The Birth of the Battalions

Who are the French Canadians?

The term “French Canadian” refers to the inhabitants of Canada whose mother tongue is French. Their ancestors generally come from France. 

In 1911, Canada had seven million inhabitants, a third of whom were French Canadians. Most of them lived in Quebec, the only predominantly French-speaking province. Other French-speaking communities of varying sizes could be found across the country, but they were a minority.

Towards the end of the 19th century, French-Canadian society was largely homogeneous. The Catholic religion was omnipresent, and the majority of people lived in the countryside. An economic crisis and a scarcity of agricultural land caused an exodus of French Canadians to the cities, but also to the United States. Nearly one million French-speaking people left to find work on the other side of the border.

A series of incidents dating back to the 1870s had strained the relationship between Francophones and Anglophones. Measures to prohibit the teaching of French in schools were introduced in several Canadian provinces. This caused indignation in Quebec, where people had not forgotten the hanging of Louis Riel in 1885. Riel was a defender of the rights of the Métis, a people with a mixture of Indigenous and European, mostly French, ancestry. Many Métis spoke French and Francophones across Canada were bitter about his murder. They also remembered the Patriots’ rebellion and the Durham Report that followed with bitterness. 

French Canadians had been in North America for several generations and did not feel any particular loyalty or proximity to Europe, the land of their distant ancestors. On the contrary, many English-speaking Canadians were the first or second generation of their family in the country and felt affected personally by the conflict. Nevertheless, it was clear to both groups that the conflict was global in nature. Criticisms regarding the low level of participation of Francophones in the war effort were upsetting. Wanting to prove their patriotism, a Francophone delegation was formed and they officially requested the creation of a French-Canadian battalion in front of the Canadian Prime Minister Robert Borden on September 28, 1914, in Ottawa.

Arthur Mignault, a doctor who had made his fortune in the pharmaceutical industry and who was Major Surgeon of the Mont-Royal Carabinieri Militia, ancestor of the Fusiliers Mont-Royal de Montréal, offered $50,000 of his personal fortune to create and equip a French-speaking Battalion. He wanted a Battalion that could bring together French Canadians across the country and even Franco-Americans residing in the United States. In 1914, $50,000 was a colossal sum!

These initiatives were publicized by the newspaper La Presse, whose managing editor, Lorenzo Prince, supported the cause. La Presse called for the formation of a French-speaking unit from the beginning of the war and the paper remained a valuable recruitment tool. A crowd of about 20,000 people gathered to hear the speeches of the French-Canadian delegation in favour of the creation of a French-speaking military unit.

Faced with such a strong movement, Borden agreed to the creation of a French-speaking infantry battalion. On October 21, 1914, it was created as the Royal French Canadian Regiment. Since the battalions that were integrated into the Canadian Expeditionary Force were numbered, the Regiment was given the number 22. And thus the 22nd French-Canadian Battalion was born!

The 22nd Battalion in Training

It was in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, on the south shore of Montreal, that the first 1000 volunteers of the 22nd Battalion were introduced to military life: handling weapons, exercises and long marches. Cramped in the barracks of a cavalry unit, squalor and boredom led to desertions. The newspaper La Presse encouraged citizens to send games and books. It even organized a visit by train to Saint-Jean for families during the holiday season.

March 1915: In need of better facilities, the 22nd Battalion left for Amherst, Nova Scotia. The small English-speaking town offered only a cold welcome. During its stay, however, the 22nd Battalion became involved in the community, and demonstrated exemplary conduct. Prejudices fell and the town was sad to see the 22nd Battalion leave two months later.

After a ten-day voyage aboard the ship HMT Saxonia, the 22nd Battalion crossed the Atlantic and arrived at a training camp in East Sandling, England on on May 30, 1915 . These were the last training exercises before leaving for the front. In spite of their extensive training, the arrival on the front lines was to be a real shock.

Where does the nickname“Van Doos” come from?

Given to the battalion during the First World War, this nickname comes from a distorted pronunciation of the number “twenty-two” in French by English-speaking soldiers. The nickname Van Doos is still frequently used today to designate the Royal 22nd Regiment in English.

Although the 22nd Battalion was created in response to a need for a French-speaking unit for soldiers from all over Quebec,  it included members from a variety of backgrounds from its inception.

Corporal Joseph Kaeble

Born on May 5, 1892, Joseph Kaeble enlisted in the 189th Battalion on March 20, 1916. On November 13, 1916, during preparations for the attack on Vimy Ridge (France), he was transferred to the 22nd Battalion.

On September 16, 1918, he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross by the government.
He was a true hero during the battle west of Neuville-Vitasse, France, on the night of June 8-9, 1918. On this occasion, he was zealous in the performance of his duty, commanding a machine-gun section in the first line of trenches, on which a powerful raid by the enemy was attempted. When all the men in his section were wounded, Corporal Kaeble leapt out of the trench and ran straight at the enemy, emptying all the magazines of his machine gun. Repeatedly wounded by enemy fire, he fell backwards into the trench, but continued to fire on the attackers until he collapsed. His last words were, “Hang in there guys! Don’t let them get through! They must be stopped! “Seriously wounded in the legs, arms, neck and left hand by shrapnel, he died the next day, on June 9, 1918.

Lieutenant Jean Brillant

Born on March 15, 1890, Jean Brillant first studied at Collège Saint-Joseph in Memramcook, New Brunswick, and then completed his studies at the Séminaire de Rimouski. He enlisted in the 189th Battalion on January 11, 1916.

On October 27th, 1916, he went to France and joined the 22nd Battalion (French-Canadian), stationed in the northeast of the country. During the clashes in Amiens, France, he was wounded in the left arm as he single-handedly eliminated two machine gunners. Refusing to be evacuated, he continued the fight on August 9, 1918, this time leading two platoons in a terrible bayonet and grenade fight. With the help of his men, he captured 15 machine guns and took 150 prisoners. Wounded in the head, he still refused to be evacuated. The next day, while leading an attack against a cannon that was raining down on his unit, he was seriously wounded in the abdomen by shrapnel. On August 10, Lieutenant Brillant died of his wounds at the age of 28. His body is buried in the military cemetery of Villers-Bretonneux, 15 km east of Amiens. For his exceptional bravery and tireless zeal in the performance of his duty, he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, the Commonwealth’s highest honour.