3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade

The 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade was a formation of the Canadian Army in both World War I and World War II. The brigade fought on the Western Front during the First World War, and in Sicily and Italy during the Second World War.

3rd Canadian Brigade 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade
Troops from the Royal 22e Régiment getting ready to disembark, Italy, September 1943
Active	1914–1919 1939–1945
Country	Canada
Branch	Canadian Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Brigade
Part of	1st Canadian Division
Engagements	World War I Second Battle of Ypres Battle of the Somme Battle of Vimy Ridge Battle of Passchendaele World War II Invasion of Sicily Italian campaign
Commanders
Notable commanders	R.E.W. Turner George Tuxford

History

World War I

First formed on 29 August 1914, the brigade was initially made up from provisional battalions that were named after their province of origin, but these titles were replaced with numerals before the brigade arrived in Britain on 14 October 1914. On arrival in Britain, it consisted of four infantry battalions, numbered 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th.[1] As part of the 1st Canadian Division, the brigade fought in every major Canadian engagement on the Western Front between 1915 and 1918. Its first commander was Colonel Richard Turner.[1] From March 1916 until the end of the war, the brigade was commanded by Brigadier General George Tuxford.[2]

After training on Salisbury Plain in late 1914, the brigade moved as part of the 1st Canadian Division to the Western Front.[3] During its deployment on the Western Front, the 3rd Brigade fought in the following battles and engagements on the Western Front:[4]

1915:

• Second Battle of Ypres
  • Battle of Gravenstafel: April 22–23
  • Battle of St. Julien: April 24 – May 4 (see also Saint Julien Memorial)
• Battle of Festubert: May 15–25
• Second Battle of Givenchy: June 15–16

1916:

• Battle of Mount Sorrel: June 2–13
• Battle of the Somme
  • Battle of Flers-Courcelette: September 15–22
  • Battle of Thiepval: September 26–28
  • Battle of Le Transloy: October 1–18
  • Battle of the Ancre Heights: October 1 – November 11

1917:

• Battle of Vimy Ridge: April 9–14
• Battle of Arleux: April 28–29
• Third Battle of the Scarpe: May 3–4 (including the capture of Fresnoy)
• Second Battle of Passchendaele: October 26 – November 10

1918:

• Battle of Amiens: August 8–11
• Actions round Damery: August 15–17
• Battle of the Scarpe: August 26–30
• Battle of Drocourt-Quéant: September 2–3
• Battle of the Canal du Nord: September 27 – October 1
• Battle of Cambrai: October 8–9

World War II

During World War II the brigade, again as part of the 1st Canadian Division, participated in the Allied Invasion of Sicily and then later fought in the Italian campaign. It was demobilized for the second time at the end of the war.[5]

Order of battle

World War I[4]

• 13th Battalion (Royal Highlanders of Canada), CEF (August 1914 – November 11, 1918)
• 14th Battalion (Royal Montreal Regiment), CEF (August 1914 – November 11, 1918)
• 15th Canadian Battalion (48th Highlanders of Canada), CEF (August 1914 – November 11, 1918)
• 16th Canadian Battalion (The Canadian Scottish), CEF (August 1914 – November 11, 1918)

World War II[6]

• Royal 22^e Régiment
• The Carleton and York Regiment
• The West Nova Scotia Regiment
• 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade Ground Defence Platoon (Lorne Scots)[5]

References

Citations

1. Nicholson, p. 22
2. "Brigadier General George Stuart Tuxford". Canadian Great War Project. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
3. "1st Canadian Division". Canadian Soldiers.com. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
4. "1st Canadian Division". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
5. "1st Canadian Infantry Division". Canadian Soldiers.com. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
6. "1st Canadian Infantry Division Units: Sicily 1943". Army.ca. Retrieved 26 November 2016.

Bibliography

• Nicholson, G.W.L (2015) [1962]. Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1914–1919: Official History of the Canadian Army in the First World War. Montreal: McGill-Queen's Press. ISBN 9780773597907.

Further reading

• Iarocci, Andrew (2008). Shoestring Soldiers: The 1st Canadian Division at War, 1914–1915. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9780802098221.
• Stacey, C.P. (1948). The Canadian Army 1939–1945: An Official Historical Summary. Official History of the Canadian Army. Ottawa: King's Printer. OCLC 2144853.