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A Story of Canadian Military Communications 1903 – 2013

BGen William J. Patterson OMM, CD (Ret’d)

Published by The Military Communications and Electronics Museum Foundation

SATELLITETOSEMAPHORE

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The Canadian Signalling (Signal) Corps 1903 – 1919,the first in the British Empire, is formed by Major Bruce Carruthers

based on his experiences in the South African WarW had an establishment for both the PAM, Royalhen the Canadian Signalling Corps(CSC) was established, by GO No. 167

dated 24 October 1903, there was no precedent for it. Although at least one NPAM

infantry battalion had formed a signal section, there was no establishment for one. In 1903,

the two surviving NPAM engineer companies from the nineteenth century would appear to

have no evidence of having a signal capability, although their mentor, the Royal Engineers

(RE), had been in the signalling business since 1870. Consequently, the Department of Mili- tia and Defence (M&D) had to create a new

establishment, based partly on Capt Car- ruthers’ thesis and partly on the British Army model. As is often the case, the Canadian so-

lution was a compromise between the two models. The CSC would be a NPAM (part-

time) organization, with one headquarters in Kingston, Ontario and one at Quebec City, re-

sponsible for signalling instruction, both to PAM (full-time) and NPAM units, by forming

Schools of Signalling. Instruction would be given in telephony and visual telegraphy (V/T)

by flags, lamps, and heliograph. GO No.167 authorized an organization of 18 officers and72 men.

Lieutenant Colonel 1Major 1Captains 4Lieutenants 12Sergeants 12Corporals 12Privates 48

Land Telegraphy (L/T) would remain theprerogative of a Corps of Engineers, which

Canadian Engineers (RCE), and the NPAM, Canadian Engineers (CE). Formed in 1903, the Corps of Engineers established a Director of Telegraphs and the 1st Section of Field Telegraphs in 1905, which actually trained that same year at Levis, Quebec. In spite of this early beginning, hardly any more training was done or even sufficient equipment ac- quired for the field companies’ telegraph sections for which establishments existed for the four Commands organized in 1905, and for the six Divisional Areas organized in 1911. Each field company was also to have a wireless detachment as of 1912, but by the outbreak of war in 1914 only five of the seven field companies in existence had telegraph sections, and only one of them had a wireless detachment. Although the telegraph was a well-established and large civilian enterprise, the Corps of Engineers had little experience with it in the field and much less so with wireless.

As a result of Canada taking responsibility for the defences of Halifax and Esquimalt, the establishment for the RCE was raised in 1905 from 7 to 25 officers and from 125 to 368 other ranks. In order to fill the NCO ranks with qualified personnel some RE Non-Com- missioned Officers (NCOs) elected to transfer to the RCE. Two of them became valuable as- sets to the Canadian Signals in the First World

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War: Capt C. Shergold, MC, DCM, and Lt P.V. Harcourt, DCM.

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On 20 March 1904, Capt W.B.M. Car- ruthers, on the Unattached List of Officers, was appointed Inspector of Signalling (West) responsible for Military Districts (MD) Nos.1, 2, 3, 4, 10, and 11, Ontario and west, and sim- ilarly Capt F.A. Lister, RCR, who had just com- pleted a course at the British Army School of Signalling, was appointed Inspector of Sig- nalling (East) responsible for MD Nos. 5, 6, 7,8, 9, and 12, Quebec and east. Capt Car- ruthers made his headquarters in his home town of Kingston, while Capt Lister, who was stationed in Fredericton, prepared to set up his headquarters in Quebec City. The Annual Report of M&D for 1903 emphasized the vital importance of signalling and the need of a special Signalling Corps. Approval was given for every MD to have a District Signalling Offi- cer together with NCOs and privates. The 1904 Report carried on in much the same en- thusiastic vein telling that the signal sections in PAM units would be under the direction of the Inspectors of Signalling. It announced that a MD signalling establishment was to con-

sist of an officer, a sergeant, a corporal, and four privates. It also stated that 41 units had signalling equipment and that 27 officers and 83 NCOs were undergoing training, and of that number 19 officers and 41 NCOs had been granted qualification certificates. This rapid progress in the training of signallers was matched by the appointment of individuals as signal officers to various MDs. The first was MD No. 8 (Saint John, NB), where Sgt T.E. Powers was promoted to provisional lieutenant, 25 March 1904, and appointed Signal Officer. During the First World War, Powers was one of the first to serve in the Canadian Expedi- tionary Force (CEF). The Maritimes led the way with MDs Nos. 9 (Halifax) and 12 (Char- lottetown) on 14 April 1904. All the rest fol- lowed later that same year, except MD No. 2 (Toronto) in 1906 and MDs Nos. 11 and 13 (in Victoria and Calgary) in 1910.* During 1905, 546 men were under training of which 2 officers qualified at the instructor level,

* See Appendix 3

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Maj Carruthers in his Kingston Office with his clerk. Note the heliograph

