Gallery

1st CMR M.O. (Medical Officer) Helmet - CAMC badge and 3rd Div. Battle patches (faint on the right) It seems to have been an hereditary helmet, passed down from one 1st CMR M.O. to each successor. Red circle above 3rd Division French Grey rectangle. Many thanks for the photo - you know who you are!

An earlier shot than the one below it of the 1st CMR (Mounted) Pipe Band. Bob Blaikie, 106091, is third from right kneeling by the bass drum. These two Band shots are from:

https://www.saskpipebands.org/index.php/archives/pipers-a-drummers/6-archive/individuals/167-robert-blaikie

(Below) Robert Blaikie, 106091, is the tall chap standing third from right in the back row. This photo from his family of the (Mounted) Pipe and Drum Band of the 1st CMR in France. Also marked is his brother, James, 106090, also third from right and kneeling.

"C" Company in Mons on the 12th November 1918 - with thanks to Peter Wytka who says: "I got it in a junk shop between Toronto and Barrie about 20 years ago when I was in my early teens."

And a clearer copy below of "B" Company outside their billets that day - The Institut Waroqué, today a part of the University of Mons, (Place Warocqué 17, 7000 Mons). (At Daly House Museum, Brandon, MB CA DHM 1986.354-2 Item 12 Nov 1918 Part of Albert Pettitt Collection.)

Lt.-Col. Ralph Craven Andros, D.S.O., 1st C.M.R.

Colourised by Jools McKenna

Lieutenant Colonel Burnett Laws O.C. (Officer Commanding) from April 24th 1918 - Demob.

www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205384364</a>

Colourised by Jools McKenna

Major George Howard Bradbrooke

Colourised by Jools McKenna

Captain Cyril Geoffrey Lloyd, 1st C.M.R. © IWM (HU 124220)

Colourised by Jools McKenna

Major Walter Edward Maxfield., D.S.O.

Colourised by Jools McKenna

Lieutenant Robert Argo 1st (3rd) CMR © IWM (HU 112955)

Colourised by Jools McKenna

Major Frank Alfonso Ney, M.C. Machine Gun Officer © IWM (HU 118360)

Colourised by Jools McKenna

Lt. Bruce Murray MacPherson

Colourised by Jools McKenna

Lt. Bruce Murray MacPherson

Colourised by Jools McKenna

Lt. Samuel Walter Abbott

Colourised by Jools McKenna

Lt. Wright

Colourised by Jools McKenna

1st CMR Band Mons 12th November 1918

4 Officers and 34 Band.

The two behind the bass drum are, on the left:

Major Walter Edward Maxfield, D.S.O., and Lt.-Col. Burnett Laws, D.S.O. To the right of Laws (his left) is the Adjutant, Capt. Jock Wotherspoon.

Presume that must be Bandmaster Paulin, second from right, front row, holding the baton.

This is in front of the right side door of the Institut Waroqué, today a part of the University of Mons,

( Place Warocqué 17, 7000 Mons).

4th CMR researcher, John Crawford, was able to identify the men in this shot. They are, left to right, (with additional details supplied by 4cmr.com):

Back row:

Lt. Edwin Austin Abbey - originally of the 2nd Pioneer Battalion, lost at Vimy in April 1917,

Lt. James Armstrong Brockleby Chenney - originally of the 33rd Battalion, struck off strength June 1917,

Lt. William George Butson - originally of the 136th Battalion, lost at Vimy in April 1917, and

Lt. Lyell Corson Johnston - originally of the 111th Battalion, also lost at Vimy in April 1917.

Front row:

Capt. William Robert Muirhead - originally of the 66th Battalion, lost at Passchendaele in October 1917,

Major Addison Alexander MacKenzie - wounded at Vimy and struck off strength in April 1917, and

Lt. Gregory Clark - originally of the 170th Battalion (would receive promotion to Captain and gain an MC), also survived the war.

Mike Brown in Ontario has sent me some photos of a 1st CMR, "C" Company Lewis Gun Buttstock, with its Battle Honours carved on:

1916 - Somme (September/October/November)

1917 - Vimy Ridge (April 9th)

- Hill 70 (August)

- Passchendaele (October 26th)

1918 - Amiens (August 8th)

- Monchy (August 26th)

- Cambrai (September 29th)

On 23rd August 1917, a "C" Coy Lewis Gun brought down a German aircraft that was sweeping the 1st CMR trenches with machine gun fire.

And just received a pic of the mounted display.....(11/10/2020). The arrow patch denotes the 3rd (Division) Canadian MG (Machine Gun) Battalion. The French Gray rectangle with red circle above denotes the 1st CMR's identifying shoulder patch.

1st CMR Officers with Lt.-Col. Burnett Laws as O.C. Not many clues yet - can't see Lt. Peachey, so it's after August 1918. On Burnett's right is Major W.E.Maxfield, and his left is Adjt. 'Jock' Wotherspoon. Not everyone is wearing sleeve rank, but can see 4 (probably 5) Captains, and most likely 4 Majors in the front row. 18 Lieutenants behind? Possibly at Château de la Haie.

Wednesday September 11th 1918, 1st CMR War Diary entry - Promotions: Major B. Laws. D.S.O. to be Temp. Lt.-Col. From 6-6-18. Guess that means it wasn't official until September, and was backdated for pay etc. So, as he is wearing sleeve rank of Lt.-Col., it's Sept. 1918 at the earliest.

2nd from right at the front has RAMC (Royal Army Medical Corps) badges - it's the doc, though not Captain James Stewart Hudson. Possibly Capt. R.M. Harvey who took over on December 29th 1918.

Medical officers by name are mentioned as and between - Capt. C.A Graves in November 1916, replaced for 2 days by Capt. A. Ross of 9th Field Ambulance. Capt. C.R. Walsh (C.A.M.C.) of 10th Field Ambulance covering for Walsh from December 1916, until made permanent on March 9th 1917. Capt. James Stewart Hudson, M.C., C.A.M.C. is M.O. before November 1917 until ceases to be attached on Nov. 17 1918. An M.O. is mentioned after that, but not by name until Dec. 29th, when Capt. R.M. Harvey takes over.

Below:

3rd Troop, "A" Squadron, 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles, C.E.F. Rembrandt Studio, Winnipeg. No 127.

Kneeling, right of officer, is one of our buglers.

Message from Stephen Bartley: The photograph of 3rd Troop, "A" Squadron, 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles, C.E.F. Rembrandt Studio, Winnipeg. No 127.My great uncle William Henry Jones is the 2nd person on the right of the back row. He was killed in action in June 1916 at the Battle of Mount Sorrel. His next of kin, Alice, was my grandmother. He was aged 19, although when he signed up his year of birth was changed to make him appear 3 years older. It is Bilston where his name appears on the war memorial. His brother Harold served with the Essex Regiment and was killed on 1/7/16 at the Somme. Really sad they both died within weeks of each other. They had many siblings (17 children in total). I am still trying to locate photographs of them and was pleased to see the photo you posted which one of my aunts was able to identify as being William.

Pop's hand written nominal roll has him as:

Jones, William Pte 1269 [original unit number] / 106323 Age: 23 [this was probably written at the end of 1914/early 1915. I know he was 19 when killed in 1916] S. [Single]

Next of Kin: A. [Alice] Bartley 54 Thomson St., Pillston, Staffs [wrongly looks like Barkley, and it's Bilston] Comments: "Missing June 2nd"

Taken outside the Armoury in Brandon, Manitoba in April 1915, while twelve members of the band were not present due to being on embarkation leave. Photo sent by the grandson of Piper, Private David Robertson Louden.

Below: Piper David Louden's original 1st CMR Mounted Band Henderson Pipes.

Photo courtesy of his grandson, Tom Van Walleghem.

Above and below - recently arrived from Yorkton City Archives: c.January 1915

L to R,

Rear: Capt. Bradbrooke / Lieut. Livingstone (Killed in France, Somme 1916) / Lieut. Lloyd

Front: Major Washington / Major Maxfield / Lieut. Robinson (Killed in England)

On the 19th May, 1918, Captain George Robinson MC, 42nd Training Squadron, Wye, RAF,
formerly RFC, attached from the Canadian Mounted Rifles, was killed when his F.E.2b night bomber, C9792, from 149 Squadron, crashed. The observer, 2Lt C.H.P. Hughes, was injured. Robinson was buried at Wye Churchyard in Kent, grave reference 121. George was awarded the Military Cross for courage and leadership at the Somme, October 16th 1916. (Main source: the blog: 'Les Zeppelins à Cognelée près de Namur en Belgique - 1914-1918')

By October 1916 Livingstone had been promoted to Major. On 9th October Bradbrooke and Livingstone returned to the front line with the rest of the battalion in a sector north of Courcelette the Canadians called Kenora Trench. In the ensuing days the men of the battalion came under heavy German fire -- artillery, high-explosives, shrapnel and machine-gun -- as the enemy fought to regain positions lost earlier in October to the Canadians. The result of the Germans' brutal October 12th barrage on 1CMR at Kenora Trench was a casualty toll of 48 soldiers killed, wounded or missing. Six of these casualties were mortal, including Charles Livingstone. He died in his fellow officer's arms; Bradbrooke recorded Livingstone's final words: "Well, I'm done. I've done the best I can for 'B' Company. Write to Father". He is buried in Pozières British Cemetery.

