A story of Canadian Military Communications 1903 2013 bgen William J. Patterson omm, cd (Ret’d)
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Once again, there were a number of awards for gallantry: the MC to 6; DCM to 5; and for the first time the Bar to the DCM to Cpl A.W. Mitchell; MM to 18; Bar to the MM to 5; MiD to 10. To guard the vital city of Cambrai and the open country to the east, the Germans had two lines of defence: the Canal du Nord, which was under construction and dry, and the Canal de l’Escaut. Gen Currie decided to attack in two phases: first to get over the Canal du Nord and capture the dominating feature of Bourlon Wood; second to cross the Canal de l’Escaut and capture the City of Cambrai. The attack began on 27 September 1918 at 0520 hours with 1 CID on the left and 4 CID on the right. With an extra strong engineer presence and continuous artillery support by leapfrogging batteries, the two divisions were over the canal and into the German main de- fences by nightfall. Their success allowed room for the British 11th Division to come up on the left of 1 CID and for 3 CID to come up on the right of 4 CID to continue the attack on the following day. The fighting on the 28th was fierce as the Germans fought tenaciously to hold onto their strong defensive positions. The advance continued on the 29th but the third day of the attack was even more bitter and less satisfying. There were few gains in spite of suffering over 2,000 casualties. Never- theless, General Currie felt that it was better to keep attacking thus preventing the Ger- mans from mounting a serious counter-attack. 3 and 4 CIDs therefore resumed the attack on 30 September but to little avail, leaving the Canadian Corps still far from its ultimate ob- jective of the Canal de l’Escaut. The attack continued with all four divisions resuming the assault at 0500 hours on 1 October. On the left, the British 11th Division and 1 CID made no headway but 3 and 4 CIDs did advance the line about a mile. By now all the leading divi- sions were extremely tired and on 2 October, they were ordered to hold the line while 2 CID took over much of the front. In five days, the Canadian Corps had captured more than 7,000 prisoners and 205 guns. It had broken the last organized German defences in front of Cambrai, which the Germans seemed de- termined to defend to the death. The end came on the night of 9 October at 0130 hours, when 2 CID completely surprised the Germans, who were in the midst of a general withdrawal, including the desertion of Cam- brai. The advance continued on the 10th and the 11th by 2 CID, which made some progress, but the Germans continued to resist strongly. This point marked the end of the battle by the Canadian Corps and most of it was withdrawn into reserve. The Battle of the Canal du Nord - Cambrai had lasted 15 days, during which the Corps had broken the back of one the most heavily defended German positions. The cost of 13,672 casualties was high, 20 per cent of the 68,500 Canadians involved. From the Scarpe to Cambrai, the Canadian Corps had
taken 18,585 prisoners, captured 371 guns and nearly 2,000 machine guns, liberating over 116 square miles of French territory, in- cluding 54 towns and villages. The cost to the CCSS from 27 September to 11 October was 7 dead: Spr R.S. Bartlett, Sgt C.V. Boyd, MM, Sigmn H. Ellis, Spr W. Greend- halgh, Spr W.D. Spear, MM, Spr D.E. Stegh- meier, and Spr D.S. Stuart. All of the Divisional Signal Companies made reports in their war diaries on their experiences: 1 Div Sigs Coy’s dismounted parties carrying a cable across the Canal went into the cellar of a chateau and captured 28 Germans hiding there; 2 Div Sigs Coy reported that although the new CW, MK III, W/T sets worked well, line was still laid from brigade to battalion under direct observation of the enemy, resulting in one of the cable wagon horses being killed by MG fire; 3 Div Sigs Coy observed that tank sup- port was a mixed blessing; the tanks were con- stantly tearing down the pole lines; 4 Div Sigs Coy noted that lines on short poles worked better during rapid advances. In spite of these difficulties, the CHQ Sigs Coy recorded that at the Canal du Nord it had built 6 miles of air- line in one day. It proudly reported that since 8 August the Company had constructed 58 miles of 6 pair semi-permanent lines, and had rewired 18 miles of former German lines. The severity of the fighting brought many names forward for awards of gallantry: the MC to 6; Bar to the MC to 1; DCM to 3; Bar to the DCM to Sgt H.J. Faulkner; MM to 24; Bar to the MM to 2; Second Bar to the MM to 1. By 16 October, 1, 2, and 4 CIDs were back in the line and probing German defences. On the