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Cavalry/Armoured Regiments
1900-13 | 1914-39 | 1940-63 | 1964-99


Infantry Regiments
1900-20 | 1921-36 | 1937-50 | 1951-99

Cavalry Regiments 1900-1919
1st Hussars
1st British Columbia Horse
2nd Dragoons
3rd Prince of Wales' Cdn Dragoons

4th Hussars
5th Dragoons
5th Princess Louise Drag. Gds
6th Duke of Connaught's R.C.H.
7th Hussars
8th Princess Louise's NB Hussars
9th Toronto Light Horse
9th Mississauga Horse

10th Brant Dragoons
10th Queen's Own Cdn Hussars
11th Hussars

12th Manitoba Dragoons
13th Scottish Light Dragoons
14th Canadian Hussars
14th King's Canadian Hussars
15th Light Horse
16th Light Horse
17th Duke of York's Royal Can. H.
17th PEI Recce
18th Mounted Rifles
19th Alberta Dragoons
19th The Alberta Mounted Rifles
20th Border Horse

21st Alberta Hussars
22nd Saskatchewan Horse
22nd Saskatchewan Light Horse
23rd Alberta Rangers
24th Grey's Horse
25th Brant Dragoons
26th Canadian Dragoons
27th Light Horse
28th New Brunswick Dragoons
29th Light Horse
30th Regiment (BC Horse)

31st Regiment (BC Horse)
32nd Light Horse

32nd Manitoba Horse
33rd Vaudreuil & Soulanges Huss.
34th Fort Garry Horse
35th Central Alberta Horse
36th PEI Light Horse
Toronto Mounted Rifles
Cavalry/Armoured Regiments
1920-2000

1st Hussars
1st APC Regiment
British Columbia Dragoons
2nd Dragoons
2nd/10th Dragoons
3rd Prince of Wales' Cdn Dragoons
4th Hussars of Canada
IV PLDG
6th Duke of Connaught's R.C.H.
7th/11th Hussars
8th Cdn Hussars (Princess Louise's)
9th (Grey's) Horse
10th Queen's Own Cdn Hussars
11th Hussars
Manitoba Dragoons

12e Régiment Blindé du Canada
13th Scottish Light Dragoons
14th Canadian Hussars
14th King's Canadian Hussars
15th Light Horse
16th Light Horse
17th Duke of York's Royal Can. H.
17th PEI Recce
18th Mounted Rifles
19th Alberta Dragoons
19th The Alberta Mounted Rifles
Border Horse
21st Alberta Hussars
22nd Saskatchewan Horse
22nd Saskatchewan Light Horse
23rd Alberta Rangers
24th Grey's Horse
26th Canadian Dragoons
27th Light Horse
28th New Brunswick Dragoons
29th Light Horse
Fort Garry Horse
Algonquin Regiment
Argyll Light Infantry (Tank)
British Columbia Dragoons
British Columbia Mounted Rifles
British Columbia Regiment
Border Horse
Calgary Regiment (Tank)
Canadian Mounted Rifles
Duke of York's Royal Cdn Hussars
Elgin Regiment
Fort Garry Horse
Grey & Simcoe Foresters
Governor General's Body Guard
Governor General's Horse Guards
Halifax Rifles
King's Own Calgary Regt.
Lord Strathcona's Horse
Manitoba Dragoons
Manitoba Horse
Mississauga Horse
Ontario Mounted Rifles
Princess Louise Dragoon Guards
Queen's Own Canadian Hussars
Queen's York Rangers (1st Am. R.)
Régt de Hull
Régt de Trois-Riviéres
Royal Canadian Dragoons
Royal Canadian Mounted Rifles
Saskatchewan Dragoons
Sherbrooke Regiment
South Alberta Light Horse
Strathcona's Horse
Windsor Regiment

Infantry Regiments 1900-1919
Dawson Rifles
GGFG
Kootenay Rifles
PPCLI
Royal Canadian Regiment
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CEF Battalions 1914-1920

