The official authorization to raise the 123rd Overseas Battalion, Royal Grenadiers, CEF, was Militia General Order 151, dated December 6, 1915. However, orders had previously been issued by Militia District No. 2 on November 12, and by the time the official order was published, the recruitment for the battalion was virtually complete, although some members had signed up for service as early as September 1915. They were based in
Toronto,
Ontario. The battalion recruited, trained and mobilized as an infantry battalion in the
Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) during the
First World War. Many senior members of the 123rd Battalion had served with the
10th Royal Grenadiers prior to attesting in the 123rd Battalion. Of the total 1,100 soldiers on strength on December 28, 1915, only 110 had come from the Central Recruiting Depot; all others had come from the direct recruitment efforts of the battalion itself. They had trained at home as infantry soldiers. The 10th Royal Grenadiers also contributed approximately 30% of the soldiers who attested in the
3rd Battalion (Toronto Regiment), CEF starting in September 1914. The battalion was separated into two groups in Halifax for mobilization to England, the first group sailing on the
SS Cameronia under the command of Major Charles Armel Boone and the second group sailing on the
SS Metagama, which departed Halifax harbour August 9, 1916, arriving in England August 17 and 18, 1916, respectively. Among other battalions in the convoy was the
124th Battalion (Governor General's Body Guard), CEF, which was also redesignated as a
pioneer battalion. Second in Command of the 123rd Battalion was Major Charles Armel Boone who had previously served in the British Armed Forces in Africa where he attained the rank of Major. Major Charles Armel Boone attended Upper Canada College in Toronto, RMC in Kingston and was an engineering graduate from the University of Toronto. Throughout 1917 and into mid-1918, the 123rd Battalion absorbed large contingents of reinforcements, primarily from the 180th Battalion, 129th Battalion, 3rd Canadian Pioneer Battalion and 3rd Reserve Battalion, and others. In many cases the 123rd Battalion served with front line troops, == Perpetuations ==