Digital Commons Network^™

The Great War Of Words, Tim Cook

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

“Matters Canadian” And The Problem With Being Special: Robert T. Frederick On The First Special Service Force, James Wood

Canadian Military History

On 12 July 1942, the Canadian Army authorized the movement of nearly seven hundred officers and men to the United States for training as part of the First Special Service Force (FSSF), a highly-specialized commando unit that was being organized for the purpose of conducting raids in the alpine regions of occupied Europe. From the summer of 1942 until disbandment in December 1944, this combined “North American” force consisted of soldiers drawn from the armies of both Canada and the United States. From the Aleutian Islands, to Monte la Difensa, Rome, and ending in Southern France, the élite US-Canadian infantry …

1st Canadian Infantry Brigade In The Second Battle Of Ypres: The Case Of 1st And 4th Canadian Infantry Battalions, 23 April 1915, Andrew Iarocci

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

Name The Airfield, Anonymous

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

Pursuit: The Letters Of Captain Harold Macdonald, North Shore Regiment, From Normandy To The Scheldt, Harold Macdonald, M.A. Macdonald

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

“Always Ready For Any Sticky Job”: The Canadian Corps Of (Civilian) Firefighters In The Second World War, Keith Hart

Canadian Military History

The Canadian Corps of (Civilian) Firefighters was created. In 1942 to assist the British National Fire Service (NFS) in fighting fires caused by German bombings. Some 400 specially-recruited Corps members served in Britain from 1942 to 1944 under often very hazardous conditions. Its story remains one of the forgotten and more unique Canadian contributions to the war effort.

French Canadian Participation In The War Of 1812: A Social Study Of The Voltiguers Canadians, Martin F. Auger

Canadian Military History

During the War of 1812, the participation of French Canadians in colonial militia units such as the Voltigeurs Canadiens was of great importance for the defence of Lower Canada. The colony’s lack of regular British toops combined with threats of American invasion rendered crucial to the mobilization of the local populace, most of which was of French descent. Although lacking the discipline and structure of British regular soldiers. Lower-Canadian militiamen were able to neutralize numerous American invasion attempts. Altogether, this impressive participation in the war effort helped redefine the military character of French Canadians. It also dissipated the British authorities’ …

“One More For Luck”: The Destruction Of U971 By Hmcs Haida And Hms Eskimo, 24 June 1944, Barry M. Gough, James A. Woods

Canadian Military History

On the evening of 23 June 1944, HMCS Haida and HMS Eskimo set out from Plymouth, operational base of the 10th Destroyer Flotilla (10th DF), to conduct a sweep of the Western Approaches to the English Channel. Their role was to assist in securing these waters for the ongoing delivery of supplies and reinforcements to the Normandy bridgehead. Across the Channel to the southest, American, British and Canadian forces were now in their third week of fighting across the fields and hedgerows of Normandy. Operation OVERLORD had been the largest amphibious invasion in history and, dependent as it was on …

In Remembrance Of Doomed Youth: Private Ralph C. Crew (1893–1917), 87th Battalion, Grenadier Guards, Canadian Expeditionary Force, Thomas E. Crew

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

“Regret Deeply…” The Second World War Experiences Of Bill And Fred Tucker, Angela Fritz

Canadian Military History

Over a million Canadians wore a uniform in the fight against Hitler’s Germany. The Tucker family of Kitchener, Ontario sent two brothers, Bill and Fred, to aid in this cause. Only one returned.

In The Heat Of Battle: Letters From The Normandy Campaign, Harold Macdonald, M.A. Macdonald

Canadian Military History

Harold S. MacDonald was an officer with the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment from June 1942 until the end of the Second World War in Europe. Throughout this period he penned a steady stream of letters to his bestfriend, his wife, Marjorie, who was then a newspaper reporter with the Saint John Evening Times-Globe. These letters, totalling 463, were carefully preserved by Marjorie and provide a continuous and absorbing account of the experiences of a front-line Canadian infantry officer in Northwest Europe during the Second World War. They begin in June 1942 with a description of the rowdy voyage …

“Treasures” From The Canadian War Museum’S Backlog, Dan Glenney, Eric Fernberg, Harry Martin, Philip White

Canadian Military History

In the 1970s Canadian War Museum curatorial staff decided they needed to bolster the scope of the museum’s national military collection. Consequently, they placed ads in Legion magazine and enclosed flyers in veterans’ pension cheques inviting veterans to send in military or military related items they had in their possession that they thought would be of interest to the museum. The response was overwhelming. In the end, a grand total of 24,400 objects poured in; many more than was anticipated and much too large a number for the museum’s small staff to properly register and catalogue. The only option was …

“Johnson Forever!” Revisiting A Hero Of The Seven Years War, Mark Eaton

Canadian Military History

William Johnson moved to New York from his ancestral homeland Ireland in 1738 and soon became one of the most influential and prosperous colonists of his time. As a trader, land developer, speculator and government official, he co-operated extensively with the tribes of the Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy. Considered a fair and honest man by these people, Johnson developed close personal and economic relationships with many of them, especially within the Mohawk tribes. So when the British and French clashed between 1744 and 1748 (King George’s War), the New York colonial government turned to Johnson.

