The 13th Battalion (Royal Highlanders of Canada) of the

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 ...

was an active service

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

during 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 ...

History

The battalion was formed from volunteers from the 5th Regiment "Royal Highlanders of Canada", a

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

regiment based in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, as well as men from other militia regiments. Sent to England as part of the First Contingent in September 1914, the 13th Battalion became part of the 3rd Brigade of 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 ...

. The 3rd Brigade consisted of the 13th Battalion (the Royal Highlanders of Canada), the 14th Battalion (the Royal Montreal Regiment), the 15th Battalion (the 48th Highlanders of Canada) and the 16th Battalion (the Canadian Scottish). The battalion's first commander was Lieutenant Colonel (later Major-General) Frederick Loomis. The 1st Canadian Division served on the Western Front from April 1915 until the armistice in November 1918. Its baptism of fire occurred at 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 ...

in April 1915, when the German Army used chlorine gas for the first time in war. Neighbouring French divisions fled in terror from the new weapon, but the Canadians held the line at tremendous cost. The 1st Canadian Division fought in every major engagement involving 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 ...

, including the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915, the Somme in 1916, Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele in 1917, and the Pursuit to Mons in 1918. Three members of the 13th Battalion were awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

. The first, Frederick Fisher, awarded for his action on 23 April 1915 at St. Julien during the Second Battle of Ypres. Two other members,

Herman James Good Herman James Good (29 November 1887 – 18 April 1969) was a soldier in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awar ...

and

John Bernard Croak John Bernard Croak VC (May 18, 1892 – August 8, 1918) was a soldier in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War and posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry "in the fa ...

, were awarded their crosses for action on 8 August 1918 at Hangard Wood, near Amiens in France. Croak's award was posthumous. After the armistice, the 13th Battalion returned to Canada and was disbanded in April, 1919. On December 1, 1920, the 13th Battalion was perpetuated by the 1st Battalion of the newly reorganised The Royal Highlanders of Canada. A wooden cross memorial originally erected at Vimy Ridge but later erected at 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 ...

is dedicated to the 13th Canadian Battalion the Royal Highlanders of Canada killed in action Vimy Ridge April 1917.

Battle honours

In 1929, the battalion was awarded the following battle honours.Appendix to General Order No. 110 of 1929, p. 21

Notes

References

External links

13th Battalion CEF
at Regiments.org {{DEFAULTSORT:13th Battalion (Royal Highlanders Of Canada), Cef

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Military units and formations established in 1914 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919 Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada

History

Battle honours

Notes

See also

References

Further reading

External links