Roll Call, Volume 9, Issue 1, Summer 2023, Newsletter of the Friends of the New Brunswick Military History Museum (FNBMHM)

‍ROLL CALL

NEWSLETTER OF THE FRIENDS OF THE NEW BRUNSWICK MILITARY HISTORY MUSEUM

AMIS/AMIES DE MUSEÉ D’HISTOIRE MILITAIRE DU NOUVEAU-BRUNSWICK

Volume 9, Issue 1                                                                       Summer 2023 

Roll Call has been published four times a year: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.

This issue is the first of 2023. More will follow as the Friends change.

Submissions or comments can be sent to the Editor, Hal Skaarup at hskaarup@rogers.com.

For details on joining the Friends, please contact the Museum at 506-422-1304 or email us at: friendsnbmhm@gmail.com.

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Friends of the New Brunswick Military History Museum

Executive:

President-Brian MacDonald

Vice-President- Harold Skaarup

Secretary- Doug Hall

Treasurer-Randall Haslett

Directors-

Paul Belliveau

Gary Campbell

Robert Dallison

Brent Wilson

Harold Wright

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ADATS

(Author Photos)

The Air Defense Anti-Tank System (ADATS)is a dual-purpose short range surface-to-air and anti-tank missile system based on the M113A2 vehicle.  It is manufactured by the Swiss company Oerlikon-Contraves, a member of the Rheinmetall Defence Group of Germany. The ADATS missile is a laser-guided supersonic missile with a range of 10kilometres, with an electro-optical sensor with TV and Forward Looking Infrared(FLIR). The carrying vehicle has also a conventional two-dimensional radar withan effective range of over 25 kilometres.

This vehicle once belonged to 4th Air Defence Regiment of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery here at 5 Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown, and is now "guarding the skies" over the museum.  The 4^thADR has been re-named the 4th Artillery Regiment (General Support).  

BOMBS AND BARBEDWIRE,

Review by Dr. PaulE. Belliveau

Bombs and Barbed Wire: Stories of Acadian Airmen and Prisoners of War, 1939-1945 by Ronald Cormier relates the Second World War trials and tribulations of eleven Acadian servicemen.  It is based on extensive interviews of six soldiers and four airmen who survived the war and the military records of one airman who was executed in 1944.  The book was originally published in French (Entre bombes et Barbelées) by the author in 1990.

In addition to being immediately plunged into an unfamiliar martial environment, these Acadian volunteers also had to overcome language and culture barriers inherent in the British-style Canadian military establishment at the time.  Some even witnessed real or perceived biases and injustices but in true Canadian fashion they endured.

All five airmen were attached to bomber squadrons based in England and participated in bombing missions in continental Europe. Two of these aviators were ultimately shot down, one became a prisoner of war (POW) in Germany and the other was executed in France by the Germans.    As for the six soldiers, one was captured at Dieppe, another one in France during the Normandy campaign, two in Italy, and two in Hong Kong.  All six ended in either German or Japanese POW camps.

Each chapter of the book is dedicated to a single protagonist and to maintain relevance with the chronology of the war, the author provides adequate historical military background to each combatant’s testimony.  For the seven servicemen who eventually ended up in POW camps, they were always at the mercy of their captors and theiraccounts describe the suffering, horror, and cruelty which was inflict on prisoners, especially in the Japanese camps.

Thebook is extensively researched and provides suitable sources, maps,illustrations, and pictures to enable the reader to visualize the journey ofeach serviceman.  It does, however,contain a few typos and the footnotes are so small that a magnifying glass isrequired.  Although not geared to thestrategic or tactical aspects of the war, it does provide insight on how theindividual serviceman coped with the realities of war.  Overall, it is a wonderful addition to thehistory of New Brunswick servicemen in the Second World War and is an enjoyableread for New Brunswick military history buffs.  

Bombsand Barbed Wire isa 201-page soft cover book with a picture of one of the central characters,Roger Pichette, standing besides his training aircraft on the front cover.  The book was published in October 2022 byGoose Lane Editions and the University of New Brunswick’s Gregg Centre for theStudy of War and Society.  It is volume29 in the New Brunswick Military Heritage Series.

