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Originally Posted by El Zippo Does anybody have ANY information about what the Canadian Labour Battalion was and what role did it play @ Vimy?
My Great Grandfather was in this battalion and died in 1917 and I have been trying to figure out what the Labour Battalion's job might have been.
Could they have been another term used for Engineers ? |
My understanding is that they were the labour branch of the Engineering corps, they were basically employed to build and maintain the huge network of roads, railways, canals, buildings, camps, stores, dumps, telegraph and telephone systems, etc, and also for moving stores, relied on horse, mule and human.
If you know what Battalion he was in their war diaries are available on line...
These cover the period 1 Jan 1917 to 13 Sept 1918
War diaries - 1st Infantry Works Battalion (formerly 1st Labour Battalion):
http://data4.collectionscanada.ca/ne...html&r=151&f=G
War diaries - 2nd Infantry Works Battalion (formerly 4th Labour Battalion)
http://data4.collectionscanada.ca/ne...html&r=152&f=G
Hope they help.