General Sir Arthur Currie Collection Archives Finding Aid 19801226

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

General Sir Arthur Currie Collection Archives Finding Aid 19801226 General Sir Arthur Currie Collection Archives Finding Aid 19801226 By: Barbara Wilson (1998) Revised by: Matt Kulka (2001) Table of Contents Biographical Information Page 3 Item Notes and Titles Page 4 Documents renumbered into new item collections Page 6 Documents transferred into Photo-Archives Page 8 Related documents found in Currie Collection Page 9 General Sir Arthur Currie Finding Aid 19801226-038 58A 1 59.1 Page 10 19801226-266 58A 1 59.2 Page 10 19801226-267 58A 1 59.3 Page 10 19801226-268 58A 1 59.4 Page 10 19801226-269 58A 1 59.5 Page 12 19801226-270 58A 1 59.6 Page 14 19801226-271 58A 1 59.7 Page 15 19801226-272 58A 1 60.1 Page 16 19801226-273 58A 1 60.2 Page 18 19801226-274 58A 1 60.3 Page 21 19801226-275 58A 1 60.4 Page 24 19801226-276 58A 1 60.5 Page 26 19801226-277 58A 1 60.6 Page 28 19801226-278 58A 1 61.1 Page 31 19801226-279 58A 1 61.2 Page 35 19801226-280 58A 1 61.3 Page 40 19801226-281 58A 1 61.4 Page 43 19801226-282 58A 1 61.5 Page 48 19801226-283 58A 1 61.6 Page 50 19801226-284 58A 1 61.7 Page 52 19801226-285 58A 1 61.8 Page 54 19801226-286 58A 1 62.1 Page 56 19801226-287 58A 1 62.2 Page 57 Examples of documents found in Currie Collection Page 59 2 General Sir Arthur William Currie (1875-1933) Currie, Sir Arthur William b. Dec. 5, 1875, Napperton, Ont., Canada. d. Nov. 30, 1933, Montreal the first Canadian commander, from 1917, of Canada's overseas forces in World War I. Currie taught school before going into business in Victoria, B.C. He enlisted in the militia and rose from the ranks to become lieutenant colonel of artillery. He was given command of a battalion in the first Canadian contingent sent to assist Britain in 1914. He advanced steadily, winning distinction at the battles of Ypres and Saint-Julien in Belgium and at the battle of Vimy Ridge in France. Within three years he became lieutenant general and commander of the four divisions of the Canadian Corps, succeeding the British general Sir Julian Byng. He was knighted in 1918. After the war Currie served as inspector general of the Canadian militia and became the first general in the Canadian Army. In 1920 he accepted the position of principal and vice chancellor of McGill University, Montreal, and retained this post until his death. 3 Language: textual material in the fond is in English. Item Notes and Titles 19801226-027 City of Halifax Welcoming Certificate [textual records] 19801226-035 Welcome Home Certificates [textual records] 19801226-037 Fonds of Garner O. Currie [textual records] 19801226-038 Fonds of General Sir Arthur Currie [textual records] 19801226-094 Libel Suit Documents [textual records] 19801226-139 Central Report on Wireless Telegraph Communications in the Canadian Corps. [textual records] 19801226-244 Canada's Mobilization Camp, Valcartier Postcard [textual records] 19801226-245 Canada's Mobilization Camp, Valcartier Postcard [textual records] 19801226-246 Canada's Mobilization Camp, Valcartier Postcard [textual records] 19801226-247 Canada's Mobilization Camp, Valcartier Postcard [textual records] 19801226-250 London Scottish Going To Thier Trenches Postcard [textual records] 19801226-251 Happy "Tommies" Wearing Hun Helmets Postcard [textual records] 19801226-252 Loyal North Lancs Regiment Cheering When Ordered To The Trenches Postcard [textual records] 19801226-253 "Tommy" at home in German dug-outs postcard [textual records] 19801226-254 A Gallant Rescue Under Fire Postcard [textual records] 19801226-255 A "Fag" after a Fight postcard [textual records] 19801226-256 Firing a Heavy Howitzer in France Postcard [textual records] 19801226-257 The Worcesters Going Into Action Postcard [textual records] 19801226-258 R.A.M.C. Picking Up Wounded In A Captured Village Postcard [textual records] 19801226-259 The Burial Of Two British Soldiers On The Battlefield Postcard [textual records] 19801226-260 A British Heavy Gun In Action postcard [textual records] 19801226-261 Thirsty German Prisoners In Thier Barbed Wire Cage Postcard [textual records] 19801226-262 British Infantry Practicing An Attack Postcard [textual records] 19801226-263 Australians Parading For The Trenches Postcard [textual records] 19801226-264 Highlanders Pipe Themselves Back From The Trenches Postcard [textual records] 19801226-267 Fonds of General Sir Arthur Currie [textual records] 19801226-268 Fonds of General Sir Arthur Currie [textual records] 19801226-269 Fonds of General Sir Arthur Currie [textual records] 19801226-270 Fonds of General Sir Arthur Currie [textual records] 19801226-271 Fonds of General Sir Arthur Currie [textual