| 25th Battalion (Nova Scotia Rifles), CEF | |
|---|---|
 The distinguishing patch of the 25th Battalion (Nova Scotia Rifles), CEF | |
| Active | 7 November 1914-15 September 1920 |
| Country | Canada |
| Branch | Canadian Expeditionary Force |
| Role | Infantry |
| Size | battalion |
| Engagements | First World War |
The25th Battalion (Nova Scotia Rifles), CEF (also known as "MacKenzie Battalion", "Master Raiders", "Raiding Battalion") was a unit in theCanadian Expeditionary Force during theGreat War. It was the second infantry battalion (after the 17th) of ten to be raised in Nova Scotia during the war. The 25th served in Belgium and France as part of the5th Canadian Brigade,2nd Canadian Division from 16 September 1915 until the end of the war. Regimental headquarters were established at theHalifax Armouries, with recruitment offices in Sydney, Amherst, New Glasgow, Truro and Yarmouth. Of the 1000 Nova Scotians that started with the battalion, after the first year of fighting, 100 were left in the battalion, while 900 men were killed, taken prisoner, missing or injured.
The 25th Battalion was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Great Britain on 20 May 1915. The battalion was disbanded on 15 September 1920.[1]
The 25th Battalion recruited throughout Nova Scotia and was mobilized at Halifax.[2]
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The 25th battalion had eight Officers Commanding:
The 25th Battalion was awarded the following battle honours:
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On 22–23 September 1915, the 25th arrived atYpres, Belgium, becoming the first Nova Scotian battalion to see combat in the war. The battalion spent 339 days in the treacherous Belgian trenches, 164 of which involved front line duty. They fought in theActions of St. Eloi Craters (27 March – 16 April 1916), atHill 62, Mount Sorrel andSanctuary Wood. These battles marked the first occasion in which Canadian divisions engaged in planned offensive operations during World War I. In those actions the Canadians reconquered vital high-ground positions that denied the Germans a commanding view of the town of Ypres itself. Of the 1000 men that started with the battalion, after the first year of fighting 900 men were killed, taken prisoner, missing or injured. (See theHill 62 Memorial).[citation needed]
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The 25th took part in TheBattle of the Somme. The battle took place between 1 July and 18 November 1916 on either side of theRiver Somme in France. The battle was one of thelargest of the war. More than1,000,000 men were wounded or killed, making it one of humanity'sbloodiest battles.
The 25th then took part in theBattle of Flers–Courcelette. The battle was launched on 15 September 1916 and went on for one week. By its conclusion on 22 September, tactical gains had been made in the capture of the villages ofCourcelette,Martinpuich andFlers.
The battle is significant for the first use of thetank in warfare. It also marked the debut of theCanadian Division on the Somme battlefield.
In theBattle of the Ancre Heights, (Regina Trench) the losses in the 2nd Canadian Division1 September – 4 October were6,530.[5]
TheBattle of Vimy Ridge was a military engagement fought primarily as part of theBattle of Arras, which took place from 9 to 12 April 1917, was part of the opening phase of the British-led Battle of Arras, a diversionary attack for the FrenchNivelle Offensive. The objective of the Canadian Corps was to take control of the German-held high ground along anescarpment at the northernmost end of the Arras Offensive. Supported by acreeping barrage, the Canadian Corps captured most of the ridge during the first day of the attack. The town ofThélus fell during the second day of the attack, as did the crest of the ridge once the Canadian Corps overcame asalient of considerable German resistance. The final objective, a fortified knoll located outside the town ofGivenchy-en-Gohelle, fell to the Canadian Corps on 12 April. (SeeCanadian National Vimy Memorial).
The 25th was involved inCanada's Hundred Days.
Flanders (and Belgium as a whole) saw some of the greatest loss of life on theWestern Front of theFirst World War, in particular from the three battles of Ypres. Due to the hundreds of thousands of casualties at Ypres, thepoppies that sprang up from the battlefield afterwards, later immortalised in the Canadian poem "In Flanders Fields", written byJohn McCrae, have become a symbol for lives lost in war.
TheBattle of Passchendaele took place between June and November 1917, for control of the ridges south and east of theBelgian city of Ypres. The campaign ended in November when the Canadian Corps captured Passchendaele.[6]
By the end of the war 53% of the men who had served in the battalion had been wounded (2713 soldiers), while 14% died in battle (718 soldiers).[8]
The 25th Battalion is perpetuated byThe Nova Scotia Highlanders.[9]
The king's and regimental colours of the battalion are laid up inGovernment House in Halifax.[10]
