WWI – RCACA Virtual Museum

28 June 1914 Sarajevo, Bosnia

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand was the nephew of the Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire; Franz Joseph and the heir to the throne.

In June 1914, the Archduke and his wife were in Bosnia (at the time a province of Austria-Hungary) to review military manoeuvres. During a drive through Sarajevo his open topped car was attacked by an assassin armed with a pistol. Both the Archduke and his wife were killed. The assassin was apprehended, tried and convicted. The neighbouring country of Serbia was found to be behind the attack and one month later Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.

An interlocking web of treaties and defence agreements quickly drew most of Europe into the conflict.

4 August 1914 Belgium

Britain Enters the War

(Picture - German Troops advancing into Belgium.)

Facing a potential two-front war, Germany’s plan was to execute a rapid attack on France and knock it out before focusing on Russia which was seen as the greater threat. The Germans demanded free passage through neutral Belgium. When this was rejected Germany invaded, crossing the Belgian frontier at 0802 AM, 4 August 1914.

As Britain had guaranteed Belgium’s independence in an 1839 treaty they issued an ultimatum to Germany to immediately remove their troops. Germany declined to do so and effective at midnight, 4 August 1914, Britain was at war with Germany.

Canada, along with the rest of the British Empire, was automatically at war as well.

Germany occupied 95% of Belgium and held most of that until the end of the war.

6 August 1914 Canada

Canada Mobilizes for War

Canada quickly offers Britain 25,000 soldiers for the war effort. The offer is accepted.

The Minister of Militia and Defence, Sam Hughes, ignores the nation’s mobilisation plan and sends personal telegrams to commanding officers across the country telling them to report, with volunteers, to Valcartier Quebec to form an expeditionary force.

Once in Valcartier the volunteers are formed into numbered infantry battalions. Canada’s only regular infantry unit, The Royal Canadian Regiment, is sent to Bermuda. The other regular units are used to erect and operate the tented camp at Valcartier. They are not part of the expeditionary force as Hughes did not want any Permanent Force units to go overseas.

In October 1914, the contingent sailed for England along with the 1st Canadian Automobile Machine Gun Brigade and their Autocars.

At the last minute, (due to the intervention of the Governor General (Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn); the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (RCHA), the Royal Canadian Dragoons (RCD), and Lord Strathcona’s Horse (LSH) were added to the contingent.

In January of 1915, the RCHA, RCD and the LSH formed the 1st Canadian Mounted Brigade.

1915 England

1 Canadian Mounted Brigade

On arrival in Britain the cavalry regiments and RCHA were located on Salisbury Plain with the infantry. Once the decision had been taken to form a Canadian cavalry brigade the mounted units were moved to a cavalry camp at Maresfield Park in Sussex. Here they were joined by a British unit, the 2nd King Edward’s Horse (2KEH). The 1st Canadian Mounted Brigade (1CMB) was commanded by the Right Honourable J. E. B. Seely, a close friend of Winston Churchill and a DSO recipient from the South African War.

When the Canadian division went to France in February 1915, 1CMB was left behind in England. By late April of 1915 following the Second Battle of Ypres, the Canadian Division was in desperate need of reinforcements. The cavalry brigade voluntarily went to France to serve as infantry on the understanding that they would be remounted as soon as possible. The brigade served well until the end of the year including the training of the units of Canadian Mounted Rifles that had also been sent to France in an infantry role.

When 2nd Canadian Division arrived in France in January 1916, it and the newly renamed 1st Canadian Division were grouped together to form the Canadian Corps. The 1CMB was re-mounted and became the 1st Canadian Calvary Brigade. The 2KEH was replaced by the Fort Garry Horse and the Canadian Cavalry Brigade Machine Gun Squadron plus the 7th (Cavalry) Field Ambulance were added.

The formation served in a mounted role until the end of the war, unlike the Canadian Mounted Rifle units that were permanently dismounted to serve as infantry.

September 1915 William Foster & Co. Lincoln, England

First Tank

The construction of the first prototype tank “Little Willie” begins on 11 August 1915. “Little Willie” was quickly followed by “Big Willie”, later renamed “Mother”, which was demonstrated to the British high command on 2 February 1916. Little Willie is preserved at The Tank Museum in Bovington.

01 Jan 1916 England andFrance

Canadian Mounted Rifles

In his initial mobilisation effort Sam Hughes had ignored the cavalry. Political pressure resulted in his authorising, in December 1914, 13 regiments of Canadian Mounted Rifles. The original intention had been to send them to Egypt. In the event, the Canadians ended up in England: the Australians and New Zealanders had arrived in Egypt first. Once in Britain the CMR units were dismounted and sent to France as infantry as had the Canadian Mounted Brigade. After the immediate crisis had passed the CMR units were returned to Britain and permanently formed into four infantry battalions labelled as 1st and 2nd, 4th and 5th CMR. They formed the 8th Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division for the remainder of the conflict.

15 September 1916 Flers–Courcelette, Somme, France

First Use of Tanks

The first use of tanks came at the Battle of Flers–Courcelette. 49 tanks were shipped to the front. Only 32 could cross the start lines and of those; 9 reached the German trenches. Their appearance caused panic amongst the German troops, but their small numbers had a limited effect. Nevertheless their potential had been demonstrated.

January 1918 England

Early Canadian Tankers

The genesis of Canadian armour occurred in early 1918. The commander of the British Tank Corps was approached by a Canadian gunner (Lieutenant-Colonel James Mills, DSO) who had suggested that Canada could provide a tank battalion.

Ottawa approved the idea and appointed Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Denison (Winnipeg Rifles) to command the 1st Canadian Tank Battalion. The new unit was to be a part of the Canadian Machine Gun Corps.

In all three Canadian Tank Battalions were formed but none saw combat. The 1st Battalion was preparing to embark for France when the Armistice was announced. The 2nd Battalion had just arrived in England for training. The 3e Bataillon de chars d’assault, a francophone unit, was still recruiting in Montreal at the end of the war.

11 November 1918 Le Francport, France

Peace

On 11 November 1918, an armistice was signed at Le Francport, France between the Allies and Germany – essentially ending the First World War. Previous armistices had been agreed with Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was signed at 5:45 a.m. by the French Marshal Foch, and came into force at 11:00 a.m. Paris time the same day.

The actual terms included the cessation of hostilities, the withdrawal of German forces to behind the Rhine, Allied occupation of the Rhineland and bridgeheads further east, the preservation of infrastructure, the surrender of aircraft, warships, and military materiel, the release of Allied prisoners of war and interned civilians, eventual reparations, no release of German prisoners and no relaxation of the naval blockade of Germany. Although the armistice ended the fighting on the Western Front, it had to be prolonged three times until the Treaty of Versailles, which was signed on 28 June 1919, took effect on 10 January 1920.

Fighting continued up to 11 o'clock with 2,738 men dying on the last day of the war.

Royal Canadian Armoured Corps Association History Website