Canadian militia/CEF units (subset) order of precedence

[Expat Yeoman]

Hi all,

Apologies for what is probably a biff question, however I'm not a collector of Canadian badges.. I'm trying to lock down the correct order of precedence for the following Canadian units in WW1. I've looked at your forum project, Wikipedia etc but the titles are varying a lot and am tying myself in knots!

The units in question are:

Royal Canadian Artillery
Royal Canadian Dragoons
9th Mississauga Horse
25th Brant Dragoons
Royal Highlanders of Canada
1st Newfoundland Regiment
19th Lincoln Regiment
29th Waterloo Regiment
31st British Columbia Horse
34th Ontario Regiment
41st Brockville Rifles
French Canadians
45th Victoria Regiment
48th Highlanders Regiment
49th Hastings Rifles
57th Peterborough Regiment
91st Manitoba Light Infantry
Canadian Ordnance Corps

The reason for asking and only on those specific units...? These units all feature on "Delandres", a series of French poster stamps produced during that war, I have most of them but want to display them in the correct order on the album page alongside their British counterparts. A nice little sideline militaria item.

Separately, there is a Lincolnshire Yeomanry delandre which is listed in the stamp catalogue as being Canadian, seemingly by virtue of having a large "Canada" on the design and there being a Canadian Lincoln Regiment. I can't find any reference to a Canadian unit of that title, nor a connection between the British Lincoln Yeo and Canada. Can anyone shed any light on this please?

Would appreciate your guidance and corrections please!

Regards, Michael

[Bill A]

Hi Michael, The units listed are not CEF, but are Canadian militia pre-1914. The first in seniority are the corps which means Royal Canadian Artillery is senior, then the Canadian Ordnance Corps. Following the corps is the cavalry; the RCD, the 9 MH, and 25th Brant Dragoons. The infantry regiments follow, and seniority is numerical, so from lowest to highest. The Royal Highlanders were originally the 5th regiment, so it is senior in your list of infantry, and the rest follow numerically except for the 1st Newfoundland. Newfoundland was a separate colony up until 1949. The 91st Manitoba LI was a short lived unit, with the 91st number re-assigned to the 91st Regiment Canadian Highlanders in 1903.
I don't know who the "French Canadians" is? Is the stamp the image of a beaver? And you are correct, there is no record of a Canadian Lincolnshire Yeomanry.

[Expat Yeoman]

Hi Bill, that's brilliant and very many thanks. Apologies for my schoolboy errors - is it possible to edit the thread title?!

Interesting to learn they are all militia rather than CEF as the final item in the set is actually for the Canadian Expeditionary Force!! Hence my assumption the units were CEF. Should that one come after the others then?

The French Canadians item.. The illustration is a fleur de lys with maple leaf, beaver and crown superimposed, over a numeral 41 and a scroll titled "Batailon Canadien Francais". I'll try and photo / scan and post but hope you can advise based on that?

Good to know on the Lincs Yeo. I was pretty sure it was a miss in the catalogue, but still intrigued as to the Canadian connection.

Really appreciate your help on this, thank you.

Michael

[Expat Yeoman]

Image attached

[Bill A]

Hi Michael, There is considerable confusion in collecting circles when distinguishing between the pre-1914 Canadian militia and the CEF. They were both numbered, and some CEF battalions actually used the militia number as well. (Perhaps one of the best examples is the 72nd Seaforth Highlanders who were the 72nd in both the militia and CEF.) I also made a mistake and should have moved the 31st BC Horse to the cavalry seniority list.
The French Canadiens badge is for the 41st Bn CEF. I am wondering if the stamp engravers labelled CEF badges to their militia parents? Is it possible to post scans of the stamps? There may be a connection between the Lincolnshire Yeo and Canada. Did the Lincolnshire Yeo serve in the First World War? They may have been connected with the Canadian Cavalry Bde.

[Expat Yeoman]

Hi Bill, sorry for the delay, had to scan and sort. I've attached scans of the ones I have plus some illustrations from the catalogue for the four I've yet to find. If you can help me resolve please that would be brilliant.

On the Leicestershire Yeo, it seems from a little research that they spent most of the war in the Western Frontier Force with the ANZACS at Gaza, Beersheba etc and only made it to France in June 1918 (which makes it a bit of a miracle that they got picked up as a Delandre at all). In France they were attached to the First Army and served at Etaples. Would that put them anywhere near a Canadian unit..?

[Bill A]

Images are very helpful. The regiments to which the stamps refer are Canadian militia or permanent force units with the exception of the 41st which was CEF. The 91st reference is odd, as the unit number had been assigned to the 91st Highlanders of Hamilton Ontario.
A bit confused about the Yeomanry regiment. Is it the Lincolnshire or Leicestershire? Or are these different names for the same? (British units are not my area.)