next day, they found that the Germans were in the midst of a general retreat, al- though they continued to defend the line of the Canal de la Sensee. It was 18 October be- fore 2 and 4 CIDs made bridgeheads over the canal. Once across, all three divisions made rapid progress, and on the 19th the Canadians advanced 12,000 yards, the greatest advance of the war. On 20 October, 2 CID went into re- serve, to be followed by 1 CID on the 22nd. The advance continued by 3CID on the left and 4 CID on the right. By the evening of the 23rd, the Canadian Corps was holding a front eight miles long against the west bank of the Canal de l’Escaut, with the Germans defending the east bank. There was a pause in the war on this front for a few days as the Canadian Corps was far ahead of its British flanking divisions, which needed to catch up. At the same time, the Canadians had stretched their supply lines to the maximum and a few days were needed to rest and replenish the front-line troops. On 1 November 1918, the battle for Valenciennes began with 10 CIB, “going over the top”, at 0515 hours, supported by the heaviest barrage of artillery and machine gun fire ever given to a single brigade. In a little more than an hour, the dominating height of Mont Houy had been captured and by 1020 hours Canadians were in the suburbs of the City. Gen Currie recorded that the operation on 1 November was one of the most successful the Corps had yet performed. The battle continued on the next day, but the Germans soon abandoned Valenciennes and all the ground to its imme- diate east. The advance towards Mons was made difficult more by German demolitions, hilly terrain, and constant rain, than by seri- ous German resistance. By 7 November, 4 CID was replaced by 2 CID, and it and 3 CID led the way into Belgium, where for the first time Canadians saw a countryside little affected by devastation. In the early morning hours of 11 November, Mons was captured. At 1100 hours, an Armistice, that had been some weeks in negotiation, came into effect, and the war was over. Being well-trained signallers the Canadian Corps Cease Fire message was saved: Corps Wrls G121 Hostilities will cease at 1100 K on 11 November, Troops will stand fast on the line reached at that hour which will be reported to Corps HQ aaa Defensive precautions will be maintained There will be no intercourse of any description with the enemy Further instructions will follow aaa Dvsn GOCRA CCHA CMGC CE Repeated all concerned Acknowledge Can Corps 0605 K Although there were no major battles during the last days of the war, the number of fatal ca- sualties from mid October to 31 December, to account for those dying of wounds, was high. By this time in 1918, deaths from Spanish in- fluenza were occurring. The CCSS lost 15 men during this period: Spr H.L. Beals, MM, Spr C.I. Brewer, Spr J.H. Cameron, Spr C.L. Cash- more, Spr W. Hotten, Spr A.M. Lawson, MM, Spr D. MacDougall, Spr C.A. Merriam, Spr A.C. Palston, Spr R.A. Partridge, Spr W.F. Pearen, Spr J. Quinn, Spr J.C, Routh, Spr D. M. Smith, MM, and Spr W.H. Wells. During the last month of the war, the War Diaries of the Signal Companies were mostly silent. CHQ Sigs Coy, however recorded its en- tire communication organization, which gave a good impression of how all the companies worked. The strength consisted of 19 officers and 516 men divided among the following work areas: office staff, DR Section, Wireless Section, Electrical light detail, Pigeon detail, Airline and Cable Sections, and the CCHA HQ and two Artillery Brigade Sub-sections. The of- fice staff was composed of a Signal Master, Su- perintendent, Assistant Superintendent, 17 Telegraphers, 2 DR clerks, 3 Message clerks, a Checker, and 3 Orderlies (organized in 3 daily reliefs). There was a Main Office with two 30 line exchanges with 2 operators on each relief; a Sub Station (Arras) with a cor- poral, 5 operators, and 5 orderlies with two 30 line exchanges and 3 telegraph sounders; a Sub Station (Duisans) with an officer, 9 oper- ators and 2 orderlies with an equal amount of equipment. It noted there were four DR daily runs to divisional HQs over an average dis- tance of 20 miles. On one occasion 19,526 despatches were carried, plus there were 155 special runs. That same day there were 150 pi- geon flights. The Light detail consisted of 3 men to set up163 lights and to run the gener- ator. At the divisional level the detail looked after137 lights. There were 126 horses to be cared for and, when rations had to be deliv- ered, the Company was spread over 13 loca- tions. As the war in Europe was coming to a close and the CCSS was waiting to go home, sig- nallers were engaged in another theatre of op- erations, Siberia. They