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Raymond Brutinel and the Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigades of the First World War

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Raymond Brutinel and the Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigades of the First World War Canadian Military History Volume 10 Issue 1 Article 5 2001 Canada’s First Armoured Unit: Raymond Brutinel and the Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigades of the First World War Cameron Pulsifer Canadian War Museum, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh Recommended Citation Pulsifer, Cameron "Canada’s First Armoured Unit: Raymond Brutinel and the Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigades of the First World War." Canadian Military History 10, 1 (2001) This Canadian War Museum is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Canadian Military History by an authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Pulsifer: Canada’s First Armoured Unit 44 Published by Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2001 1 Canadian Military History, Vol. 10 [2001], Iss. 1, Art. 5 Cameron Pulsifer he First World War began for First World War, both of these officers TCanada on 4 August 1914, when the explored the possibilities of using the British Empire declared war on machine gun for indirect fire, in the Germany. Just a week later, on 11 manner of high-powered artillery, and August, Sam Hughes, the Canadian using the weapon's firepower to enhance Minister of Militia and Defence, gave his opportunities for mobility (although they approval for the formation in Ottawa of had in mind cavalry rather than motor "one of the most revolutionary fighting vehicles). Nothing is known of Brutinel's 1 units put into the field by any country." professional background. He described This was the Automobile Machine Gun Brigade himself at various times as an engineer, No.l, later renamed the 1st Canadian Motor mineralogist, and entrepreneur. Tremblay Machine Gun Brigade which is believed to be the believes the term that best describes him is first motorized armoured unit formed by any adventurer, in the sense that he believed life country during the war. The British, by way of consisted of a series of opportunities to be contrast, did not begin using purpose-built grasped to the full. Whatever the case, he was armoured fighting vehicles until October. certainly resourceful enough to become one of the leading authorities on the use of the machine The brain behind this innovative unit was gun in the war, and to propel himself to the Raymond Marc Pierre Brutinel (1882-1964), a command of the Canadian Machine Gun Corps Frenchman from the Department de l'Aude in the when it was formed in March 1918.2 south of France, who immigrated to Canada in 1905. There is an element of mystery about On coming to Canada in 1905 Brutinel settled Brutinel's career before he came to Canada. He in Edmonton, where he earned a fortune though claims to have begun thinking about the use of speculation in the booming fields of agriculture, the machine gun and mobility in warfare while railways, and oil. He moved east to Montreal in serving as an officer in the French army. Yet the 1913, and, as the war clouds gathered in Europe research of historian Yves Tremblay, who has in the summer of 1914, made plans to return examined Brutinel's career in greater depth than home to rejoin his regiment, the 53e Regiment anyone else, reveals that he never served as an d'infanterie, of the French Midi region. First, officer, but rather as a conscript, eventually rising though, he visited the Colt Firearms Company to the rank of sergent-instructeur. Tremblay in Hartford, Connecticut, to enquire about believes that his ideas on the machine gun and obtaining Colt machine guns for the French army. mobile warfare were in fact developed from He had barely returned to Canada before he was readings in the available literature on the subject, contacted by Sir Clifford Sifton, a wealthy particularly the writings of two innovative businessman and former minister in the thinkers, Major R.V.K Applin of the British army, government of Sir Wilfrid Laurier. Sifton urged and General Francois Oscar de Negrier of the him to remain in Canada and apply his talents French army. In articles published before the and energies to this country's emerging war effort. © Canadian Military History, Volume 10, Number 1, Winter 2001, pp.44-57. 