The Irish Canadian Rangers began as a Militia Regiment in 1915 after Catholic and Protestant Irish agreed to cooperate. After the battle of Second Ypres the regiment contributed a full company to the 60th Battalion and began a campaign to persuade Sam Hughes to promise that an Irish Canadian Rangers battalion would go overseas as the 199th under its own officers. Recruiting began in 1916 and continued despite the Easter Rebellion in Dublin and the growing turmoil in Ireland. The 199th struggled to reach full strength but responded favorably to a British request to tour Ireland before joining the 5th Canadian Division.

Drawing upon research for his recent book Montreal At War 1914-1918, Terry Copp examines both Irish and Canadian history in this dramatic, formative period.

About Terry Copp:

Terry Copp is the leading scholar of Canada’s military role in the Second World War and an influential advocate for military history in both military and civilian post-secondary education. His books on battle exhaustion, on 5th Canadian Infantry Brigade, and his two volumes on the Canadians in Normandy and Northwest Europe, Fields of Fire (2003) and Cinderella Army (2006) have led to a reinterpretation of Canadian soldiers’ effectiveness in 1944 and 1945. He was also the onscreen historian for the television series No Price Too High and a regular contributor to Legion Magazine.

Terry has explored Canada’s European battlefields for more than thirty years with hundreds of students and members of the public. This interest in the battlefields of northwest Europe has led to the creation of battlefield memorials and the publication of a series of battlefield guidebooks. Terry is a dual Canadian and Irish citizen and has a long-standing interest in Irish history and connections with Canada

Terry’s most recent project is Montreal at War 1914-18, available now from the University of Toronto Press.

Missed the live event? Watch the recording of the lecture via our YouTube channel:

Guelph Museums’ Military Lecture series is presented in partnership with the Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada.