A story of Canadian Military Communications 1903 2013 bgen William J. Patterson omm, cd (Ret’d)
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SEMAPHORE TO SATElLITE A Story of Canadian Military Communications 1903 – 2013 
BGen William J. Patterson OMM, CD (Ret’d) Published by The Military Communications and Electronics Museum Foundationcha pte r nin e
The Royal Canadian Corps of Signals serves during the Second World War, in Canada, the Aleutians, Hong Kong, and Australia, and“Behind Enemy Lines” A lthough canada did not declare war on Germany until 10 September 1939, elements of the Permanent Active Militia (PAM) and Non-Permanent Active Mili- tia (NPAM) were placed on active service on 26 August, followed by the whole of the PAM on 1 September. The 1936 Mobilization Plan was put into effect on the 16th and those units and sub-units required for the “Mobile Force,” a corps of two divisions, were authorized to be part of the Canadian Active Service Force (CASF). On 1 September, all DND expenditures were considered War Expenditures, which al- lowed the NPAM units necessary to fill the “Mo- bile Force” to be placed on Active Service. In the First World War, Militia appropriations for 1914 - 15 were not renewed the following year, and no more funds were allocated until 1919 - 1920. During the Second World War, funding for the NPAM continued, which allowed units to recruit to war establishment and to maintain their strength until the end of the war. Beginning in September 1939 and continu- ing into 1943, the first priority of the RCCS was to enlist, train, and despatch overseas the Sig- nal units and signallers required by the Cana- dian Army. Chapter Six lists the vital statistics of the 13 major and 6 minor Signals units despatched overseas or formed there from of- ficers and men sent as reinforcements. Over 1,000 RCCS officers and 12,000 men served overseas in the European Theatre of Opera- tions. Of the 57 Permanent Force (PF)officers, only 13 did not serve overseas and 10 of them were veterans of the First World War. While no statistics on how many of the 356 NPAM officers in 1939 served overseas are available, it is known that 90 of the 356 were veterans. In 1939 and 1940, most of the officer vacancies were filled by NPAM officers, supplemented by PF officers and PF men, who then received their commission. During the War, at least 150 of the 389 signallers in the PAM on 1 September 1939 were commissioned.* It was estimated, that by the end of 1941, 35 per cent of all signallers in the CA (A) had been members of the NPAM. In the fall of 1939, there were NPAM Signals units in every Military District (MD) from Hal- ifax to Vancouver.# In addition, there were three Fortress Signal units on the East Coast and three on the West Coast. Initially, the ma- jority of the units carried on with their regular duties of recruiting and training officers and men, both for the CA (A) and for home serv- ice, while maintaining the 26 stations of the Canadian Army Signal System, which con- nected the MDs throughout Canada. On 15 August 1940, the National Resources Mobi- lization Act (NRMA) established a universal re- cruiting system. In order to make full use of Canada’s manpower resources, both for mili- tary service and for war industries, there was a national registration of all single men and childless widowers between the ages of 19 and 45. For fear of an uprising in Quebec over conscription, that had been perceived as a * See Appendix 20
Barriefield Camp, 1943.The troops on the road are only a small portion of the 10,000 that were stationed there. serious threat to Canadian solidarity in 1917, the Government made service overseas an in- dividual voluntary decision at the time of en- listment in the Canadian Forces. Men who volunteered to serve overseas were entitled “A” men and wore a special badge on their right forearm sleeve; those who declined to serve overseas were titled “R” men. On 27 April 1942, a plebiscite was held across Canada that asked voters if they would agree to compulsory overseas service should it be necessary. The vote was 64 per cent in favour overall but only 47 per cent in Quebec. Faced with this opposition, the Government made the decision, “Conscription if necessary but not necessarily conscription.” For the time being, there would be compulsory military training but limited to home service. In No- vember 1944, in view of a manpower shortage, especially of infantry soldiers overseas, Gov- ernment was forced to reverse its decision and “R” men were sent overseas. Initially, all eligible males were called up by newly-organized District Depots (DD) in groups of 30,000 and allocated to various CA (R) units for 30 days training. It was soon recognized that such a short period of training was insuffi- cient to make soldiers out of the so-called “R” men or to entice them to be “A” men. On 21 February 1941, the period of compulsory train- ing was increased to four months, and in April 1941 the Government decided that all men had to stay for the duration of the war. The end result was better trained soldiers and increased numbers switching from being a “R” soldier, also known as a “Zombie,” a derogatory term used to encourage enlistment in the CA (A), to being an “A” soldier. All members of a Reserve Unit, whether they were “A” or “R” men, had to fulfill the obligations of the NRMA until the end of the war. A man with no previous military training, who volunteered to serve overseas after the in- troduction of the NRMA, went by a different route. Posted to a DD, he was inducted into the Army, clothed, paid $1.30 a day, and sent to a Basic Training Centre for eight weeks training. Then, he went to an Advanced Train- ing Centre, which in the case of signallers was A - 7, the Canadian Signal Training Centre (CSTC) at Vimy Barracks. There, recruits were sent to various training companies depending on their natural aptitudes, and after four months service were paid $1.40 per day. Op- erators has to achieve the standard of 18 words a minute in Morse Code in 16 weeks. Drivers underwent eight weeks training to be a DR, and, if selected, more training at the Canadian Army Trades School at Hamilton to be a driver-mechanic (dvr-mech) or a fitter (Signals). A large percentage of the men were trained to be linemen, which took nine weeks. The most lengthy course was that of 20 weeks for electricians and instrument mechanics. By now, most signallers would have had six months service and make $1.50 per day, or $45.00 a month; trades pay was additional. In 1943, all potential signallers went straight to Vimy Barracks from the DD, which necessi- tated an enlarged staff to handle both the basic and advanced training of signallers. By July 1943, A - 7, commanded by Col F.G. Malloch, MC, VD, had a staff of 72 officers and over 800 NCOs and men to supervise and train up to 4,000 officers and men. One of the re- sults of a great increase in strength was the doubling of the size of the Parade Square in
A Morse Code class at Vimy Barracks during the Second World War. 1942. Another was the formation of Band No. 20 of the Home War Establishment (HWE), a 27 piece band that became the first Signals Band. It was organized under the direction of Sgt S.T. Cruickshank, formerly of the RCHA Band, on 9 August 1940. Cruickshank, who was appointed Bandmaster in the rank of WO 1 on 1 October 1940, had the Band playing before the end of the month in spite of the fact they had to provide their own instru- ments. After being issued instruments on 4 December 1940, the Band made itself popu- lar, playing for concerts, parades, and having 
The RCCS Band was formed in 1940 under the direction of WO 1 S.T. Cruickshank, formerly of the RCHA Band. In the centre of the front row is the Commandant of the CSTC, Col F.G. Malloch;WO 1 Cruickshank is to his left. a dance band for the troops’ entertainment. The Band was disbanded on 31 May 1946. With an organization as large as the CSTC became during the war, it was inevitable that fatalities occurred from time to time: on 29 November 1940, Sigmn W.A. McDonnell, ac- cident; 28 May 1941, LCpl W.D. Prentice, electrocuted; 3 May 1942, LCpl N.L. Steward, accident; 18 May 1942, Sigmn C.V. Cole, ill- ness; 5 August 1942, Sigmn J. Stevenson, ill- ness; 10 November 1942, Sigmn J.E. Colwell, accident; 27 December 1942, Sigmn R.W. Gunn illness; 21 March 1943, Capt H.O. Lough, RCAMC, Senior Medical Officer, ill- ness; 4 July 1943, Sigmn R.R. Cork, drowned; 18 July 1943, Sigmn P. Masson, drowned; During 1939 and 1940, officers with basic military experience received refresher and qualifying courses at Vimy. It was not long, however, before most officer candidates had no military background, and it was necessary to teach both all-arms subjects as well as sig- nalling. This additional strain on the Vimy staff was rectified with the opening, in the spring of 1941, of the Officers Training Cen- tre (OTC) in Brockville, where all prospective officers were given an all-arms basic course, after which those wishing to be signal officers came to Vimy for signals training. The re- quirement to attend the Brockville OTC also applied to serving soldiers selected to be com- missioned. After March 1941, only recom- mended soldiers, who had served for at least four months in the ranks, were eligible. A Sig- nal Officers’ Course of 20 weeks was offered: 4 weeks on fundamentals – motor transport, electricity and magnetism, and signal proce- dures; 5 weeks on line instruments, field cable, and line transmission; 7 weeks on wire- less theory, operation and maintenance, labo- ratory, and wireless exercises; 4 weeks on tactics, organization and administration. In September 1939, the Canadian eastern and western coastal defences were manned, al- though most of the equipment was obsolete, many of the gun positions temporary, and the units under strength and incompletely trained. Anti-aircraft defences were virtually non-existant, since there were only four anti- 
