MTB Base in Montreal???...

[Robert Bergeron]

You are absolutely right Wayne.

What was the name of the street in Montréal where 1 Mil District HQ was located ? A great mansion -like brick building ?

Someone remember ?

Bob

[Marc Montgomery]

To my knowledge the 112 ft Fairmiles were not built in Montreal. The Canadian Power Boat Company, built the Scott-Paine 70ft MTBs and RL (rescue launch)

in the pictures you can see them. in the one picture taken from behind you can just see the small iron drawbridge for the road beside the Lachine Canal The canal is right on the other side of the bridge. Boats leaving the basin would have had to make a fairly sharp turn into the canal.. location is actually not far from the current Atwater Market

go to google earth, and type in 4000 St Patrick then take the little man and put it on the red dot to get street view,. its actually a bit east of the red dot.
its a rather run down looking white building ..the gate has the number 4000 on it..this would have been the little channel from the boat basin leading out into the canal.. I suspect the original road would be where the bike path is today.

the other photo is from Camp Bouchard I took about ten years ago. these were the concrete remains of small filling rooms. if you look you can see the two side walls..the fourth back wall would have been the wooden exterior wall of the building covering the various filling chambers..the idea being that with the three concrete walls, the front inside the building and the two side walls, if there was an explosion it would go up through the roof and out through the back and not take out the adjoining chambers or the rest of the operation inside the building,

The various buildings were spread far apart from each other. the operation was huge and covered a couple of sq km or more.. At the time when wandering through the brush, you might come across a fire hydrant.

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by Robert Bergeron

You are absolutely right Wayne.

What was the name of the street in Montréal where 1 Mil District HQ was located ? A great mansion -like brick building ?

Someone remember ?

Bob

How about Atwater?

[Robert Bergeron]

Terry you are right: Atwater !

Wonder whatever happened to that building ?

Thanks, you saved the day.

robert

[Robert Bergeron]

Great pictures Marc !

Thanks.

robert

[Dan Martel]

Again, referring to notes I took from "History of CFB Montreal and its Garrisons" by Castonguay. It was published in 1980. Anything further to that date, you guys will have to provide.


On 1 Mar 1942 the Sulpician property at 3530 Atwater Avenue was rented by DND for use by the Canadian Army as the Military District 4 CWAC Barracks. It was commanded by Brigadier E de B Panet and became known as St Sulpice Barracks. DND purchased the site from the Sulpicians on 10 May 1946. In 1946 the HQ of MD 4 moved from the Sun Life Building to Atwater Avenue and became HQ Quebec Command. Quebec Command was commanded by the following General Officers Commanding;

1946 - 1948 Major General EJ Renaud
1948 - 1951 Major General ROG Morton
1951 - 1957 Major General PE Bernatchez
1957 - 1961 Major General JM Rockingham
1961 - 1965 Major General JF Fleury
1965 - 1966 Brigadier M Lahaie (acting GOC)

CFB Montreal was formed on 1 Apr 1966. Its HQ was located at the Atwater Garrison (all of the locations within the purview of CFB Montreal were now designated as garrisons, eg Longue-Pointe Garrison).

On the same date HQ Quebec Command (an Army formation) was disbanded and its duties taken over by HQ Eastern Area (a new Canadian Forces formation). From 1966 to 1970 three Brigadier / Brigadier Generals commanded Eastern Area; Brigadier LF Trudeau, Brigadier General RA Reid and Brigadier General JAG Sevigny.

HQ Eastern Area became QG Secteur de l’Est (Milice) or HQ Eastern Militia Area in 1970.

CFB Montreal HQ moved from the Atwater Garrison to St Hubert Garrison on 15 Aug 1974.

The renamed Atwater Armoury became a part of the Longue-Pointe Garrison. Located at Atwater Armoury (Note: as of 1980) are the Headquarters for No 1 (Montreal) Militia District, No 2 (Montreal) Militia District, and the Quartier-général, Secteur de l’Est Milice (Headquarters, Eastern Militia Area).

The Atwater building was redesignated as Pierre le Moyne d’Iberville Armoury.


As I said, you guys will have to fill in the rest.

Cheers,
Dan.

[Robert Bergeron]

Dan,

You are a wealth of information. First time i was in that building was for my officer candidate selection exam , circa 1978/79 not 1987/89 as i stated before.

I have no idea when it closed.

What about Ile Sainte-Hélène Garrison in Montréal ? Any info on that ? When did it cease to be a military installation ?


Any idea when Farnham Garrison started as a training base for the Militia ?

Saint-Bruno rifle ranges ?

Thanks for your well documenred research Dan.

Cheers !

Robert

[John McGillivray]

Originally Posted by Robert Bergeron

Any idea when Farnham Garrison started as a training base for the Militia ?

Farnham was a PW camp for German troops during WWII.

[Dan Martel]

Originally Posted by Robert Bergeron

What about Ile Sainte-Hélène Garrison in Montréal ? Any info on that ? When did it cease to be a military installation ?

I don't recall if there was any mention of the Ile Sainte-Hélène Garrison in the book. If there was, I didn't make any notes about it.

Originally Posted by Robert Bergeron

Saint-Bruno rifle ranges ?

Same answer, but both Ile Sainte-Hélène and Saint-Bruno could have been mentioned under different names, if they were a part of a larger grouping. Two of the Montreal garrisons of which I have absolutely no knowledge are Chabanel and La Salle. I don't even know what the locations of these two were.

Originally Posted by Robert Bergeron

Any idea when Farnham Garrison started as a training base for the Militia ?

Camp Farnham and Infantry Training Centre A-12

On 4 Aug 1940 the decision was made to establish a second military camp in MD 4 to be located at the militia training area near Farnham. Colonel AT Howard was appointed its first CO on 13 Aug 1940 and the site, comprising 6,000 acres, was refurbished during August and September. NPAM training began on 9 Oct 1940, with recruits from Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke, Le Regiment de St Hyacinthe and Le Regiment de Joliette attending. After the 1941 reorganization of the Canadian Army training system*, five basic training camps sent their graduates to the Infantry Training Centre at Farnham; St Jean, Sherbrooke, Joliette, Sorel and St Jerome. Howard was succeeded by Colonel Wright in 1943, who commanded until 1946. The camp was reduced to nil strength on 14 Jul 1946, and active operations ended on 1 October.

A Reserve Force School opened at Farnham in (September or October) 1946, administered by the R22eR. Army Cadet summer camps begin in July, 1947. Also in 1947 a second Reserve Force School (an Armoured Brigade Camp) opens. The size of post-war Camp Farnham, which included the former internment camp site, is now 17 square miles (10,880 acres). Governor General Vanier presented new Colours to the 4e and 6e Bns, R22eR, in late July, 1966. The Cadet camp moved to CFB Valcartier for the 1968 summer training period. Many of the original Farnham buildings have been demolished. The camp is still used (as of 1980) for militia training and by the CF Recruit School located at CFB St Jean.

* Redesignated A12 Canadian Infantry Training Centre on 15 Feb 1941.

As the book notes, the NPAM training centre was established on a site already used for militia training. I don't recall if it was mentioned when DND originally purchased the land, but it was expanded in 1940. I recall the book also mentioned some details about the internment camp, but I didn't record any.

Cheers,
Dan.