20 replies to this topic

[Broznitsky]

On behalf of a new Pal, can anybody tell us more about this unit.  I know Mordac and Bill A. advised that the 228th (beside being made up of ice hockey players) became the 6th Railway Troop.
Any idea of how many 228th men went to England, and how many went to France?  What other units contributed to 6th Railway?

Peter in Vancouver

[David_Bluestein]

Here's what I turned up,

228th Canadian Infantry Battalion (North Bay, Ontario) also known as the 'Northern Pioneers'

Recruiting areas, Nipissing and Sudbury. Mobilization HQ was North Bay Ontario.

Served in Canada from March 6, 1916. Sailed for England on February 16, 1917 with 31 Officers and 756 Or's under the command of Lieut. Col A. Earchman.

The battalion had a brass band of thirty-four, five buglers and a pipe band consisting of seven pipers and three drummers. Its march past was 'The Highland Laddie'.

The 228th Bn. served in France as the 6th Battalion, Canadian Railway Troops. Battle Honors: Arras 1917, 18; Hill 70; Ypres 1917; Amiens; Hindenburg Line; Pursuit To Mons.

The unit was disbanded in 1920.

[David_Bluestein]

Here is their badge...

Attached Files

•  228th_Bn.jpg   0bytes   0 downloads

[Bill Alexander]

In World War One the 228th was, as indicated above, recruited in the North Bay-Nipissing area, and headquartered in North Bay. North Bay was a sectoin point (I think that this is the proper railway term for this), for three different railways, the Temiscaming and Northern Ontario Railway, the Canadian National Railway, and the Canadian Pacific Railway. There was a proportionally large number of railway employees in the recruiting area. It has been suggested that the 228th was converted to a railway battalion because of the large proportion of railway men in the unit. (I have cross-referenced the sailing list with the T&NO roster and there is a large number of railway men from this railway in the unit. I haven't been able to check the other railways.) It has also been suggested that the officer cadre of the 228th was drawn from railway professionals, for example civil engineers, managers, etc. This may have been the reason that the 228th was converted to railway troops.  The sailing roll indicates that a large number of the officer's were 34th Ontario Regiment of the Canadian militia. Lt-Col Earchman had some connection with both areas.
The history of the Royal Canadian Engineers indicates that the 228th was a Railway Construction battalion. It was redesignated the 6th Canadian Railway Troops and shipped almost immediately upon arrival in England, to France. The 228th/6th appears to have been sent wholesale, and did not absorb or include significant elements of other battalions. The 228th Battalion is perpetuated by the Algoquin Regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces. Of interest the WWI battle honours carried by the Algonquin Regiment are primarily those of the 228th / 6th and only the generic honour from the 159th Algonquins.
The Algonquin Regiment is one of my main collecting interests. I have attached an image of the badges worn by the 228th / 6th CRT. The silver 228th badges are officers. The gilt leaf pattern and fusilier pattern  6 CRT badges are likely officers.  Reasons for the change from the fusilier badge to the leaf pattern have not been found. In addition the 6 CRT would have worn the formation patch of the CRT, a hollow red rectangle.



Trivia question: What animal is represented on the 228th badge?

[Broznitsky]

Wow, Bill, you've come up trumps again.  I hope JaniceL is reading this!  She's a big Algonquin fan also.

Trivia:  He is a rather sad polar bear.  Pardon my geographic bent, but surely polar bears don't hang around North Bay/Nipissing.  Unless somebody has some photos of that!!  

[Bill Alexander]

Sorry Broz, not a polar bear, or any other type of bear at all.

[David_Bluestein]

Hello Bill,

What's the interest in the 228th? This outfit strikes me as a relatively obscure CEF unit. I'm going to take a guess that you are from North Bay?

Thanks for all the information provided
Regards,
David

[Broznitsky]

Sorry Broz, not a polar bear, or any other type of bear at all.

Hmmm,   he looks just like the geriatric bears that used to live at Stanley Park Zoo.

Harper's "A Source of Pride, Badges of the CEF 14-19" identifies him as a polar bear.

C'mon, Pals, let's have some other guesses . . .

[Neil Burns]

Sure looks like a bear to me......Wolverine maybe???

[Bill Alexander]

Hello all, Neil wins. The motif on the 228th badge is a wolverine. As indicated in posts, North Bay / Nipissing is a bit too far south to have indigenous polar bears.
David, yes I am from North Bay, and I have done some research on the local CEF units, plus a bit on a few others, mostly ones that my relatives served with.
For everyones edification, attached is an image of the brass band, and the mascot of the 228th. Of note the 159th had a bear and a young moose as mascots.

[mordac]

Hi Bill:

Thanks for posting a picture of your remarkable collection of 228th/6th hardware. The 228th's cap badge displays the perfect representation of a wolverine's head in profile.

For everyones edification, attached is an image of the brass band, and the mascot of the 228th.

I think the animal the soldier is holding is a fox. It has a longer and narrower snout than a wolverine and larger ears.

Garth

[David_Bluestein]

David, yes I am from North Bay, and I have done some research on the local CEF units, plus a bit on a few others, mostly ones that my relatives served with.

Hello Bill,

Thanks for that added info, the remarkable badge collection and photos!

Might you have anything on this North Bay man:

Lieut. Edwin Charles Shepherd
4th Canadian Mounted Rifles.
Killed at Passchendaele on October 26, 1917.

Born at Toronto in 1879. Lived and enlisted at North Bay Ontario Canada. Joined the 159th (1st Algonquins) Bn. in March 1916

Any thoughts appreciated.

Thanks in advance
David

[Broznitsky]

Grmmmpp   !  I still think he looks like a polar bear, although my second guess was wolverine.  Excellent research Bill.

I agree that is a fox he is holding in the photo.  As I understand it, the only way to hold a wolverine would be if it was heavily sedated or KIA   !!
Peter

[Bill Alexander]

The 228th mascot was a red fox. How they managed to keep it, and handle it, as in the photo is beyond me. The fox is a solitary animal and avoids humans. I wouldn't want even try and hold a wolverine.  
David, Maj E.C. Shepherd was, as indicated a 159th officer. He was Capt, later Maj in North Bay. As far as my research indicates, he proceded overseas with the 159th and reverted to the rank of Lieut. in order to serve at the front. (This info is on the CWGC website, but confirmed in a couple of local sources as well.) He was one of many of the 159th who went to the 4 CMR. The Branch 23 Legion has a plaque of remembrance which commemorates him. He had some social standing in town, and his wife was active in the community into the 70's.
Shepherd's death is recorded in the 4th CMR history. He was killed in the attack on the 26th October against Bellevue Spur. He had joined the 4 CMR on April 22, 1917. (4th CMR history pg 81).
Unfortunately, the local newspaper of the time has not been preserved. (The Nugget was actually a Cobalt newspaper which moved to North Bay sometime after WWI. The previous papers editions were not saved and have been lost to posterity.) Research on local individuals for WWI is greatly curtailed by the lack of contemporary accounts.

[John Long]

[/quote]Very glad to learn about the 6th Battn CRT from this site. George Thomas Moore, a "halfbreed" (now would be referred to as a Metis) from Moose Factory, served with the 228th Battn CEF and his field unit was the 6th Battn CRT. Known as Tommy, his regimental number was 1006961. (GT Moore's son, Fred, was with the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps in World War II and is my prime interest.) Interesting to learn of the North Bay connection, as that's where I'm living. GT Moore was signed up by a recruiter from Elk Lake, and that's where GT's wife spent the war. As he was a carpenter with the Hudson's Bay Company, his service was interrupted by enlisting (a practice forbidden during WW2 under the soldier's charter) and his wife and family would have had nowhere to live at Moose Factory without their HBC employee home and ration.

