The following brief history of the 94th Regiment was researched and written by Bruce MacDonald of Antigonish.
Prior to the First World War, Canada maintained a small “permanent force” of approximately 3,000 soldiers, relying primarily on its “Non-Permanent Active Militia” to meet its military needs as required. In the aftermath of the South African (“Boer”) War (1899 - 1902), the federal government established standards for the organization and training of the country’s militia units, some of which traced their roots to the earliest days of European settlement.
As a result, Canadian militia forces increased from approximately 36,000 in 1903 to more than 75,000 in July 1914. Urban units trained for 16 days annually, while rural units logged 12 days of drill a year, hardly sufficient preparation for combat. Nevertheless, the militia system provided the bulk of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces’s (CEF) initial recruits following the outbreak of war in Europe.
The 94th Victoria Regiment traces its roots to the years immediately after Confederation. Originally established as the Victoria Provisional Battalion of Infantry on October 13, 1871, the unit established its headquarters at Baddeck and drew its personnel from four separate companies stationed at Baddeck, Middle River, Grand Narrows and Sydney.
Its initial recruits were predominantly men of Highland descent, a considerable number of whom had emigrated from the estate of the Duke of Argyll. Gaelic was the mother tongue of 80% of its personnel, a factor in the unit receiving Highland Battalion status on December 12, 1879. The following year, the regiment formally changed its title to “Victoria Provisional Battalion of Infantry Argyll Highlanders.”
The unit removed the term “Provisional” from its title in 1885, and received the number “94” in the 1890 list of established Canadian militia units. Its initial four Companies expanded to eight between 1882 and 1902, its personnel recruited from the communities of western, central and southern Cape Breton Island.
At 9:30 a.m. August 4, 1914—one hour after Great Britain declared war on Germany—Lieutenant-Colonel J. D. McRae, the 94th’s Officer Commanding (OC), received orders to mobilize the unit’s 377 soldiers. Within 48 hours, all eight Companies reported to their respective stations, where they received orders to assume “protective duties” along the coastline.
The 94th’s soldiers also commenced “garrison, guard and outpost duties” at strategic locations on Cape Breton and the northeastern mainland. Troops were stationed at Glace Bay’s Marconi Tower, Louisbourg, Sydney, and Canso’s trans-Atlantic cable and Commercial Cable Company facilities. Soldiers at each location constructed blockhouses and wire entanglements, built redoubts and dug trenches for defensive purposes.
Many of the 94th’s personnel also contemplated enlistment with the newly established CEF. In fact, more than 300 of its ranks immediately volunteered for overseas service, although officials required at least six months to train their replacements. Over the course of the war, the 94th raised approximately 2,400 men for CEF service, the majority of whom enlisted with the 85th (Nova Scotia Highlanders) and 185th (Cape Breton Highlanders) Battalions.
Canadian military authorities demobilized the 94th Victoria Regiment Argyll Highlanders on June 29, 1918, at which time “F” Company, 6th Battalion, Canadian Garrison Regiment, Halifax assumed its duties. In the aftermath of the First World War, Canadian military officials implemented a general reorganization of the militia system. As a result, on April 1, 1920, the 94th was re-designated the 1st Battalion Cape Breton Highlanders.
The new unit perpetuated the 94th Regiment, 85th and 185th Battalions. On April 1, 1932, the Cape Breton Highlanders received permission to wear the uniform of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise’s)—with the exception of its regimental badge—a change that reflected the 94th Victoria Regiment’s earlier connection with the renowned British regiment.
In a second reorganization following the Second World War, Nova Scotia’s three highland regiments—Pictou Highlanders, North Nova Scotia Highlanders and Cape Breton Highlanders—amalgamated to form the Nova Scotia Highlanders. On September 15, 1954, the former Cape Breton Highlanders were officially re-designated the 2nd Battalion, Nova Scotia Highlanders,” a title to which the phrase “(Cape Breton)” was added the following year.