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Grade A, and 17 officers, 28 NCOs, and 60 men had qualified Grade B, a total of 107. The Corps was small but its influence was growing rapidly. By GO No. 42, 1 March 1905, five PAM units were responsible to have two officers of each of their sub-units trained as signalling instructors and ten per cent of their establishment of NCOs and men trained as assistant instructors, available to instruct the NPAM. Five of the best rank and file assistant instructors would be paid 10 cents a day extra, providing they had a Grade A certificate. NPAM officers and NCOs who qualified as instructors and assistant instructors were granted a gratuity of $5.00 for officers and$3.00 for men. All men who were given a Grade B certificate were allowed to wear the Signalling Badge. This obvious success led to Captain Carruthers’ promotion to major on 20 March 1906 and his appointment as Assis- tant Adjutant General (AAG) for Signalling in command of the CSC, and Capt Lister to Deputy Assistant Adjutant General (DAAG) for Signalling. As AAG for Signalling Carruthers reported directly to the Chief of the General Staff (CGS).

While the CSC was being formed and reach- ing out into all the Military Districts, there were a number of significant reforms and improvements instituted in the Canadian Militia. In 1901, the service of volunteers in the NPAM was recognized with the institution of the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers’ Decoration (VD) and the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal. The decoration was awarded for 20 years commissioned service, the medal for 20 years non-commissioned service. Full- time service could not be counted. It was possible to earn both the decoration and the medal, and 12 officers of the Corps did so. After the First World War, the regulations were amended to allow full-time service between 4 August 1914 and 1 January 1921 to be counted, and any time in the CEF between 4 August 1914 and 11 November 1918 to be counted as double time. As a result of these new regulations,

18 Signal officers received decorations, which allowed them to use the post-nominal VD, and 51 officers and men re-

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ceived the medal. Many of the CSC personnel had extensive previous service before the beginning of the Corps in 1904, which resulted in three awards to the CSC: in 1909, Capt E.W. Farwell (MD No. 6) received the Medal; in 1915, Maj J.T. Hennessy (MD No. 1) received the Medal; and in 1917, Maj D.E. Mundell (MD No. 3) received the Decoration.*

In 1904, M&D instituted Efficiency Pay. One of the stumbling blocks to turning out men for active service or field training was the low rate of pay for private soldiers. The daily rate was 50 cents, a rate not changed since 1859. Even a sergeant major made only a dollar a day. The purpose of the new regulation was to raise the daily rate of pay for the ranks of sergeant and below, and at the same time improve the standard of training. If a soldier met a basic standard of training his pay was increased by 20 cents a day at the end of his first year of service, by 40 cents a day in his second year, and by 50 cents a day in his third year. In this way, a private could double his rate of pay after three years of service. To meet the standard a soldier had to attend all parades, par- ticipate in all training, pass the shooting qualifications, and have a clean charge sheet. By 1907, the average rate of pay for a private had jumped to 90 cents a day, showing the sys- tem was working.

In 1905, after establishing the new combat support corps and combat service support corps, including the CSC, M&D began the process of increasing the strength of the cavalry, artillery, and infantry. The establishment of the infantry battalion, for example, was increased from six to eight companies, and a number of specialist sergeants were added including a signal sergeant. This reform was fol- lowed by some minor additions to strength in 1906 and more in 1907, when a signal officer was added along with a signal corporal and 10 signallers. Signalling was particularly stressed in the Garrison Artillery, where specialist pay was granted to “telephonists.” This increase in establishment was carried throughout the Militia so its overall strength

increased from

*See Appendix 4 for a complete list.

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30,000 in 1902 to 45,000 by 1908.Because of the growth in the numbers of

corps and regiments and their individual strengths, it was felt necessary to insert another level in the chain of command between the military districts and the Department of M&D. Four commands were created: Western (Ontario), Eastern (Ontario), Quebec, and Maritime, and in each area all military districts reported to Command Headquarters. The commander, a colonel, had a chief of staff (lieutenant-colonel), Deputy Assistant Adju- tant General (DAAG – a major), and staff officers representing the Engineers, Signals, and the Services: Medical, Veterinary, Ordnance, and Pay Corps. Along with these changes to the Army organization, a new daily pay scale was issued:

Lieutenant Colonel $5.00Major and Surgeon $4.00Captain (Adjutant) $3.50 Captain, Quartermaster,and Paymaster $3.00Lieutenant $2.00Provisional Lieutenant $1.50 Sergeant Major andBandmaster $1.25 Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant $1.00Orderly Room Sergeantand Hospital Sergeant* .90Sergeants: Pay, Signals, Pioneer, Stretcher Bearer, Drummer, andColour Sergeant* .85Sergeant* .75Corporal* . .60Bugler and Privates* .50

*These ranks were eligible for Efficiency Pay of a maxi- mum of 50 cents per day.

