April 21, 1915...

[undercoverbrother]

....Was the last day before the Canadian Expeditionary Force saw its first major action in World War One.

At 11:00 PM on April 22, 2015 the 10th Battalion (which became the Calgary Highlanders) and the 16th Battalion (which became the Canadian Scottish Regiment) formed up to attack Kitchener's Wood.

It was the CEF's first taste of the meat grinder that would be WW1:

At 6.30 a.m. on the 23rd, there were just five officers and 188 other ranks of the 10th Battalion in this position - 816 men in total had started the action. There were only five officers and 263 other ranks of the 16th Battalion remaining.

http://www.ww1battlefields.co.uk/flanders/stjulien.html

Spoiler!

To acknowledge this action both the The Calgary Highlanders and The Canadian Scottish Regiment wear brass Oak Leaf and Acorn. The only units in Canada to earn this right (Winnipeg Light Infantry ceased to be in 1955).

After the war, Marshal Foch the Allied Supreme Commander, remarked that the "greatest act of the war" had been the assault on Kitcheners' Wood by the 10th and 16th Battalions.

[Fozzie_DeBear]

I'm guessing (by the 'meat grinder' comment) you know the Dan Carlin podcast?

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Fozzie_DeBear

I'm guessing (by the 'meat grinder' comment) you know the Dan Carlin podcast?

Nope, never heard of him, TBH.

[SeeGeeWhy]

UCB, Dan Carlin's Hardcore History is not to be missed. The Blueprint for Armageddon series goes deep on WWI, lots of Canadian references are made.

It is a fantastic podcast. Check it out!

[CaptainCrunch]

"WW1 was the end of what was once deemed the civilized act of warfare.

The idea that it was glorious to go and fight and that our sons would come home covered in medals and properly bloodied or maybe die heroically was over.

WW1 bought into play the non civilized rules or warfare. Machine Guns, Poison Gas, Bombs falling from the air, mass rolling artillery.

WW1 was a beast that constantly devoured everything in its path to keep itself going, it was a slow moving wild fire that ate everything in its path.

Von Clausewitz said War is the continuation of politics by other means.

WW1 was a prime illustration of this as Politics was the initial fuel that started this war, but then control of the war was lost by the politicians and everyone burned.

[Aeneas]

Went to Kithchener's Wood this summer. No wood to speak of now of course.
Just felt important to me to be there.

Much more to see at Vimy, Menin gate, any cemetary, etc. but it is quite powerful to stand near Kitcheners Wood or the PPCLI memorial at Frezenburg for example.

Incredible deeds performed there by ordinary Canadians.

[Minnie]

My grandfather fought in WW1 (born in 1890). Some of his stuff is at the National War Museum in Ottawa. My brother and his family were able to find some of it when they were there last fall (and snapped some pics which he texted to me). One day, I want to go there to see his things, and I'd also like to go to some of the areas in France where he fought and see the places he talked about.

[Ben_in_Canada]

April 25th is the big one for me, Anzac day.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anzac_Day
I have a buddy who just got to Turkey the other day for the 100th anniversary of the battle of Gallipoli.