were part of an Ameri- can-British and Japanese effort to support the “White Russians,” the forces loyal to the de- posed Czar, against the “Red Russians,” the Bolsheviks. Canada agreed to send troops to Siberia in late 1918. The area around the great port of Vladivostok, the terminus of the Trans-Siberian Railway, was held by a Czech force, guaranteed safe passage back to their homeland. There was a concern that they might be overcome by either the Bolsheviks or German prisoners who had been freed by the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, 9 February 1918. The Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Force consisted on nearly 5,000 all ranks It was formed from personnel stationed in Canada in the late summer and early fall of 1918. As part of the Canadian contingent, the 6th Divisional Signal Company (6 Div Sigs Coy) began to be raised in Saint John in August but soon moved on 14 September to Rockcliffe, in Ottawa, to join some of the members of the Ottawa Signal Depot, which had been closed. It was commanded by Capt W. McIntosh, who along with Capts A.B. Fennell, MC, and T.C. McGill, had been sent back from France for this specific duty. Five other officers, all with- out overseas experience, Lts Bell, Byam, Flem- ing, Prickett, and Thom were assigned to the Company. An Advance Party of the Canadian contin- gent under the Force Commander, MGen J. H. Elmsley, consisting of 680 all ranks, includ- ing Capt McGill and 23 signallers, sailed from Vancouver on 11 October 1918 and arrived at Vladivostok on the 26th. Capt McGill, who kept the only war diary for 6 Div Sigs Coy, settled his tiny group in the existing Russian barracks, and proceeded to train. None of the men was trained as signallers and the group had no equipment. McGill borrowed some flags from the US Army and began to teach semaphore. Finally, on 1 November, some Morse flags and buzzer phones arrived and work continued in spite of extreme cold. By 18 November, the men had progressed to work with the helio- graph and to do some work on the existing Russian overhead cables. On 5 December 1918, more of the Cana- dian contingent arrived, bringing the first mail to the Advance Party since it had left Van- couver. The ship brought Lee-Enfield rifles to replace the Ross rifles which the Advance Party had been issued. At the end of Decem- ber, Capt McGill’s men were tested to see if they could reach the standard of 15 words a minute for Buzzer, 10 words a minute for Morse flag, and 6 words a minute for Helio- graph. Finally, in January 1919, the Company received one motorcycle and could open a sig- nal office and commence DR runs. On 15 Jan- uary, Lt Thom and 23 men arrived to join 16 CIB as its signal section. It was not until 27 February that Maj McIntosh and the remain- der of 6 Div Sigs Coy, 6 officers and 152 men arrived. On 6 March, the rest of the signal equipment was unloaded: a 10-line cordless magneto exchange, 4 – 3 buzzer exchanges, Lucas lamps, 23 telephones, and W/T equip- ment. Only now could the Company be com- pletely functional. Signallers suffered from a shortage of water in March when the water mains broke because of heavy frost, and the men had to go so long without bathing that there were outbreaks of scabies and lice. They continued to connect the Canadian units by line, V/T and W/T, in spite of the local civilians stealing the airlines. In any case, the efforts of 6 Div Sigs Coy were soon to come to an end as the Canadian Gov- ernment decided to withdraw its troops. It is- sued an evacuation order on 10 April 1919, and on the 21st, Maj McIntosh, 5 officers, and 107 signallers embarked for Vancouver. In early May, all communications were closed down as the remainder of the Canadian con- tingent prepared to leave Siberia. On 19 May, Capt T.C. McGill and Lt Thom with 43 men left for Vancouver. To everyone’s surprise, Lt H.E. Prickett, resigned his commission and he and 11 men went to work for the British Rail- way Mission in Siberia. The Siberian episode was probably one of frustration for the partic- ipants but at least there were no fatalities among the Signals personnel. Capt McGill, who was there from beginning to end, was made a Member of the Order of the British