All non-commissioned ranks were also eligible for a 15 cent a day bonus if qualified in rifle shooting.

All of these improvements assisted in the growth and importance of the CSC. Rural corps, which trained only at summer camp, were to be taught semaphore. City corps, which did not attend summer camp, and PAM units were to be trained in heliograph,

lamp,

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Lt E. Forde (centre rear), 77th

Regiment Signal Officer with his Section, 1906.

flag, and semaphore.* District Signal Officers were to test units for proficiency and report to Maj Carruthers or to Capt Lister. Signal Schools were formed at Montreal, Winnipeg, Halifax, Quebec City, Kingston, Toronto, and London, where six to eight week courses were offered. The importance of signalling was re- inforced at RMC, where signalling was added to surveying and military administration under a single professorship. In 1906, the 1904 army establishment was amended to rec- ognize the newly-created Command structure. The CSC headquarters (full-time) consisted of the AAG and the DAAG for Signalling, a sergeant major and a sergeant as instructors, and a sergeant clerk. The Corps (part-time) consisted of 4

captains, one for each command, 12 lieutenants, 12 sergeants, 12 corporals, one of each for each military district, and 48 signallers, four for each district. In spite of its responsibility to ensure that military signallers were competent and properly certified, the Corps, which was spread across Canada, was extremely small (18 officers, 2 full-time; 15

*Flag denotes the use of one flag to send messages in Morse Code. One position represents a dot and another position a dash. Semaphore uses two flags, which when held in certain positions represent the letters of the al- phabet or numbers. Semaphore is much faster than Morse flag.

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Reading and Sending at Words per Minute for Heliograph Small Flag Lamp Sounder Semaphore % Accuracy Theory

Officers “Instructor” 8 8 8 8 10 95 66%NCOs and Men 8 8 8 8 10 95 66%“Assistant Instructor”Officers, Grade A 8 8 8 8 10 95 66%NCOs and Men, 8 8 8 8 10 95 66%Grade AOfficers, Grade B 6 6 6 6 8 90 66%NCOs and Men, 6 6 6 6 8 90 66%Grade B

Notes:1. For Grade A qualification the test was either on the Heliograph or Lamp;2. The test on the Sounder, an electro-mechanical device that makes a clicking sound representing the Morse Code

characters in order to test an operator in sending and receiving messages by Morse Code, was optional for NPAM personnel, other than Instructors.

3. Small flag meant Morse flag – white with a blue stripe or solid blue.4. Semaphore flags used two colours on the diagonal.

Senior NCOs, 3 full-time; and 60 Junior NCOs and men for a total of 93 all ranks). Com- mand Signallers began to be appointed almost immediately: Capt D.E. Mundell on 14 May 1906 to Eastern (Ontario) Command, CaptT.E. Powers on 1 June 1906 to Maritime Com- mand, and Capt F.C. Greaves on 20 February 1907 to Quebec Command, each remained MD Signal Officers as well.

In 1908, improvements continued to be made to the efficiency of the CSC. Under Maj Carruthers’ leadership, both PAM and NPAM units competed against each other in tests of signalling proficiency. All were trained to the same standard, using a common text book, Signalling Instruction in the British Army. The CSC had 6 officer and 27 NCO instructors who qualified candidates into two levels of signals training: Grade A and Grade B.

During 1908, 4 officers qualified Grade A and 40 Grade B, and 3 men at Grade A and 204 at Grade B. The annual reports of M&D in both 1908 and 1909 praised the continu- ing success of signalling training. They pointed out that all the CSC officers but one were qualified instructors. In 1909, a total of231 certificates were awarded, each one signed personally by Maj Carruthers. It was important to gain a certificate because CSC signal officers had to qualify within one year of appointment. GO 39, 1909, also

restricted the length of time they could hold the post to

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5 years, after which they had to return to regimental duty.

The year 1908 was important to the CSC because it was granted its own dress regulations. Up to this date, Corps personnel had worn infantry dress, although all qualified signallers were entitled to wear a distinguishing badge on the right arm. Recalling his days in the 21st Hussars, now the 21st Lancers, where the fac- ing colour of the Regiment was French grey, Maj Carruthers made it the predominate colour of the Corps. All NCOs and men had removable khaki serge shoulder straps edged with French grey, while the officer’s undress uniform had the shoulder straps and the cap edged in the same colour. For full dress, the helmet puggaree (hatband), collar, cuffs, and shoulder straps were in French grey. The trouser welts and mess waistcoat were also in French grey. At the same time, the Corps received its own cap and collar badge. Maj

Left : CSC Officer’s Cap Badge Right: CSC Man’s Cap Badge

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Left: CSC Officer’s Collar Badge Right: Man’s Collar Badge

Carruthers based the badge on that of the 21st Hussars, but instead of crossed lances and the number XXI, he used crossed flags and the letters CSC. The rest of the badge was traditional: a scroll bearing the motto

Velox, Versutus,Vigilans, surmounted by a beaver over the centre, with a spray of maple leaves on either side. Crossed signalling flags support- ing the monogram “CSC.” The whole surmounted by a Tudor Crown.

