The Royal Canadian Corps of Signals (RCCS or RC Sigs; ) is a component within 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 ...

Communications and Electronics Branch The Communications and Electronics Branch () is a personnel branch of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). The army component of the branch is designated the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals (). History Major Wallace Bruce Matthews Carruthers (13 Feb ...

, consisting of all members of that

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 ...

who wear army uniform. Prior to 1968 it was a combat support corps of the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), 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 re ...

.The Regiments and Corps of The Canadian Army (Queen's Printer, 1964) The Royal Canadian Corps of Signals was re-instituted in 2013. It provides communication support and information systems for the Canadian Army. Signallers receive their training at

CFB Kingston Canadian Forces Base Kingston (also CFB Kingston) is a Canadian Forces base in Kingston, Ontario. History The Barriefield Military Camp, commonly called Camp Barriefield, was established as a military base at the outbreak of the First World ...

, Ontario, at the Canadian Forces School of Communication and Electronics (CFSCE). Upon completion of their trade's training, signallers are posted to one of three mechanized brigade groups in Canada, or the Canadian Forces Joint Signal Regiment at CFB Kingston. There are detachments of signallers at bases around Canada and other DND facilities. In the Second World War era, the corps badge consisted of a circle, with a

Tudor Crown The Tudor Crown was a crown created in the early 16th century for either Henry VII of England, Henry VII or Henry VIII, the first House of Tudor, Tudor monarchs of Kingdom of England, England, and destroyed in 1649 during the English Civil War. ...

on top with the text ''Royal Canadian Corps of Signals'' around the edge. At the centre of the circle is the Roman god Mercury. At the bottom is a ribbon with the text and eight maple leaves.

History

Major Wallace Bruce Matthews Carruthers established a militia (

Non-Permanent Active Militia The Non-Permanent Active Militia (NPAM) was the military reserve force of Canada from 1855 to 1940. It was composed of several dozen infantry battalions (redesignated as regiments in 1900) and cavalry regiments. After the withdrawal of British ...

) component of signallers under the designation ''Signalling Corps'' on 24 October 1903, making it the first independent signal corps in the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

. It was redesignated ''The Canadian Signal Corps'' on 4 June 1913. On 1 April 1919 as part of the restructuring based on experiences during the

Great War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, a regular (Permanent Active Militia) component was established as the ''Canadian Signalling Instructional Staff''. This was redesignated ''The Canadian Permanent Signal Corps'' on 15 December 1920. Shortly thereafter, on 15 June 1921,

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 The monarchy of Canada is Canada's Government#Forms, form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is one of the key components of Canadian sovereignty and sits at the core of Canadian federalism, Canada's cons ...

, bestowed on the permanent force portion of the organization the title ''The Royal Canadian Corps of Signals''. Meanwhile, on 1 August 1921, the militia component was re-titled ''Canadian Corps of Signals''; redesignated ''Royal Canadian Corps of Signals'' on 29 April 1936 (as part of the larger military restructuring that year). From the outset of the Second World War and before Canada's participation in 1939 members of the RCCS were active setting up radio equipment and signalling infrastructure at

Camp X Camp X was the unofficial name of the secret Special Training School No. 103, a Second World War British paramilitary installation for training covert agents in the methods required for success in clandestine operations. It was located on the n ...

near Oshawa on Lake Ontario. Many signallers became involved in the clandestine work of Pat Bayly and Sir

William Stephenson Sir William Samuel Stephenson (born William Samuel Clouston Stanger, 23 January 1897 – 31 January 1989) was a Canadian soldier, fighter pilot, businessman and spymaster who served as the senior representative of the British Security Coord ...

. Finally, the RCCS was aligned in nomenclature with the regular component as ''The Royal Canadian Corps of Signals'' on 22 March 1948, after the conclusion of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Korean War

In June 1950 North Korea invaded South Korea, initiating a conflict that became the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. A United Nations-led coalition was formed with 16 countries providing troops. Canada was one of the countries to intercede in the conflict. Over 26,700 Canadian troops served as part of the British Commonwealth Forces Korea. The RCCS was disbursed among the Canadian regiments as well as some American units and contributed to the overall success of the UN mission. Signallers served the war effort with distinction in multiple battles, one of which was the

Battle of Kapyong The Battle of Kapyong (; 22–27 April 1951), also known as the Battle of Jiaping (), was fought during the Korean War between United Nations Command (UN) forces—primarily Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand—and the 118th and 60th Divisio ...

Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI, generally referred to as the Patricias) is one of the three Regular Force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army of the Canadian Armed Forces. Formed in 1914, it is named for Princess Patrici ...

(PPCLI), with their attached signallers, held their position against a much larger enemy force during the first North Korean spring offensive. With such efforts by the PPCLI and signallers, The UN mission stopped North Korean aggression and subsequently provided deterrence that lead to an armistice, signed on 27 July 1953. This armistice is still in effect.

Post-War

During the 50s and 60s, the RCCS operated

Emergency Government Headquarters Emergency Government Headquarters is the name given for a system of nuclear fallout shelters built by the Government of Canada in the 1950s and 1960s as part of continuity of government planning at the height of the Cold War. Situated at stra ...

, nicknamed "Diefenbunkers", that served to ensure the

continuity of government Continuity of government (COG) is the principle of establishing defined procedures that allow a government to continue its essential operations in case of a catastrophic event such as nuclear war. Continuity of government was developed by the Br ...

at the height of the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

. The RCCS operated the

Ennadai Ennadai is a formerly populated place in the Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. Located on a peninsula that juts into northeastern Ennadai Lake, it faces an unnamed island. It is northwest of Churchill, Manitoba and west of Arviat. Ennadai and ...

Lake Radio Station (VEJ) from the summer of 1949 until 18 September 1954 when it was turned over to the Department of Transportation. When the Canadian Army,

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 ...

and

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 ...

were unified in 1968 to form 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 ...

, the RCCS was amalgamated into the Canadian Forces'

. On 19 April 2013, Minister of National Defence,

Peter MacKay Peter Gordon MacKay (born September 27, 1965), a Canadian lawyer and politician, served as Member of Parliament (Canada), Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2015 and as Minister of Justice (Canada), Minister of Justice and Attorney General (20 ...

, announced that the designation of "Royal Canadian Corps of Signals" would be restored for the army component within the Communications and Electronics Branch.
Restoring the historical designations of Canadian Army organizations.

Structure

Canadian Forces School of Communications and Electronics Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

* Canadian Forces Joint Signal Regiment * 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters and Signal Squadron * 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters and Signal Squadron * 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters and Signal Squadron * 31 Signal Regiment * 32 Signal Regiment * 33 Signal Regiment *34 Signal Regiment *35 Signal Regiment * 36 Signal Regiment * 37 Signal Regiment * 38 Signal Regiment * 39 Signal Regiment * 41 Signal Regiment * 21 Electronic Warfare Regiment **Regimental Headquarters (Regular) **211 Electronic Warfare Squadron (Regular) **212 Electronic Warfare Squadron (Regular) **214 Electronic Warfare Squadron (Reserve) **215 Electronic Warfare Squadron (Regular) **218 Combat Service Support Squadron (Regular)

Colonels-in-Chief

Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood Mary, Princess Royal (Victoria Alexandra Alice Mary; 25 April 1897 – 28 March 1965) was a member of the British royal family. She was the only daughter of King George V and Mary of Teck, Queen Mary, the sister of kings Edward VIII and George VI ...

(1940–1965) *

Anne, Princess Royal Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950) is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of King ...

(1987-now)

Notable former members

* William Arthur Steel – An officer with the RCCS during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and radio pioneer. * Jack Kane – He was

Anglo Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term ''Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to people of British d ...

-Canadian

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestrat ...

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...

and

clarinetist The clarinet is a single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches. The clarinet family is the largest woodw ...

who served with the trumpet band from 1942 to 1945. * James Gayfer – Served with the RCCS trumpet band in Europe. He was also the Director of the Band of

The Canadian Guards The Canadian Guards (officially known as the Regiment of Canadian Guards) was an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army that served in the same role as the five regiments of foot guards in the British Army. The regiment was formed on 16 October ...

in the 1950s and early 60s. * William Carlton Woods

References

External links

{{Commons category, Royal Canadian Corps of Signals
Communications and Electronics Museum

NWT Historical Timeline, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre
RC Sigs Militaria Web Site
Administrative corps of the Canadian Army Military communications corps Military communications of Canada 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 Military units and formations disestablished in 1968 Military units and formations established in 2013