Washington, Maxfield, Bradbrooke and Lloyd all survived the war. Before his military days were over George Bradbrooke was promoted again, to Lieutenant-Colonel. He died at Saskatoon in late 1969, in his 98th year. (Source: Alan Livingstone MacLeod)

Major Ferguson Coleman Washington (b.Winnipeg 18th Jan 1880) became the Commanding Officer of the 10th CMR when they were raised on the 15th March 1915 in Regina and Portage La Prairie.

C.G. Lloyd served with the 18th Mounted Rifles prior to WW1, (in March 1912 he was a Sergeant-Major in "D" Squadron), and was wounded at Hooge. http://marksrussianmilitaryhistory.info/CanadaPhoto/Lloyd1912.html

The building "A" Squadron are in front of, was erected in 1908 as a Dominion Government building, and it mainly housed the post office. There was a Customs Office in it, and rooming quarters for the Police. The Town Hall was then across the street and a bit to the north. Both on Third Avenue North, Yorkton, Saskatchewan.

(Source:Terri Lefebvre Prince, Heritage Researcher CITY OF YORKTON ARCHIVES)

Being able to compare the two shots, the Town Hall line-up, I think, has the same six officers in the front, in this order:

(from L to R)
Major Walter Edward Maxfield, Major Ferguson Coleman Washington, Lieut. George Robinson (with Register/Nominal Roll),

Lieut. Charles Donald Livingstone (6' 2"!), Lieut. Cyril Geoffrey Lloyd (with riding crop), and Captain George Howard Bradbrooke.

Back row, 6thfrom the left: Private John Gunn. Regimental Number: 1252/Battalion Number: 106262. Age 31. Single. Next of kin: J.Gunn Senior. Address: Whitesand, Saskatchewan. Born in Canada. Wounded and taken prisoner at Hooge - (the Battle of Mount Sorrel, June 2nd 1916).

'1st CMR Officers 1916 Villiers-au-Bois (To Carency Valley)', France

Back Row from left:

Capt.Albert Edward Bloomfield 5 Apr 1870 Quartermaster / James Wilson Neill 30 Oct 1885 Assistant Adjutant / Lt.George Albert Scott, 8 Mar 1884 Transport Officer (ex-Canadian Pacific Railroad) / Lt.Roger Peachey 19 Oct 1892 Intelligence Officer / Capt. James Stewart Hudson, M.C., C.A.M.C. (Doctor)

Front Row from left:

Capt.John Taylor Holman, Padre 12 Jul 1878 / Major Burnett Laws D.S.O. 3 Mar 1877 - 1st October 1947 (C.O. after Andros) / Colonel Ralph Craven Andros D.S.O. 7 Feb 1871(12th Jan?) - 16 Aug 1943 C.O./ Major Walter Edward Maxfield D.S.O. 20 Sep 1877 - 13 Apr 1964 / Capt.John Addie Wotherspoon M.C. 'Jock' 12 Aug 1888 Adjutant

I've studied the War Diaries and have concluded that this must have been taken on April 23rd 1918. The occasion being Andros leaving to take command of the Brigade. Captain Holman had taken over as Battalion Chaplain from Captain Stewart by February 10th. There follows a whole succession of 'Leaves' by the named ones, with Andros not back until April 5th. I thought Bloomfield was killed on the 8th by a shell, but it was his son, Lt. Albert Cecil Cutting Bloomfield.
They're very much in the right area all through this period. Entry for March 20th: ...relieved from front line & moved to RISPIN CAMP, VILLERS AU BOIS. After supper the companies entrained on the narrow gauge railway at ZIVY SIDING which conveyed them to VILLERS AU BOIS...
They'd been relieved by the 2nd CMR on the night of 22nd/23rd April, and moved to Divisional Reserve at LES BREBIS. The whole Battalion, with the exception of the men on HQ's were required for working parties - so a perfect chance for a last photo before Andros left the next day. The Battalion went back into Support the next evening (24th), with Burnett Laws as the new O.C.

Keith Collman questioned the original caption date and said: The Padre, Capt J. H. T. HOLMAN M.M. was commissioned as an Hon. Capt. to the Canadian Chaplain Service 22.8.1917. He was awarded a Military Medal LG (London Gazette) 2.11.1917. Prior to that he served as an NCO in the 2 CAMC (Canadian Army Medical Corps). Wounded 24.3.1917.

The Trey o' Hearts was a, now lost, 1914 action film serial in fifteen parts, from the novel of the same name; first released weekly in the USA between August 4th (the day of the British ultimatum and state of war at 11pm) and November 10th 1914. This groundbreaking serial brought the 'cliff-hanger' into full form, and caused a sensation on it's original release.

A temporary selection of shots from the flickr sets, until transferred larger and in order:

1st Canadian Mounted Rifles - Gallery

Gallery

Back Row from left: