Military History Commons^™

Loyalist Lieutenant Jeremiah French And His Uniform, René Chartrand

Canadian Military History

There are many unique and remarkable uniforms in the collections of the Canadian War Museum, some of which go back quite far into our history. One of these, probably the oldest presently known uniform that can be assigned to a unit raised in Canada, is that of Lieutenant Jeremiah French of the King’s Royal Regiment of New York.

Flying Desert Rat: The Combat Career Of Squadron Leader Bert Houle, Christopher Evans

Canadian Military History

Albert Houle is a Canadian whose war, while not totally unique for a Canadian fighter pilot in World War Two, was certainly far from the norm. His entire combat career was fought in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. His first tour was with the Royal Air Force and his second with the Royal Canadian Air Force. Similar to another Canadian ace George Beurling, Houle's desire for combat and intemperate attitude to all those who stood in his way led to as many actions on the ground as in the air. Almost without exception, Houle viewed anyone not in combat or …

The Canadian Battle Of Normandy Foundation Study Tour, 1997, Andrew B. Godefroy, Robb Furlong, David Patterson, David Yull

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

Captain Louis-René Drapeau, Dcm & Bar, Ed, Cd, Air Medal (Us), Gil Drolet

Canadian Military History

The Montreal telephone directory lists him simply as “Louis-René Drapeau (Capt).” The browser might well ask: “Captain of what?” Like so many others, the ordinary person has very little knowledge of what went on a half-century ago except what he may have seen in John Wayne or Humphrey Bogart movies on late night TV. Unlike these Hollywood heroes who managed to avoid involvement in war in order to continue successful and growing film careers, men now grown old have nothing but memories (and medals tarnishing in dusty drawers) to remind them of days of youth and danger. One of these …

With Hms Prince Of Wales And Hms Warspite: The Adventures Of A Canadian Radar Officer In The Royal Navy, Stuart E. Paddon

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

The Engima Cipher Machine, Tony Wilson

Canadian Military History

There can be little doubt that the German “Enigma” was the best and safest mechanical cipher machine available in any country at the outbreak of the Second World War. Its general use by all three services of the German armed forces presented the Allies with a very serious impediment to their efforts to read the German military message traffic and a great deal of time and effort was expended in attempts to devise a rapid and accurate method of deciphering it.

That these efforts were in the end successful, was due in the main to the work of a dedicated …

“No Dead Wood”: Henry Lamb And The Canadians, Brian Foss

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

“The Vast Experiment”: The New Brunswick Militia’S 1865 Camp Of Instruction, J. Brent Wilson

Canadian Military History

In July 1865, almost 1,000 New Brunswick militiamen assembled in Fredericton for a twenty-four day Camp of Instruction. This was the first time peacetime militia training on this scale was ever attempted in British North America. At the time, and since, the camp was praised as a notable achievement. New Brunswick’s lieutenant-governor and provincial commander-in-chief, Arthur Hamilton Gordon, wrote: “The entire success of this experiment is admitted with an unanimity which is remarkable, because rare in this Province.” Although the uniqueness of the camp has been the subject of some interest, it has never been subjected to more in-depth analysis. …

John Terrane: A Study Of A First World War Revisionist, Christopher M. Hand

Canadian Military History

Of all the British military historians who started writing about the First World War during the "boom" of the sixties, perhaps no one has had greater influence or generated more controversy than John Alfred Terraine. As G.F. Elliot wrote in a 1965 review, "John Terraine is one of the younger generation of British military analysts who are now proving, with brilliance and vigour, the value of the long view in putting World War I in proper perspective." It is this idea of perspective, trying to bring balance to the historical arguments concerning the British contribution to the First World War, …

“The Dashing Subaltern”: Sir Richard Turner In Retrospect, Thomas P. Leppard

Canadian Military History

When war came to Canada in August 1914, thousands rallied to the call to arms. Colonel Sam Huges the charismatic and controversial Minister of Militia and Defence scrapped his department’s meticulous plans for mobilizing the nation’s militia and assumed control with amazing, almost fortuitous, results. By September, 33,000 recruits were training at a hastily constructed Camp Valcartier, Quebec. A month later the first contingent of the legendary Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) sailed for England (the largest military force ever to cross the Atlantic up to that time).

