The Canadian Corps Cyclist Battalion was a unit of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF; French: ''Corps expéditionnaire canadien'') was the expeditionary warfare, expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed on August 15, 1914, following United Kingdom declarat ...

(CEF), serving in the

Canadian Corps The Canadian Corps was a World War I corps formed from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian Division in France. The corps was expanded by the addition of the 3rd Canadian Division in December 19 ...

Mounted Troops from 1916 to 1920. The battalion saw active service in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

as the Mounted Troops of the Canadian Corps. It also served within the Canadian Independent Force, seeing extensive combat during the final

Hundred Days Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Western Front, the Allies pushed the Imperial Germa ...

of the war.

Independent companies

When Canada declared war on 4 August 1914, the

Non-Permanent Active Militia The Non-Permanent Active Militia (NPAM) was the military reserve force of Canada from 1855 to 1940. It was composed of several dozen infantry battalions (redesignated as regiments in 1900) and cavalry regiments. After the withdrawal of British ...

(NPAM) mobilized at

Camp Valcartier 2nd Canadian Division Support Base Valcartier (2 CDSB Valcartier), formerly known as and commonly referred to as Canadian Forces Base Valcartier (CFB Valcartier), is a Canadian Forces base located in the municipality of Saint-Gabriel-de-Valca ...

to build what would become the first Canadian contingent (later the

1st Canadian Division The 1st Canadian Division (French: ) is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short notice, and is staffed and ...

). At Valcartier it was identified that the NPAM did not contain a Cyclist Company; despite the fact that Cyclist Companies had been a standard component of the Mounted Troops of an infantry division in the British Army since 1908. The NPAM mobilizing at Valcartier did include a corps which was surplus to the requirements of the Canadian Expeditionary Force: the Corps of Guides. The Guides were organized for employment as a domestic field intelligence and scouting force within Canada and were therefore not required in France and Belgium. The 1st Canadian Divisional Cyclist Company was therefore formed at Valcartier with most of its officers and many of the other ranks coming from the Corps of Guides. The use of the Guides officers to provide the leadership backbone of the 1st Canadian Divisional Cyclist Company was logical, as their duties were expected to be similar, with scouting and reconnaissance being key doctrinal tasks for both the Guides and the Cyclists. The birth of the 1st Canadian Divisional Cyclist Company at Valcartier started what became an enduring connection between the Guides and the Cyclists. The 1st Canadian Divisional Cyclist Company sailed from

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

for the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

aboard SS Ruthenia on 29 September 1914, arriving in England on 15 October 1914. After a brief period on

Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, but st ...

, the Company arrived in France on 10 February 1915. It was present at the Second Battle of Ypres, collocated with the headquarters of the 1st Canadian Division at the Chateau des Trois Tours (Chateau Brielen). The Cyclist Company was key to supporting the famed Canadian defensive action during the chlorine gas attack on Gravenstafel Ridge; its personnel worked almost without rest between 22 and 29 April to keep the divisional headquarters informed during a period of great uncertainty and risk for the Allies in the Ypres sector. As the 2nd and 3rd Canadian Divisions formed in Canada, they too were organized to include the 2nd and 3rd Canadian Divisional Cyclist Companies within their Divisional Mounted Troops. The majority of 1915 and the first period of 1916 saw the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Canadian Divisional Cyclist companies operating independently, supporting their divisions in the field, largely performing line of communications duties. The 4th Canadian Divisional Cyclist Company which had only recently formed was broken-up in England with its personnel assigned to either the Canadian Reserve Cyclist Company or the battalion in the field.

Cyclist depot system

In 1914 the Government of Canada recognized that there would be a requirement for a permanent Overseas Cyclist Depot in the United Kingdom for the duration of the war to establish a pool of trained replacements proximate to France and Flanders. The Canadian Reserve Cyclist Company was established as the Cyclist Depot in April 1915, and it moved between Shorncliffe,

Hounslow Hounslow ( ) is a large suburban district of West London, England, west-southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hounslow, and is identified in the London Plan as one of the 14 metropolitan cen ...

Chiseldon Chiseldon is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The village lies on the edge of the Marlborough Downs, a mile south of junction 15 of the M4 motorway, on the A346 between Swindon and Marlborough. The larg ...

and finally Seaford. Between 1914 and 1917 the Mounted Detachments of the Corps of Guides in Military Districts across Canada recruited and training new Cyclist recruits before Drafts were sent from Canada to the Cyclist Depot. In 1917 the CEF established a total of 10 Cyclist Depot Platoons across the majority of the Military Districts of Canada to recruit and train men for the Canadian Corps of Cyclists and take over this task from the Guides. The Overseas Cyclist Depot ceased to exist in February 1919 when the Canadian Expeditionary Force began to return its personnel to Canada.

