1914 - October 14 - First advance units of the Canadian Expeditionary Force arrive at Plymouth, travelling in 32 ships under the command of Lt Gen E.A.H. Alderson; included are 33,000 men, 7,000 horses and 144 pieces of 18-pounder artillery, supporting arms and specialist organizations, including militia engineering field companies, signal, medical and veterinary units, as well as the Army Service Corps tasked with delivering vital food, ammunition and fuel supplies; convoy escorted by 10 British warships was the largest armed force ever to cross the Atlantic by that date; troops soon move to camps on Salisbury Plain before seeing action in World War I.