Capt T. J.Wallis, age 59 in 1942, still very much a soldier. aircraft guns in the country. By 1943, with the acquisition of coastal and anti-aircraft guns from the UK, the east coast defences were built up into 13 defensive areas with 45 indi- vidual sites. On the west coast, where there were more modern coast guns initially, four defensive areas were set up with 23 individual sites. Similarly, anti-aircraft defences were slowly developed on both coasts but it was the end of 1943 before an adequate defensive sys- tem was in place. To co-ordinate these de- fences with other Army units, Atlantic Command was established on 1 August 1940 with a headquarters in Halifax. It covered all of MD Nos. 6 and 7: the Provinces of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick, and part of MD No. 5, most of the Province of Quebec east of Quebec City. Sim- ilarly, Pacific Command was organized on 1 October 1940, comprising all of MD Nos. 11 and 13: the Provinces of British Columbia and Alberta, the Yukon Territory, and the District of Mackenzie. To provide infantry protection, the 6th Division, formed for Home Defence in 1941, had its three brigades allocated one each to Nanaimo, BC, Niagara, ON, and Val- cartier, QC. Although Newfoundland was a colony of Great Britain, in August 1940 Canada agreed to be responsible for its secu- rity and it became a sub-command of Atlantic Command. The first commander of the Cana- dian Forces in Newfoundland was Brig P.E. Earnshaw, DSO, MC, who was relieved of the post of D Sigs, in Ottawa on 15 October 1940 and moved to St John’s, where he remained in command until 24 December 1941. On that date, Newfoundland became part of the responsibility of the Commander of Atlantic Command. The northern portion of Canada continued to be served by RCCS Signallers of the NWT&Y Radio System, although as noted in Chapter Five, the number of stations was much reduced and manned by only 38 sig- nallers. Later on, more stations were manned by large numbers of US signallers. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, civilian anxiety in British Columbia grew steadily, mostly as the result of rumours. They led to the creation of another infantry division, the 7th, and a infantry brigade for an 8th Division. By June 1942, the whole of the 6th Division and two brigades of the 8th were sent to the West Coast, while the 7th Divi- sion went to the East Coast. When the Japanese invaded the Aleutian Islands on 6 June 1942, DND authorized the completion of the Order of Battle for the 8th Division. Further alarm was spread by a Japanese submarine shelling the wireless station and lighthouse on Estevan Point on Vancouver Island on 20 June 1942, although it did little damage and there were no casualties. It was during this period that the resident Japanese-Canadian population was re- moved from the West Coast to internment camps in central Canada. Shortly after Japanese forces occupied the Aleutian Islands of Kiska and Attu in June 1942, US air and naval forces periodically at- tacked the islands during the year. In the spring of 1943, the Americans decided to rid the islands of the Japanese and a strong US force attacked Attu on 11 May 1943 and read- ily captured it, killing most of its garrison of 
2,500. On 31 May, the Canadian Government agreed that a Canadian contingent would join an American force to attack Kiska, which was garrisoned by 6,000 troops. OP COTTAGE was planned as a sea-borne landing on 15 August 1943 by a US and a Canadian brigade group, under US command. The 13th Canadian In- fantry Brigade with supporting arms and serv- ices of the 6th Division was chosen, although many of the men were “R” men. The Canadian force of 4,831 all ranks sailed on 12 July to Adak where it underwent amphibious training. The assault began on schedule on 15 August, only to find, with extreme embarrassment, that the Japanese had withdrawn from the island on 28 July. The 13th Brigade Group stayed on Kiska for three months before returning to British Columbia in late 1943. The Atlantic and Pacific Commands reached their peak strengths in the summer of 1943. Because of the apparent