During the attack on the village of Courcelette,
France on the Somme on September 15, 1916 — the
26thBattalion’s firstmajor battle— the unit suffered 325
casualties, including 80 soldiers killed and 245 wounded,
its largest losses in a single battle during the war. The
fighting continued for another three weeks: By the time
thebattalion left theSomme inearlyOctober theyhad lost
over500men, half their strength.
New Brunswick-recruited soldiers were proud of
their home province. Early in the war, reinforcements for
New Brunswick units, particularly the 26th, came from
many provinces and some worried that they were losing
their provincial identity. However, amajor reorganization
of the Canadian reinforcement system ensured that
NewBrunswickerswereused toreplenishprovincialunits.
CampSussex,NB became the base for the 1stDepot
Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel John
McAvity, created to receive recruits fromNewBrunswick
and then forward themoverseasforassignment tofront line
units.Thebattalion’s staffwas composed largelyof soldiers
repatriated home to recover from wounds and sickness
before returning toduty.
The return of wounded soldiersmade the realities of
warevenmore tangible.Theirneeds inspired the formation
of civilian organizations to welcome these soldiers home.
As well, a convalescent hospital was eventually set up in
Fredericton,NB tohelpsoldiersrecover from theirwounds
andprepareforre-integrationintociviliansociety.Formany
of thewounded, this requiredmonthsof rehabilitation.
No. 1Section,Divisional AmmunitionColumn andNo. 3SectionAmmunitionParkDetail, 2ndCanadianDivision - Fredericton,NB
