10th Canadian Infantry Brigade
Encyclopedia
World War I
The 10th Canadian Infantry Brigade in World War I, consisted of 4 battalions, and was in the 4th Division.} The Battalions were the 47th Battalion 48th Battalion, 49th Battalion and the 50th Battalion50th Battalion, CEF
The 50th Canadian Battalion was a battalion of the First World War Canadian Expeditionary Force. The battalion was commanded by Colonel E.G. Mason at the beginning of the war. Later in the war, he was put with another battalion and Lieutenant-Colonel Page took over the battalion. The battalion...
World War II
The 10th Canadian Infantry Brigade was first assembled at Nanaimo, British ColumbiaNanaimo, British Columbia
Nanaimo is a city on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It has been dubbed the "Bathtub Racing Capital of the World" and "Harbour City". Nanaimo is also sometimes referred to as the "Hub City" because of its central location on Vancouver Island and due to the layout of the downtown...
in October 1940, although Nanaimo was not established as its headquarters until February 1941. In April 1941 it was moved east to the Niagara area, exchanging places with the 13th Canadian Infantry Brigade. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, it was part of the Canadian 4th Armoured Division, alongside the 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade
4th Canadian Armoured Brigade
As of 1942 the 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade comprised:* 21st Armoured Regiment * 22nd Armoured Regiment * 28th Armoured Regiment...
.
Formation
- The Lincoln and Welland RegimentThe Lincoln and Welland RegimentThe Lincoln and Welland Regiment is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces based in St Catharines and Welland, Ontario.The Regimental Colonel-in-Chief is The Countess of Wessex and...
- The Algonquin RegimentThe Algonquin RegimentThe Algonquin Regiment is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces comprising two companies. A Coy is located in North Bay, Ontario and B Coy is located in Timmins.-Early period:...
- The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's)The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's)The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada , or A & SH of C, is a Primary Reserve Highland infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces, based at John W...
- 10 Canadian Infantry Brigade Ground Defence Platoon (Lorne Scots)
Normandy
As part of 4th Armoured Division, it did not arrive in Normandy until the end of July 1944. It was present for Operation Totalize, Operation TractableOperation Tractable
Operation Tractable was the final offensive conducted by Canadian and Polish Army troops as part of the Battle of Normandy. The goal of this operation was to capture the strategically important French town of Falaise, and following that, the smaller towns of Trun and Chambois...
, and the Battle of Falaise. After reaching the River Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
, they advanced along the French coast to Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
North West Europe
After France and Belgium the Brigade still part of 4th Armoured was involved in the critical Battle of the ScheldtBattle of the Scheldt
The Battle of the Scheldt was a series of military operations of the Canadian 1st Army, led by Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds. The battle took place in northern Belgium and southwestern Netherlands during World War II from 2 October-8 November 1944...
, to open the port of Antwerp, to Allied shipping. Next came Operation Veritable
Operation Veritable
Operation Veritable was a Second World War pincer movement conducted by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's 21st Army Group to clear and occupy the land between the Rhine and Maas rivers. It took place between 8 February and 11 March 1945. It was a part of General Dwight Eisenhower's "broad front"...
clearing the land between the Rhine and Roer rivers and their last major operation of the war the Battle of the Reichswald.
Battle of Moerbrugge
The 10th Canadian Infantry Brigade was tasked to cross the Ghent Canal about five kilometers south of BrugesBruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
at a small village called Oostkamp
Oostkamp
Oostkamp is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Hertsberge, Oostkamp proper, Ruddervoorde and Waardamme. On January 1, 2006 Oostkamp had a total population of 21,796...
in early September 1944. Directly across the canal from Oostkamp was another small village named Moerbrugge
Moerbrugge
Moerbrugge is a village in the Belgian province of West Flanders, in the municipality of Oostkamp. It was the site of a bridgehead that the Canadian 4th Armoured Division used to cross the Ghent-Bruges Canal during the Battle of the Scheldt on 10 September 1944.-See also:*Battle of Moerbrugge...
. The canal is about 20 metres wide and very deep. Opposition was not expected so only one battalion was chosen for the crossing: The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise
Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll
The Princess Louise was a member of the British Royal Family, the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and her husband, Albert, Prince Consort.Louise's early life was spent moving between the various royal residences in the...
's), the Argylls.
Two batteries of the 15th Field Regiment, RCA were placed in support and The South Alberta Regiment (SARs) would place its tanks on the friendly side of the canal at either side of the crossing point and hold the flanks of the crossing with their fire along with the Vickers machine gun
Vickers machine gun
Not to be confused with the Vickers light machine gunThe Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled .303 inch machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army...
s of The New Brunswick Rangers. The 3 inches (76.2 mm) mortars of the Argylls and the 4.2 inches (106.7 mm) mortars of the Rangers were in support.
A first-hand account of the battle written by a member of "C" Company of the Argylls is available at http://www.ashofc.ca/ASHbridgeMoer.htm.