During the latter part of 1918 and going on into 1919, decorations were awarded in great numbers: some for specific actions, some for general good service above the call of duty, and in some cases seemingly as a matter of catch-up. Maj R.L. Wheeler and Capt W.H. McMurray were made Officers of the British Empire (OBE), a decoration normally awarded to staff officers. The DSO was awarded to Majs A.A. Ander- son and P.E. Earnshaw. Other awards were: the MC to 10; Bar to the MC to 4; DCM to 6; MM to172; Bar to the MM to 12; Second Bar to the MM to 6; MSM to 29; MiD to 31. Throughout the war there were 23 awards to CCSS personnel by Foreign Governments.* As part of the Armistice conditions, the Al- lies were to occupy the Rhineland. Nearly half of the Canadian Corps, mainly 1 and 2 CIDs, and some of the supporting arms and services, left Mons on 18 November 1918 to march through Belgium and into Germany, crossing the Rhine at Cologne and Bonn. Naturally, all soldiers were anxious to return to Canada, and those over the Rhine began, on 5 January *See Appendix 7 1919, to re-join the rest of the Canadian Corps in Belgium. By 6 February, all Canadi- ans were in Belgium, where the return of stores had already begun. Leave was gener- ously granted and education courses for sol- diers were given under divisional arrangements and at the Khaki University, which had a number of Colleges throughout England. Demobilization of the Corps began with 3 CID leaving Le Havre for England in early March, and with the withdrawal of 4 CID in mid-April, the last of the Canadians had left Europe. Most men spent about a month in England before returning to Canada, and by fall all were home. The officers and men of the CCSS had an important role, even after the end of the war. Communications had to be maintained, and although lines were not broken by shellfire, often wire disappeared for its copper value. For those Signals personnel who crossed over the Rhine to Germany, communications back to Corps HQ were vital. CHQ Sigs Coy and most of 1 and 2 Div Sigs Coys accompanied the Canadian contingent that garrisoned Ger- many for December 1918 and most of Janu- ary 1919. To expedite communications, CHQ Sigs Coy sent a long-range CW set in order to
Corps Sigs Coy MT Sec. 
1914-1915 Star be able to work back to Army HQ. Lt J.C. Craig, at one point, worked the W/T a dis- tance of 48 miles. Good use was made of existing German lines. While at Bonn, Ger- many, the routine of the CHQ Sigs Coy, with 17 officers and 651 men on ration strength, The 1 Div Sigs Coy war diary did not even mention the Armistice on 11 November. It did make a note of crossing the German border on 4 December 1918. Once settled in new quarters in Germany, time was spent in clean- ing equipment, painting wagons, and con- ducting rides. New Year’s dinner was an improvement on Christmas dinner, which had to be delayed for the want of poultry. The included church parades, route marching, squad drill, PT, and sports. On New Year’s Day, there were special sports events, where it was noted that tent-pegging* was exceptionally good. That evening, the Dumbells, a Concert Group from 2 CID, put on entertainment for all ranks. LCol E. Forde took the opportunity to inspect every Section of the Company. Pic- tures were taken of all Signals personnel at the site of the Rhine Bridge at Bonn. Back in Bel- gium in February, there were opportunities for sight-seeing. It was noted, with pride, that 8 officers, 67 men, plus 5 from the CASC and 1 from the CAMC were eligible for the 1914- 15 Star; to be eligible personnel had to have been in France prior to 31 December 1915. CHQ Sigs Coy men began to leave for Canada as early as April but the main group did not leave from Le Havre until 11 May. The CHQ Sigs Coy war diary noted that there was $7,000 in the Canteen Fund. *Tent-pegging was a sport in which a rider tries at full gallop to carry off at the point of a lance a tent-peg fixed in the ground; remember the Signal Service was a mounted corps. meal on 31 December began at 1800 hours in a large German restaurant on the banks of the Rhine. The hall was highly decorated and all officers were present. The NCOs acted as wait- ers and the CO spoke. There was a concert fol- lowing the dinner. By 6 January, the Company was on its way back to Belgium, where the process of turning-in equipment began. An of- ficial photograph was taken of all officers and NCOs in February. On 1 March 1919, Maj Earnshaw and Capt Stewart met with LCol Forde and all senior officers of the Canadian Signal Service to plan the organization of a Signal Association. The Company sailed for England on 29 March and was quartered in Bramshott Camp. Two officers, Capt A.E. Stewart and Lt J.A.M. Young, were invited to Buckingham Palace to be invested with their Military Crosses. The oldest of the signal com- panies sailed for Canada on 3 May 1919. The 2 Div Sigs Coy war diary did note the end of the war on 11 November and that the Company went on a route march on the 15th, which was not much of a celebration! The march to Germany was noteworthy for the de-
A pristine cable wagon section drawn up for inspection in Bonn, Germany. 
