[Mark W. Tonner]

Hi Paul;

To answer some of your questions: -

1. -

Originally Posted by paultp

He joined up on 18 July 1940 in Saskatoon and reported for duty on 20 Aug 1940 at Bassiefield Camp, Kingston.

Units and formations of the 3rd Division, Canadian Active Service Force and 4th Division, Canadian Active Service Force were Called Out and Placed on Active Service beginning on 24 May 1940.

Upon attestation into the Canadian Active Service Force your father was sent to the Canadian Signals Training Centre located at Barriefield, Ontario. Because most of the Signals Officers for the Canadian Active Service Force had been drawn from the pre-war Permanent Active Militia and the Non-Permanent Active Militia, most only had to complete a refresher and qualifying course at Barriefield before posting to their respective units, but by the time your father reached the Canadian Signals Training Centre, the refresher and qualifying course had took on the aspects of a purely qualifying course as it became apparent that the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals would have to assimilate men of little military experience. Accordingly, the 20 week course was broken down into four Groups of Instruction and as candidates successfully completed one group, they passed on to each of the succeeding groups in turn. The first four weeks were spent in the Basic Group, during which the fundamentals of Motor Transport, Electricity and Magnetism, Signals Procedure and Operating were covered, after which the candidate passed on to the Line Group for the next five weeks of training during which the fundamentals of Line Instruments, Field Cable and Line Transmission were covered. The next seven weeks were spent in the Wireless Group, where Wireless Theory, Wireless Operation and Maintenance, and Wireless Laboratory were covered along with conducting Wireless Exercises. The last four weeks were spent in the Tactics Group where the fundamentals of Tactics, Organization and Administration were covered. It was felt at the time that this system of ‘Group Instruction’ would give Signals Officers the sound practical knowledge they would require to make intelligent use of the men under their command

2. -

Originally Posted by paultp

Posted to "L" section, 3 Coy, 3 Div Sigs

Upon completion of his training he was posted to Serial 726Q - "L" (Infantry Brigade) Section, No. 3 Company, 3rd Divisional Signals, R.C. Signals, C.A.S.F.

3. -

Originally Posted by paultp

Attached to 7 CIB at Debert Camp 15 July 1941 and embarked for England on 28 Aug 1941 arriving 13 Sep 1941 - How do I find what ship he was on?

He was probably posted to Serial 726N - "J" (Infantry Brigade) Section, No. 3 Company, 3rd Divisional Signals, R.C. Signals, the ‘Infantry Brigade’ Signals Section attached to the 7th Infantry Brigade of the 3rd Division.

The information regarding what ship he sailed to the UK on is not readily available, but he would have embarked on Convoy T.C. 13 from Halifax on approx. 28 Aug 41. If you know someone in the Ottawa area, perhaps you could have them do some research for you at the Directorate of History and Heritage (DHH) of National Defence Headquarters (Ottawa), the information regarding Convoy T.C. 13 can be found in Canadian Military Headquarters Report No. 59 of 29 Jan 42.:

Title: Situation of the Canadian Forces in the United Kingdom, Winter, 1941-42. Part III: Growth of Canadian Military Force in the United Kingdom, September 1941 - January 1942.
Date of Publication: 29 Jan 1942
Type: CMHQ Report
Report #: 59
Author: Stacey, C.P

4. -

Originally Posted by paultp

From Sep 41 to May 44 he seems to have been shuffled from unit to unit as part of 1 CSRU and 1 CRU - (is there a difference between these two units?)

1 CSRU was Serial 1133 - No. 1 Canadian Signals Reinforcement Unit, located in Tournay Barracks; Farnborough, Hampshire and in Delville Barracks and Morval Barracks; Cove, Hampshire.

The National Archives Kew hold the following copies of the War Diary of No. 1 Canadian Signals Reinforcement Unit from Jul 41 to Dec 44:

Title: War Office: Canadian, South African, New Zealand and Indian (United Kingdom) Forces (Dominion Forces): War Diaries, Second World War

Series WO 179

WO 179/632 - WD for 1 Signals Holding Unit - Jul to Dec 41
WO 179/1570 - WD for 1 CSRU - Jan to Dec 42
WO 179/2463 - WD for 1 CSRU - Jan to Dec 43
WO 179/3794 - WD for 1 CSRU - Jan to Dec 44

1 CRU - no such unit, could this perhaps read 1 CGRU?

5. -

Originally Posted by paultp

On 9 May 1944 he is attached to 5 A/Tk Regt RCA, this becomes a transfer (SOS/TOS) on 12 Jun 1944. He embarks for France on 21 Jul 1944 and disembarks either on 23 or 28 Jul (both dates appear in different parts of his record). Where were 5 A/Tk based in the UK and what ship would he have travelled on?

Details of where 5th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery was located in the UK and on what ship(s) they crossed the channel on can be found in their War Diary for the period in question (May to Jul 44), a copy of which is held by Library and Archives Canada (Ottawa):

Reference: RG24, National Defence, Series C-3, Volume 14567
Serial: 1992, Access code: 90
File Title: 5th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery
Outside Dates: 1944/05-1944/12 Finding Aid number: 24-60

Unfortunately, I can find no reference to a copy of their War Diary being held by The National Archives Kew.

6. -

Originally Posted by paultp

Does anyone have details of 5 A/Tk Regt and know which part my father served with and where they were? I know generally he must have been part of Totalize and Tractable but I'm looking for a bit of detail about the unit.

