Tuesday, December 15, 1914
In Camp, West Down South, Salisbury Plains
The Battalion War Diarist wrote for this day: “General training. Squad drill; company in attack; defence of village or wood.” [1]
THIS DAY IN RMR HISTORY: “Ottawa, Dec. 15. – The details of the allocation and mobilization of some of the 50,000 troops which were recently ordered to be recruited and also the first overseas contingent were made known by the Prime Minister today. The troops are classified as follows:
- Troops forming the second Canadian division;
- Lines of communication units;
- Regiments of mounted rifles;
- Battalions of extra-divisional infantry
The Second Division will have three infantry brigades, one of which is in England, two companies of cyclists, three brigades of field artillery, one heavy battery, one ammunition column, two field companies of engineers, one divisional train, and three ambulances.
The line of communication units included in the second contingent are provided by the Army Service Corps with the exception of the General Hospital, the personnel of which will be drawn from McGill University. Some of the A.S.C. units are being mobilized at Toronto, others at Montreal. A remount depot will probably be added.
In all there are to be three regiments of mounted rifles, grouped in brigades of three regiments each. Manitoba and Saskatchewan will supply one regiment, and British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritime Provinces one each.
The remainder are allotted provisionally as follows: Ontario two regiments, Manitoba and Saskatchewan two, British Columbia one and Alberta two.
Of the battalions of extra-divisional infantry which may be expected to make up overseas contingents after the second has sailed, seven have been for some time in process of mobilization at Toronto, Montreal, Quebec, Halifax, Winnipeg, Calgary and Victoria.
In addition there are nineteen battalions, the mobilization of which has just commenced, and which will be carried on with expedition. Seven of these battalions will be raised in Ontario, two in the London district, three in the Toronto district, and two in the Kingston district; two will be raised in Quebec, one at Montreal and the other at Quebec, the latter being a French-Canadian battalion, one in the Maritime Provinces, probably at St. John; one in Manitoba and Saskatchewan; one in British Columbia and one in Alberta.” [3]
[1] War Diary, 14th Canadian Battalion, The Royal Montreal Regiment, Dec 15, 1914. Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, http://data2.collectionscanada.ca/e/e044/e001089681.jpg
[2] “Allocation Of Fifty Thousand Canadian Troops,” The Montreal Daily Mail, Montreal, Quebec, Wednesday, December 16, 1914, pg. 5, col. 5
[3] Ibid.