Dr. Paul E. Belliveau, BSc, MSc, PhD, CD was Environment Canada’s Regional Manager of Laboratories in the Atlantic Provinces.  He also served in the Reserve Army from 1960to 1994 retiring with the rank of major as a Senior Staff Officer at the NB/PEIDistrict Headquarters.  He is the authorof  several military history books.

64^th Light Anti–Aircraft Regiment

From Machine Guns to Tanks to Artillery

Dr. Paul E. Belliveau

           The 64^th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment was at one time one of the largest militia units in Eastern Canada with a total strength of over 300 all ranks including 32officers.  The Regiment traces its origin to 1 June 1919 with the formation of the 7^th Machine Gun Brigade which was redesignated the 7^th Machine Gun Battalion on 15 September1924.  This unit consisted of a Headquarters in St. John and three Companies: “A” Company in St. John, “B” Company in Moncton, and “C” Company in Fredericton.  Lieutenant Colonel E.W. Sansom (later Lieutenant General) was the first Commanding Officer of 7^th Machine Gun Brigade and Major A.L. Bourque was the first Officer Commanding of “B” Company in Moncton.

           As a result of the 1936 Militia Reorganization, elements of the 7^th Machine Gun Battalion, including “B” Company, formed the nucleus of a new armoured regiment.  This armoured regiment was designated “The New Brunswick Regiment (Tank)” and it became effective on 15 December1936.  The Commanding Officer of this regiment was Lieutenant Colonel G.A. Blakney and by 1939 consisted of a Headquarters in Moncton and three Squadrons, one each in Moncton, Shediac, and Hillsborough.  The 2IC was Major C.R. Blakney while the Squadron Commanders were Major A.L. Bourque (Shediac), Major F.J. Brown (Hillsborough), and Major H. Piers (Moncton).  After the outbreak of the Second World War, the Regiment was tasked with the security of vital rail, bridge, and DND instillation in Southeastern New Brunswick including the Seaplane Base in Shediac and # 5 Equipment Depot in Moncton.

           On 1 April 1941 the Regiment was redesignated the “19^th Army Tank Battalion (The New Brunswick Regiment) (Tank)” and authorized to recruit one squadron for overseas duty.  Once recruited, this Squadron, under command of Major A. Woodhouse, left Moncton on 17 June 1941 and sailed from Halifax on 25 June 1941 as the Headquarters Squadron of the First Canadian Armoured Brigade.  The Squadron arrived in Greenock, Scotland on 1 July 1941, trained in England for a couple of years and from 1943 to 1945 fought in every engagement of the Brigade through Italy and Northwest Europe.  

           Meanwhile, back on the home front, the reserve component of the Regiment continued to recruit and train officers and men in basic and tank training and later in reconnaissance training with carriers and armoured cars.  It sent more than 2,000 all ranks to active units.  On15 August 1942, the unit was redesignated the “19^th Army Tank Regiment (The New Brunswick Regiment) (Tank)” and it trained as a reconnaissance unit.  Finally, shortly after the Second World War, the Regiment received its last name change as an armoured unit.  On 21 September 1945, the Regiment was redesignated the “19^th Armoured Regiment (The New Brunswick Regiment)”.

           In 1946, on the re-organization of the Militia the Regiment was converted from armoured to artillery and on 1April of that year it officially became the 64^th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (New Brunswick Regiment) RCA consisting of the 190^th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery in Moncton, the 191^st Light Anti-Aircraft Battery in Shediac, and the 192^nd Light Anti-Aircraft Battery in Rexton.  The latter was eventually transferred to Moncton where the recruiting and retention was higher.  The unit provided a few officers and men for service in Korea while others served on callout with the permanent force.  During the course of its existence the 64 LAA Regiment took a very active role in Militia Training and conducted numerous firing camps in Tracadie, Shearwater, and Point Petrie.  As a matter of historical note, the largest Militia peacetime exercise in the Maritimes was organized and controlled by the 64 LAA Regiment in 1954.  This proud and active Militia unit was finally disbanded in 1959 as a result of the Canadian Army restructuring.          

