Canadian Military Engineers
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The Canadian Military Engineers (CME; ) is the military engineering
personnel branch Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any oth ...
of the
Canadian Armed Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...
. The members of the branch that wear army uniform comprise the Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE; ). The mission of the Canadian Military Engineers is to contribute to the survival, mobility, and combat effectiveness of the Canadian Armed Forces. Their roles are to conduct combat operations, support the Canadian Forces in war and peace, support national development, provide assistance to civil authorities, and support international aid programs. Military engineers' responsibilities encompass the use of demolitions and land mines, the design, construction and maintenance of defensive works and fortifications, urban operations (hostile room entry), breaching obstacles, establishing/maintaining lines of communication, and bridging. They also provide water, power and other utilities, provide fire, aircraft crash and rescue services, hazardous material operations, and develop maps and other engineering intelligence. In addition, military engineers are experts in deception and concealment, as well as in the design and development of equipment necessary to carry out these operations. The official role of the combat engineer is to allow friendly troops to live, move and fight on the battlefield and deny that to the enemy.


History


Local militia engineering companies 1855–1903

With the passing of the 1855 Militia Act, volunteer militia engineering companies formed within local militia units: * Halifax: two companies * Montreal: one company (1st Volunteer Militia Engineering Company) * Ottawa: one company * Quebec: one company


Creation

Following the
Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...
the Canadian Government realized that the defence of Canada required more than just a single infantry battalion and a few artillery batteries as part of the permanent defence force. In 1903 The Royal Canadian Engineers were founded as the basis of the permanent military engineers, while the militia had the Royal Canadian Engineers created under the leadership of a former Royal Military College of Canada officer cadet, Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Weatherbe.


First World War

One of the first tasks completed by the engineers after the declaration of war upon
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
in 1914 was for the rapid development of the Valcartier training site in
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
. At its peak size, 30,000 men were stationed here before the
1st Canadian Division The 1st Canadian Division (French: ) 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 ...
was deployed to England. When the 1st Division arrived on the front in
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
they were accompanied by field companies of the Canadian Engineers (men recruited into the service after the start of the war were part of the Militia branch and not the regulars). These troops were responsible for the construction of defences, sanitation systems, water supplies, bridging, and assisting with trench raids. Canadian Engineers also served in the Middle East fighting the Turks. One of the most important functions of the
Sappers A sapper, also called a combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, preparing field defenses, ...
in the war was to dig tunnels for mines underneath enemy trenches, with which to plant explosives to destroy them. At the
Battle of Vimy Ridge The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the Battle of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in the First Army, against three divisions of ...
, and particularly at the Battle of Messines, several such mines were used to win the battle. The Canadian Military Engineers contributed three tunnelling companies to the British Expeditionary Force: 1st Canadian Tunnelling Company, 2nd Canadian Tunnelling Company and 3rd Canadian Tunnelling Company. One was formed from men on the battlefield, while two other companies first trained in Canada and were then shipped to France. The only
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
the Canadian Engineers have ever received was earned by Captain C. N. Mitchell for actions on 8 October 1918 at Canal de I'Escaut, north-east of
Cambrai Cambrai (, ; ; ), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the Escaut river. A sub-pref ...
. In total, more than 40,000 Canadians served as Engineers in the war, with 14,000 on the front on the last day of the war. On 1 June 2022, the perpetuation of No. 2 Construction Battalion, CEF, was assigned to the CME, with 4 Engineer Support Regiment having the honour of publicly recognizing the perpetuation.


Between the wars

On demobilization, the permanent force of Engineers was changed to 38 officers and 249 other ranks. As a matter of honour,
King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...
, the Canadian monarch bestowed on the organization the right to use the prefix ''royal'' before its name in 1932. On 29 April 1936, the Militia and Permanent components were joined to form the Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers. On this date the Militia adopted the
cap badge A cap badge, also known as head badge or hat badge, is a badge worn on uniform headgear and distinguishes the wearer's nationality and/or organisation. The wearing of cap badges is a convention commonly found among military and police forces, as ...
used by the regulars.