Battalion formation and continued operations

In May 1916 the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Canadian Divisional Cyclist Companies amalgamated to form the Canadian Corps Cyclist Battalion in the field at Abele, Belgium. The previously independent Cyclist Companies were reorganized into a single battalion was to provide the newly formed Canadian Corps with corps-level Mounted Troops. 1, 2 and 3 Canadian Divisional Cyclist Companies became A, B and C Companies of the newly formed battalion. The original divisional identities of the three independent companies were reflected in the new triangular “battle patch” for the battalion, worn on shoulders, helmets and bicycles. The battalion's distinctive patch used the red of the

, dark blue of the

2nd Canadian Division The 2nd Canadian Division (2 Cdn Div; ) is a formation of the Canadian Army in the province of Quebec, Canada. The present command was created 2013 when Land Force Quebec Area was re-designated. The main unit housed in this division is the Roy ...

and the French grey of the

3rd Canadian Division The 3rd Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for the command and mobilization of all army units in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, as well as Northwestern Ontario including the ...

. It was at

Vimy Ridge The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the Battle of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in the First Army, against three divisions of ...

alongside the remainder of the Canadian Corps when the Cyclists were given their first opportunity since the

Second Battle of Ypres The Second Battle of Ypres was fought from 22 April – 25 May 1915, during the First World War, for control of the tactically-important high ground to the east and the south of the Flanders, Flemish town of Ypres, in western Belgium. The ...

to fight in the manner for which they had been trained. In the lead-up to the attack on Vimy, most of the battalion were used to support tunneling operations in the vicinity of the ridge at locations like

Neuville-Saint-Vaast Neuville-Saint-Vaast () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France south of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial dedicated to the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The Memorial was built on Hill 145, the highest po ...

. On the morning of the 9th of April, elements of the battalion were employed in far forward positions, providing indirect machinegun fires in support of the assault. C Company were kept in reserve with the

Canadian Light Horse The Canadian Light Horse (CLH) was a cavalry regiment of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. History The CLH was formed as the Canadian Corps Cavalry Regiment in May 1916, by the amalgamation of three divisional cavalry ...

Mont-Saint-Éloi Mont-Saint-Éloi (; ) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France northwest of Arras, on the banks of the river Scarpe. Population Mont Saint-Éloi Abbey The monastery was founded in the 7th centur ...

for the attack to go in and then exploit its success by penetrating weaknesses in the German lines, ultimately with the objective of seizing the town of Willerval. This was not to be for the Cyclists, as the heavy Allied artillery bombardment and poor weather conditions had made it so that the roads they were to take their bicycles down were effectively impassable. After Vimy, the battalion returned to some of its earlier line of communications duties, but also began to re-orient its training towards mounted warfare as a formed body of Cyclists. In July 1918,

Operation Michael Operation Michael () was a major German military offensive during World War I that began the German spring offensive on 21 March 1918. It was launched from the Hindenburg Line, in the vicinity of Saint-Quentin, France. Its goal was to bre ...

the final German offensive of the war concluded. Although it resulted in territorial gains for the Germans, it came at the cost of exhausting their remaining reserves of men and materiel. This set the conditions for the period known as the

which began with the

Battle of Amiens (1918) The Battle of Amiens, also known as the Third Battle of Picardy was the opening phase of the Allies of World War I, Allied offensive which began on 8 August 1918, later known as the Hundred Days Offensive, which ultimately led to the end of Wo ...

and ended with the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

The Hundred Days Offensive

During the final hundred days of the war, Brigadier-General Raymond Brutinel formed the Canadian Independent Force (CIF). The CIF was a highly mobile

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

-sized unit that was designed to exploit Allied battlefield successes. It was within this force that the Canadian Corps Cyclist Battalion was finally enabled to operate in the way it had been - conducting screening and reconnaissance tasks for the cavalry and infantry, often far in advance. The battalion was employed in this capacity until the end of hostilities and participated in the wide range of battles and actions which comprised the

. At the end of the war, the Cyclists participated in the march into and temporary occupation of the Rhineland. The battalion was afforded the honour of being the first Canadian unit to cross the

Rhine River The Rhine ( ) is one of the major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Swiss-Austrian border. From Lake Cons ...

