2nd Canadian Division

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 2nd Canadian Division


caption=
dates= 1915-1919
country= Canada
allegiance= Allies
branch= Canadian Expeditionary Force
type=Infantry
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current_commander= n/a
garrison=
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colonel_of_the_regiment=
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battles= World War I
-Somme
-Vimy Ridge
-Passchendaele
notable_commanders= General Guy Simonds
anniversaries=

The 2nd Canadian Division was an infantry formation that saw service in the First World War. A 2nd Canadian Infantry Division was raised for the Second World War.

History

The formation of the 2nd Canadian Division began in May 1915 in Britain following the arrival of a large contingent of soldiers from Canada. The Division remained in Great Britain only a short time before embarking for France in September 1915. It joined the 1st Canadian Division to form the Canadian Corps. The division was under the command of Major-General R.E.W. Turner, and its members spent a long and bitterly cold winter in a Belgian section of the front between Ploegsteert Wood and Saint-Eloi, south of Ypres. Infantry units as well as artillery units of the 2nd Canadian Division served in both France and Flanders until Armistice Day.

Infantry Units

4th Canadian Brigade: (Formed after the original 4th Brigade was dispersed)
*18th (Western Ontario) Battalion Canadian Infantry. October 1, 1914 - November 11, 1918;
*19th (Central Ontario) Battalion Canadian Infantry. October 19, 1914 - November 11, 1918;
*20th (Central Ontario) Battalion Canadian Infantry. October 1914 - November 11, 1918;
*21st (Eastern Ontario) Battalion Canadian Infantry. October 19, 1914 - November 11, 1918.

5th Canadian Brigade:
*22nd (Canadien Francais) Battalion Canadian Infantry. October 21, 1914 - November 11, 1918;
*24th (Victoria Rifles) Battalion Canadian Infantry. October 22, 1914 - November 11, 1918;
*25th (Nova Scotia) Battalion Canadian Infantry. October 28, 1914 - November 11, 1918;
*26th (New Brunswick) Battalion Canadian Infantry. November 2, 1914 - November 11, 1918.

6th Canadian Brigade
*27th (City of Winnipeg) Battalion Canadian Infantry. October 21, 1914 - November 11, 1918;
*28th (North West) Battalion Canadian Infantry. October 19, 1914 - November 11, 1918;
*29th (Vancouver) Battalion Canadian Infantry. October 24, 1914 - November 11, 1918;
*31st (Alberta) Battalion Canadian Infantry. November 16, 1914 - November 11, 1918.

Pioneers:
*2nd Canadian Pioneer Battalion. March 1916 - June 1917. To the 2nd Canadian Engineer Brigade.

Battles and Engagements on the Western Front:

1916:
*Actions of the St. Eloi Craters - March 27 - 16 Apr
*Battle of Mount Sorrel - June 2-13
*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
*Attack on La Coulotte - April 23
*Battle of Arleux - April 28-29
*Third Battle of the Scarpe - May 3-4
*Battle of Hill 70 - August 15-25
*Second Battle of Passchendaele - October 26 - November 10
*Battle of Cambrai (1917) - November 20 - December 3

1918:
*First Battle of Arras - March 28
*Battle of Amiens - August 8-11
*Actions round Damery - August 15-17
*Battle of the Scarpe - August 26-30
*The Pursuit to the Selle - October 9-12
*Passage of the Grande Honelle - November 5-7

External references