Second World War

The Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers expanded dramatically in size to support Canada's war effort. On August 31, 1939, the Permanent Force engineers included 50 officers (with 14 seconded to other branches of the Canadian Army) and 323 other ranks; the maximum size of the Corps was reached in 1944, when it included 210 officers and 6283 other ranks.Kerry, A. J. and McDill, W. A., ''The History of the Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers, vol. II (1936–1946)'', The Military Engineers Association of Canada, Ottawa, 1966. In keeping with
British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
practice,
company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...
-sized units in the two armoured divisions were called " squadrons" following
cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...
terminology. The following units were deployed in Canada and in Europe: * 1st Canadian Infantry Division **1st Field Company **3rd Field Company **4th Field Company **2nd Field Park Company * 2nd Canadian Infantry Division **2nd Field Company **7th Field Company **11th Field Company **1st Field Park Company * 3rd Canadian Infantry Division **6th Field Company **16th Field Company **18th Field Company **3rd Field Park Company *
4th Canadian Armoured Division Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'', a 1972 Soviet drama ...
**8th Field Squadron **9th Field Squadron **6th Field Park Squadron * 5th Canadian Armoured Division **1st Field Squadron **10th Field Squadron **4th Field Park Squadron * 6th Canadian Infantry Division in Pacific Command **20th Field Company **25th Field Company **26th Field Company **7th Field Park Company * 7th Canadian Infantry Division in Atlantic Command **15th Field Company **23rd Field Company **27th Field Company **5th Field Park Company * 8th Canadian Infantry Division in Pacific Command **21st Field Company **24th Field Company * I Canadian Corps **12th Field Company **13th Field Company **14th Field Company **9th Field Park Company **1st Drilling Company * II Canadian Corps **29th Field Company **30th Field Company **31st Field Company **8th Field Park Company **2nd Drilling Company * First Canadian Army **First Canadian Army Troops Engineers ***5th Field Company (unit code 1207) ***20th Field Company (unit code 1208) ***23rd Field Company (unit code 1209) ***10th Field Park Company (unit code 1210) **2nd Canadian Army Troops Engineers ***32nd Field Company ***33rd Field Company ***34th Field Company ***11th Field Park Company **No. 1 Workshop and Park Company **1st Field (Air) Survey Company **2nd Field Survey Company **3rd Field (Reproduction) Survey Company *General Headquarters (GHQ) and Line of Communication (LoC) Troops **1st Mechanical Equipment Company **1st Mechanical Equipment Park Company **2nd Battalion **3rd Battalion **1st Road Construction Company **2nd Road Construction Company **No. 1 Railway Operating Company **No. 1 Railway Workshop Company *Other units **1st Chemical Warfare Company (in Canada, September 1942 – 31 August 1943) **2nd Chemical Warfare Company (in Canada, September 1942 – 31 August 1943) **No.1 Tunnelling Company R.C.E. (in Gibraltar) **No.2 Tunnelling Company R.C.E. (in Gibraltar) The senior officers of the Corps in World War II were as follows: *Chief Engineer, First Canadian Army **Major-General Charles Sumner Lund Hertzberg (6 April 1942 – 23 June 1943) **Brigadier James Learmont Melville (24 June 1943 – October 1943) **Brigadier Allister Thompson MacLean (20 October 1943 – 1 September 1944) **Brigadier Geoffrey Walsh (2 September 1944 – 20 July 1945) **Colonel Henry Lloyd Meuser (Acting Chief Engineer, 21 July 1945 – 31 December 1945) *Chief Engineer, I Canadian Corps **Brigadier Charles Sumner Lund Hertzberg (25 December 1940 – 6 April 1942) **Brigadier James Learmont Melville (6 April 1942 – October 1943) **Brigadier Alan Burton Connelly (1943–1944) **Brigadier Colin Alexander Campbell (27 July 1944 – 23 April 1945) **Brigadier John Despard Christian (24 April 1945 – 17 July 1945) *Chief Engineer, II Canadian Corps **Brigadier Allister Thompson MacLean (1943) **Brigadier William Norman Archibald Bostock (1943–1944) **Brigadier Geoffrey Walsh (13 February 1944 – 1 September 1944) **Brigadier Dudley Kingdon Black (2 September 1944 – 16 June 1945)


