Private Ed Gerris of the RCASC, seen here with Principal Eccles of Shaw Business Schools, is using an artificial hand
Arnhem monument honours air despatchers of the RCASC who worked with aircrew of the Royal Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force
The RCASC was established by General Order No. 141, as the Canadian Army Service Corps (CASC), on November 1, 1901. The CASC was modelled directly off the British Army Service Corps to provide all transportation and supply services to the Army. Initially, the CASC consisted of four companies to support the Active Militia units (No. 1 at London, No. 2 at Toronto, No. 3 at Kingston and No. 4 at Montreal).
The Permanent Component of the CASC was created under General Order 21 of December 1903[5] and the corps grew quickly, doubling the number of units by 1903, and growing by another three companies by 1905. By the summer of 1914 the CASC had a strength of 3000 personnel in eighteen companies.[6]
At the same time the Non-permanent CASC was increased with additional companies being formed at No. 5 at Ottawa, No. 6 at Sherbrooke, No. 7 at Saint John NB, and No. 8 at Kentville NS. No. 1 Company located at London was relocated to Ottawa and in 1903 to Guelph. In August 1905 further nonpermanent companies were added at No. 9 at Hamilton, No. 10 at Quebec City, and No. 11 at Winnipeg. In February 1907 a second Toronto company, No. 12 was formed and in April 1910 No. 14 at Calgary, No. 15 at Montreal, No. 16 at London, No. 17 at Raymond, Quebec, No. 18 at Winnipeg and No. 19 at Vancouver (there was no No. 13.). In August 1914 a further three non-permanent C.A.S.C. Companies were authorized No. 20 at Regina, No. 21 at Victoria and No. 22 at Edmonton.[5]
During World War I, the CASC provided a support element for each Canadian Division, and later on, for the Canadian Corps. With the introduction of motorized vehicles, the CASC carried commodities of a greater range and of greater weights. Motorized transportation also resulted in expanded responsibilities such as driving ambulances and engineer pontoon vehicles, carrying all natures of ammunition, and mobile repair and recovery. In recognition of the services rendered during the Great War, His Majesty King George V authorized the designator “Royal” in 1919.[6]
The RCASC, along with the rest of the Army, underwent a rapid expansion as Canada mobilized for the Second World War. In addition to maintaining transport for the army on land, the RCASC also commanded and maintained a ship-borne freight and patrol company, the Pacific Command Water Transport Company, during World War II. The RCASC provided support to Canadian Soldiers wherever they went; training in Canada and Great Britain, the campaign in north-west Europe, (see: British logistics in the Normandy Campaign ), and in the campaign in Italy. The RCASC moved supplies from the rear areas to the front-lines. They delivered all rations, ammunition, petroleum products, and all other essentials. They did so with a variety of vehicles ranging from three- to ten-ton trucks, and forty-ton tank transporters.[6]
During the 1950s, the RCASC committed No. 1 and No. 2 Movement Control Groups, 54 Canadian Transport Company, 28 Motorized Ambulance Company, and 58 General Transport Company to the Korean War. In 1952, 23 Transport Company relieved 54 Transport Company, which was in turn relieved by 56 Transport Company. 3 Transport Company was the last to serve in Korea in 1954. 4 Transport Company (previously known as 56 Transport Company and then 5 Transport Company) moved from Winnipeg to Calgary in August 1967. In June 1968, 4 Transport Company combined with elements of the static 13 Transport Company. Three months later that organization became the Transport Company of 1st Service Battalion.[6]
The RCASC sported multiple military bands during its 67-year history. The full dress uniform at the time was the army's dress blues accompanied by a white pith helmet. The original band wore a khaki uniform, however, the commanding officer arranged for a dress blue uniform.
The following is a list featuring the organization of RCASC bands in the past:[11]
Royal Canadian Army Service Corps Brass and Reed Band
The Calgary units of the RCASC formed a band in 1932, with its first public performance was being on 12 March 1933 at Strand theatre. Many band members went overseas in 1940 and a new trumpet and drum band was formed at Sarcee Barracks to replace this band. The latter was dissolved at the end of the war and a new RCASC band was organized by George Bealing in 1948. By the end the summer of 1942, the band mainly consisted of musicians from the depleted ranks of the West Canadian Collieries Band.[12] This band officially disbanded in 1963, with most remaining members transferring to The King's Own Calgary Regiment Band.[13] On 2 September 1939, the RCASC Trumpet Band marched through the streets of Ottawa with accompanying placards that were designed to recruit Canadian volunteers following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany.[14]
The 5th Column RCASC Trumpet Band from Toronto was the RCASC predecessor to the then Jolly Jesters and the modern-day Burlington Commanders Drum Corps. At the time of its active service, it was part of the army reserve. In 1955, the army forbade the band from performing at a civilian function in Toronto. As a result, the band made the decision to remove itself from the army order of battle and become a civilian group.[15][16][17]
Notable RCASC bandsmen included the following officers and personnel:
Peter John Powers, founder of a local unit band and former National President of the Federation of Musicians for Canada.[18]
J. Alan Wood
Alexander D. Knight Jr, former member of the RCASC trumpet band and former Vice President/business manager of the Toronto Signals Band.[19]
The 1st Commonwealth Division was the military unit that commanded Commonwealth land forces in the Korean War. The division was a part of the multinational British Commonwealth Forces Korea, with infantry units of the British Army, Canadian Army and Australian Army forming the bulk of the division. Additionally, the New Zealand Army supplied artillery contingents and an Indian medical unit was also attached. As with the "Korean Augmentation To the United States Army" (KATUSA) programme, numerous South Korean troops were seconded to the Commonwealth division to make up numbers under a scheme known as "KATCOM".
