Glengarry Test
Glen test study notes:
April 22, 1915, west os st. julien german forces released chlorine gas over troops of two french divisions, leaving a gap in the front line.
The tenth battalion was calling (22-23 april) to counter attack the german forces advancing through the gap
Tenth b (b means battalion i aint writing everything properly) formed in front of sixteenth b
Both units mounted an assault on an oak plantation (known as Bois-de-Cuisinères, or Kitcheners’ Wood named because french had located their field kitchens there)
Assault costed the life of the tenth commanding officer and only 913 men survived out of the 816 who crossed the start linen only 100 returned home with the unit
The german advance was stopped and labeled as ‘the single bravest act in all of the war’
Key points (hot pink means you have to remember, light pink means its recommended, but you should remember it):
Battle of st julien took place during ww1 (world war one) on the 22nd of april, 1915
It was important for the tenth battalion to retake the wood so the other allied forces didnt lose ground to the german forces
Tenth and sixteenth battalion were ordered to retake the front line in kitcheners wood to fill the gap in the front line.
Tenth battalion ran into a strong hedge interlaced with wire and had to break through it with rifle butts
Germans released five thousand canisters of chlorine gas over the canadians (this was the first time they were confronted with the gas)
Following the gas cloud were two divisions of german kaisers crack troops.
Canadian troops were startled and dazed but held their position
Allied forces lost land for a little bit of time but retook it
60k canadian and british casualties and 10k french in all
35k german casualties
The 103rd calgary rifles:
Calgary highlanders were known as 103rd calgary rifles prior to ww1
During ww1 the 103rd were called to provide five companies to the tenth battalion (an additional three were provided by the 106th regiment of the winnipeg light infantry)
The regiment continued to exist as a battalion unit recruiting and training in a part-time capacity.
Provided soldiers to canadas full time army during the great war
The tenth battalion participated in every major canadian battle of the great war
In 1921, the 103rd Calgary Rifles were disbanded and redesignated the Calgary Regiment
The calgary regiment was re-designated and split into two units.first battalion became calgary highlanders and the second remained calgary regiment, a tank unit which was later called the kings own calgary regiment
Since the main formation of the 10th Battalion had come from both the 103rd Calgary Rifles and the 106th Winnipeg Light Infantry (WLI), both adopted certain common distinctions and both were awarded the Battle Honours of the 10th Battalion.
The WLI badge fell out of use, only canadian scottish and calgary highlanders can wear these honours today
The argylls
Calgary highlanders were a new regiment and lacked important traditions so they allied themselves with the Argrylls and Sutherland highlanders
It was because of the argylls that the calgary highlanders adopted the use of the black watch and the glengarry in 1932
The argylls are best known for the battle of balaklava where they beat back the oncoming cavalry
They had few soldiers so they formed two ranks rather than three, earning the title “the thin red line”
The great glen (last one yayaay!!):
The Glengarry is a headdress with a Gaelic (Scottish) history behind it. Glen means “a deep valley”, and in this case it refers to the Great Glen, which bisects Scotland. Garry is the name of a river in Scotland.
The tails at the back of the Glen headdress represent the meeting of the River Garry and the Great Glen.
The torrie at the top of the headdress represents the place where the battle took place in the middle.
On the side of the Glengarry you can see the red and white checkers that symbolize the Sutherland pattern, which is worn by the Calgary Highlanders, the Argylls and the house of Stuart. Most other units adopted the British Army pattern.