Korea


Post-Korea, Unification and the Cold War

The branch maintained a military band in its ranks from 1953 to 1968. During its 15 years in existence, the band performed for members of the Canadian royal family, Governors General of Canada including Georges Vanier, and American President Lyndon B. Johnson. In 1968, the band was dissolved, with most being sent to the
Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...
. On 1 February 1968, the Canadian Army,
Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...
, and
Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) 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 environmental commands within the unified Can ...
were officially unified as the Canadian Armed Forces. As such the Royal Canadian Engineers, Royal Canadian Navy Civil Engineers and Royal Canadian Air Force Construction Division were amalgamated. However, the new branch went under the name Royal Canadian Engineers until 1973 when the branch was officially named as the Canadian Military Engineers. The present day structure of army field units was set on 17 June 1977 with the creation of 1 Combat Engineer Regiment (1 CER), 2 CER, 4 ESR and 5 CER.Canadian Forces Publication A-AD-267-000/AF-003 Official Lineages of the Canadian Forces Volume 3, Part 1: Armour, Artillery and Field Engineer Regiment

/ref> The new regiments were each created from one of the squadrons of the former 1 Field Engineer Regiment.


21st century

The role of the Canadian Military Engineers has been expanding. The regular force component has been expanding the size of their units, due to the current missions of the Canadian Armed Forces. In April 1997, Canada's Primary Reserve reorganized into ten brigade groups and in November 1997, the first reserve combat engineer regiment was created by converting an armoured reconnaissance regiment. A number of years later the three field engineer regiments, and seven independent field engineer squadrons were reorganized into combat engineer regiments. Three Canadian brigade groups had more than one engineer unit, and one ( 38 Canadian Brigade Group) did not have any units at all. Now the field engineer regiments have been redesignated or amalgamated to become combat engineer regiments, and the field engineer squadrons have either been amalgamated to make new combat engineer regiments or reroled as generic engineer squadrons. 38 CBG previously had 21st Field Engineer Squadron, based in Flin Flon, Manitoba. It was however disbanded in 1995. In 2003, the
Fort Garry Horse The Fort Garry Horse is a Canadian Army Reserve armoured warfare, armoured regiment based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is part of 3rd Canadian Division's 38 Canadian Brigade Group. It traces its history to a cavalry regiment first formed in ...
in
Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...
, began hosting what became 31 Engineer Squadron in 2012. The brigade formed 46 Engineer Squadron in
Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...
in 2012, which was a subunit of the North Saskatchewan Regiment until it gained full strength. Both squadrons are now subunits of 38 Combat Engineer Regiment. The deployment in Afghanistan required considerable use of engineers for road clearance, explosive ordnance disposal, heavy equipment, and combat support. By the end of the deployment 16 members of the RCE were killed in Afghanistan. In April 2013, the title ''Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers'' was brought back for the army element of the branch.


Customs and traditions


Colonel-in-chief

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
, Queen of Canada, was the colonel-in-chief of the CME until her death in 2022. King
George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...
,
Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...
, and
George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952 ...
all served as previous colonels-in-chief of the Royal Canadian Engineers.


