- Title:
- First Canadian division, C.E.F., 1914-1918 : ducimus (we lead)
- Creator:
- Radley, Kenneth
- Date Created:
- 2000
- Degree Awarded:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Subjects:
- World War, 1914-1918 1st Canadian Division
- Geographical Focus:
- Canada
- Supporting Materials:
- n/a
- Description:
- 1st Canadian Division served on the Western Front from 1914-1918, participating in the major battles of Second Ypres, Festubert, Mount Sorrel, the Somme, Vimy, Hill 70, the Second Battle of Passchendaele, Amiens, Drocourt-Queant and Canal du Nord. This dissertation has provided the first discrete account of its record and attributes, to- gether with an assessment as to how and why it gained renown, finally becoming, in one General Officer’s words, “the wonder of the British Army.” The dissertation claims originality based upon the questions it raises, the forgotten aspects of the division’s history that it reveals and its definition of the realities of the division’s existence during the Great War. Thesis objectives are fourfold. The first was to provide an appropriate perspective by setting 1st Division within the context of the order of battle: it was one of four divisions in the Canadian Corps, which was one of 23 corps fielded by the Empire. The second was to ensure that the substantial British contribution to Canadian skill at arms is recognized. The third was to portray 1st Division and its performance accurately using Canadian military terminology, values and culture. The fourth objective was to focus attention on the brigade commanders of 1* Division. Their substantial contributions have gone largely unrecognized. The thesis of this dissertation is that 1* Division became a good division. The aim is to show that what made it good, that is to say what took it from raw militia to a good fighting formation was competent command and control, thorough staff work and good training. The primary conclusion is that 1* Division consistently performed as a good, that is to say an effective division.
Source
- Preferred Citation:
- Radley, Kenneth. 2000. "First Canadian division, C.E.F., 1914-1918 : ducimus (we lead)", Department of History, Carleton University
- Link to this page:
- https://cuhistory.github.io/grads/items/hist_193.html
Rights
- Rights:
- Copyright the author, all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.