CFB Gagetown
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5th Canadian Division Support Base (5 CDSB) Gagetown, formerly known as and commonly referred to as CFB Gagetown, is a large Canadian Forces Base covering an area over , located in southwestern
New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...
.


Construction of the base

At the beginning of the
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, Canadian defence planners recognized the need for providing the
Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...
with a suitable training facility where brigade and division-sized armoured, infantry, and artillery units could exercise in preparation for their role in defending western Europe under Canada's obligations to the
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. The facility would need to be located relatively close to an all-season
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port and have suitable railway connections. Existing training facilities dating from the
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and
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s in eastern Canada were relatively small ( Camp Debert, Camp Aldershot,
Sussex Military Camp The Sussex Military Camp, frequently shortened to Camp Sussex, was a training facility for the Permanent Active Militia and Non-Permanent Active Militia, later known as the Canadian Army. It was located on the southeastern edge of the town of S ...
,
Camp Valcartier Canadian Forces Base Valcartier (CFB Valcartier), now re-designated 2 Canadian Division Support Base Valcartier (2 CDSB Valcartier), is a Canadian Forces base located in the municipality of Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, north northwest of Quebe ...
,
Camp Petawawa Garrison Petawawa is located in Petawawa, Ontario. It is operated as an army base by the Canadian Army. Garrison facts The Garrison is located in the Ottawa Valley in Renfrew County, northwest of Ottawa along the western bank of the Ottawa ...
, Camp Utopia), thus a new facility was considered. At the same time, regional economic development planners saw an opportunity for a military base to benefit the economy of southwestern New Brunswick. The area under consideration was an expansive plateau west of the Saint John River between the cities of Saint John and
Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River, which flows west to east as it bisects the city. The river is the do ...
, measuring approximately in length and in width; more accurately it runs between
Oromocto "Effort Brings Success" , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_flag = Oromotco NB flag.png , image_shield = Oromocto NB coat of arms.jpg , image_map = , map_caption = , ...
in the north to
Welsford Welsford may refer to: * Welsford is the name of a community in New Brunswick, Canada * Welsford is the name of two communities in Nova Scotia, Canada * Welsford is also a family name. e.g. Malcolm Welsford Malcolm Welsford is a New Zealand Re ...
in the south, and between the Saint John River in the east and the south branch of the
Oromocto River The Oromocto River is a tributary of the Saint John River in southwest New Brunswick, Canada. The Oromocto River is formed by the combination of the North and South Branches near Fredericton Junction, and flows north-northeast for to its mout ...
in the west.Canadian Forces Base Gagetown
/ref> Over 900 families inhabited the area primarily engaged in agriculture and forestry industries. The terrain was variable, providing mixed Acadian forest, swamp and marshland, as well as open farming areas similar to the
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. The influence of the ''St. Croix Highlands'', part of the
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range, creates hilly terrain and valleys in the southern and western part of the region close to the Nerepis and Oromocto Rivers. The expropriation of lands began in the early 1950s, much to the surprise of local residents who had been kept in the dark about the expropriation until the last minute. The base was surveyed so as to not affect some of the historic communities along the western bank of the Saint John River such as Gagetown,
Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...
, and Browns Flat; the expropriation began several kilometres west of the river and eliminated the communities of Petersville, Hibernia, New Jerusalem, North Clones and others. This remains the largest single land expropriation in the
history of New Brunswick The history of New Brunswick covers the period from the arrival of the Paleo-Indians thousands of years ago to the present day. Prior to European colonization, the lands encompassing present-day New Brunswick were inhabited for millennia by the s ...
.History: From the days of wooden ships...
/ref> The base headquarters were chosen for the northern part of the base adjacent to the (then) small village of Oromocto. In preparation for the influx of service personnel, Oromocto was redesigned as a "planned" town, with buried electrical utilities and residential and commercial clustering typical of larger planned towns such as
Richmond Hill, Ontario Richmond Hill (Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population: 202,022) is a city in south-central Regional Municipality of York, York Region, Ontario, Canada. Part of the Greater Toronto Area, it is the York Region's third most populous municipality and th ...
. Construction of the base facilities in Oromocto benefited from convenient railway connections provided by
Canadian National The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I railroad, Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern United States, M ...
and
Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...
s. A new alignment of the
Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway ( French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the Atlantic Ocean o ...
was built on the eastern bank of the Saint John River, opposite from Oromocto in the early 1960s (see Route 2) and a new highway bridge across the Saint John River connected the Trans-Canada Highway to the village of Burton, just south of Oromocto and near the east gate for the base. The ''Gagetown Military Camp'' (or ''Camp Gagetown'') opened in 1956 and was named after the village of Gagetown, although the base was located west of this historic village and was headquartered to its north in Oromocto. The base's territory measured and included numerous live-fire ranges for infantry, armoured, and artillery units, as well as aerial weapons ranges. At the time of its opening in 1956, until the opening of
Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area is a heritage-listed military installation at Byfield Road, Byfield, Queensland, Byfield, Shire of Livingstone, Queensland, Australia. It is a large, relatively undisturbed and intact natural system with a ...
in Australia in 1965, Camp Gagetown was the largest military training facility in the
Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...
. By comparison,
CFB Suffield Canadian Forces Base Suffield (also CFB Suffield) is a Canadian Forces base, host to the largest military training area in Canada. It is located in southeastern Alberta, north-northwest of Suffield, northwest of the city of Medicine Hat and sou ...
has with usable by the military, and designated as the
Suffield National Wildlife Area Suffield National Wildlife Area (SNWA) is a National Wildlife Area located within the boundaries of CFB Suffield in Alberta, Canada. SNWA was formally created on the 19th of June, 2003 when it was officially gazetted under Canada Wildlife Act R ...
. The training area has been heavily "landscaped" over the years by military foresters and many woodlines have been sculpted to form shapes recognizable from the air, including: * Scotty Dog Woods * Square Woods * Flag Woods * The "CTC" cutting * The "Maple Leaf" cutting


Operations

Initially, Camp Gagetown was the home base for many army regiments, including The Black Watch and
The Royal Canadian Regiment , colors = , identification_symbol_2 = Maple Leaf (2nd Bn pipes and drums) , identification_symbol_2_label = Tartan , identification_symbol_4 = The RCR , identification_symbol_4_label = Abbreviation , mar ...
; however, defence cutbacks in the 1960s saw a gradual reduction, and the demise of their parent formation, 3 Brigade Group. On February 1, 1968, the Canadian Army, the
Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
, and the
Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...
were merged to form the unified Canadian Forces. Following this unification, Camp Gagetown was renamed ''Canadian Forces Base Gagetown'' (CFB Gagetown). In the post-unification armed forces, CFB Gagetown functioned as the primary combat training centre for Force Mobile Command (renamed
Land Force Command The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...
in the 1990s). In the early 1970s ''Combat Training Centre Gagetown'' (CTC Gagetown) was established as a unit at CFB Gagetown comprising armour, artillery, and infantry training schools. In the early 1970s 422 and 403 helicopter squadrons were relocated to CFB Gagetown. Their helipad is located at the end of Champlain Road. In the 1990s the
Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering The Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering (CFSME), located at CFB Gagetown in Oromocto, New Brunswick, is responsible for the conduct of 85 different courses that span all ranks and occupations within the Combat Engineering and Construct ...
was relocated to CFB Gagetown from
CFB Chilliwack Canadian Forces Base Chilliwack (also CFB Chilliwack) was a Canadian Forces base located in Chilliwack, British Columbia. Camp Chilliwack Military Camp Chilliwack (shortened to Camp Chilliwack) was established on February 15, 1942, on a parce ...
. The base is still widely referred to as Camp Gagetown. Increased defence spending in the 1980s saw numerous new training facilities built and ranges modernized, and this continued into the 1990s as the Canadian Forces closed smaller bases in response to further defence budget cuts. A large training building housing much of CTC was opened in late 1992. CFB Gagetown continues to function as the army's primary training facility, although due to risk of forest fires in recent years, live-fire training has been pushed primarily to the fall-winter-spring seasons.