When manufactured the badge had the Imperial Crown. For officers the badge was in gilded metal with the flags enamelled, one blue and one white

Command, a qualified instructor;Lt A.M. Stroud, District Signal Officer for

MD No. 3 (Kingston), a qualified instructor; Capt E. W. Farwell, District Signal Officer

forMD No. 6 (Sherbrooke), not qualified;

Lt J. E. Lefebvre, District Signal Officer for MDNo. 7 (Quebec City), qualified Grade A;

Lt H.E. Figsby, District Signal Officer for MDNo. 8 (Saint John), qualified Grade B;

Lt W.C. Proudfoot, District Signal Officer for MD No. 9 (Halifax), a qualified instructor;

Lt J. Schofield, District Signal Officer for MDNo. 10 (Winnipeg), qualified Grade A;

Lt W. K. Rogers, District Signal Officer for MD No. 12 (Charlottetown), a qualified instructor.

The training cycle schedule was noted: 1st year, semaphore only; 2nd year, semaphore and Morse flag; 3rd year, semaphore, Morse flag,

CSC Button with a blue stripe. The and lamp. Withtrue Carruthers’ invention was the motto:Velox, Versutus, Vigilans, which meant Swift, Ac- curate, Watchful.

In the 1910 Annual Report of M&D, it was noted with pride that 285 signalling certificates (15 Grade A and 135 Grade B) had been awarded. In addition, 502 soldiers had attended one of the 9 Signalling Schools, so in the NPAM a total of 887 members, or about 2 per cent of its total strength was involved in signalling training. The CSC establishment was recorded:Maj D. E. Mundell, Command Signal

Officer for Eastern Command, a qualified instructor;

Capt T. E. Powers, Command Signal Officer for Maritime Command, a qualified instructor;

Lt J. T. Hennessy, District Signal Officer for MD No.1 (London), a qualified instructor;

Lt E. Forde, District Signal Officer for MD No. 2 (Toronto), and on 5 April 1910

Com- mand Signal Officer for Western (Ontario)

only a permanentstaff of five and a part-time staff of about one hun- dred, the amount of training carried out by the CSC for both the PAM and NPAM, with a strength of about 50,000 all ranks, was quite outstand- ing.

During 1910, the CSC continued to grow with MD No. 13 (Calgary) gaining a Signal Officer, Lt G.B. Bruce, on 7 Octo- ber 1910. On 1 July, Lt A. Leavitt was appointed Sig-

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Lt E. Forde,Western Ontario Command Signal Officer, 1910, wearing his CSC undress uniform with the new cap and collar badges and French Grey stripes on his trousers.The mourning band is in commemoration of the death of King Edward VII.

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nal Officer for MD No. 8 to fill the vacancy created when Lt H.E. Figsby resigned. Leavitt was a veteran of the South African War, and as a member of the 62nd Regiment had been a member of the 1902 Canadian Contingent at the Coronation of King Edward VII. Appar- ently, he was a figure of awe in the Section by reason of having two medals. By GO 41, 1 April 1910, the establishment of the CSC was increased, as a result of Canada now having 13 militia districts, to 4 captains, 13 lieutenants, 13 sergeants, 13 corporals, and 78 signallers, making a total district strength of 9 all ranks, and the Corps, 121.

Also during 1910, a Canadian contingent of 719 all ranks participated in the Corona- tion of King George V, including four members of the CSC: Sgts C.M. Crawford, G. Norton, and E. Young, and Cpl L. Cameron. Norton went overseas in 1914, was commissioned from the ranks, and became the first signal officer to be Killed-In-Action (KIA).

On 21 October 1910, the CSC suffered a se- rious blow, when Maj W. B.M. Carruthers died of tuberculosis. In the almost seven years since the founding of the Corps, he had built up not only an organization that had spread across Canada but also made signalling a vital part of military training. He was truly “The Fa- ther of the Canadian Signal Corps.” His fu- neral in Kingston was attended by all the senior military officers of the Garrison, repre- sentative contingents of every Garrison unit, the entire body of RMC cadets, great numbers of the local citizenry representing Queen’s University, and a number of clubs and associ- ations with which Carruthers was connected. Capt Lister, who had returned to regimental duty in 1909, was recalled from the RCR to re- place Carruthers as AAG for Signalling on 29 November 1910.

On 1 January 1911, Lister was given a new title: Assistant Director of Signalling, (AD Sig- nalling) and promoted to Major on 1 Novem- ber 1911. Capt McMillan, DAAG for Signals since May of 1910, was returned to his regiment. The Corps was now headed by

only one full-time officer. As of 1 April, the whole of the

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Capt E. Forde, 2 Divisional Signal Officer, in CSC full dress in 1911.