greater threat on the West Coast, Pacific Command, with its HQ in Vancouver had a total of 34,316 all ranks. The 6th Division was mostly located on Vancouver Island, while the 8th Division was lo- cated on the mainland; altogether there were 21 infantry battalions. Atlantic Command, with its HQ in Halifax, had a total of 24,784 all ranks. The 7th Division with its HQ in Debert, NS, had 18 infantry battalions scattered about the Maritimes, Newfoundland and Labrador. In addition, in Canada, there were 31,989 men in units doing Garrison Duty. Sixty per cent of the men on active duty in Canada were “R” men. In February 1942, the Canadian Army Reserve was organized into 12 brigade groups, one for each MD with an extra one for MD No. 6 (Nova Scotia). All brigades had full- time commanders and staffs. By the summer of 1943, the strength of the CA (R) was 105,000. With the Japanese expelled from the Aleutian Islands and the German U-Boat men- ace decreasing, the Canadian Government wisely felt that there was little need for such large forces to exist in Canada. In September 1943, it was decided to disband the 7th and 8th Divisions and part of the 6th. The HQ of the 6th Division was moved to Prince George and while it still consisted of three brigades, the 13th Brigade, when it returned from Kiska in January 1944, was sent overseas, where it be- came a training brigade. A new brigade, the 16th, was formed in August 1944 just about the same time that the “reinforcement crisis” in Northwest Europe was reaching the boiling point. It caused the Government to send “R” men overseas and as a consequence the 6th Di- vision was disbanded on 2 December 1944. Al- together, two brigade HQs, and 13 battalions were sent overseas where they were broken up for reinforcements. Only 8 battalions re- mained in Canada, Newfoundland, and the West Indies. Most of the coastal artillery and anti-aircraft units were also disbanded. Atlantic Command was stood down on 15 December 1944. Pacific Command, however, continued until 23 January 1946. From late 1940 until late 1943, both the CA (A) and the CA (R) in Canada grew steadily to about 175,000 and 100,000 all ranks respec- tively. With five major headquarters and a mul- titude of minor establishments and units, there was an obvious need for signallers. The first of RC Sigs to be affected was the CSTC at Vimy Barracks, mentioned previously. The Di- rectorate of Signals was not expanded but was abolished on 8 December 1940. For reasons unknown, DND felt the Director of Staff Du- ties could do both his work and that of the Di- rector of Signals (D Sigs), and Col P.E. Earnshaw was sent to be the Commander in Newfoundland. The Corps, however, felt the loss of the Directorate and set up a temporary office in April 1942 in Vimy Barracks under LCol R.D. Heustis. During that summer, Brig J.E. Genet, CSO, 1st Cdn Army, realizing there was a real need for a central authority for sig- nal training and administration, prevailed upon DND to restore the directorate. Col W.L. Laurie, a PF officer, was installed as D Sigs in AHQ on 9 February 1943. On 31 August 1944, his staff included LCols G.A. McClellan, ED and J.H. Eaman and 25 other officers. In addition to D Sigs at AHQ, there was a Signal Company that had been built up from a de- tachment at the first of the war. By 31 August 1944, it was commanded by a major with 16 other officers. A typical Second World War parade on the Vimy Parade Square. Note all the temporary buildings in behind the trees. The further opening of Canada’s North during the war, mainly by US forces, resulted in re-opening of signal stations closed in 1939. By the end of 1944, 19 stations were function- ing and the NWT&Y Radio System had five of- ficers and many more men than the 38 other ranks in 1940. In Atlantic Command HQ, LCol B.S. Lake, ED was appointed CSO on 1 May 1942 and served until he was relieved by LCol R.D. Heustis, ED, who served until his re- tirement six weeks before the Atlantic Com- mand was disbanded on15 December 1945. The Atlantic Command Signals, developed out of the 6th, 7th, and 8th Fortress Signal Com- panies mobilized on 26 August 1939, and be- came a lieutenant-colonel’s command by 28 August 1941. By August 1944, it had grown to 7 companies with 40 officers but its remaining life was short-lived as it was disbanded on 15 December 1944. Pacific Command Signals began in the same way with the mobilization of the 9th, 10th, and 11th Fortress Signal Com- panies on 26 August 1939, however, it devel- oped in a different way. Under the leadership of Col A.R. St Louis, who was appointed CSO on 1 August 1942 and stayed until the end, the three Fortress Companies grew into three independent area companies with over 300 men each. In August 1944, there were 29 sig- nal officers in Pacific Command that lasted until 23 January 1946. In addition to signallers in the Atlantic and Pacific Commands, there were signallers in the 6th, 7th, and 8th Infantry Divisions. The 6th Division, which was always intended for home defence, was organized in July 1941. 