Mottos

King George V granted the CME the same mottoes as the Royal Engineers. (Latin, "Everywhere") serves as a substitution for the battle honours the corps would have obtained if they were a line regiment. (Latin, "Whither right and glory lead")


Cap badge

From shortly after their creation until 1967, the Royal Canadian Engineers had a nearly identical cap badge to the Royal Engineers. This consisted of the Cipher of the Reigning monarch, surrounded by the Garter, surmounted by the crown with the words ''Royal Canadian Engineers'' on the scroll at the bottom, and surrounded by maple leaves instead of laurels. The cap badge came to its current form after unification. Since the Royal Canadian Engineer cap badge was representative only of the army, a new one was developed, which is almost identical to that worn by the (Army's) non-permanent Canadian Engineers prior to the Great War (which was not bilingual and did not use enamel). In bilingual format, the words ''Engineers'' and appear on the cap badge indicating the bilingual nature of the CME. The word also appears, a motto inherited by engineers and artillery in the Canadian military from their British forebears. From the 1960s to the late 1980s or early 1990s, the branch badge was enamel-highlighted cast metal with a prong-type slider to attach to both the beret and forage cap. The collar dogs (worn only on army uniforms after introduction of distinctive environmental uniforms) were miniatures of the cap badge. By 1998, the metal cap badge had been replaced by an embroidered cloth version which was sewn directly to the beret. Collar dogs were replaced by a crouching beaver over the motto . Left- and right-facing beavers are required for a complete set.


Chimo

The CME/RCE greeting or toast is "chimo" ( ). This expression is also often used as a closing on correspondence between engineers. The word ''chimo'' is derived from the
Inuktitut Inuktitut ( ; , Inuktitut syllabics, syllabics ), also known as Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, is one of the principal Inuit languages of Canada. It is spoken in all areas north of the North American tree line, including parts of the provinces of ...
greeting: that means "hello," "goodbye," "peace be with you," and similar sentiments. This salutation was used in the Ungava region of northern Quebec and shares the same derivation as Fort Chimo (today Kuujjuaq) on Ungava Bay in northern Quebec. The current spelling and pronunciation result from the English and French languages importing the
loanword A loanword (also a loan word, loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language (the recipient or target language), through the process of borrowing. Borrowing is a metaphorical term t ...
from Inuktitut. On April 1, 1946, the Canadian Army assumed responsibility for the portions of the Alaska Highway that lay within Canadian boundaries. This section of the highway was renamed the "Northwest Highway System" and the responsibility for maintenance was given to the Royal Canadian Engineers for the next 20 years. The soldiers of the CME/RCE adopted the greeting of "chimo" and in 1973 it became the cheer of the CME.


CME Flag

The present CME flag was created at the time of unification. It measures six "units" long by three "units" high, and is in the colours of brick red and royal blue.


Engineer Prayer

The Engineer Prayer was created for 2 Field Engineer Regiment by Major Hugh Macdonald, the unit's padre. It goes as follows:


Patron saint

The Canadian Military Engineers have no patron saint but Engineers often take part in artillery celebrations honouring St. Barbara, the patron saint of the artillery. Engineers, along with the artillery and miners, celebrate her feast day on December 4. St. Barbara is the patroness of artillerymen, fireworks manufacturers, firemen, stonemasons, against sudden death, against fires, and against storms (especially lightning storms).


Equipment

The CME/RCE has various equipment for use in supporting the
Canadian Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...
at home and on deployment overseas. For more refer to Engineering and support vehicles of the Canadian Forces.


Training


Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering

The Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering (CFSME) at CFB Gagetown in Oromocto, New Brunswick is responsible for the conduct of 85 different courses that span all ranks and occupations within the Field, Construction and Airfield Engineer organizations. CFSME is the Canadian Forces Centre of Excellence in Engineer Training and home of the Engineers.


Units


Regular Force units


Reserve Force units


Order of precedence


See also

* List of Canadian organizations with royal prefix * Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment *
Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...


References


External links


Canadian Forces RecruitingCanadian Forces and Department of National Defence
{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Canadian Engineers Administrative corps of the Canadian Army Military units and formations established in 1903 Army units and formations of Canada in World War I Army units and formations of Canada in World War II Canadian Armed Forces personnel branches Military history of Canada Military engineer corps