The organization of 5th Anti-Tank Regiment, R.C.A. at the time your served with them was:

Serial 1992A - Headquarters, 5th Anti-Tank Regiment, R.C.A.
Serial 1992B - 96th Anti-Tank Battery, R.C.A.
Serial 1992C - 65th Anti-Tank Battery, R.C.A.
Serial 1992D - 3rd Anti-Tank Battery, R.C.A.
Serial 1992E - 14th Anti-Tank Battery, R.C.A.

Your father while serving with 5th Anti-Tank Regiment, R.C.A., would have been posted to RHQ (Serial 1992A - Headquarters, 5th Anti-Tank Regiment, R.C.A.). H Troop, No. 2 Squadron, 4th Canadian (Armoured) Divisional Signals, R.C.C.S. (or a detachment of) would have been attached to 5th Anti-Tank Regiment, R.C.A. at this time.

For details of the part played by 5th Anti-Tank Regiment, R.C.A. in Operations TOTALIZE and TRACTABLE see their War Diary (held by Library and Archives Canada):

Reference: RG24, National Defence, Series C-3, Volume 14567
Serial: 1992, Access code: 90
File Title: 5th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery
Outside Dates: 1944/05-1944/12 Finding Aid number: 24-60

7. -

Originally Posted by paultp

On 28 or 29 Oct 1944 he is transferred to 28 CAR as A/Capt. Again I'd like to know a bit of detail, hopefully which part of 28 CAR he was with and where they were. I know this was the period of the Battle of The Scheldt but I can only guess as to what part he played.

Your father, while serving with Serial 932 - 28th Armoured Regiment (The British Columbia Regiment), C.A.C., as an A/Capt would have served as the Officer Commanding the attached Signals Troop (Z Troop, No. 4 Squadron, 4th Canadian (Armoured) Divisional Signals, R.C.C.S.). For the period (Oct - Dec 44) that your father was with the 28th Armoured Regiment (The British Columbia Regiment), C.A.C., the following copy of their War Diary is held by The National Archives, Kew:

Title: War Office: Canadian, South African, New Zealand and Indian (United Kingdom) Forces (Dominion Forces): War Diaries, Second World War

Series WO 179

WO 179/3011 - WD for 28 Armd Regt - Jan to Dec 44

and at Library and Archives Canada (Ottawa):

Reference: RG24, National Defence, Series C-3, Volume 14292, Reel T-12764
Serial: 932, Access code: 90
File Title: 28th Armoured Regiment (British Columbia Regiment)
Outside Dates: 1943/10-1945/02 Finding Aid number: 24-60

8. -

Originally Posted by paultp

He is transferred to 4 CADSR on 12 Dec 1944 and apart from a period on the X3 list (2 Feb to 8 Feb 1945) he stays with them until Jun 45 when he is again on the X3 list and comes back to England and is admitted to 4 CGH.

He is transferred to 4 CADSR on 12 Dec 1944 - I read this as saying that he was transferred back to 4th Canadian (Armoured) Divisional Signals, R.C.C.S. proper on 12 Dec 44. The X3 List (2-8 Feb 45) means that he was admitted to hospital during the time frame of 2 to 8 Feb 45. In Jun 45 he is admitted to Serial 1566 - No. 4 Canadian General Hospital, R.C.A.M.C., a 600 bed hospital which at that time was located at Farnborough, Hampshire (Aldershot General Hospital).

9. -

Originally Posted by paultp

An Armoured Div Signal Regt is a big place and though I have tracked where 4Canadian Armoured Div were and what they were involved in, it would be good to know what the Div Signal Regt did and possibly what part of it my father served with.

During the time that your father served with 4th Canadian (Armoured) Divisional Signals, R.C.C.S. (Approx. May 44 to Jun 45), the basic organization of a Canadian ‘Armoured) Divisional Signals’ was:

Headquarters
Headquarters Squadron
Q Troop (Administration)
M Troop (Technical Maintenance)
No. 1 Squadron
A Troop (Main Div HQ (Wireless))
B Troop (Rear Div HQ (Wireless))
C Troop (Cable)
D Troop (Despatch Riders)
O Troop (Signals Office)
No. 2 Squadron
E Troop (Field Regiment)
F Troop (Field Regiment)
H Troop (Div RCA HQ and A/Tk Regiment)
No. 3 Squadron
R Troop (Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment)
J Troop (Infantry Brigade)
N Troop (Div RCE HQ)
No. 4 Squadron
V Troop (Motor Battalion)
W Troop (Armoured Brigade HQ)
X Troop (Armoured Regiment)
W Troop (Armoured Regiment)
Z Troop (Armoured Regiment)

with an approximate strength of: 26 officers and 697 other ranks.

Copies of the War Diary for 4th Canadian (Armoured) Divisional Signals, R.C.C.S. for the period that your father served with them (approx. May 44 onwards) can be found at Library and Archives Canada (Ottawa):

Reference: RG24, National Defence, Series C-3, Volume 14946
Serial: 1926, Access code: 90
File Title: 4th Armoured Divisional Signals, Royal Canadian Corps of Signals
Outside Dates: 1943/09-1944/11 Finding Aid number: 24-60

and

Reference: RG24, National Defence, Series C-3, Volume 14947
Serial: 1926, Access code: 90
File Title: 4th Armoured Divisional Signals, Royal Canadian Corps of Signals
Outside Dates: 1944/12-1945/12 Finding Aid number: 24-60

and The National Archives, Kew holds a copy of the War Diaries for the year 1944:

Title: War Office: Canadian, South African, New Zealand and Indian (United Kingdom) Forces (Dominion Forces): War Diaries, Second World War

Series WO 179

WO 179/3226 - WD for 4 Armd Div Sigs - Jan to Dec 44

I hope this helps.

Cheers