Units and formations

Principal units and formations of the CFB Gagetown are: * 5th Canadian Division *
Combat Training Centre The Combat Training Centre (french: links=no, Centre d'instruction au combat) is responsible for individual training of Canadian Army soldiers and officers in military occupational classifications that are controlled by the Canadian Army. The cen ...
(Royal Canadian Armoured Corps School, Royal Canadian Artillery School, Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering, Infantry School and Tactics School) * 5th Canadian Division Support Group * 42 Health Services * 1 Dental Unit Detachment Gagetown and the Joint Personnel Support Unit * 2nd Battalion,
The Royal Canadian Regiment , colors = , identification_symbol_2 = Maple Leaf (2nd Bn pipes and drums) , identification_symbol_2_label = Tartan , identification_symbol_4 = The RCR , identification_symbol_4_label = Abbreviation , mar ...
* 4th Artillery Regiment (General Support), RCA * 4 Engineer Support Regiment * 403 Helicopter Operational Training Squadron * C Squadron,
The Royal Canadian Dragoons The Royal Canadian Dragoons (RCD) is the senior armoured regiment of the Canadian Army by precedence. It is one of three armoured regiments in the Regular Force and forms part of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps. The colonel-in-chief of The RC ...
* Joint Meteorological Centre * Canadian Army Trials and Evaluation Unit * 5th Canadian Division Training Centre * 3 Military Police Regiment Detachment Gagetown * Argonaut Army Cadet Summer Training Centre File:Coat of Arms of the Roman Catholic Military Ordinariate of Canada.svg, The Roman Catholic
Military Ordinariate of Canada The Military Ordinariate of Canada (french: Ordinariat militaire du Canada, la, Ordinariatus Militaris Canadensis) is a Latin Church military ordinariate of the Catholic Church. It is immediately Exemption (Catholic canon law), exempt to the Ho ...


Defoliant testing

Portions of the training area were subject to testing of
defoliant A defoliant is any herbicidal chemical sprayed or dusted on plants to cause their leaves to fall off. Defoliants are widely used for the selective removal of weeds in managing croplands and lawns. Worldwide use of defoliants, along with the ...
s during the 1960s. The use of
Agent Orange Agent Orange is a chemical herbicide and defoliant, one of the "tactical use" Rainbow Herbicides. It was used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. It ...
and Agent Purple has led to an inquiry as to its long-term effects upon the soldiers and civilian base personnel who were exposed to it. The affected areas had soil tests that measured
dioxin Dioxin may refer to: * 1,2-Dioxin or 1,4-Dioxin, two unsaturated heterocyclic 6-membered rings where two carbon atoms have been replaced by oxygen atoms, giving the molecular formula C4H4O2 *Dibenzo-1,4-dioxin, the parent compound also known as ...
levels at 143 times the
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guidelines for maximum exposure.


St. Mary's Chapel

CFB Gagetown has a chapel that is administered by the
Military Ordinariate of Canada The Military Ordinariate of Canada (french: Ordinariat militaire du Canada, la, Ordinariatus Militaris Canadensis) is a Latin Church military ordinariate of the Catholic Church. It is immediately Exemption (Catholic canon law), exempt to the Ho ...
. Services at the chapel are available for all military persons and the civilian personnel of the base. During the week, the chapel organizes
Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...
in French and English.


Economic facts

*The base and its lodger units provide full-time employment to approximately 6,500 military members and 1,000 civilians.City of Fredericton
/ref> *The base contributes over to the local economy annually. *The base contributes more than to the provincial economy annually.


References


Further reading

* Parr, Joy (2010). '' Sensing Changes: Technologies, Environments, and the Everyday, 1953-2003'', UBC Press.


External links


5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown

Places of Our Hearts, a Community Memories, Virtual Museum of Canada ExhibitionMilitary museum of the CFB Gagetown
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gagetown Buildings and structures in Queens County, New Brunswick Buildings and structures in Sunbury County, New Brunswick Canadian Forces bases in New Brunswick Heliports in Canada Military airbases in New Brunswick Royal Canadian Regiment Defoliants