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The 6th
Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force was a unit
raised for service in the First World War.
History
The 6th
Canadian Infantry Battalion organized at Valcartier in
September 1914.
The battalion was raised in part
from soldiers raised by the 34th "Fort Garry Horse", a
Militia cavalry regiment.1
The battalion was reorganized in
the United Kingdom as the Canadian Cavalry Depot on 6 March
1915. A cavalry unit was later mobilized from this depot,
known as the Fort Garry Horse. |
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6th
Battalion, CEF |
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Organized: 6
August 1914
Initial Strength: 1,115
Service: Reorganized as Canadian Cavalry
Depot.
Disbanded: G.O. 149/1920 eff 15 September 1920
Perpetuated by: 12th Manitoba Dragoons |
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As part of the Otter Committee recommendations
after the war, the battalion
was officially perpetuated
by The 12th Manitoba Dragoons.2
Stewart lists the battalion as
being affiliated with the 32nd Battalion.
Insignia
In 1914, there had been little time to
adopt distinctive unit badges for the hastily assembled battalions
of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. As many battalions were drawn
from men from several of the pre-war Militia regiments, there was a
desire to avoid using existing badges and forming associations with
those existing units, in favour of creating new identities - the
General Officer Commanding the 1st Canadian Contingent (later 1st
Canadian Division) is quoted as saying sometime in October or
November of 1914 "there must be distinctive badges for each unit."3
Until unit badges were approved and issued, a mixture of
pre-war Militia badges and maple-leaf pattern General Service badges
were seen.
Metal cap and collar badges were also
worn on service dress.
Battle Honours
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Ypres 1915, 17
Mount Sorrel |
Festubert, 1915
Somme, 1916 |
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Notes
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The Regiments and Corps of the
Canadian Army (Queen's Printer, Ottawa, 1964)
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Stewart, p.3 and some information
from Library and Archives Canada and the
CEF Matrix
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Harper, Joseph A Source of
Pride: Regimental Badges and Titles in the Canadian
Expeditionary Force 1914-1919 (Service Publications,
Ottawa, ON, 1999) ISBN 0-9699845-8-8 p.5
References
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Love, David W.
A Call to Arms: The Organization and Administration of
Canada's Military in World War One (Bunker to Bunker
Books, Calgary, AB, 1999) ISBN 1894255-03-8
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Stewart, Charles
H. Overseas: The Lineages and Insignia of the Canadian
Expeditionary Force 1914-1919 (Little & Stewart,
Toronto, ON, 1970)
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