Crider, Stephen Bayes, B. 1940 (Mss 380), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scanned letters (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Collection 380. Letters of Stephen Bayes Crider, written mostly to his parents while Crider was serving with the U.S. Army at Fort Benning, Georgia; Baumholder, Germany; Fort Meade, Maryland; and in Vietnam.

Scott, George W. (Sc 347), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "additional files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 347. Photocopy and typescript of letters (2) written by George W. Scott, while serving in the Confederate Army in east Florida, to his wife Bettie in Georgia. He gives a statement of his affairs and instructs her how to react if the Union Army occupies the country.

“Failure Is Not Acceptable”: The Recollections Of A Canadian In French Foreign Legion, William Mitchell

Canadian Military History

I remember the day very well, a cold Tuesday in January 1989, and Pearson International Airport was bustling with travellers. I was amongst them, an inconspicuous 18-year-old middle-class Canadian boarding the plane as if it was a frequent occurrence. A seven-day vacation in France, that was the plan. I often wonder if I had known then what I do now—would I have boarded that plane? The trip lasted five years and it was no vacation, for within 24 hours of boarding the plane, I had become a member of the infamous French Foreign Legion. Life would never be the same …

Escape Of The German Army Across The Westerscheldt, September 1944, S.J. Degroot

Canadian Military History

The writing of this article was made possible by Mr. K. Schacht (Steinkirchen), former officer of the Bundesmarine, who gave me the unpublished script of Mr. F. Roher. Mr. Roher belonged to the Kriegsmarine and took part in operations in the Dutch waters in 1944. He put together a captivating document. Some additional research had to be done to put it in a clear and complete perspective. The fact that a specially formed unit of the Kriegsmarine was able, in 15 days, to ferry across the Westerscheldt 100,000 men, 6,000 vehicles, 6,000 horse-drawn wagons and 750 pieces of artillery, …

“The Battle Of Moyland Wood”: The Regina Rifle Regiment, 16–19 February 1945, Gordon Brown

Canadian Military History

Although I have written accounts about the D-Day Landings in Normandy and several costly battles from the beaches to Falaise, I have always been reluctant to write about the tragic events at Moyland Wood in Germany. My reluctance stems from the fact that this operation was the most traumatic for me personally and, I think, for our commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Allan Gregory, DSO, during the fighting in Western Europe. I take no pride in telling this story because my own performance in battle was inadequate. Further, I don’t wish to offend anyone by resurrecting memories that might better be forgotten, …

“Sons Of Good Western Stock”: The South African War Artefacts Of Private Alexander W. Stewart, Kyle Mcintyre

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

To The Sound Of The Guns: Canadians And Combat Surgery, 1938–1953, Bill Rawling

Canadian Military History

Combat surgery is almost as old as battle itself. The Iliad contains many an example of surgical intervention to heal wounds--and in the modern era, the surgeon has become an almost saintly figure in the public imagination, especially in a context where human beings are actively engaged in killing one another. Myth is not far removed from fact, and there is no doubt as to the dedication of these men (women did not enter the field until very recently), but that still begs a few questions: how did they operate (in both the military and medical senses of the word) …

A Sense Of Purpose: Ottawa Students And The Second World War, Christine Hamelin

Canadian Military History

The outbreak of war in September 1939 altered the lives of Canadian high school students. A study of two Ottawa schools, Lisgar Collegiate and Glebe Collegiate, reveals the extent to which students, too young to enlist and yet old enough to grasp the severity of the war, were affected by world events. Despite the anxiety and hardships brought about by war, young people growing up during the Second World War took on serious responsibilities and acquired a remarkable sense of purpose.

“Miniature Set-Piece Battles”: Infantry Patrolling Ops In Korea, Christopher Doary

Canadian Military History

During the summer of 1942 the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) destroyed five German U-boats in the space of six weeks. It was a remarkable feat for a small, inexperienced navy. Canadian warships had sunk only two enemy submarines during the first three years of the war, and had not sunk one in ten months. The surprising success of the summer of 1942 was not sustained: after the fifth sinking the RCN did not sink another U-boat for four months. Thus, the summer U-boat kills were an unusual phenomenon which has been remarked upon by Canadian naval historians. Historians have not, …

Hector Fraser Dougall, Rfc: A Pilot’S Account Of The Great War, Timothy Dubé

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.