records] 19801226-272 Fonds of General Sir Arthur Currie [textual records] 19801226-273 Fonds of General Sir Arthur Currie [textual records] 19801226-274 Fonds of General Sir Arthur Currie [textual records] 19801226-275 Fonds of General Sir Arthur Currie [textual records] 19801226-276 Fonds of General Sir Arthur Currie [textual records] 4 19801226-277 Fonds of General Sir Arthur Currie [textual records] 19801226-278 Fonds of General Sir Arthur Currie [textual records] 19801226-279 Fonds of General Sir Arthur Currie [textual records] 19801226-280 Fonds of General Sir Arthur Currie [textual records] 19801226-281 Fonds of General Sir Arthur Currie [textual records] 19801226-282 Fonds of General Sir Arthur Currie [textual records] 19801226-283 Fonds of General Sir Arthur Currie [textual records] 19801226-284 Fonds of General Sir Arthur Currie [textual records] 19801226-285 Fonds of General Sir Arthur Currie [textual records] 19801226-286 Fonds of General Sir Arthur Currie [textual records] 19801226-287 Fonds of General Sir Arthur Currie [textual records] 19801226-288 Mentioned In Despatch Collection [textual records] 19801226-289 Appointment Certificate Collection [textual records] 19801226-290 Order Certificate Collection [textual records] 19801226-291 Certificate Collection [textual records] 19801226-292 The Imperial Order Daughters of The Empire [textual records] 19801226-293 Operations of the Canadian Corps [textual records] 5 Documents renumbered into new item collections 19801226-094 Libel Suit Documents Scribbler containing notes made by Currie during the trial. [31 pp.] Sketch No. 12 of advances made by Canadian Corps between 11 October and 11 November 1918. [1 p.] Newspaper clippings re trial. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 19801226-288 Mentioned In Despatch Collection 1 March 1919 Certificate for Mention in Despatch, 31 May 1915 1 March 1919 Certificate for Mention in Despatch, 30 April 1916. 1 March 1919 Certificate for Mention in Despatch, 13 November 1916. 1 March 1919 Certificate for Mention in Despatch, 9 April 1917. 1 March 1919 Certificate for Mention in Despatch, 7 November 1917. 1 March 1919 Certificate for Mention in Despatch, 7 April 1918. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 19801226-290 Order Certificate Collection 3 June 1915 Warrant for grant of dignity of Companion (Military division) of the Order of the Bath. [2 pp.] 4 June 1917 Warrant for grant of dignity of Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George. [2 pp.] 1 January 1918 Warrant for Currie as Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath. [2 pp.] 4 March 1918 Warrant for Currie’s appointment as Grand Officer of the Belgian Grand Office of the Order of the Crown and award of the Croix de Guerre. [2 pp.] 1 January 1919 Warrant for Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and St. George. [2 pp.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 19801226-291 Certificate Collection 21 December 1900 First Class Certificate of Military Instructions issued to Lieut. A.W. Currie, 5th Regiment Canadian Artillery. [1 p.] ---- Copy of Bank of Montreal charter. [1 p.] 6 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 19801226-292 Address presented to Currie by Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire, Victoria containing signatures of the members of each chapter. [50 pp.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 19801226-293 Currie’s interim report covering the operations of the Canadian Corps in 1918 Bound copy. [123 pp. and several maps] 7 Documents transferred into Photo-Archives June 1917 Photograph of Major C.W. Birch, CFA, wounded at Vimy Ridge 9 May 1917 and died at Wimeriaux 25 May 1917 from 1st Canadian Division Report on the Vimy Ridge - Willerval - Arleux and Fresnoy Operations, 9 April - 5 May 1917. 1926 X-Rays of Garner Currie’s ankles. 8 Related documents found in Currie Collection Accession Number - 19760313 25 October 1917 General H.S. Horne, First Army to Currie. Appreciation of work done by Canadian Corps. [1 p.] 27 October 1917 Currie to GOC First Army (Horne). Thanks for appreciation. [1 p.] 19710127-005 30 June 1918 List of dinner guests. Dinner for Sir Robert Borden. [1 p.] 1 July 1918 Guests at Corps Commander’s lunch at the Canadian Corps Sports on Dominion Day. [2 pp.] 19730272 26 June 1918 Currie to Y.E. Deakin. Thanks for offer “to look after anything for me in Victoria”. [1 p.] 12 December 1916 HQ, 1st Cdn. Div. Currie to Sgt. G.E. Deakin. Thanks for congratulations. Would offer Deakin a commission of he can arrange to get transfer from Witley to France. [1 p.] 30 June 1917 Currie to [Y.E.] Deakin. Thanks for
Recommended publications
  • 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.