[NoRemorseDK]

On behalf of a new Pal, can anybody tell us more about this unit.  I know Mordac and Bill A. advised that the 228th (beside being made up of ice hockey players) became the 6th Railway Troop.
Any idea of how many 228th men went to England, and how many went to France?  What other units contributed to 6th Railway?

Peter in Vancouver

Does anyone have the Sailing List of the 228th?

Thanks

[habspei31]

I might be kicking at a dead horse here, but I'm a little confused...the 228th melted - for lack of a better word - into the 6th Canadian Railway Troops when it arrived in France.

Now, the 228th Bn has a number of battle honours, including one for the Battle of Epehy, fought the 17 & 18 September 1918. This was a Fourth Army (British) battle from what I understand.

So, if the 228th became the 6th CRT, how is it that the battle honour "Epehy" is for the 228th (and now perpetuated by the Algonquin Reg), and not for the 6th CRT?

Also, would someone have a link to the British equivalent of the War Diaries of the Canadian Expeditionary Force online searchable database? Maybe I'll find an explanation in the Fourth Army's diaries for this question.

In case anyone is wondering why I referred to dead horses, I've posted questions on the Havrincourt and Epehy battle honours before, and received great help, but I'm working on a project on the CEF's actions during the last hundred days in WWI, and Epehy keeps coming up.

Many thanks in advance!!

Chris

[habspei31]

As an aside, Bill Alexander, I noted your avatar...right or wrong: 4th C.M.R., 8th Inf Bde, 3rd CDN Div. unit patch?

Chris

[Broznitsky]

So, if the 228th became the 6th CRT, how is it that the battle honour "Epehy" is for the 228th (and now perpetuated by the Algonquin Reg), and not for the 6th CRT?

Chris, none of the pioneer, railway, or forestry units associated to the CEF were perpetuated post-war.

[NoRemorseDK]

In World War One the 228th was, as indicated above, recruited in the North Bay-Nipissing area, and headquartered in North Bay. North Bay was a sectoin point (I think that this is the proper railway term for this), for three different railways, the Temiscaming and Northern Ontario Railway, the Canadian National Railway, and the Canadian Pacific Railway. There was a proportionally large number of railway employees in the recruiting area. It has been suggested that the 228th was converted to a railway battalion because of the large proportion of railway men in the unit. (I have cross-referenced the sailing list with the T&NO roster and there is a large number of railway men from this railway in the unit. I haven't been able to check the other railways.) It has also been suggested that the officer cadre of the 228th was drawn from railway professionals, for example civil engineers, managers, etc. This may have been the reason that the 228th was converted to railway troops.  The sailing roll indicates that a large number of the officer's were 34th Ontario Regiment of the Canadian militia. Lt-Col Earchman had some connection with both areas.
The history of the Royal Canadian Engineers indicates that the 228th was a Railway Construction battalion. It was redesignated the 6th Canadian Railway Troops and shipped almost immediately upon arrival in England, to France. The 228th/6th appears to have been sent wholesale, and did not absorb or include significant elements of other battalions. The 228th Battalion is perpetuated by the Algoquin Regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces. Of interest the WWI battle honours carried by the Algonquin Regiment are primarily those of the 228th / 6th and only the generic honour from the 159th Algonquins.
The Algonquin Regiment is one of my main collecting interests. I have attached an image of the badges worn by the 228th / 6th CRT. The silver 228th badges are officers. The gilt leaf pattern and fusilier pattern  6 CRT badges are likely officers.  Reasons for the change from the fusilier badge to the leaf pattern have not been found. In addition the 6 CRT would have worn the formation patch of the CRT, a hollow red rectangle.



Trivia question: What animal is represented on the 228th badge?

You mention the sailing list of the 228th - is it available online anywhere, or do you perhaps have a copy of it yourself?
I'd be very, very happy to see it as I am trying to compile as complete a list as possible, of all the men who served in CRT units.

Thanks in advance

Henrik