Lt Henry Nicol, Lord Strathcona's Horse, 1st Canadian Division on horseback. Lt Nicol was killed in action on 1 April 1918. At the outbreak of the First World War, the regiment was mobilised and began its training in England. In 1915, Lord Strathcona's Horse served as infantry in the trenches in France. On 16 February 1916, the Strathcona's were reconstituted as a mounted force and served in the Canadian Cavalry Brigade attached to the 2nd Indian Cavalry Division, which in November 1916 became the 5th Cavalry Division of the British 4th Army. In March 1917, the regiment saw action as cavalry during the defence of the Somme front. On 31 March 1918, in what is known as "the last great cavalry charge" at the Battle of Moreuil Wood, Lieutenant Gordon Flowerdew was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for leading the charge in a successful engagement with entrenched German forces.[6] Nearly three-quarters of the Canadian cavalry involved in the attack against German machine-gun positions were killed or wounded. Unable to break the trench deadlock and of little use at the front, cavalry remained behind the lines for much of the war. During the German offensives of March and April 1918, however, the cavalry played an essential role in the open warfare that temporarily confronted the retreating British forces. CONFIRM This photo is from the album of Marshall Beck.