Canadian Expeditionary Force Study Group

1. Library and Archives Canada (WD Link)
2. CEFSG War Diary Transcription (in progress = IP)

Nicholson page 23:

Early plans for the Contingent did not include any units of the Permanent Force. We have noted that the two regular cavalry regiments and the R.C.H.A. (Royal Canadian Horse Artillery) Brigade were employed at Valcartier in administration and training. The only cavalry authorized for the Expeditionary Force was the Divisional Cavalry Squadron, of 196 all ranks (furnished by the 19th Alberta Dragoons of the non-permanent Militia), which together with a cyclist company, drawn from all arms and services in the camp, formed the divisional mounted troops. When the War Office accepted a tentative offer made on 7 August of "one regular cavalry regiment and two regular horse artillery batteries", the Minister of Militia at first asked permission "to retain them for a short time for instructional and other purposes at Valcartier Camp".’2 On 26 August the Camp Commandant was ordered to mobilize the two R.C.H.A. batteries and a composite cavalry regi­ment from the two regular units. On 14 September, however, the Prime Minister approved a proposal by Hughes to mobilize and embark with the army troops two complete cavalry regiments, "one to be called Royal Canadian Dragoons, and the other Lord Strathcona’s Horse".  

Nicholson page 39:

The first day of February (1915) saw the formation of the Canadian Cavalry Brigade from the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, the Royal Canadian Dragoons, Lord Strathcona's Horse and the 2nd King Edward's Horse.  The Cavalry Brigade concentrated near Uckfield, Sussex.

Love page 89:

In February 1915, the Royal Canadian Dragoons, Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians), Royal Canadian Horse Artillery and a British Unit, King Edward's Horse (largely composed of colonial troops0 were combined to form a Canadian Cavalry Brigade.

Livesay page 71-72

In an overview of the Canadian Cavalry Brigade and Amiens in August 1918, during the last hundred days of the war, Livesay describes the mounted units that sailed from Canada at the start of the war.  The Royal Canadian Dragoons and Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) formed part of the Canadian permanent force.  At the time, the Fort Gary Horse was considered a "junior organization", however one that gained respect as the only cavalry unit to cross the Scheldt Canada, in the First Battle of Cambrai in November 1917.  Many of the other "mounted units" that sailed from Canada, including the various battalions of the Canadian Mounted Rifles, were demounted to take on active infantry roles in the early defensive days of trench warfare.  In the final days, however the three cavalry units were formed into the Canadian Cavalry Brigade when the offensive actions on the western front were initiated in the last hundred days.  Livesay says the brigade formed a complete unit with its own Canadian Royal Horse Artillery, machine gun squadron and field ambulance.  (Note: you will see this in the 1918 ORBAT of Nicholson).

GrandsonMichael has kindly clarified my question on the Canadian Cavalry Brigade: "is this the parent organization of all of the Cavalry"?.  As Michael responded, Initially the plan was to combine the Lord Strathcona’s Horse, the Royal Canadian Dragoons and the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery Brigade into a Canadian Cavalry Brigade. This never happened. As a matter of fact most of the time these units served under the Imperials. A Cavalry Brigade was formed later but not as a Canadian Unit.

Bill Alexander has provided his comments on the Cavalry as follows: 

On the cavalry page, there is some information that needs to be corrected. There was a Canadian Cavalry Brigade, but it only served with the Canadian Corps on one occasion. The Canadian Cavalry Brigade's original orbat, when formed in January and February of 1915 was the Royal Canadian Dragoons, and the Lord Strathcona's Horse with the 2 King Edward's Horse and the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery. The brigade served, dismounted, from 4 May 1915, until September 1915. The 2 King Edward's Horse was replaced by the Fort Garry Horse in February of 1916. The Canadian Cavalry Brigade was part of the 3rd Cavalry Division from 10 April 1916 until 17 June 1916, then switched to the 2nd Indian (later the 5th) Cavalry Division and then on 13 March 1918 rejoined the 3rd Cavalry Division. For a period of time the 1st and 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles were attached to the Canadian Cavalry Brigade, September to December 1915.

Additional units on the orbat of the Canadian Cavalry Brigade were the Headquarters and elements, No. 1 Canadian Machine Gun Squadron, No. 7 Canadian (Cavalry) Field Ambulance, and the Canadian Cavalry Brigade Mobile Veterinary Section. (No war establishment is given for the CMG Sqn, but I wonder if they used Hotchkiss MG's?)

The depot / administrative / training unit was originally the Canadian Cavalry Depot, at Shorncliffe. That unit was redesignated the Canadian Cavalry Reserve Regiment.

The Canadian Light Horse was tasked as Divisional Cavalry Squadrons as opposed to the Canadian Cavalry Brigade. It was a bit convoluted, but these squadrons were created from various units and then in 1917 redesignated the Canadian Light Horse. Each of the four squadrons came from the Royal North West Mounted Police, the 1st Hussars, the 16th Light Horse and the 19th Alberta Dragoons. Each squadron had a strength of about 140, plus a Hotchkiss MG section.

Feel free to copy and use the email or parts thereof on the string and on the matrix page.

This information comes from Stewart's Lineages of the Canadian Army, and Overseas, Love's, A Call to Arms, and Perry's, Order of Battle of Divisions Part 5A.

My real intent was not for me to make all these pages but rather to provide the structure and let individual CEFSG members prepare them correctly, keeping in mind the need to keep this oriented for the amateur researcher checking up on "grandfather".  If you are an "expert" in a particular field, send me back the page "as it should be" and I will make the changes.

Listed Elsewhere as part of the Cavalry:

Listed only on Library and Archives Canada site: