5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles
Encyclopedia
The 5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles were a mounted infantry
unit of the Canadian Expeditionary Force
during World War I
. The unit was raised from volunteers of the 7th
and XIth (Canadian) Hussars
from the Eastern Townships
of Quebec
. Formed in 1915, they were transported to England later that year. In 1916, they converted to an infantry
battalion
attached to the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Division
, C.E.F.
(later the Canadian Corps
). The battalion saw action in France and Flanders
between 1916 and 1918.
had ended, Canada assigned battle honours to those units involved in pivotal battles and campaigns during the war. The 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles were accorded the following battle honours:
During the Battle of Passchendale, the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles fighting strength was reduced by 60% in a single day.
Two members of the battalion were awarded the Victoria Cross
, the highest decoration for bravery in the British Empire
. These individuals were:
George Randolph Pearkes, VC, and Charles Smith Rutherford
, VC.
, the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles were perpetuated by the later merged 7th/XIth Hussars, which themselves were eventually merged into the Sherbrooke Hussars
, which perpetuates the unit today.
The memory of the original unit was also perpetuated by its original members in the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles Association. The Association met annually from its formation in 1934 until it disbanded in 1969. The records of the Association may still be found at the Eastern Townships Research Centre at Bishop's University
library, Lennoxville, Quebec
.
Mounted infantry
Mounted infantry were soldiers who rode horses instead of marching, but actually fought on foot . The original dragoons were essentially mounted infantry...
unit of the Canadian Expeditionary Force
Canadian Expeditionary Force
The Canadian Expeditionary Force was the designation of the field force created by Canada for service overseas in the First World War. Units of the C.E.F. were divided into field formation in France, where they were organized first into separate divisions and later joined together into a single...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The unit was raised from volunteers of the 7th
Sherbrooke Hussars
The Sherbrooke Hussars is a Primary Reserve armoured regiment of the Canadian Forces.-Sherbrooke Regiment:The Sherbrooke Regiment was initially formed in 1866 as the Sherbrooke Battalion of Infantry, becoming the 53rd Battalion in 1867. The regiment provided volunteers for the 12th Battalion,...
and XIth (Canadian) Hussars
Sherbrooke Hussars
The Sherbrooke Hussars is a Primary Reserve armoured regiment of the Canadian Forces.-Sherbrooke Regiment:The Sherbrooke Regiment was initially formed in 1866 as the Sherbrooke Battalion of Infantry, becoming the 53rd Battalion in 1867. The regiment provided volunteers for the 12th Battalion,...
from the Eastern Townships
Eastern Townships
The Eastern Townships is a tourist region and a former administrative region in south-eastern Quebec, lying between the former seigneuries south of the Saint Lawrence River and the United States border. Its northern boundary roughly followed Logan's Line, the geologic boundary between the flat,...
of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. Formed in 1915, they were transported to England later that year. In 1916, they converted to an infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
attached to the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Division
3rd Canadian Division
The 3rd Canadian Division was a formation of the Canadian Corps during the First World War.The 3rd Canadian Division was formed in France in December 1915 under the command of Major-General M.S. Mercer. Its members served in both France and Flanders until Armistice Day...
, C.E.F.
Canadian Expeditionary Force
The Canadian Expeditionary Force was the designation of the field force created by Canada for service overseas in the First World War. Units of the C.E.F. were divided into field formation in France, where they were organized first into separate divisions and later joined together into a single...
(later the Canadian Corps
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 1915 and the 4th Canadian Division in August 1916...
). The battalion saw action in France and Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
between 1916 and 1918.
