The 4th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force was raised at
Valcartier on 2 September 1914. Consisting of recruits from the 2nd Military District, which encompassed
Aurora,
Brampton,
Brantford,
Hamilton and
Niagara Falls, the battalion's first commanding officer Lieutenant-Colonel W.S. Buell, although he was replaced by Lieutenant-Colonel R.H. Labatt after only a short period in command. Within several weeks of its formation, the battalion embarked at
Quebec on 3 October 1914 aboard the transport
Tyrolia, bound for the United Kingdom. Upon arrival on 14 October 1914, the battalion's strength was 44 officers and 1,121 other ranks. A period of training in the United Kingdom followed before the battalion was transferred across the Channel to take up duty along the
Western Front. After landing in
France on 11 February 1915, the battalion was assigned to the
1st Canadian Infantry Brigade, which was part of the
1st Canadian Division. After being committed to the fighting, casualties mounted and the original members of the battalion were later reinforced by the
3rd Canadian Reserve Battalion. At the conclusion of hostilities, the 4th Battalion sailed to the United Kingdom on 23 March 1919, before proceeding across the Atlantic. They disembarked in Canada on 21 April 1919. The unit's personnel were subsequently demobilized in
Toronto on 23 April 1919, and the battalion was disbanded officially on 15 September 1920. ==Battles==