6 Div Sigs was stood up, in part, by October 1941 and was at full strength by 1 April 1942. It was commanded by LCol G.W. Smart, a PF officer, who was still commanding in August 1944 with a complement of 23 officers plus 5 at- tached. Although originally formed to be sta- tioned on the East Coast, it was moved to the West Coast in 1942 because of the perceived Japanese threat. 6 Div Sigs was disbanded on 30 April 1945. The 7th Division Signals was formed in June 1942 at Vimy under the com- mand of LCol H.D. Rice and was stationed at Debert, NS, until it was disbanded in October 1943. The 8th Divisional Signals was formed when the Division was fully organized in June 1942 but it was a short-lived unit, being dis- banded in the fall of 1943. Although the 7th and 8th Divisional Signals were disbanded in 1943, there were still infantry battalions on both the East and West Coasts; in August 1944 there were 14 RCCS Signal Officers with in- fantry battalions on the West Coast and 9 with battalions on the East Coast. There were, as well, numerous Signal Officers scattered about Canada as recorded in August 1944: 12 as District Signal Officers, 3 with Training Bat- talions, 4 at Camps Borden and Petawawa, 4 with Special Wireless Sections, and 68 in vari- ous staff positions. In July 1945, there was one very short-lived signal company formed to serve with the 6th Division, Canadian Army Pa- cific Force (CAPF). The 6 Div Sigs (CAPF) was composed of officers and men who volun- teered while serving in Europe and were sent back to Canada in June 1945. It was located in Brockville with LCol A.E. Wrinch as CO. With the surrender of Japan on 14 August 1945, the unit was disbanded on the 28th. Special Wireless Groups There was one more field unit raised in Canada destined to serve overseas, not in Eu- rope but in Australia. On 19 July 1944, No. 1 Special Wireless Group was formed to serve in India with the aim to intercept and decipher Japanese wireless messages. The unit, com- manded by LCol H. W.D. Wethey, a PF Officer, consisted of 13 RCCS officers, 6 Intelligence officers, and 317 men. It began training in Ot- tawa, then moved to Vancouver Island. By early 1945, it was ready to go overseas. Instead of India, it was sent to Australia. It landed in Brisbane on 16 February 1945, where it spent two months working with Australian and American “Y” units. In early April, it was sent to Darwin in the most northern part of Aus- tralia, and by mid-May was operational with operators manning 13 intercept positions 24 hours a day. Within a month, the unit was pro- viding 22 per cent of the intelligence gathered by the 12 “Y” sites working in Australia. Be- cause of a above average ability to interpret Japanese, six members of the unit were sent to Manila, Philippines, one to San Miguel in the southern part of the Island of Lauzon, and four to Japan. Based in a camp outside Dar- win, very much constructed by themselves, the members of the Group provided intelligence about Japanese forces until the end of the war on 14 August 1945. Leaving Darwin on 24 Oc- tober 1945, the Group retraced its steps the 3,000 miles to Sydney by truck and train. It boarded ship on 6 February 1946 to Vancou- ver 7,000 miles distant, where it was dis- banded on 28 February. Its achievements were recognized by MGen C.H. Simpson, Chief Sig- nals Officer of the Australian Army, who wrote to LCol Wethey, “ I feel that the results of the work performed by your unit in no small measure contributed towards achieving final victory.” The Group had two fatal casualties: Capt J.D. Miller, who died of illness and Sigmn D.J. Green who drowned. Because of bureau- cratic nonsense, no member of 1 Special Wire- less ever received Pacific Campaign Pay, and it was 1995 before members were declared el- igible for the Pacific Star.* Directory: 2016 2016 -> Senate, No. 627 State of new jersey 217th legislature 2016 -> 2017 afoCo Landmark Scholarship Program 2016 -> Instructions for the Preparation of Camera-Ready Contributions to the Conference Proceedings 2016 -> Strategic Plan South Sudan Country Office Context 2016 -> Original: English 2016 -> Step student Scholarships for Year 10-13 2016 -> Resolution 2016 -> American bar association adopted by the house of delegates Download 375.52 Kb. Share with your friends:
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