Unit:Canadian Expeditionary Force

History of the Canadian Expeditionary Force and the CEF Mercenary Company

Initial Formation: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Expeditionary_Force)

The Canadian Expeditionary Force was the designation of the field force created by Canada for service overseas in the First World War. Units of the C.E.F. were divided into field formation in France, where they were organized first into separate divisions and later joined together into a single Canadian Corps within the British Army. The Canadian Expeditionary Force was mostly volunteer, by the end of the war in 1918, at least 'fifty per cent of the CEF consisted of British-born men'. Recruiting was difficult among the French-Canadian population, although one battalion, the 22nd, who came to be known as the 'Van Doos', was French-speaking ("Van Doo" is an approximate pronunciation of the French for "22" - vingt deux). The CEF eventually numbered 260 numbered infantry battalions, two named infantry battalions (The Royal Canadian Regiment and Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry), 13 mounted rifle regiments, 13 railway troop battalions, 5 pioneer battalions, as well as numerous ancillary units including field and heavy artillery batteries, ambulance, medical, dental, forestry, labour, tunnelling, cyclist, and service units. A distinct entity within the Canadian Expeditionary Force was the Canadian Machine Gun Corps. It consisted of several motor machine gun battalions, the Eatons, Yukon, and Borden Motor Machine Gun Batteries, and nineteen machine gun companies. During the summer of 1918, these units were consolidated into four machine gun battalions, one being attached to each of the four divisions in the Canadian Corps. Significant Battles: (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Expeditionary_Force#Major_battles) The Battle of Ypres, 1915 The Battle of the Somme, July–November 1916 The Battle of Vimy Ridge, 9–14 April 1917 Passchendaele, October – November 1917 Legacy of Honour: Storm Troopers The Canadian Expeditionary Force were the first to use trench raiding tactics during the battle of the Ypes. The German's eventually attempted to use it in their own offensives. "The officer to whom I previously referred said, "There seems to be a fear back here in Canada that the Germans are going to make a frontal attack upon the Canadians, but the Canadians at the Front are afraid they won't (laughter) and," he continued, "they will get the biggest reception they ever got and pay the biggest price"; and it is interesting to us to know that the only part of the line that the Canadians fought for so strenuously and won which is still in the hands of the Allies, is that which is being held by the Canadians themselves. (Applause.) They are called "The storm troops of the British Empire" by the Kaiser, and his own "storm troops" are the biggest men of his various divisions; and when he speaks of the Canadians as being the "storm troops," it means that in his estimation, they are the best troops of the British Empire. I think the Kaiser has come more nearly to the truth there than he has ever done in anything else." Capt. J.B. Paulin in a speech given at the Empire Club of Canada, Toronto, Ontario, on May 23, 1918. "The Canadians were marked out as Storm Troops; for the remainder of the war they were brought in to head the assault in one great battle after another. Whenever the Germans found the Canadian Corps coming into the line they prepared for the worst." British Prime Minister Lloyd George, after the capture of Vimy Ridge

N. Saskatchewan Regimental link the to CEF. Source: http://www.army.gc.ca/iaol/143000440001581/143000440002371/index-Eng.html The North Saskatchewan Regiment gets its history from the militia units which were based in Prince Albert, Battleford, Saskatoon and Yorkton. Since the first militia unit was formed in 1879 the soldiers from Northern Saskatchewan have earned 45 battle honours.

The first unit was formed in 1879 as the Prince Albert Mounted Rifles. During the North West Resistance of 1885 it was renamed the Prince Albert Volunteers where, along with The Battleford Rifle Company, received the first battle honour North West Canada 1885.

Throughout WWI, members from the 52nd Regiment (Prince Albert Volunteers), the 105th Regiment (Saskatoon Fusiliers) and the 16th Light Horse from Battleford fought with the 5th Battalion. Between 1915 and the end of WW1, 21 battle honours were earned by the 5th Battalion; Ypres, 1915,'17; Arleus; Gravenstafel; Hill 70; St. Julien; Passchendaele; Festubert, 1915; Amiens; Mount Sorrel; Scarpe, 1918; Somme, 1916; Drocourt-Queant; Flers-Courcelette; Hindenburg Line; Canal du Nord; Ancre Heights; Cambrai, 1918; Arras, 1917,'18; Valenciennes; Vimy, 1917; Franec and Flanders, 1915-1918 and Thiepval. On August 9, 1918 at Amiens, Sgt Rapheal Zengel earned the Victoria Cross after rushing 200 yards and taking out a machine gun position single handed. The end of the First CEF: After 1918, it was decided (after lengthy dissertation by the Otter Committee) that units of the CEF would be disbanded, and that the Militia would be reorganized. Individual units of the Canadian Militia, notably infantry and cavalry regiments, were permitted to perpetuate the battle honours and histories of the CEF units that had actually fought the war.[12] The SECOND CEF: Source: http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Inner_Sphere Colonization of the Inner Sphere began in 2108, when the Terran Alliance launched the first manned faster-than-light mission aboard the TAS Pathfinder. Between 2108 and 2235, the Terran Alliance colonized and ruled the first centralized interstellar government in human history, controlling more than 600 colonies within 120 light years of Terra. From c. A.D. 2300 to 2787, the Inner Sphere was divided into five "pie wedges" around a central, roughly circular core: The Free Worlds League, established 2271 Rulers: House Marik The Federated Suns, established 2317 Rulers: House Davion The Draconis Combine, established 2319 Rulers: House Kurita The Lyran Commonwealth, established 2340 Rulers: House Steiner The Capellan Confederation, established 2367 Rulers: House Liao The central Terran Hegemony, established 2315 Rulers: House Cameron

