Canadian Road Signs

[Rich Payne]

Michael, no great mystery, simply a sign set up by the touring organisation ANWB.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Im...-wegwijzer.jpg

Rich.

[Michael Dorosh]

Originally Posted by Rich Payne

Michael, no great mystery, simply a sign set up by the touring organisation ANWB.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Im...-wegwijzer.jpg

Rich.

The mystery is what the symbol represents, how widely used are they, etc. Do you have any further information? Were they in use on all signs in 1944-45, or just select routes?

What is the ANWB?

[Rich Payne]

It's just a double winged wheel. The ANWB were originally a cyclist's touring organisation, nowadays a motoring organisation including cars, like the UK's AA or RAC. I'm not sure what you have in Canada.

It seems that they started putting up signposts and had a monopoly on it for many years. What we see in the photograph is simply a pre-war Netherlands signpost.

Judging by what I can read, they were used on the main roads out of towns. Presumably just to remind motorists who broke down kilometers from anywhere that they should have joined !

I expect that one of the Dutch members can give you more detail. I'm relatively new in the low countries !

[wim sikkelbein]

Originally Posted by Michael Dorosh

The mystery is what the symbol represents, how widely used are they, etc. Do you have any further information? Were they in use on all signs in 1944-45, or just select routes?

What is the ANWB?

The symbol does indeed represent the dutch cyclist organisation ANWB, a winged wheel as Rich already mentioned.
This symbol was used troughout the netherlands starting in 1892 with wooden examples and from 1896 with metal ones, with already 4000 of them in 1939. From 1934 a smaller model was introduced. There was also a "mushroom" version from 1919 onwards which stands close to the ground with 2000 of those by 1942.
The first signs were used between large cities in 1908 and by 1913 the 2000 example was unveiled so I imaging that also provincial and smaller roads got their own signs by then.

information from:
http://www.anwb.nl/over-anwb/kernact...wijzering.html
http://www.anwb.nl/binaries/pdf/over...3175_28014.pdf

[Mark W. Tonner]

Canadian road signs ...

[CWO (ret) Gilles Aubé]

Can we found out from which RGT this RSM and this Artillery SGT are from?

[Lang]

Ah, the censor! We have a 4 foot square sign saying "This is a 2 Div town" and some drone in the photo section has meticulously removed unit markings from the soldiers' uniforms.

[Mark W. Tonner]

Originally Posted by CWO (ret) Gilles Aubé

Can we found out from which RGT this RSM and this Artillery SGT are from?

Hi Gilles;

I forgot to include the reference from Library & Archives Canada, which is:

Caption: Two unidentified Canadian non-commissioned officers reading a sign which states, "This is a 2 Div Town - Behave Yourselves In It", Dieppe, France, 9 September 1944.
Credit: Lieut. Ken Bell / Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-136020.

I cannot make out the number on their shoulder tab, only the 'RCA' part, so judging by the 'Div patch' each wears, they would be from one of the three Field Regiments, R.C.A. of the 2nd Div, which were:

4th Field Regiment, R.C.A.
Headquarters, 4th Field Regiment, R.C.A.
2nd (Ottawa) Field Battery, R.C.A.
14th (Midland) Field Battery, R.C.A.
26th (Lambton) Field Battery, R.C.A.

5th Field Regiment, R.C.A.
Headquarters, 5th Field Regiment, R.C.A.
5th (Westmount) Field Battery, R.C.A.
28th (Newcastle) Field Battery, R.C.A.
73rd Field Battery, R.C.A.

6th Field Regiment, R.C.A.
Headquarters, 6th Field Regiment, R.C.A.
13th (Winnipeg) Field Battery, R.C.A.
91st Field Battery, R.C.A.
21st Field Battery, R.C.A.

Maybe someone can make out the number on the tab (see below)?

Cheers

[Mark W. Tonner]

Source: Library & Archives Canada
Caption: Lance-Corporal Peter Chimilar, Canadian Provost Corps (C.P.C.), placing a warning sign on the roadside, Hautmesnil, France, 14 August 1944.
Credit: Lieut. Donald I. Grant / Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-131267