THIS DAY IN RMR HISTORY, 18 September 1914 – The report of The Montreal Daily Mail’s correspondent from Valcartier on Friday night contained this. “The Canadian troops are to preserve their identity in foreign service. This was announced to-night by the Minister of Militia. The various branches of the service will be known as No. 1 Battalion Canada, 1st Field Battery, Canada, and so on, while the cavalry of the permanent force will retain their distinctive names, Royal Canadian Dragoons and Lord Strathcona’s Horse. The badges used in the South African campaign will again be used. The maple leaf will be the emblem and the badge “Canada” will be worn on the shoulder.
Colonel Hughes also announced the formation of two additional infantry battalions, the seventeenth and eighteenth, and that following the departure of the First Contingent a school of instruction for officers will be established here.” [i]
[i] “Canada’s Troops Will Maintain Identity In War,” The Montreal Daily Mail, Montreal, Saturday, September 19, 1914, pg.3, col. 3.