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Infantry Regiments 1920-2000
1st British Columbia Regiment
1st BC Regt (D. of Conn.'s Own)
Algonquin Regiment
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Argyll Light Infantry
Black Watch (RHR) of Canada
BC Regt (D. of Conn's Own Rifles)
Calgary Highlanders
Calgary Regiment
Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa
Canadian Airborne Regiment
Canadian Scottish Regiment
 Canadian Fusiliers (C of L Regt)
Canadian Guards
Canadian Grenadier Guards
Cape Breton Highlanders
Carleton and York Regiment
Durham Regiment
Elgin Regiment
Essex Scottish
Essex & Kent Scottish
 Fusiliers de Sherbrooke
Fusiliers Mont Royal
Fusiliers du St. Laurent
48th Highlanders of Canada
Gov Gen Foot Guards
Grey & Simcoe Foresters
Halifax Rifles
Hastings and Prince Edward Regt
Highland Fusiliers of Canada
Highland Light Infantry of Canada
Irish Fusiliers
Irish Fusiliers of Can (Vancouver R.)
Irish Regiment
Irish Regiment of Canada
Kent Regiment
King's Own Rifles of Canada
Lake Superior Regiment
Lincoln and Welland Regiment
Loyal Edmonton Regiment
Lorne Scots
Midland Regiment
Mississauga Regiment
New Brunswick Rangers
New Brunswick Scottish
North Nova Scotia Highlanders
North Shore (New Brunswick) Regt
North Waterloo Regiment
Oxford Rifles
Perth Regiment
Peterborough Rangers
Pictou Highlanders
PPCLI
Prince Albert and Battleford Voltrs
Princess Louise Fusiliers (MG)
Prince Rupert Regiment
Princess of Wales' Own Regiment
Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
Queen's Own Rifles of Canada
Queen's Rangers (1st Am. Regt.)
Queen's York Rangers (1st Am. R.)
 Régiment de la Chaudière
 Régiment de Chateauguay
Régiment de Levis
 Régiment de Maisonneuve
Régiment de Montmagmy
 Régiment de Saguenay
Régiment de St. Hyacinthe
 Régiment de Québec
Regina Rifle Regiment
Rocky Mountain Rangers
Royal 22e Regt
Royal Canadian Regiment
Royal Highlanders of Canada
Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada
Royal Regiment of Canada
Royal Regina Rifles
Royal Hamilton Light Infantry
Royal Montreal Regiment
Royal New Brunswick Regiment
Royal Newfoundland Regiment
Royal Rifles of Canada
Royal Scots of Canada
Royal Winnipeg Rifles
Saskatoon Light Infantry
Scots Fusiliers of Canada
S, D and G Highlanders
Seaforth Highlanders of Canada
South Alberta Regiment
South New Brunswick Regiment
South Saskatchewan Regiment
Toronto Regiment
Toronto Scottish Regiment
Vancouver Regiment
Victoria Rifles of Canada
Voltigeurs de Quebec
Waterloo Regiment
Westminster Regiment
West Nova Scotia Regiment
West Toronto Regiment
Winnipeg Grenadiers
Winnipeg Light Infantry
York Rangers
 Yukon Regiment

249th Battalion, CEF

The 249th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force was a unit raised for service in the First World War.

History

The 249th Battalion was organized in Regina, Saskatchewan in accordance with General Order 11 of 1 February 1917 and General Order 48 of 1 May 1917.1

The battalion was composed of recruits from Regina, Saskatoon, Swift Current, Moosomin, Weyburn, Melville, Maple Creek and Estevan. The unit left Regina for Valcartier on 22 May 1917 with a public send-off.2

Lieutenant-Colonel Clifford Benjamin Keenleyside, a Methodist missionary, was also a real estate financier. Born in London, Ontario (then known as Canada West) in 1865, he moved to Winnipeg as a young man and then later to Regina with experience in newspapers and real estate. He was elected to city council and published pamphlets on missionary work. He had also been involved with Winnipeg's 90th Regiment in the pre-war Militia, and again served in the 95th Regiment. After war broke out, he enlisted as paymaster of the 195th Battalion and took command of the 249th Battalion in October 1916. His cousin, Captain Samuel Richard Hosford, helped raise the 249th.3