At the time of disbanding, the Regiment was commanded by LCol K.D. Clifford, with Maj T.E. Gautreau as 2IC and the Battery commanders were Capt J.H. Belliveau (190^th), J.E. Pearce (191^stand E.H. Sandall (192^nd).

The Commanding Officers from 1919 to 1959 were as follow:

LCol E.W. Sansom      (1919-1920)

LCol J.C. Mersereau   (1920-1923)

LCol R.A. McAvity     (1923-1925)

LCol B. Smith             (1925-1931)

LCol L.T. Tingley       (1931-1936)

LCol G.A. Blakney     (1936-1942)

LCol F.J. Brown         (1942-1946)

Major G.A. Sansom    (1946-1947)

LCol R.A. Goudy       (1947-1949)

LCol W.T. Cooper       (1949-1950)

LCol F. Fullerton         (1950-1952)

LCol F.C. Judd            (1952-1955)

LCol K.D. Clifford      (1955-1959)

Dr. Paul E. Belliveau, BSc, MSc, PhD, CD was Environment Canada’s Regional Manager of Laboratories in the Atlantic Provinces. He also served in the Reserve Army from 1960 to 1994 retiring with the rank of major as a Senior Staff Officer at the NB/PEI District Headquarters.  He is the author of several military history books.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4234051)

Ordnance QF 40-mm Bofors AA Gun, Picton, Ontario, 1954.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4234050)

40-mm Bofors LAA Gun, 1st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment RCA, Picton, Ontario.

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HMCS Captor II / Shore Establishment

Harold Skaarup

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3566764)

HMCS Captor II, 25 October 1940.

On the outbreak of war, office space was rented in the city, and, on 26 Sep 1941,Dredge No. 1, a disused barge of the Department of Public Works was taken over as a naval barracks. Renamed HMCS Captor III, it remained in service until the summer of 1942 when it was condemned by the medical authorities. Its name, however, lived on as that of the depot ship at Saint John.

(DND Photo)

RCN Facilities in Saint John Harbour

HMCS Captor was the depot ship for the RCN dock facilities at Saint John, NB, in the SecondWorld War. Saint John was too far from the main operations areas to be one ofthe RCN’s major Atlantic bases, and its position and facilities meant that itwas not suitable for convoy assembly. The facilities, including two dry docks,were much better suited for loading and ship-repair, and, as it was ayear-round port, these capacities saw extensive use during the winter months ofthe first two years of the war, when Montreal was closed by ice.

By late1942, with the increased threat of German U-Boats in the Atlantic, it wasdecided to close the St. Lawrence to all but essential coastal shipping. Thismeant that the loading of ships with supplies for Britain and Europe that hadbeen done in Montreal was moved to Saint John, which began to operateyear-round again. The base facilities were expanded as well, and Saint Johnbecame a significant centre for the repair and refit of vessels, particularlymerchant vessels which were more capable of navigating the high tides andnarrow approach to the port.

HMCS CaptorII had been a dredge belonging to the Department of Public Works beforebeing taken over by the RCN for use as a floating barracks. Captor IIalso served as the depot ship for Saint John, NB. RCN and RCNVR personnel were‘stationed’ to Captor II for accounting purposes. This included theNaval Officer in Command (NOIC) of Saint John. Despite what some other sourceshave stated, the NOIC Saint John was not associated with HMCS Captor I,which was a small examination vessel that served as a tender to both HMCS Ventureand HMCS Captor II.

In thesummer of 1942, the dredge was condemned by the medical authorities. By 8September 1942 everyone was moved to accommodations on shore. The dredge wasturned over to the Department of Munitions and Supply as PWD Dredge No.1. Whileshe could no longer serve as a barracks, the name was kept for the Saint John depot ‘ship.’ She became known simply as Captor, as did theexamination vessel. Plans were drawn up for a new barracks and office space atReed’s Point, NB, in June 1942. Construction did not begin until the spring of1943, however, and the staff of HMCS Captor did not move in untilJanuary of 1944.

At the end of the European war,HMCS Captor was merged with the reserve division HMCS Brunswicker.The position of NOIC Saint John was eliminated on 1 January 1946 as the Navyreduced its shore establishments.

Date commissioned: 3 December 1939

Date paid off: 30 September 1945.

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