4th Canadian Infantry Brigade

The 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade was a brigade of the Canadian Army during the Second World War.

History

It was mobilized on 1 September 1939 part of 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, even before the declaration of war, and the battalions were promptly fleshed out by volunteers. However, further expansion of the Brigade was hindered by a temporary halt in recruitment and uncertainty about overseas deployment. Consequently, the brigade headquarters were not actually formed until May and June 1940.

The 2nd Division conducted Operation Jubilee, a large-scale raid on Dieppe, France in August 1942 with the 4th and 6th Canadian Infantry Brigades, suffering extensive losses in the landing and the ensuing withdrawal.^[1]

Following reconstruction, the Brigade with 2nd Canadian Division moved to Normandy in time to serve with the British 2nd Army. It then participated in the advance along the Channel coast with the Canadian 1st Army including the liberation of Dieppe. The division saw heavy action in the Netherlands in late 1944 and took part in the final offensives in 1945.

Organization

In 1939, The Second Division was organized along regional lines, like the 1st Canadian Infantry Division. The order of battle for the 4th Infantry Brigade was as follows^[2]

Second Canadian Division in the Victory Campaign 1944–1945.

Fourth Canadian Infantry Brigade – Ontario

• The Royal Regiment of Canada – Toronto, Ontario
• The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment) – Hamilton, Ontario
• The Essex Scottish Regiment – Windsor, Ontario
• The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (Machine Gun) – Ottawa, Ontario

Fourth Canadian Infantry Brigade 1944–45

• The Royal Regiment of Canada
• The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment)
• The Essex Scottish Regiment
• 4 Canadian Infantry Brigade Ground Defence Platoon (Lorne Scots)

Awards

Two members of the Brigade won the Victoria Cross.

Rev. John Weir Foote, VC, CD (5 May 1904 – 2 May 1988 ), Regimental Chaplain to The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment) for work with the wounded at the Dieppe Raid.

Frederick Albert Tilston acting Major in The Essex Scottish Regiment. During the Battle of the Rhineland, he volunteered to lead an infantry company in an attack on the Hochwald. After leading "C" Company in a 500 yard attack and wounded, he refused to be evacuated while he organized a defence against German counter-attacks.

See also

• Military history of Canada during the Second World War
• Military history of Canada
• Canadian Forces

References

Further reading

Gibson, William Lorraine (1924). Records of the Fourth Canadian Infantry Battalion in the great war, 1914-1918. Toronto: Maclean. p. 324. Retrieved 15 October 2015. 

External links

• CalgaryHighlanders.com
• canadiansoldiers.com