Canadian Military Engineers


The Canadian Military Engineers is the military engineering personnel branch of the Canadian Armed Forces. The members of the branch that wear army uniform comprise the Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers.
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, 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
  • Ottawa: one company
  • Quebec: one company

    Creation

Following the Boer War 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 in 1914 was for the rapid development of the Valcartier training site in Quebec. At its peak size, 30,000 men were stationed here before the 1st Canadian Division was deployed to England.
When the 1st Division arrived on the front in Belgium they were accompanied by field companies of the Canadian Engineers. 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 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, 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 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.
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.
File:CathaysCemy CWGSection CanadianEngineers.jpg|thumb|Grave in Cathays Cemetery, Cardiff of Sapper CE Avery, who died a week after the Armistice in November 1918
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, 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 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 and 323 other ranks; the maximum size of the Corps was reached in 1944, when it included 210 officers and 6283 other ranks.
In keeping with British Army practice, company-sized units in the two armoured divisions were called "squadrons" following cavalry 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
  • *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
  • **20th Field Company
  • **23rd Field Company
  • **10th Field Park Company
  • *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 Survey Company
  • *2nd Field Survey Company
  • *3rd Field Survey Company
  • General Headquarters and Line of Communication 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
  • *2nd Chemical Warfare Company
  • *No.1 Tunnelling Company R.C.E.
  • *No.2 Tunnelling Company R.C.E.
The senior officers of the Corps in World War II were as follows:

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.
On 1 February 1968, the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy, and Royal Canadian Air Force 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, 2 CER, 4 ESR and 5 CER. 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 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 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, began hosting what became 31 Engineer Squadron in 2012. The brigade formed 46 Engineer Squadron in Saskatoon 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 had been killed in Afghanistan.
In April 2013, the title Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers was brought back for the army element of the branch.