    [Show full text]
  • In This Document an Attempt Is Made to Present an Introduction to Adult Board. Reviews the Entire Field of Adult Education. Also
    rn DOCUMENT RESUME ED 024 875 AC 002 984 By-Kidd. J. R., Ed Adult Education in Canada. Canadian Association for Adult Education, Toronto (Ontario). Pub Date SO Note- 262p. EDRS Price MF-$1.00 HC-$13.20 Descriptors- *Adult Education Programs. *Adult Leaders, Armed Forces, Bibliographies, BroadcastIndustry, Consumer Education, Educational Radio, Educational Trends, Libraries, ProfessionalAssociations, Program Descriptions, Public Schools. Rural Areas, Universities, Urban Areas Identifier s- *Canada Inthis document an attempt is made to present an introduction toadult education in Canada. The first section surveys the historical background, attemptsto show what have been the objectives of this field, and tries to assessits present position. Section IL which focuses on the relationship amongthe Canadian Association for Adult Education, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and theNational Film Board. reviews the entirefield of adult education. Also covered are university extension services. the People's Library of Nova Scotia,and the roles of schools and specialized organizations. Section III deals1 in some detail, with selected programs the 'Uncommon Schools' which include Frontier College, and BanffSchool of Fine Arts, and the School .of Community Programs. The founders, sponsors, participants,and techniques of Farm Forum are reported in the section on radio andfilms, which examines the origins1 iDurpose, and background for discussionfor Citizens' Forum. the use of documentary films inadult education; Women's Institutes; rural programs such as the Antigonish Movement and theCommunity Life Training Institute. A bibliography of Canadian writing on adult education is included. (n1) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRODUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVEDFROM THE i PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGINATING IT.POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY.
    [Show full text]
  • 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.
    [Show full text]
  • IB Canada and WW I
    Canada and WW I Canada’s great patriot crusade 1914-1918 “The Lamps go out….” Sir Edward Grey • June 28th , l914: Sarajevo: • Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife are assassinated by Serbian nationalists – “the Black Hand”. • Diplomacy stumbles and unravels; ultimatums are given and deadlines ignored; France, Germany and Russia call-up millions of young conscripts and reservists: • August 1st l914, German invades Belgium with 2 million men. • August 3rd, France declares war • Britain commits her Empire: Canada is at war. Franz Ferdinand’s Funeral hearse • The curtain rises on Act I of a colossal Canadian tragedy. Triple Alliance Russia The Alliances France British Empire Italy (l915) Triple Alliance: Germany Austro-Hungary Turkey Canada enters the War • From coast to coast Canadians celebrated the war. Why? A reflexive reaction? Patriotic duty? The answer is complex • We were entirely unprepared. • Army – 4,000 men • Navy – 2 obsolete ships • Militia – 70,000 poorly trained • In the first month, 30,000 enlisted. • The army rallied at a hastily built camp at Valcartier Quebec under the ubiquitous and capricious leadership of the Minister of Militia and Defence... Sir Sam Hughes One of Canada’s most colorful characters, some historians think Hughes was crazy. One high ranking officer called him “the Mad Mullah of the Militia.” Others claim he was crazy like a fox. What we agree on is that Hughes was a nationalist and from the outset, was determined that the Canadian army would be Canadian lead, Canadian equipped and carry Canadian made weapons. A noble and popular position in l914. Unfortunately, fumbled the ball and gave us bad Canadian officers, defective Canadian boots and the much maligned Canadian designed Ross rifle.