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

on the famous Bonn Bridge (subsequently destroyed in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

). The battles that the 1st Divisional Cyclist Company and the Canadian Corps Cyclist Battalion fought in from the start of the war until its conclusion are as follows: *Gravenstafel Ridge *St Julien *Ypres, 1915 *Vimy, 1917 *Arras, 1917 *The Hundred Days Offensive: **Amiens **Scarpe, 1918 **Drocourt-Queant **Canal Du Nord **Cambrai, 1918 **Arras, 1918 **Hindenburg Line **Pursuit to Mons

Disbandment of the battalion and the Canadian Corps of Cyclists

The Canadian Corps Cyclist Battalion was disbanded under General Order (GO) 208 effective 15 November 1920; in reality the battalion had ceased to exist in 1919 when the overwhelming majority of its personnel were demobilized. GO 208/20 simultaneously disbanded all other Cyclist Companies and Depot Platoons raised for Active Service with the CEF. Most Cyclists returned to their civilian lives, with many of them becoming prominent in the fields of academia and politics upon return to Canada. The disbandment of the Cyclists units once again left Canada without Cyclists within the organization of either its

Permanent Force The Permanent Force was an integral part of both the South African Defence Force and the South West Africa Territorial Force which consisted of all the full-time volunteers, volunteers of Auxiliaries and national servicemen. South Africa The Def ...

or NPAM. This fact was highlighted by the

Otter Commission The Otter Commission, or Otter Committee, was established after the First World War to tackle a problem created by the chaotic mobilization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. In 1919, units of the CEF, intended as a wartime expeditionary force, ...

and resulted in a series of GOs in 1920 which first converted the Mounted Detachments of the Corps of Guides into Cyclist Companies, and then further elaborated on their organization, training and equipment for employment as Cyclists in a future war. This process of evolving the Corps of Guides from Mounted Detachments into Cyclist Companies while retaining intelligence staff officer functions continued until the Corps of Guides were disbanded in 1929.

War graves

Cyclists who were killed or died while serving abroad with the CEF are buried in 29 different cemeteries predominantly in Belgium and France but also in the United Kingdom.

Battle honours

As Mounted Troops, the Cyclists remain eligible for formal recognition for their service during the First World War through the award of battle honours in accordance with GOs 6 & 7 of 1928.

Post-War association and the last two cyclists

Following the reunion of the Canadian Corps in 1934 in Toronto, the survivors of the Cyclists established the Canadian Corps Cyclist Battalion Association. The association was very active throughout the subsequent fifty years, hosting annual dinners and routinely publishing an association magazine called ''The Cyclone''. The association ceased its operations in 1987 due to the advanced age of its remaining members. In 1937 the President of the association established a

tontine A tontine () is an investment linked to a living person which provides an income for as long as that person is alive. Such schemes originated as plans for governments to raise capital in the 17th century and became relatively widespread in the 18 ...

using a bottle of

Pol Roger Pol Roger is a List of champagne producers, producer of champagne (wine), champagne. The brand is still owned and run by the descendants of Pol Roger. Located in the town of Épernay in the Champagne (wine region), Champagne region, the house a ...

champagne Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

as the prize. The bottle was present at all subsequent association reunions until its suspension in 1987. When the association would meet, the bottle would be held aloft and those present would toast “''To the last two Cyclists!''” In 1992, the last two Cyclists (Wilfred “Dick” Ellis and Billy Richardson, fittingly both former members of the Corps of Guides) met in Toronto at the apartment of Mr Ellis’ son to open the bottle. When they drank, they toasted “''To the battalion!''” The empty bottle and a bag of chalk from the Grange Tunnel at Vimy Ridge (dug in part by the Cyclists) was donated to the

Canadian War Museum The Canadian War Museum (CWM) () is a National museums of Canada, national museum on the military history of Canada, country's military history in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The museum serves as both an educational facility on Canadian military hist ...

; both have been displayed during anniversaries associated with the First World War.

Memorials

No formal memorial to the Canadian Corps Cyclist Battalion exists; however, cyclists of the Commonwealth are commemorated at The Cyclists War Memorial in Meriden,

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Members of the

Canadian Intelligence Corps The Canadian Intelligence Corps (C Int C) is an administrative corps of the Canadian Army (CA); it includes all CA members of the Canadian Armed Forces' Intelligence Branch. Prior to the Unification of the Canadian Armed Forces in 1968, it enj ...

posted in the United Kingdom travel to Meriden annually to lay a wreath at The Cyclists Memorial in commemoration of the Canadian Corps of Cyclists.

Perpetuation

The customs and traditions of the Canadian Corps Cyclist Battalion as well as the other units and sub-units of the Canadian Corps of Cyclists are perpetuated in the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

by the

of the Intelligence Branch. The units of the Canadian Intelligence Corps conduct annual acts of remembrance associated with the Cyclists’ role in the Hundred Days Offensive.