I Corps was an army corps in existence as an active formation in the British Army for most of the 80 years from its creation in the First World War until the end of the Cold War, longer than any other corps. It had a short-lived precursor during the Waterloo Campaign. It served as the operational component of the British Army of the Rhine during the Cold War, and was tasked with defending West Germany.
The 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade, later known as 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade, was an armoured brigade of the Canadian Army, raised during the Second World War. The brigade was composed of the 11th, 12th and 14th Canadian Armoured regiments and saw service in the Italian campaign and later in north-west Europe. It was one of only two independent Canadian armoured brigades in combat, the other being 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade.
The Guards Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army during the Second World War. The division was created in the United Kingdom on 17 June 1941 during the Second World War from elements of the Guards units, the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards, Welsh Guards, and the Household Cavalry.
The 1st Canadian Division is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short notice, and is staffed and equipped to meet Canada’s military objectives to counter any potential threat.
The 5th Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for the command and mobilization of most army units in the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador; as well as some units in Kingston, Ontario. The division is recognized by the distinctive maroon patch worn on the sleeve of its soldiers.
This is the complete order of battle of Allied and German forces involved during Operation Market Garden.
1 Service Battalion is a deployable field unit of the Canadian Forces. It provides second- and limited third-line combat service support to units throughout the 3rd Canadian Division. Located at Steele Barracks, Canadian Forces Base Edmonton, 1 Svc Bn is composed of the battalion headquarters and four functional companies: Transportation, Supply, Maintenance, and Administration. Administration Company is distinct in that it provides first-line support to the battalion itself, while the remaining companies provide second- and limited third-line support to units across the 3rd Canadian Division.
Operation Spring was an offensive operation of the Second World War conducted by II Canadian Corps during the Normandy campaign in 1944. The plan was intended to create pressure on the German forces operating on the British and Canadian front simultaneous with Operation Cobra, an American offensive. Operation Spring was intended to capture Verrières Ridge and the villages on the south slope of the ridge. The German defence of the ridge contained the offensive on the first day and inflicted many casualties on the Canadians.
41 Canadian Brigade Group is a Canadian Army formation of the 3rd Canadian Division. The formation is composed of Army Reserve units within the province of Alberta and the Northwest Territories. The headquarters of the brigade is in Calgary.
32 Canadian Brigade Group (32CBG) of the Canadian Army is part of the 4th Canadian Division. It is centred on the Greater Toronto Area, as well as Niagara Region and Brantford. It is headquartered at LCol George Taylor Denison III Armoury in Toronto, Ontario.
31 Canadian Brigade Group is part of the 4th Canadian Division, under the Canadian Army. It encompasses the southwestern portion of Ontario, and is headquartered in London, Ontario. The 31 CBG area of responsibility stretches from Hamilton to Windsor. The brigade has approximately 2,400 soldiers. Colonel Chris Brown, CD is Commander of 31 Canadian Brigade Group. The brigade sergeant-major is Chief Warrant Officer Mike Coit, CD.
II Canadian Corps was a corps-level formation that, along with I (British) Corps and I Canadian Corps, comprised the First Canadian Army in Northwest Europe during World War II.
I Canadian Corps was one of the two corps fielded by the Canadian Army during the Second World War.
The First Canadian Army was a field army and a formation of the Canadian Army in World War II in which most Canadian elements serving in North-West Europe were assigned. It served on the Western Front from July 1944 until May 1945.
The 6th Airborne Division order of battle lists only those units assigned to the division; units attached only for short periods of time are not included.
The following is a hierarchical outline for the structure of the British Army in 1989. The most authoritative source for this type of information available is Ministry of Defence, Master Order of Battle, and United Kingdom Land Forces, HQ UKLF, UKLF ORBAT Review Action Plan, HQ UKLF, 1990.
32 Service Battalion is a reserve combat service support (CSS) unit within the Canadian Army. The unit is formed under command of 32 Canadian Brigade Group in the 4th Canadian Division. The Service Battalion is composed of soldiers from the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and Royal Canadian Logistics Service to include: vehicle technicians, weapons technicians, cooks, financial service administrators, human resource administrators, material management technicians and mobile support equipment operators. It is located at LCol George Taylor Denison III Armoury in Toronto, Ontario.
↑ Sutton, Brigadier John, ed.," Wait For The Waggon". Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Leo Cooper, 1998.
↑ Canada. Dept. of National Defence Bond, C. C. J Stacey, C. P. (Charles Perry), 1906-1989. The victory campaign: the operations in North-West Europe, 1944-1945 / by C. P. Stacey; maps drawn by C.J. Bond. Ottawa: Queen's Printer, 1960.
↑ Wood, Herbert Fairlie. Strange Battleground: The Operations In Korea and Their Effects On The Defence Policy of Canada; Official History Of The Canadian Army (In Korea). Ottawa Queen's Printer, 1966
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