The 22nd Battalion (French Canadian), CEF, was a battalion of the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry divisi ...

in the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. *

History

The battalion was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Great Britain on 20 May 1915. It disembarked in France on 15 September 1915, where it fought as part of the 5th Infantry Brigade,

2nd Canadian Division The 2nd Canadian Division (2 Cdn Div; french: 2e Division du Canada) 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 France and Flanders until the end of the war. The battalion was disbanded on 15 September 1920.Canadian Forces Publication A-DH-267-003 Insignia and Lineages of the Canadian Forces. Volume 3: Combat Arms Regiments. The 22nd Battalion recruited in Quebec and was mobilized at

Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu () is a city in eastern Montérégie in the Canadian province of Quebec, about southeast of Montreal. It is situated on the west bank of the Richelieu River at the northernmost navigable point of Lake Champlain. As of D ...

, Quebec.Meek, John F. ''Over the Top! The Canadian Infantry in the First World War.'' Orangeville, Ont.: The Author, 1971. Thomas-LouisTremblay1918

The 22nd Battalion had six officers commanding: *Col. F.M. Gaudet, 20 May 1915 – 25 January 1916 *Lt.-Col. T.L. Tremblay, DSO, 25 January 1916 – 25 September 1916 *Lt.-Col. A.E. Dubuc, DSO, 24 October 1916 – 5 February 1917 *Lt.-Col. T.L. Tremblay, CMG, DSO, 15 February 1917 – 8 August 1918 *Lt.-Col. A.E. Dubuc, DSO, 9 August 1918 – 27 August 1918 *Maj. G.P. Vanier, MC, 27 August 1918 – 28 August 1918 *Maj. G.E.A. Dupuis, MC, 28 August 1918 – 10 September 1918 *Lt.Col. J.R.H. DesRosiers, 10 September 1918 - demobilization Two members of the 22nd Battalion were awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previousl ...

: Corporal Joseph Kaeble was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on 8 June 1918 at

Neuville-Vitasse Neuville-Vitasse () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Neuville-Vitasse situated southeast of Arras, at the junction of the D14 and D5 roads. Population Places of interest * The ch ...

, France, and Lieutenant

Jean Brillant Jean Baptiste Arthur Brillant (15 March 1890 – 10 August 1918) was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth for ...

was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on 8 and 9 August 1918 east of

Méharicourt Méharicourt () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The commune is situated on the D39 and D131 crossroads, southeast of Amiens, in a small depression of a plateau, the start of the valley of t ...

, France, during the Battle of Amiens. The farewell (HS85-10-30885)

22ndBattalionCEFBivouacedBehindLinesAugust1918

Perpetuation

The battalion is perpetuated by the

Royal 22e Régiment , colors = Scarlet with blue facings (full dress and mess dress) , march = Quick: ''Vive la Canadienne''Slow: ''Marche lente du Royal 22e Régiment: La Prière en famille'' , mascot ...

Battle Honours

The 22nd Battalion was awarded the following

battle honour A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military t ...

s: *

MOUNT SORREL The Battle of Mont Sorrel (''Battle of Mount Sorrel'', ''Battle of Hill 62'') was a local operation in World War I by three divisions of the British Second Army and three divisions of the German 4th Army in the Ypres Salient, near Ypres, Bel ...

SOMME, 1916 The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place b ...

, '18 * FLERS-COURCELETTE *

Thiepval Thiepval (; pcd, Tièbvo) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Thiepval is located north of Albert at the crossroads of the D73 and D151 and approximately northeast of Amiens. Population First Wo ...

Ancre Heights The Ancre (; ) is a river of Picardy, France. Rising at Miraumont, a hamlet near the town of Albert, it flows into the Somme at Corbie. It is long. For most of its length it flows through the department of Somme. For a short stretch near Pu ...

ARRAS, 1917 The Battle of Arras (also known as the Second Battle of Arras) was a British offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British troops attacked German defences near the French city of Arras on the We ...

, '18 * Vimy, 1917 *

Arleux Arleux () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Geography The river Sensée joins the Canal du Nord at Arleux. Population Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of ...

* Scarpe, 1917, '18 * HILL 70 *

Ypres 1917 Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality ...

* Passchendaele *

AMIENS Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

HINDENBURG LINE The Hindenburg Line (German: , Siegfried Position) was a German defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to Laffaux, near Soissons on the Aisne. In 1916 ...

Canal du Nord The Canal du Nord (, literally ''Canal of the North'') is a long canal in northern France. The canal connects the Canal latéral à l'Oise at Pont-l'Évêque to the Sensée Canal at Arleux. The French government, in partnership with coal-min ...

Cambrai, 1918 The Battle of Cambrai, 1918 (also known as the Second Battle of Cambrai) was a battle between troops of the British First, Third and Fourth Armies and German Empire forces during the Hundred Days Offensive of the First World War. The battle t ...

PURSUIT TO MONS Pursuit may refer to: Arts and entertainment Films * ''Pursuit'' (1935 film), a 1935 American action film * ''Pursuit'' (1972 American film), a made-for-TV film directed by Michael Crichton * ''Pursuit'' (1972 Hong Kong film), a Shaw Brot ...

* FRANCE AND FLANDERS, 1915-18

References

Sources

* Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914-1919 by Col. G.W.L. Nicholson, CD, Queen's Printer, Ottawa, Ontario, 1962

External links

Photos from Library and Archives Canada
{{Commons category Royal 22nd Regiment 022 Military units and formations of Quebec