NPAM was re-organized in accordance with a plan to form it into tactical formations should it need to be mobilized for active service. The existing establishment of 4 commands com- prising 10 military districts was reformed into 6 infantry divisions and 4 cavalry brigades. Each divisional area was to have a divisional signal officer with a signalling section. The following appointments were effective 1 May 1911:No. 1 Division Headquarters, London:

Lt J.T. Hennessy, Signal Officer with No. 1 Section;

No. 2 Division Headquarters, Toronto: Capt E. Forde, Signal Officer with No. 2 Section;

No. 3 Division Headquarters, Kingston: MajD.E. Mundell, Signal Officer, with No. 3 Section in Kingston and No. 4 Section in Ottawa, along with Corps Headquarters;

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The Canadian Signal Staff, 1912. Front Row, l-r Sgt T. Davidson, _, Maj F.A. Lister, QM Sgt G. C. Birbeck, _. Rear Row, l-r _, Sgt H.T. May, _, Sgt H.W. Bonner.

No. 4 Division Headquarters, Montreal: Capt J.A.A. Germain, Signal Officer, with No. 5 Section in Montreal and No. 6 Sec- tion in Sherbrooke. Capt Germain had been appointed both Section Signal Officer and Command Signal Officer on 1 November 1910;

No. 5 Division Headquarters, Quebec City: Lt J.E. Lefebvre, Signal Officer, with No. 7 Section;

No. 6 Division Headquarters, Saint John: Capt T.E. Powers, Signal Officer, with No. 8 Section in Saint John and No. 9 Section in Salt Springs (Halifax).

Individual sections remained: No. 10 in Win- nipeg, No. 11 in Victoria, No. 12 in Charlot- tetown, and No. 13 in Calgary.

Also, in the field of communications, the Canadian Engineers (CE), which had formed the first telegraph section in 1905, was to pro- vide a telegraph section for each division.

By GO No. 12, 1 April 1912, a School of Sig-

nalling was established at Camp Petawawa with a permanent instructional staff of six, later changed to eight: one Sgt Maj, one QM Sgt, and six Sgts. They were authorized to wear a distinctive uniform: a blue tunic with French grey collar, cuffs, and shoulder straps. The lacing on the cuffs was in gold and the buttons had a Tudor crown on a maple leaf, surrounded by the title, “Canadian Signalling Staff.” The same title was on the shoulder straps in raised block letters. The instructors were: QM Sgt G. C. Birbeck and Sgt H.T. May of the RCHA, and from the RCR: Sgts A.G. Webb, G.C. Massey, H.W. Bonner, T. Davidson,J.R. Harrop, and H.Lowe. Birbeck, May, and Massey were commissioned while serving with the Canadian Signals during the First World War. Also, in 1912, further instructions were issued as to the wearing of the distinctive “Sig- nalling Badge.” On dress blue jackets, it was gold embroidered crossed flags and on khaki jackets, khaki

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crossed flags. For senior sig-

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Establishment of a Signal Troop

Officers Sgt Maj Sgt Cpl 2nd Cpl LCpl Spr Dvr/Btmn Total Riding Draught Pack Total 1 1 1 1 1 2 10 2 19 17 4 8 29

Establishment of a Signal Company

Unit Officers Sgt Cpl 2nd Cpl LCpl Spr Pte Dvr/Btmn Total Riding Draught Pack Total Bikes No. 1Sec*2 Dets 2 2 2 2 2 12 12 34 10 12 22Nos. 23 & 4Secs 3 6 6 48^ 9 69 3 3 6 12 24Total 5 8 8 2 2 12 48 21 101 13 15 6 34 24* Composed of the telegraph detachments which were attached from the two divisional field engineer companies.^ Includes 3 cooks and 3 batmen

In order to carry out this mandate, the Canadian Signal Corps establishment was increased

RanksMajor or Captain Captains or Lieutenants

Personnel 6*12^

Horses: Riding

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Draught Pack Carts Bicycles/MC

Sergeants 24Corporals 12Privates 192 96Drivers 36 12 24 12Batmen 12Total* Divisional Signal Officers

294 12 12 24 12 96

^ Brigade Signal Officers

nalling NCOs it was worn above the chevrons, and for all other qualified signallers it was worn below the elbow on the left sleeve. On 2 December 1912, authority was granted for the CSC to have a Corps Reserve, which allowed officers who wished to leave active service but not resign, to be kept on a list, which permit- ted them to return easily to active service. All

NSignaller’s Badge in metal and cloth

these measures indicated the growing importance of the CSC and the role of signalling in the Canadian Militia. The fact that the instructors at the Signal Centre were permanent force soldiers made it possible for them not only to run concentrated signalling courses in the summer but also to split up in the winter and to travel throughout Canada and organize and conduct classes at the local militia district level.