“Not Competent To Produce Tanks”: The Ram And Tank Production In Canada, 1939–1945, Graham Broad

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

Toronto’S Reponse To The Outbreak Of War, 1939, Ian Miller

Canadian Military History

Canadian historians have paid little attention to the transition from peace to war in late August and early September 1939. Jonathan Vance’s award-winning Death So Noble: Memory, Meaning and the First World War (1997) does a marvelous job of surveying attitudes towards war in the wake of the Great War, but it does not expand into the start of the Second. C.P. Stacey’s official history, Six Years of War, devotes only minimal space to exploring the transition, focusing instead on the activities of Canadian servicemen and women. The dozens of militia histories written by the units after the war …

Report By Miss Anna May Waters: Nurse With The Canadian Forces At Hong Kong, As Given On Board The Ss Gripsholm, November 1943, Anna May Waters

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

“Fairly Well Known And Need Not Be Discussed”: Colonel A.F. Duguid And The Canadian Official History Of The First World War, Wes Gustavson

Canadian Military History

In 1938, Colonel Archer Fortescue Duguid published the first and only volume of his Canadian official history of the First World War. It was eagerly anticipated as the Historical Section had been directed to compile such a history in 1921, and many veterans as well as the public were puzzled by the delay in publication. Despite this, however, reviewers were generally satisfied with the results. Writing in the Legionary, W.W. Murray declared it “a masterly work of great care and precision,” while W.B. Kerr believed that it would form the basis for all future works on the subject. It was …

The Other Side Of The Hill: Combat Intelligence In The Canadian Corps, 1914–1918, Dan Jenkins

Canadian Military History

For some, a discussion on military intelligence and the First World War is the ultimate oxymoron. They might ask: when and where did generals display any use of intelligence? That the Battle of the Somme continued beyond the first day, they might argue, demonstrates a complete lack of military intelligence, or any other type of intelligence for that matter. If there ever was a war, they might add, where donkeylike officers led lion-like soldiers to slaughter against barbed wire, machine guns, and trenches, then the Great War was it. The oft told story of how Sir Launcelot Kiggell, Sir Douglas …

A Military Engima: The Canadian Air Service Company, 1948-1949, Bernd Horn

Canadian Military History

The Canadian Special Air Service (SAS) Company is truly a military enigma. Very few people are aware of its short-lived existence. Those who are normally have a misunderstanding of its origins and role, a misconception largely reinforced by the sparse and largely inaccurate material that has been written on the subject. For example, most believe that it was raised specifically to provide a commando capability within the Canadian Army immediately after the Second World War.

The story of the Canadian SAS Company is actually surreptitious. The army originally packaged the sub-unit as a very benevolent organization, centred on aid to …

Providing The Gift Of Life: Canadian Medical Practitioners And The Treatment Of Shock On The Battlefield, Bill Rawling

Canadian Military History

The story of Ambroise Pare’s discovery has been told often; of how, during Francis I’s campaign against Turin in 1536-37, he ran out of the oil medical practitioners used to cauterize the stumps of amputees and used an herbal remedy and ligatures instead; and of how the patients treated by the latter method did so much better than those tortured with the former. The tale has much to commend it to the popular imagination: a medical hero makes a serendipitous discovery to relieve the suffering of thousands. However, the story is an exception to a steadfast rule in warfare, for …

“Necessary Stepping Stones”: The Transfer Of Aurora, Patriot, And Patrician To The Royal Canadian Navy After The First World War, William Schleihauf

Canadian Military History

Canadians seem to have difficulty in understanding the importance of naval forces in the defence of their nation. Twice in the early years Canada took the first steps towards the creation of a useful fleet, but then lost interest. The acquisition of Niobe and Rainbow for training the nascent Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) in 1910 was a good beginning, but even before the First World War broke out in 1914, the government’s priorities changed. A second, more promising start was made immediately after the end of hostilities. In the spring of 1919, hesitant discussions began which led to the commissioning …

Bypassing The Chain Of Command: The Political Origins Of The Rcn’S Equipment Crisis Of 1943, Richard Oliver Mayne

Canadian Military History

At the behest of Angus L. Macdonald, the Minister of National Defence for Naval Services, John Joseph Connolly conducted a secret investigation in October 1943 into the state of equipment on Canadian warships. Connolly, who was Macdonald’s executive assistant, traveled to St. John’s, Londonderry and London where he discovered that the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) was far behind its allies in the modernization of its escort fleet. Canadian ships lacked gyroscopic compasses, hedgehog, effective radar and asdic, as well as other technical gear that was essential in the Battle of the Atlantic. These deficiencies should not have come as a …

