:14:36 AM : “Il a bien merité de la Patrie” The 22nd Battalion and the Memory of Courcelette until he was wounded a second time, against the distant European war. and then reluctantly left the fight. As a result, recruitment from Quebec Captain René Lefèbvre was shot was lower than from English Canada. through the chest but continued to Increasingly, supporters of the war wave his men forward as he died attacked Henri Bourassa, defacto from his wounds. Lieutenant-Colonel leader of the Quebec nationalistes, Tremblay was also in the village as the heart of this provincial revolt. itself and was buried three times by As 1915 wore on his vitriolic words CWM 19930012-220 shellfire but continued to spur his raised the ire of his English-speaking men forward. He reportedly did not countrymen and helped to reinforce sleep for three days and two nights an image of Quebec as an anti-war as he held the battalion headquarters province.10 Despite efforts such as the in the centre of Courcelette. All Bonne Entente movement in 1916,11 told, the battalion would repel 13 Quebec felt isolated and persecuted German counterattacks at great loss by the refusal of Ontario, the largest to themselves and the enemy. 6 predominantly English-speaking For the “Vandoos,” Courcelette province, to recognize the right of was their first bloodletting and their Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas-Louis French Canadians to be educated in first true experience of the harsh Tremblay, commander of the 22nd their own language while demanding reality of attritional warfare. Of the 22 Battalion at the Battle of Courcelette. that they voluntarily fight in a war officers who entered the battle, seven that they saw as utterly remote from were killed and eight wounded.7 their interests.12 The only support Everything after would be compared upon a carefully constructed story from French Canadians came from to Courcelette and it would be of oppression and victimization. It “anglicized” French Canadians such one of the battalion’s most revered requires French Canadians to forget as Sir Wilfrid Laurier or Talbot Mercer battles. Sergeant Claudius Corneloup the other historical memory of the Papineau. As it became increasingly wrote of the “marges impérissables First World War, the participation clear that the war would not end de Courcelette. Le 22ième d’alors and achievements of soldiers from soon and that more soldiers were marchait vers l’immortalité.”8 “Si Quebec’s French-speaking majority. required, English Canadians argued l’enfer est aussi abominable que In this light, the record of the 22nd that conscription would create an ce que j’ai vu [à Courcelette], je ne Battalion, the “Vandoos,” came equality of sacrifice and participation souhaiterais pas à mon pire ennemi to represent the valour, honour among all. After the election of d’y aller,” was how Lieutenant- and sacrifice of French speaking the Union government in 1917, Colonel Tremblay encapsulated soldiers in their service to Canada conscription was ruthlessly enforced; the experience.9 Glory and tragedy and Catholicism. Though this has and, as the war came to a close, the were irrevocably intertwined at been largely forgotten by historians, Francoeur motion and the Easter Courcelette. It was the battalion’s and French Canadians themselves, riots of 1918 in Quebec demonstrated first major victory and its first great literature published by veterans the depth of betrayal felt by French graveyard. Veterans would reflect on after the battalion returned home Canada.13 Afterwards, Quebec began the battle for decades after the war, suggests that Quebec commemorated to reject the partnership between two in articles, books and at reunions. the soldiers of the 22nd Battalion as languages and cultures resulting in Although the 22nd Battalion would heroes of a victorious conflict. the rise of a more defensive French go on to fight in many more battles That perspective has long since Canadian nationalism. in the First World War, Courcelette been overtaken by the dominant Jonathan Vance’s book Death epitomized their memory of why memory of French Canada’s Great So Noble is the major work on the they fought. The bravery of the troops War, which magnifies the impact of Canadian memory of the Great War.

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