The 1912 Annual Report of M&D noted that 1,123 officers and men took signalling courses during the year, which emphasized map and compass work along with the use of the heliograph and the lamp. It made special mention of the Signalling School at Camp Petawawa, which helped the largest number ever, 456, to be granted certificates.

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The in-

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Canadian School of Signalling, Camp Petawawa, 1913. Maj Lister seated front row centre with both staff and students.

crease in training was partly due to the raising of the number of paid days for militiamen from 12 to 16 a year. It also noted that the there was an increase in the training of the telegraph sections, particularly with wireless, and the use of motorcycles (MC) by despatch riders (DRs).

By 1913, senior military leaders and politi- cians, particularly in Europe, were aware that a general war was possible. Preparing for the worst became the watchword in military cir- cles, and the Canadian General Staff was not immune. A long-time crusade, beginning in the 1880s, to get the city units into the field for summer training began to take shape in a modest way in 1912. All units went to camp from five to seven days in 1913, and most of the Militia, 59,000 strong, went to camp in the summer of 1914, with over 10,000 at Camp Petawawa. The next move on the part of M&D was to re-organize the Militia for mobilization. GO No. 96, 4 June 1913 authorized the CSC, now the Canadian Signal Corps, to be increased, subject to funds being available, in order to meet the desire of the Department to have six infantry divisions and 7 cavalry brigades at war establishment for mobilization. It meant for each Division a signal com-

pany and for each Brigade a signal troop. Each signal company was to be organized in four sections: one for the headquarters, and one for each of the infantry brigades. There was an immediate restriction, however, on the application of the re-organization. The increase in establishment would only apply to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th Divisions, with the signal sections in the 4th and 5th

Divisions to be disbanded. The signal sections in Western Canada would not be affected. The actual dis- position of signal sub-units showed that all of the Signal Companies were missing sections: No.1, three; No. 2, two; No. 3, one; and No. 6, one detachment. It was an ambitious mobilization plan for the Canadian Militia, which was 93 per cent part-time soldiers.*

Appendix A to GO No. 96 laid out a CE establishment table by rank for a Signal Troop, which would be attached to a cavalry brigade, and for a Signal Company, partly CE and partly CSC, which would be attached to an infantry division. The table showed the number in each rank and total number of officers and the total number of men. It also showed the distribution of horses and the total number. The rank of second corporal was unique to

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* See Appendix 5

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the Engineers, being a rank half way between a lance corporal and a corporal.

Because the CSC was so small in numbers, personnel for the new units had to be found elsewhere. The No. 1 Sections of each Signal Company and the Signal Troops were to be drawn from the CE, and made up if necessary from signallers in the cavalry or infantry. It was the recollection of Capt H.T. May in 1927, a sergeant on the staff of the School of Sig- nalling in 1913, that the No. 1 Sections were like “nobody’s children,” being under the CE for discipline and administration and under the CSC for training and employment. The personnel to make up Nos. 2, 3, and 4 Sec- tions would be attached to the CSC from cavalry or infantry units. In order to find sufficient officers, volunteers were to be sec- onded from cavalry, engineer, or infantry units provided they had a signalling certificate, an equitation certificate, and the qualifications for their rank. They were to be attached to the CSC for three years, after which they had to return to their respective regiments for at least one year. A divisional signal officer was to be part of the divisional staff and act as company commander. Individual

training was to be carried out during the winter and collective training in the summer at camp. There, visual signalling, wireless telegraphy, telegraph and telephone would be practised. Reconnaissance for signalling pur- poses would be taught. Each company and troop would carry out unit activities under field conditions.

In addition to the authorized divisional signal companies, the establishment provided for Nos. 10, 11, and 13 Signal Stations. The first line transport included 12 wagons or carts, light, and 96 bicycles, amended later in the year to motorcycles.

To increase the attractiveness of volunteer- ing for the NPAM, the M&D issued new daily pay rates in 1913 for the men:

Sergeant Major $1.85 Bandmaster $1.60Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant $1.35 Orderly Room Sergeantand Pay Sergeant $1.25Colour Sergeant $1.20 All other Sergeants $1.10 Corporals .95Privates .85

A Transmission Station, Canadian School of Signals, 1913, sending a message by Morse Flag. Capt Forde is standing in the back.

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Efficiency Pay was reduced to 15 cents a day, therefore, the average rate of pay of a

private soldier remained at $1.00 a day, the wage of a day labourer. Also, by the end of the year, all ranks had been issued the new

khaki uniform, which had been available to the PAM since 1907. It was the first new

uniform since 1855. In 1914, the Canadian Militia, reached its greatest strength of all

time, 75,000, and had a record 59,000 militiamen turn out for summer training.

