The Rest of the Story

You're probably wondering what happened with the 123rd Pioneer Battalion after Jack left them? Here's a summary of the actions they were involved in till May 1918.

In December 1917 the 123rd was pulled of the line to undergo further training and to accept new drafts of men. By Christmas the Battalion was back at work at the city of Maroc, setting up wiring. By the begining of the new year, the 123rd was back in the thick of things, suffering about twelve casualities in the first few days of January. By the end of the month they were again taken off the line and rotated to Ourton, for rest and further training.The 123rd was relocated back to Vimy in February to continue work fixing trenches and dugouts.

March 1918 saw the anniversary of the battalion's arrival in France. During this month, things did not change to much. For the last half of the month, the battalion was constantly being put on stand to due to the increasing German attacks. The battalion was put on notice that they might be required to move within two hours time as an attack on Vimy Ridge was a possibility. On april 12th the battalion was withdrawn from Vimy and returned to Maroc.

In May, the Battalion was suddenly broken up into the 7th, 8th and 9th Canadian Engineer Battalions. This was a huge blow to the men of the 123rd as the battalion had been in existence for over two and a half years. Today the 123rd, along with the  3rd, 58th, 124th, and 204th Battalions perpetrates The Royal Regiment of Canada.