In August of 1914, the Canadian Army Council had deduced that one division would be a suitable contribution to Britain's forces. How wrong they had been. By the end of the Great War, the numbers were staggering:
1 in 19 Canadians were overseas with the Canada's expeditionary force. 31,200 men on 30 vessels had made it to England in the first wave of volunteers.
4 Divisions after April 1916 were then required.
48 Frontline infantry battalions were needed, with roughly 1,000 men per battalion. 97,184 Soldiers in the Canadian Corps by April 1917, a count tallied when all four divisions united to take Vimy Ridge. 619, 636 is the total bumber of Canadians who enlisted in the military during the First World War (the population of Halifax and Saskatoon combined).