Camp Petawawa was the site of the first field training at the divisional level, with

10,000 troops taking part in a mock bat- tle that lasted two days. There is no direct evi-

dence that CSC sections were there, but some of them should have been, since they

were responsible for communications at the brigade level. CE detachments provided

communications at the divisional level. According to the Annual Report of M&D for

1914, 1,240 all ranks took signalling training with 59 officers and 603 men given certificates. One of the officers, Capt G.A.

Cline, 20th Regt, while attend- ing a course at the Camp Petawawa School of Signalling in late August 1914, picked up news of the

European War on his Clapp East- man civilian radio. There was so much interest in the radio that he was asked to bring it to Ot-

tawa where the aerial was mounted on the Woods Building (M&D HQ), so the govern-

ment could get the latest news of the overseas situation. Cline joined the 1st

Divisional Signal Company in Camp Valcartier, and ended the First World War

as a major with the DSO, commanding the Canadian Corps Signal Com-

pany.The Militia training year, 1914-15, was cut

short by the Declaration of War, on 4 August 1914, on Germany by Britain. Canada, as part of the Empire, reacted quickly issuing GO No. 130, which put the entire army, PAM and NPAM, on alert on 6 August. Within two days, guards were placed on strategic installations, such as the St Lawrence Canals, important bridges, and all military installations. For the CSC, as for all units of the Canadian Army, the first priority was to put all sub-units,

especially the divisional signal companies, on a war foot- ing by recruiting up to full strength and to

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train five nights a week. Then, like the rest, the Corps waited to be called up in accordance with the mobilization plan that had been in effect for at least two years. The CSC had been re-organized and its establishment increased in 1913, so that communication services would be available for four infantry divisions and seven cavalry brigades. It was common knowledge, however, that only seven signal sections out of twelve, and only five telegraph sections out of nine and one wireless detachment out of seven were in existence. Worries on this score were in vain, because the Minister of Militia and Defence, the Hon. Sam Hughes, threw out the mobilization plan, and proceeded to raise a Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) on his own terms.

The Hon. Sam Hughes was a long-time Mili- tia officer and a foe of permanent officers, particularly British ones, who had done the majority of the mobilization planning. Hughes, an Orangeman and a staunch Con- servative, believed in the power of the volunteer citizen as represented by the NPAM. As a result of his beliefs, he sent telegrams to the commanding officers of the 226 militia units across Canada informing them of the forma- tion of the CEF, and inviting them to be part of the first contingent of 25,000, which was to be assembled at Valcartier, Quebec, a wilder- ness area just north of Quebec City. Fearing the war would be over before Christmas, volunteers from every militia unit flocked to Camp Valcartier, where, remarkably, within 30 days a tented camp was built complete with running water, roads, and electricity for the 32,665 officers and men who answered the call. After an initial period of confusion, the 1st Canadian Infantry Division (1CID) began to take shape. Since officers and men had come from almost every militia unit in the country, all with different names and numbers, Hughes decided that, to be fair to all, a new unit organization would be created. The arms units were numbered from one upwards

and service units would be numbered by divisions. Consequently, communicators, mainly from No. 2 Section, London, No. 4 Section, Toronto, and No. 7 Section, Saint John, were

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grouped into the 1st Divisional Signal Com- pany (1 Div Sigs Coy), which began to be formed around 12 August 1914. While Hughes may have distrusted the Mobilization Plan of 1912, only the fact that the NPAM had been re-organized into brigades and divisions complete with cavalry, artillery, engineers, signals, and a host of service support units made it possible to have 1 CID, 25,000 strong, armed, uniformed, and equipped, ready to sail to Great Britain on 3 October. Almost immediately, the call went out to form the 2nd

Canadian Infantry Division (2 CID); Canada was going to war in a big way. The next two chapters tell the story of Canadian communicators in the CEF, 1914 - 1919.

Meanwhile, more or less normal life continued in the CSC. The funding of the NPAM for 1914-15 was the highest ever, over $9 million. This was fortunate because it allowed training to go on, while at the same time militia units acted as recruiting stations for the CEF. The CSC, however, unlike other NPAM units, was not allowed to be a recruiting and training organization for the CEF. This was most unfor- tunate because many trained telegraphers and men with civilian telephone and wireless experience were recruited into units where their expertise was of little or no value. Further, the Signal service of the CEF was placed under command of the Canadian Engineers, which also took over the administration of the CSC in Canada. Maj F.A. Lister, AD Signalling, went to Camp Valcartier in August 1914 to take command of 1 Div Sigs Coy, which he took to France in 1915. Although he continued, on paper, to be in command of the CSC throughout the war, the reality was that he was overseas the entire time. Consequently, on 15 Novem- ber 1915, Capt W.F. Hadley, RCE, became act- ing AD Signalling and remained in the post until 7 October 1919. Hadley was part of the Engineer Training Depot that had been formed in Ottawa on 15 May 1915. There, both field engineers and signallers were trained for service overseas with the CEF. In June 1916, the Engineer portion of the Depot moved to Camp Valcartier, but

the Signal School remained in Ottawa until it was closed

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early in 1918, having sent its last draft overseas on 1 January 1918.