The Terran Hegemony was the dynastic realm ruled by James McKenna and the descendants of his successor, Michael Cameron, and his family line, House Cameron. The Hegemony lay at the center of the Human Sphere and Inner Sphere, and encompassed a large number of developed systems within 60-120 light years of humanity's birthworld, Terra. Like the other Great Houses of the Inner Sphere, the Hegemony was heavily influenced by Terran culture, in this case the North American cultural melange. Possessing many of the oldest and most industrialized worlds humanity had founded, but lacking size and resources and surrounded on all sides the Great Houses, the Hegemony quickly became the leader in technology, especially military research, pioneering both the IndustrialMech and the BattleMech and developing massive fleets of JumpShips and WarShips. The Hegemony eventually dominated Inner Sphere politics, and did so for 400 years. It was impetus by the Terran Hegemony that lead to the formation of the Star League and mankind's "Golden Age". History The Hegemony was founded in 2315 by Admiral James McKenna, the Canadian-born leader of the Terran Alliance Global Militia, from the ruins of the corrupt Terran Alliance. However, the decisions by James McKenna's only son, Konrad, led the first Director-General to resign, allowing his distant cousin Michael Cameron to come to power. As Director-General of the Terran Hegemony (Source: http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Michael_Cameron) Michael’s ascension to the Director-Generalship of the Hegemony brought challenges. He had to adjust to handling being in public eye, which he did not like. Despite this, he brought his intense concentration in doing his job to play. After first few years of seeing how the Hegemony ran, he first created the Hegemony Research Alliance Department (HRAD). This new centralized research organization would concentrate the Hegemony's non-military research into one think tank. Despite protests of centralization, new organized led to the creation of micro-sized Fusion generator the size of a suitcase and cure for off-world diseases. He went on in his early years to make changes in the government which through his love knowledge and his genius would make the government more incredibly more efficient bureaucracy.[6] During these early years, Michael would find wife in Lady Margaret Stewart, whom would have two children with. (Player Fiction) In order to ensure that the benifits associated with the HRAD were applied to all worlds and a citizens of the Terran Hegemony, Michael Cameron reformed the Canadian Expeditionary Force, a military unit that had been known for their strength in tactics and stalwartness while under fire. The Michael Cameron selected the CEF as a gift to his bride Margaret Stewart, who’s family tied their military history through the N. Sask. Regiment, PPCLI, and Calgary Highlanders directly to the remnants of the CEF. Micheal Cameron made the announcement of the formation of the 2nd CEF in 2351 as part of the Cameron Edict. The primary role of the 2nd CEF was to ensure that land titles and privileges provided to civilian and industrialists who had provided significant benifit to the overall population of the Hegemony. In the mid-2500's, the Terran Hegemony, under the leadership of Ian Cameron, became the nucleus for the star-spanning government known as the Star League. In this Star League, the Terran Hegemony and its ruling House Cameron became the hereditary First Lords of the League High Council. The CEF continued as a primary military response unit for the Hegemony. The Terran Hegemony fell after it was taken over by Stefan Amaris of the Rim Worlds Republic. The "Usurper" Amaris befriended the young Richard Cameron, only to murder the First Lord and kill his entire family. The CEF returned to Terra to support the spirit of the Hegemony and engaged the forces the Stephan Amaris. Three Companies of CEF military units were destroyed by their “escort” while entering earth orbit. The CEF was disbanded and all CEF units in the field were called upon to either surrender, or be declared outlaw. Although some CEF units disbanded, most joined with Aleksandr Kerensky. The commanding officer of the Star League Defense Force, Aleksandr Kerensky, liberated the Hegemony from Amaris and executed him, but the remnants of the Hegemony were a shadow of its former self. Following Kerensky's exodus from the Inner Sphere, the remains of the once mighty Hegemony were conquered by the remaining five Great Houses, leaving only Terra which fell under the control of ComStar. The Third Formation of the CEF. In 3025, remnants of the 2nd CEF, reformed the disgraced CEF. From 3025 through 3028, the CEF fought minor policing actions for House Davion and the Federated Suns. In 3028, the CEF was tasked by the military forces of House Davion and the Federated Suns, to take specific worlds in the Tikonov Republic as part of the unification war initiated by Hanse Davion as part of his wedding gift to Melissa Steiner. The CEF continues to work primarily for Federated Commonwealth, but has been known to take personal and industrial, contracts as well as planetary defense contracts that allow CEF forces to remain in the areas originally designated as the Terran Hegemony.

To apply to become a member of the CEF or to engage in Contract Negotiations please click here.