Canadian Expeditionary Force Study Group

jhill October 5, 2005

The 51st finally sailed in April, 1916. It was the first battalion posted to the 12th Infantry Brigade of the new 4th Division. Due either to bad luck or poor political connections (or both!), all their able bodied personnel were drafted out to France in the summer of 1916. They were reduced to zero effectives and then disbanded. Their place in the 12th Brigade was hurriedly filled by the 78th (Winnipeg Grenadiers), newly arrived from Canada.

An Edmontonian cannot review this story without some frustration. The 51st had been together some time and was relatively well prepared by the summer of 1916. The 78th, on the other hand, was just off the boat. The 78th seemed to have more start up problems than most battalions and did not seem to hit their stride until well into 1917. More galling, all Manitoba battalions were soon unable to obtain reinforcements from their home Province, and men from other Edmonton units, for example the 151st, ended up in the 78th and other Manitoba units. Of course, nobody said this war business would be "fair".

jhill April 30, 2006

The 51st began recruiting at the beginning of January, 1915. In the summer of 1915 two drafts of 250 men each were sent overseas and the remainder sailed as a unit in April, 1916. More than two thousand men were enlisted in all.

They were an original unit of the 12th Brigade in the 4th Division then forming in England. However, during the summer all their men were sent to France as reinforcements for other units. The shell of the battalion was disbanded and replaced in the 12th Brigade by the 78th Battalion, newly arrived from Canada.

I do not have a list of which men went where. However, I have a list of 425 men who were killed. Some of the battalions in which they were serving at the time of their deaths included the following: 49th (68), 15th (65), 4th (48), 14th (46), 46th (46), 7th (38), 2nd (28), 1st (16).

One might assume the others were distributed in a similar manner. Note that there seems very little rhyme or reason to the assignments, save for those destined for the 49th (Edmonton) Battalion. Many of those were taken on by the 49th at Shorncliffe late in 1915. These were from the two reinforcement drafts.

I am still researching the 51st and am always anxious to hear new snippets of information.