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4th Canadian Division

Canadian Army division

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 22, 2026
Entity authorityQ3477391
Source-derived summary

The 4th Canadian Division was a formation of the Canadian Army. The division was first created as a formation of the Canadian Corps during the First World War. During the Second World War the division was reactivated as the 4th Canadian Infantry Division in 1942 and then converted to armour and redesignated as the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division. Beginning in 1916 the division adopted a distinctive green-coloured formation patch as its insignia. In 2013 it was announced that Land Force Central Area would be redesignated 4th Canadian Division. In this most recent incarnation, the division was responsible for Canadian Army operations in the Canadian province of Ontario and was headquartered at Denison Armoury in Toronto until 2026. During the reorganization of Canadian Armed Forces in 2026, the 4th Canadian Division was stood-down.

History

First World War

The 4th Canadian Division was formed in Britain in April 1916 from several existing units and others scheduled to arrive shortly thereafter. Under the command of Major-general David Watson, the Division embarked for France in August of that year where they served both in the Western Front in France and in Flanders until Armistice Day. The 4th Canadian Division was a part of the Canadian Corps in the Battle of Vimy Ridge, which attacked and defeated the Germans, driving them from the ridge.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “4th Canadian Division” as canadian Army division. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA practical starting point whose main value is the path it opens into stronger specialist and primary sources. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1942, 1916, 2013, 2026—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1916. The account is most persuasive where Canadian, Division and Army can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as canadian Army division. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3477391. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1942, 1916, 2013 and 2026.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

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The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

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  2. Expand the search: follow 4th Canadian Division primary sources, 4th Canadian Division archive and Canadian research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from 4th Canadian Division” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.