TOPIC:

There were two units:

1st Canadian Mounted Rifles (Royal Canadian Dragoons)
2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles (Royal Canadian Dragoons)


Picture courtesy of Noonan's

QSA (3) Cape Colony, Transvaal, South Africa 1902 (911 Pte. R. Macfarlane. Canadian M.R.)

Verified on WO100/287p174

Good Morning David......

He joined as a member of 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles and then was all the unit name changes......

Just a little more info......

Royal Canadian Regiment - 120 medals seen/unit strength was 1123
Royal Canadian Dragoons - 35 medals seen/unit strength was 379
Royal Canadian Field Artillery - 51 medals seen/unit strength was 539
The Canadian Mounted Rifles - 24 medals seen/unit strength was 378
Lord Strathcona's Horse - 147 medals seen/unit strength was 596
2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles - 44 medals seen/unit strength was 925
10th Canadian Field Hospital - 5 medals seen/unit strength was 62
Canadian Postal Corps - 1 medal seen/unit strength was 5
Artificers - 1 medal seen/strength was 21
War Correspondents - 2 seen/total deployed was 6
Nurses - 3 seen/total deployed was 8
YMCA - 1 seen/total deployed was 2

Mike

very useful information. Many thanks, Mike.

Picture courtesy of Spink

QSA (3) Cape Colony, Transvaal, South Africa 1902 (112 Pte. R. J. Phillips. Candian M. R.);
1914-15 Star (3-8823 Pte. R. J. Phillip. Dorset:R.), note missing 's' to surname;
British War and Victory Medals (3-8823 Pte. R. J. Phillips. Dorset. R.);
Coronation 1911

Robert James Potter was born in York, New Brunswick, Canada in 1871 and served with the 3rd (Militia) Battalion, Royal Canadian Rifles prior to enlisting with the Canadian Regiment of Yeomanry on 11 December 1901. He was posted to South Africa for service in the Boer War with the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles, a Regiment that famously saw action at the Battle of Hart’s River in March 1902. In a letter written in 1907 Potter noted that he was present for the action and requested his Q.S.A.- still unissued at the time- be sent to him. He remained with the Regiment until it was disbanded before returning to Canada.

He re-enlisted with the 12th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force at Fredericton, New Brunswick on 19 September 1914. Embarking on the S.S. Scotia on 4 October he was discharged on 30 November and re-enlisted with the 1st Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment. Entering the war in France on 18 February 1915 Potter was present with the unit when it was engaged in the Second Battle of Ypres.

Stationed on the frontline on Hill 60 before Zillebeke, the Regiment came under a heavy artillery attack in the morning on 1 May. Suddenly a German gas attack developed, disabling the vast majority of the Dorset’s save one Company under Captain Batten which was- by chance- standing to in order to practice gas drill. Troops from the Bedfordshire and the Devonshire Regiments were rushed forward to repel the German attack and they, along with some gallant resistance from the surviving Dorsets held the line till reinforcements arrived.

The Devonshire Regiment war diary notes the deadly effect of the gas that day stating:

‘Its appears that most of the affected men were immediately struck down and unfortunately lay about at the bottom of the trenches where the gas soon completely asphyxiated them.’

Despite having protection issued the attack was so sudden and the affect of the gas so quick that some 300 men were overcome before they could react. Potter is noted as being one of those killed in this initial attack, along with 250 more of the Regiment he died on the morning of 1 May and is remembered upon the Menin Gate memorial.

Picture courtesy of Spink

QSA (3) Cape Colony, Transvaal, South Africa 1902 (684 Pte. W. F. Conley. Canadian M.R.)

William Francis Conley was born at Kingston, Ontario in 1878. A plumber and steam fitter by trade, who had also served in the 14th Regiment, Princess of Wales' Own Rifles, he enlisted at Kingston on Christmas Eve 1901 and served in the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles during the Boer War.

Pictures courtesy of BoB

QSA (5) TH OFS RoK LN Belf (327 SERG. W. L. LANG. CAN DN M.R.)

The combination is also very unusual to the Canadian MR.

This medal is odd. I cannot find him on the roll nor on the Canadian Archives.

Mike - have you see the CMR abbreviated in this way?



In the 2nd Canadian MR, 327 is the number of Shoeing Smith W J McLean.