Corps Heavy Artillery Sigs Sec. [The three Sigs Coys, and their Secs that went to Germany in November 1918, had their photographs taken in Bonn in 1919. struction by fire on 5 December of the lorry carrying the company rations and the officers’ kits. Apparently the vehicle overheated trying to climb the hills. The official crossing of the Rhine was held on 13 December but on the 20th there was a special ceremony for all the Company’s originals at the Bonn Bridge. The officers present were Maj Anderson, Capt McKinnon and Lts Harcourt and Wyman, all except for Anderson had been promoted from the ranks. An official photograph of all the Signal officers in Germany was taken on 5 January. Back in Belgium by 19 January, the Company personnel engaged in sports and education classes. During March, the Com- pany’s horses were turned over to the Belgian Government. On 12 April 1919, the Company left France for good. The 3 Div Sigs Coy moved into the City of Mons on 11 November. The next day it at- tended a concert by the Dumbells, 2 CID’s fa- mous concert group, which continued to entertain in Canada in the 1920s. The Com- pany, like the other companies, complained of the civilians stealing the telephone cables for their copper content. A contingent of 2 of- ficers and 15 men attended a Service of Thanksgiving for Victory in the Town Theatre in Mons. On 27 November, 3 CID mounted a Guard of Honour for the King of the Belgians. It was noted that censorship of mail had ended, as did the prohibition on the use of cameras. The Company welcomed the return of Maj A. Leavitt at the Christmas Dinner. Maj K.M. Campbell, who had replaced Maj Leavitt after he was wounded on 7 August, was posted to Canadian General Headquarters in Lon- don. The 3rd Division was the first to go home, so on 13 February 1919, 3 Div Sigs Coy left France for Witley Camp in England. During March, the unit suffered from an epidemic of Spanish influenza, while the men were being assigned to different drafts depending on where they wished to be discharged. Nine drafts totaling 150 men were spread across the major cities of Canada from Halifax to Van- couver. The war diary of 3 Div Sigs Coy ended on 18 March 1919. The 4 Div Sigs Coy, after a couple of small moves in Belgium, settled down the usual rou- tine of handing in stores, sending men on leave, and playing sports. It noted that Lt D.B. Holman and 50 men had left for England to attend various university courses, while 10 men had gone to the Khaki University. The Company closed out its diary on 30 April 1919, but during the months waiting to go home, it produced a 150 page history with the names of everyone who had served within its ranks and a general account of their joint ac- tivities from the time of formation on 18 April 1916 until the end of the war. Some of the thoughts gave an insight into the minds of the officers and men of the CCSS during the First World War: With the discomforts of our quarters were mingled the nervous strain of the switch- board, the ceaseless repairing of lines, and the toilsome carrying of water and rations through the mud and shelling, hitherto unrivaled. But, for the huddled group in the old dug-out corner, the sombreness of their surroundings was quite dispelled in that mellow hour between the advent of nied human retaliation when an irate voice bellowed, “Get off this line signals, and mind your own business.” But to ward off a pending cross-examination, he could say, “moment, please, another call,” and serenely smiling, sketch in the air, during an appropriate interval, a caricature of the offending officer. Then his “Yes Sir!” would likely be answered with “Oh! never mind, thanks,” ‘C’est la guerre.’ But the memory of those of us, our friends and fellow worker, left behind, is one that will remain. For us the future shows a guiding hand and points the road to pass; for them, that finger moving on the wall has spelt a last “VE.” To them all honour - we shall not forget. There were still more to not forget in 1919, Yüklə 1,43 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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