    [Show full text]
  • 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”.
    [Show full text]
  • 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.
    [Show full text]
  • 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.
    [Show full text]
  • The Militia Gunners
    Canadian Military History Volume 21 Issue 1 Article 8 2015 The Militia Gunners J.L. Granatstein Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh Part of the Military History Commons Recommended Citation J.L. Granatstein "The Militia Gunners." Canadian Military History 21, 1 (2015) This Feature 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]. : The Militia Gunners The Militia Gunners J.L. Granatstein y general repute, two of the best in 1926 in Edmonton as a boy soldier, Bsenior artillery officers in the Abstract: Two of the best senior got his commission in 193[2], and in Canadian Army in the Second World artillery officers in the Canadian the summer of 1938 was attached Army in the Second World War were War were William Ziegler (1911-1999) products of the militia: William to the Permanent Force [PF] as an and Stanley Todd (1898-1996), both Ziegler (1911-1999) and Stanley instructor and captain. There he products of the militia. Ziegler had Todd (1898-1996). Ziegler served mastered technical gunnery and a dozen years of militia experience as the senior artillery commander in became an expert, well-positioned before the war, was a captain, and was 1st Canadian Infantry Division in Italy to rise when the war started. He from February 1944 until the end of in his third year studying engineering the war. Todd was the senior gunner went overseas in early 1940 with at the University of Alberta when in 3rd Canadian Infantry Division the 8th Field Regiment and was sent his battery was mobilized in the and the architect of the Canadian back to Canada to be brigade major first days of the war.
    [Show full text]
  • 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.
    [Show full text]
  • 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.
    [Show full text]
  • Canadian Infantry Combat Training During the Second World War
    SHARPENING THE SABRE: CANADIAN INFANTRY COMBAT TRAINING DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR By R. DANIEL PELLERIN BBA (Honours), Wilfrid Laurier University, 2007 BA (Honours), Wilfrid Laurier University, 2008 MA, University of Waterloo, 2009 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in History University of Ottawa Ottawa, Ontario, Canada © Raymond Daniel Ryan Pellerin, Ottawa, Canada, 2016 ii ABSTRACT “Sharpening the Sabre: Canadian Infantry Combat Training during the Second World War” Author: R. Daniel Pellerin Supervisor: Serge Marc Durflinger 2016 During the Second World War, training was the Canadian Army’s longest sustained activity. Aside from isolated engagements at Hong Kong and Dieppe, the Canadians did not fight in a protracted campaign until the invasion of Sicily in July 1943. The years that Canadian infantry units spent training in the United Kingdom were formative in the history of the Canadian Army. Despite what much of the historical literature has suggested, training succeeded in making the Canadian infantry capable of succeeding in battle against German forces. Canadian infantry training showed a definite progression towards professionalism and away from a pervasive prewar mentality that the infantry was a largely unskilled arm and that training infantrymen did not require special expertise. From 1939 to 1941, Canadian infantry training suffered from problems ranging from equipment shortages to poor senior leadership. In late 1941, the Canadians were introduced to a new method of training called “battle drill,” which broke tactical manoeuvres into simple movements, encouraged initiative among junior leaders, and greatly boosted the men’s morale.
    [Show full text]
  • A Historiography of C Force
    Canadian Military History Volume 24 Issue 2 Article 10 2015 A Historiography of C Force Tony Banham Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh Part of the Military History Commons Recommended Citation Tony Banham "A Historiography of C Force." Canadian Military History 24, 2 (2015) This Feature 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]. : A Historiography of C Force FEATURE A Historiography of C Force TONY BANHAM Abstract: Following the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong in 1941, a small number of books covering the then Colony’s war experiences were published. Although swamped by larger and more significant battles, the volume of work has expanded in the years since and is no longer insignificant. This historiography documents that body of literature, examining trends and possible future directions for further study with particular respect to the coverage of C Force. h e f a t e o f the 1,975 men and two women of C Force, sent T to Hong Kong just before the Japanese invaded, has generated a surprising volume of literature. It was fate too that a Canadian, Major General Arthur Edward Grasett, was the outgoing commander of British troops in China— including the Hong Kong garrison— in mid-1941 (being replaced that August by Major General Christopher M altby of the Indian army), and fate that his determination that the garrison be reinforced would see a Briton, Brigadier John Kelburne Lawson, arrive from Canada in November 1941 as commander of this small force sent to bolster the colony’s defences.
    [Show full text]