The battalion was at Valcartier when it absorbed the 250th Battalion on 10 October 1917. The unit embarked for overseas from Halifax on 21 February 1918 aboard S.S. Saxonia and S.S. Megantic and disembarked in the U.K. on 4 March 1918 with a strength of 15 officers, 709 other ranks. The unit was absorbed by the 15th Canadian Reserve Battalion on 6 March 1918, and disbanded on 27 July 1918 by Privy Council Order 1717.4

249th Battalion, CEF

Organized: October 1916
Initial Strength: 15 officers, 709 other ranks
Service: Absorbed by 15th Reserve Battalion.
Disbanded: Privy Council Order 1366 & 1863 eff 4 June 1917
Perpetuated by: Not perpetuated

During its time in Canada, the battalion had its own band (Stewart lists it as a pipe band), and its Colours are deposited in the Legislative Building in Regina. The unit was not perpetuated in the Militia after the Otter Commission reorganizations.5

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."6

Metal cap and collar badges were worn on service dress.

Battle Honours

General Order No. 123 of 1929 granted a single battle honour to the 249th Battalion, CEF:

The Great War, 1918

Notes

  1. Guide to Sources, p.674, (copy in RG24, vol. 1258, file HQ 593-2-1, pt. 1).

  2. "Regina Citizens Say Goodbye to 249th Battalion", The Leader-Post (Regina), 22 May 1917 p.10

  3. "The Preacherr", Patriots, Crooks and Safety-Firsters: Colonels of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, accessed online at https://matthewkbarrett.com/2015/12/09/the-preacher/#more-2343

  4. Guide to Sources, Ibid

  5. Love, David W. A Nation in Making: The Organization and Administration of the Canadian Military During the First World War (Service Publications Ltd., Ottawa, ON, 2012) ISBN 978-1-894581-72-1 Volume II, p.332

  6. 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

  • 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

  • Stewart, Charles H. Overseas: The Lineages and Insignia of the Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914-1919 (Little & Stewart, Toronto, ON, 1970)

  • Guide to Sources Relating to Units of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Infantry Battalions (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, ON, 2012)

Archival Holdings

 

The following holdings at Library and Archives Canada may be useful for further research on this unit:

  • Badges

    • RG 24, vol. 1720, file HQ 683-495-1

  • Inspection reports

    • RG 24, vol. 1720, file HQ 683-495-2

  • Audit reports

    • RG 24, vol. 1720, file HQ 683-495-3

  • Colours

    • RG 24, vol. 1720, file HQ 683-495-4

  • Mobilization accounts

    • RG 24, vol. 1720, file HQ 683-495-5

  • Contagious diseases

    • RG 24, vol. 1720, file HQ 683-495-6

  • Unfits

    • RG 24, vol. 1720, file HQ 683-495-7

  • Enlistment of aliens

    • RG 24, vol. 1720, file HQ 683-495-8

  • Inspection reports, clothing and equipment

    • RG 24, vols 1721-1722, file HQ 683-495-9

  • Transport issue

    • RG 24, vol. 1722, file HQ 683-495-10

  • Treatment of recruits

    • RG 24, vol. 1722, file HQ 683-495-11

  • Band, recruiting tour

    • RG 24, vol. 1722, file HQ 683-495-12

  • Pay and paysheets

    • RG 24, vol. 1722, file HQ 683-495-13

  • Appointment of officers

    • RG 24, vol. 1394, file HQ 593-6-1-249

  • Organization

    • RG 24, vol. 4493, file 4D. 48-249-1

  • Returns and statistics

    • RG 24, vol. 4516, file 5D. 17-32-1

  • Organization

    • RG 24, vol. 4680, file 12D. 18-22-1

  • Extract from OMFC Routine Order, 28 August 1918, re disbandment

    • RG 9 III-D-1, vol. 4705, folder 83, file 9

  • Inspection reports prior to leaving Canada

    • RG 9, IIB5, vol. 7

  • Argyll House file

    • RG 9 III-B-1, vol. 3004, file U-93-33

 


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