Canvas Of War: Masterpieces From The Canadian War Museum, 1914–1918 And 1939–1945, Duncan Mcdowall

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

Snapshots From The South African War: The F.C. Cantrill Photograph Collection At The Canadian War Museum, Brendan Mccoy

Canadian Military History

The Canadian War Museum’s (CWM’s) Photographic Archives contains over 600 photograph collections or fonds. These include over 17,000 individual photographs, some with their original negatives, and more than 250 photo albums. This collection has been acquired from private sources, with the photographs for the most part representing the personal documentation of Canada’s military history by the participants. These have been brought together as part of the CWM’s mandate to collect, preserve and make available for research and exhibition the artifacts of the Canadian military experience. The collection of Frederick Charles Cantrill who served in the South African Constabulary from 1901 …

The Royal City At War: The Military Mobilization Of Guelph, Ontario During The First 18 Months Of The Second World War, Jason R.H. Braida

Canadian Military History

The story of a country at war can be told at various levels. Traditional histories speak of generals and statesmen, of decisions made in cabinet rooms, war rooms, and dimly-lit clubs. Others choose to concentrate upon particular instances or groups, such as the impact of the war upon women, a particular military unit, or even a specific family. This article seeks to combine those two traditions by examining the manner in which international events and political decisions made at the national level affected the way in which the nation’s military mobilization was carried out in one particular Canadian community.

Army Supplies In The Forward Area And The Tumpline System: A First World War Canadian Logistical Innovation, F.R. Phelan

Canadian Military History

Editor’s Note: In British Logistics on the Western Front, 1914–1919 (Praeger, 1998), Ian M. Brown documents the problems of maintaining an army in the field; throughout that war, supply lines were strained to get food, equipment and ammunition forward. Early problems of adequate supplies were replaced by an inability to get the items from depots to where they were required. Some of these latter problems were blamed on “establishments” and other force-structure problems caused by stripping logistical-support units to meet the manpower needs of the fighting units. The decision to dramatically reduce the size of the BEF divisions in France …

James Peters, Military Photography And The Northwest Campaign, 1885, Owen Cooke

Canadian Military History

In June 1884, the noted buffalo hunter Gabriel Dumont led a delegation of Métis from the Batoche settlement, in what is now Saskatchewan, to Montana in the United States to search out Louis Riel. He hoped to persuade Riel to lead them as he had in 1869–70 in their demands for the Canadian government to recognize their land claims and other grievances. Riel reluctantly returned to Canada. The situation worsened until March 1885, when a skirmish between Métis and North West Mounted Police at Duck Lake, near Prince Albert, cost seventeen dead on both sides. The government feared a general …

“A Question Of Relevance”: The Establishment Of A Canadian Parachute Capability, 1942–1945, Bernd Horn

Canadian Military History

“The great trouble with starting anything new,” argued Brigadier-General William Mitchell, “is to break away from the conservative policy of those who have gone before.” His observation was born from his own experience as a result of the inertia which existed in the interwar years. Not surprisingly, Canada did little during this period to ensure that it was capable of participating in a modern war. The vacuum of peace was insufficient to overcome the vacillation of military and political decision makers. It was only the stunning German victories of 1939–1940, which provided the catalyst for change and a template of …

The Gardeners Of Vimy: Canadian Corps’ Farming Operations During The German Offensives Of 1918, S.F. Wise

Canadian Military History

“The Gardeners of Salonika” was Georges Clemenceau’s jibe at the French and British divisions tied down in entrenchments round the Greek port for a good part of the First World War, because all they seemed to do was dig, rather than launch a Balkan offensive. The Canadian Corps, from Field Marshal Haig’s perspective, was similarly removed from the war when Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Currie, strongly supported by the Canadian government, refused to accept the piecemeal breakup of the Corps to help shore up the British line during the great German offensive which began in March 1918. Haig never forgave this …

The Canadian Role In Operation “Charnwood,” 8 July 1944: A Case Study In Tank/Infantry Doctrine And Practice, David A. Wilson

Canadian Military History

On the morning of 8 July 1944, soldiers of the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade (9 CIB) left their startlines near the Norman village of Vieux Cairon heading for Buron and Gruchy; two villages nearly 2,000 yards across open ground to the south. Their advance was part of Operation “Charnwood,” British I Corps’ final assault on Caen. By the end of the day most objectives were secured, and on 9 July Caen north of the Orne River and Canal was captured. General Dempsey, General Officer Commanding (GOC) British 2nd Army expressed his satisfaction, saying that the operations of 8 and 9 …