Beginning with the new fiscal year of 1915- 16 on 1 April, no more funds for recruiting or training were allocated to the NPAM. No more officers were posted to the CSC and in addition to the 10 officers who left in 1914, four more CSC and attached officers with experience went to the CEF: Lts H.R. Selfe, D.H. Sinclair,H.L. Maitland, and D.H. MacFarlane. Much of the strength and expertise of the CSC was lost as the officers and men who volunteered for the CEF were not easily replaced, since members of the NPAM were not paid after 31 March 1915. The very few officers and men who volunteered to remain after those who left for the CEF could do little more than man the signal offices at the various headquarters in Canada. With an establishment of only 294 officers and men, the CSC, after losing much of its strength to the CEF, gradually shrank to one captain, five lieutenants, and a few men by 1919. The NPAM, which had numbered 75,000 in 1914 had a strength of less than 2,000 by the fiscal year 1918-19. The CSC Headquarters Signalling School at Ottawa functioned as a recruiting station and training centre for signallers for the CEF from May 1915 until 1 January 1918. With the loss of so many signalling instructors to the CEF, the standard of training in Ottawa left much to be desired. Both 3 and 4 Div Sigs Coys were bro- ken up upon arrival in England in 1916, because they were deemed unsuitable to be sent to France as formed units. Maj T.E. Powers, DSO, was sent back from France to command the School, which he took over on 26 January 1917 in attempt to improve the standard of training.

Although most of the Divisional and Dis- trict Signal Sections were reduced to one officer and a few men by 1916, MD No. 3 Signal Section was an exception. Maj D. E. Mundell, who was both the 3rd Divisional Signal Officer and the District Signal Officer, was the most experienced and highly qualified CSC officer remaining in Canada, where he was also a medical doctor and a

professor of medicine at Queen’s University. He became aware that

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Professor L. Gill of the School of Mining had begun experimenting with wireless in 1902, and was eager to teach wireless telegraphy at the Divisional School of Signalling at Camp Barriefield, near Kingston. Mundell had brought in Sgt W. H. Reid, Signalling Sergeant of the 15th Regt in Belleville, to be chief instructor in the spring of 1915. Reid, in turn, brought in Sgt L.P. Reading, a former British regular with signalling training, to assist with the training. No wireless work was undertaken that summer because the military did not own any wireless equipment. But, Prof. Gill, now Capt L. Gill, 5th Field Company, CE, set up his own wireless equipment and broadcast between Camp Barriefield and Queen’s Univer- sity. This achievement and the knowledge that visual signalling with flags was impossible in France prompted Maj Mundell, in 1916, to have a wireless station set up in Camp Bar- riefield, and wireless telegraphy taught. Re- markably, Mundell had to apply for a licence to operate a radiotelegraph station from the Department of the Naval Service Radiotele- graph Branch. It was issued on 7 July 1916 giv- ing the station the call letters XWD. Wireless training went on during the summer including messages being sent from the central station to a mobile set in Gananoque, 20 miles distant. Between 1 January 1916 and March 1917, the 3rd

Divisional Signalling School qualified 780 signallers, including 50 with certificates in wireless. During the first course in 1917, instructions were received from M&D that all signalling courses in Canada were to cease; all instruction would be carried out at

the Canadian Engineering Training Division (Signals) in the UK. As a result, the Barriefield School was closed, and the wireless equipment was returned to Queen’s. Maj Mundell was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the CAMC, and placed in charge of the Queen’s Military Hospital on 18 October 1917. There was one positive outcome, however: the expertise of Sgt L.P. Reading was noted, and after the War he became a valued instructor in the newly created Royal Canadian Corps of Signals.

The Canadian Signal Corps, as for all units of the NPAM, was stood down in 1919 pending re-organization. In the Corps’ short life of 16 years, its authorized strength never exceeded 300 all ranks in a NPAM of 75,000 in 1914. Yet, it had accomplished all that Maj Bruce Carruthers had envisioned for it. When 1 Div Sigs Coy was formed in August of 1914, six of the ten officers on CSC strength went overseas, along with one from the Corps Reserve, and three of the eight attached officers. In addition to Maj Lister the following CSC officers proceeded overseas: Maj T.E. Powers, Capt E. Forde, Lts A. Leavitt, C.A. McCready, E.L. Un- derhill, and A. Stroud from the Corps Reserve, and attached officers: Maj J.T. Hennessy, and Capts F.G. Fox and L.J. Dunn. As well, 32 CSC men and 4 of the 8 instructors from the School of Signalling went with the 1 Div Sigs Coy. Among the officers four were decorated, and among the men 8 were commissioned in the field (one KIA) and 18 others were decorated (one KIA). Their record of service was exemplary, and inspired the many others who served in the Canadian Corps Signal Service during the First World War.

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