Battle honours
In 1929-31, well after World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
had ended, Canada assigned battle honours to those units involved in pivotal battles and campaigns during the war. The 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles were accorded the following battle honours:
| 1916 | 1917 | 1918 |
|---|---|---|
| Mont Sorrel Battle of Mont Sorrel The Battle of Mont Sorrel was a localized conflict of World War I between three divisions of the British Second Army and three divisions of the German Fourth Army in the Ypres Salient, near Ypres, Belgium, from 2 June 1916 to 14 June 1916.In an effort to pull British resources from the observed... |
Arras 1917-18 Battle of Arras (1917) The Battle of Arras was a British offensive during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British, Canadian, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and Australian troops attacked German trenches near the French city of Arras on the Western Front.... |
Amiens |
| Somme 1916 | Vimy 1917 | Scarpe 1918 |
| Flers-Courcelette Battle of Flers-Courcelette The Battle of Flers-Courcelette, was a battle within the Franco-British Somme Offensive which took place in the summer and autumn of 1916. Launched on the 15th of September 1916 the battle went on for one week. Flers-Courcelette began with the overall objective of cutting a hole in the German... |
Hill 70 | Hindenburg Line Battle of the Hindenburg Line The Battle of St Quentin Canal was a pivotal battle of World War I that began on 29 September 1918 and involved British, Australian and American forces in the spearhead attack and as a single combined force against the German Siegfried Stellung of the Hindenburg Line... |
| Ancre Heights | Ypres 1917 | Canal du Nord Battle of the Canal du Nord The Battle of Canal du Nord was part of a general Allied offensive against German positions on the Western Front during the Hundred Days Offensive of World War I. The battle took place in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, along an incomplete portion of the Canal du Nord and on the outskirts... |
| Passchendaele | Cambrai 1918 Battle of Cambrai (1918) The 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 took place in and around the French city of Cambrai, between 8 and 10 October 1918... |
|
| Valenciennes | ||
| Sambre Battle of the Sambre (1918) The Second Battle of the Sambre was part of the final European Allied offensives of World War I.-Background:... |
||
| France and Flanders 1915-18 Western Front (World War I) Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne... |
||
During the Battle of Passchendale, the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles fighting strength was reduced by 60% in a single day.
Two members of the battalion were awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest decoration for bravery in the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
. These individuals were:
George Randolph Pearkes, VC, and Charles Smith Rutherford
Charles Smith Rutherford
Charles Smith Rutherford VC MC MM 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 forces....
, VC.
Perpetuation
Following World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles were perpetuated by the later merged 7th/XIth Hussars, which themselves were eventually merged into the Sherbrooke Hussars
Sherbrooke Hussars
The Sherbrooke Hussars is a Primary Reserve armoured regiment of the Canadian Forces.-Sherbrooke Regiment:The Sherbrooke Regiment was initially formed in 1866 as the Sherbrooke Battalion of Infantry, becoming the 53rd Battalion in 1867. The regiment provided volunteers for the 12th Battalion,...
, which perpetuates the unit today.
The memory of the original unit was also perpetuated by its original members in the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles Association. The Association met annually from its formation in 1934 until it disbanded in 1969. The records of the Association may still be found at the Eastern Townships Research Centre at Bishop's University
Bishop's University
Bishop's University is a predominantly undergraduate university in Lennoxville, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Bishop's is one of three universities in the province of Quebec that teach primarily in the English language...
library, Lennoxville, Quebec
Lennoxville, Quebec
Lennoxville is an arrondissement, or borough, of the city of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Lennoxville is located at the confluence of the St. Francis and Massawippi Rivers approximately five kilometers south of downtown Sherbrooke....
.
External links
- War diaries of the regiment for 29 July 1915 – 28 February 1917, 01 March 1917 – 31 March 1918, and 01 April 1918 – 17 March 1919 can be viewed on-line, courtesy of Library and Archives Canada.
- Eastern Townships Research Centre.http://www.etrc.ca/mainpage.html
- Land Forces of Britain, the Empire and Commonwealth.http://www.regiments.org/regiments/na-canada/warformed/cav-cef/005cmr.htm
- Brief history of the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles Association.http://www.117thbattalion.com/5%20CMR%20ASSO.htm
- Photo of the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles on parade in Sherbrooke, 4 June 1915.http://www.nfb.ca/enclasse/ww1/en/searchvisionerimage.php?search_in=images&q=&id_film=0&act=tout&id_doc=591275