Canadian Expeditionary Force Study Group
"The Matrix Project"

Summary Tables

Home Up Corps Summary Troops Summary

(this table last updated on Tuesday January 29, 2008 01:17:30 PM)

 
The Summary Tables have grown in size and have now expanded to include both the Army Corps and the Army Troops.  As such, we have split up the summary table format to include both groups.  The initial Matrix Project was based on the Infantry Brigades in the 4 Canadian Divisions, however we quickly appreciated the fact that such an approach, although of primary interest to many of the members, did not do justice to all the other soldiers and support members in the Canadian Expeditionary Force.

In order to allow you to move quickly to the summary table that will best answer your immediate needs, we have prepared this "quick connect" listing: (just click on the hyperlinks and/or bookmarks to go direct to that component)

Army Corps
(3 separate tables)
Army Troops
(all in one table at present)
 
Division Field Artillery
Field Batteries
Howitzer Batteries
Division Infantry Battalions
Numbered Battalions 1-260
Named Battalions
Canadian Mounted Rifles
Royal Canadian Regiment
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Division Corps Other Units
Ammunition Columns
Canadian Engineers
Signal Companies
Trench Mortar Batteries
Machine Gun Corps
Divisional Train / Army Service Corps
Field Ambulances
Employment Company
 
1st Echelon
Cavalry
Artillery
Horse Artillery
Field Artillery
Anti-Aircraft
Heavy Artillery
Machine Gun Corps
Tank Corps
2nd Echelon
Engineers
Construction
Signal Companies
Cyclists
Mechanical Transport
Railway Troops
3rd Echelon
Medical
Dental
Labour / Employment
Veterinarian
Forestry
Schools
Reinforcement Camps
Miscellaneous

Please keep in mind that these are only the "Summary Tables" and the details of all of these units are (or will be) found within the bowels of the Matrix Web Site.  At present, the level of detail is more or less dictated by the interest expressed by the members of the CEFSG, as they are the resources that result in information being added to the Matrix.

For the original listing of the Regimental Lists, please see the Library and Archives Canada Regimental Number List.  Thanks to Bill Smy for pointing out the location of this list!  To assist fellow researchers, I have collect all 47 pages from this site and put them into a single PDF file that is now available in the Matrix Utilities (download PDF file).

We ask for your patience, as well as your comments and input, as this is a "work in progress" that will be adjusted, expanded, corrected and optimized as the Matrix Project continues to develop.  The Matrix, as it turns out, appears to be about as "fluid" as the movement of the Army Corps and Army Troops were during the Great War.  As soon as you think you "have it", it changes.  That was and still is the CEF.

Summary Table - Army Corps

In the early versions of the Summary Table for the Army Corps, we only referenced the Battalions that were classified under the term of "Infantry Brigades".  Generally an Infantry Brigade consists of 4 Battalions (After reorganization to the UK model) and a Trench Mortar Battery.  In the initial table we included all 260 of the raised Infantry Battalions, even if they were not in one of the 12 Infantry Brigades in the 4 Divisions.  This supported the purpose of the first Summary Table in the Matrix to allow researchers to track individual soldiers from the units they attested with, to those that they were subsequently transferred to by way of absorption into Reserve Battalions or Replacements.

 

Summary Table - Army Troops

As work progresses on the Summary Tables, we are starting to add the components of the Canadian Expeditionary Force that were not listed in the "Composition of Divisions" (the Army Corps) but are more or less described in the Three Echelons of the Army Troops.

Differentiation of the Army Troops from the Army Corps can be visualized when one starts to look at individual battles with movement of Corps Units (the Divisions) and Troop Units (not linked to a specific Division).  For example, and as best understood at this time, when the First Division Infantry Brigades moved, the associated Divisional Units of the Canadian Field Artillery, Ammunition Columns, Engineers, etc. moved with the Division.  This differs from the movement of an Army Troops unit in that they did not necessarily move when the Division moved.

We have taken the various units of the Army Troops, as listed in Appendix B of Nicholson's text and classified them into the 3 Echelons, as described in Loves' text and others.  These are now listed as follows:

 

Copyright 2006, 2007, 2008 Richard Laughton, CENSOL Inc.
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