Cyclist Army Cadet Corps

From 1921 to 1926 an Army Cadet Corps existed, #945, "Winnipeg Cyclist Cadet Corps". It is likely the Corps was sponsored by No 10 Cyclist Company, Corps of Guides, which was based in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

at the time. The Canadian Corps Cyclist Battalion Association sponsored a corps of the

Royal Canadian Army Cadets The Royal Canadian Army Cadets (RCAC; ) is a national Canadian youth program sponsored by the Canadian Armed Forces and the civilian Army Cadet League of Canada. Under the authority of the National Defence Act, the program is administered by th ...

, number 1888, in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

which was located at the St Lawrence Market Armouries. The Corps was only active for a short period 8 October 1942 until 28 August 1943) during the Second World War and the sponsorship eventually fell to that of the

Royal Canadian Engineers The Canadian Military Engineers (CME; ) is the military engineering personnel branch of the Canadian Armed Forces. The members of the branch that wear army uniform comprise the Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE; ). The mission of the Canadia ...

Published histories and memoirs

*''Saga of the Cyclists in the Great War, 1914-1918''. Editor: W. D. Ellis, Assistant Editor: J. Gordon Beatty. Toronto: 1965. *''The Cyclone'' (the circular journal of the Canadian Corps Cyclist Battalion Association). Toronto: 1937-1984. *''Scarlet to Green: A History of Intelligence in the Canadian Army, 1903-1963''. Elliot, S. R. & Canadian Intelligence and Security Association. Toronto: Canadian Intelligence and Security Association. Altona, Manitoba: 2018. *''Riding into Battle: Canadian Cyclists in the Great War''. Ted Glenn. Dundurn Press. 2018.

Notable members

William Ross Macdonald William Ross Macdonald (December 25, 1891 – May 28, 1976), served as the 21st Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 1968 to 1974, and as 22nd Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada from 1949 to 1953. Early life Macdonald was born in ...

Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario The lieutenant governor of Ontario (, in French: ''Lieutenant-gouverneur'' (if male) or ''Lieutenante-gouverneure'' (if female) ''de l'Ontario'') is the representative in Ontario of the monarch, who operates distinctly within the province but i ...

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

George Taylor Denison IV, son of

George Taylor Denison III Lieutenant-Colonel George Taylor Denison III, FRSC (31 August 1839 – 6 June 1925) was a Canadian lawyer, military officer and writer. Life and career He was born in Toronto to Colonel George Taylor Denison II, and educated at Upper C ...

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Thomas Laird Kennedy Thomas Laird Kennedy (August 15, 1878 – February 13, 1959) was a politician in Ontario, Canada, and served briefly as the 15th premier of Ontario, from 1948 to 1949. He was first elected as the Conservative member for Peel in the 1919 pro ...

Premier of Ontario The premier of Ontario () is the head of government of Ontario. Under the Westminster system, the premier governs with the confidence of a majority the elected Legislative Assembly; as such, the premier typically sits as a member of Provincia ...

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

Oliver Tiffany Macklem, Professor at the

Royal Military College of Canada The Royal Military College of Canada (), abbreviated in English as RMC and in French as CMR, is a Military academy#Canada, military academy and, since 1959, a List of universities in Canada#Ontario, degree-granting university of the Canadian ...

and grandfather of Tiff Macklem, Governor of the Bank of Canada * Earle Parkhill Scarlett, Chancellor of the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta (also known as U of A or UAlberta, ) is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...

* Major-General Alexander Charles Spencer, Adjutant-General of

National Defence Headquarters National Defence Headquarters (NDHQ) ( French: ''Quartiers généraux de la Défense nationale'' (''QGDN'')) was created through the integration of the Canadian Armed Forces Headquarters (CAF HQ) with the civilian Department of National Defence ...

and namesake of the

Spencer Engineering Building The Alexander Charles Spencer Engineering Building, known as Spencer Engineering Building (SEB) is the main building of engineering faculty in University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO; branded as Western University ...

at the University of Western Ontario *

William Duncan Herridge, PC, QC, MC, DSO, Canadian politician and diplomat. *

George Berry Bickle, played for the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

and winner of the 1914

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...

Group Captain Group captain (Gp Capt or G/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British influence. Group cap ...

Dr William Fielding Hanna, OC,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, AE,

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

, FRSC, plant scientist *

Air Commodore Air commodore (Air Cdre or Air Cmde) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

Geoffrey Stuart O’Brian,

, AFC, ED, leading figure in the inter-war

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cyclist Battalion, Canadian Corps Battalions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force