45 https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh/vol10/iss1/5 2 Pulsifer: Canada’s First Armoured Unit Brutinel, with his back to the camera, salutes as the Governor-General, the Duke of Connaught, descends from one of the vehicles made for transporting the officers, during his inspection of the Automobile Machine Gun Brigade at the Rockcltffe Ranges, Ottawa, 23 September 1914. After receiving the assurances from the French Brutinel arrived at the Ardmore plant with a ambassador that "Whatever you are doing with sketch of what he wanted, and the managers or for Canadians will help France," Brutinel there, intrigued by his scheme, agreed to give him decided to stay. Combining his fascination with first priority on the chassis then being assembled. the machine gun with an interest in the potential They then made arrangements for acquiring of the motor vehicle stemming from his days in various thicknesses of steel from a near-by steel the Canadian west, Brutinel developed with Sifton mill for testing as armour plating. Brutinel a proposal "to organize a mobile motorized recalled: "It was sought to give a fair protection machine gun unit.. ..The guns being mounted in to the driver and the officer commanding the pairs on lightly armoured trucks." After receiving truck but we had to be satisfied with a much ministerial approval, recruiting for the new unit lighter plate...for fear of overloading the truck began on 24 August in the lobby of the Chateau which had to carry ten thousand [sic] rounds of Laurier hotel, where a plaque still commemorates 303 ammunition and crew's equipment."3 On 2 the event. September 1914, he reported that "The construction of the armoured car[s] is In the meantime, Brutinel proceeded to the progressing satisfactorily. The special alloy steel United States to acquire equipment. First, he has been made and submitted to a severe test returned to the Colt Firearms Company and which shows that it is bullet proof up to 100 ordered 20 of their Model 1895 .30 in. 'Potato yards, the surface being normal to fire line. We Digger' machine guns. He later recalled that can therefore rely on absolute protection up to German workers at the plant attempted to from 80 to 60 yards."4 prevent the guns being shipped, which necessitated their being spirited away By mid-September the vehicles had arrived surreptitiously at night. He next proceeded to the in Ottawa. There were 20 in all: eight armoured Autocar Company in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, to machine gun cars, which were the fighting acquire the vehicles. They made a light truck that nucleus of the unit, five trucks for carrying Brutinel had earlier noticed being used by ammunition and supplies, four for transporting American Express in New York, and which he the officers, one for carrying gasoline, one repair thought would make an excellent basis for his truck, plus one ambulance, donated by the envisioned armoured machine gun carrier. Autocar Company. Parts were interchangeable 46 Published by Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2001 3 Canadian Military History, Vol. 10 [2001], Iss. 1, Art. 5 amongst the vehicles, an innovation for the time. they undergo preliminary training."8 By 9 A report in the Ottawa Citizen of 24 September September it had reached its authorized strength noted that: "All the cars are painted a dull blue of 1 major, 3 captains, 5 subalterns, 4 sergeants, grey so as to render them as inconspicuous as 2 sergeant artificers, 4 corporals, and 101 possible."5 privates. Of these, only 25 percent were reported as having had any military experience. But The cabs and engines of the eight machine probably equally important, in a unit employing gun carrying vehicles were covered in armour technology that was still relatively new, as many plate, except that the roof was open and the as 50 per cent of the total were classified as either driver's head protruded over the top. The front chauffeurs or mechanics, 29 per cent were skilled plate bore two headlights and a large searchlight in other trades, and 10 per cent were university in the middle for nighttime operations. The two graduates.9 machine guns were mounted centrally at the rear, while steel ammunition chests, capable of holding Popularly known as the Sifton Brigade, the 12,000 rounds of .303 ammunition, extended the new unit was inspected by the Governor General, length of both sides and enclosed the rear. When the Duke of Connaught, at die Rockcliffe Ranges raised, the lids of these chests provided on the outskirts of Ottawa on 23 September. The armoured protection for the gunners. unit then paraded through the city streets to the Nonetheless, when operating their weapons the railway station across from the Chateau Laurier, gunners remained dangerously exposed, which where the vehicles were loaded onto railway resulted in very high casualties in action. flatcars for shipment to Montreal. From there Weighing 30 cwt.,6 the vehicles ran on four solid they departed for England, and from England for rubber tires, and could reach speeds of 64 the fighting on the continent on 16 June 1915, kilometres per hour (40 mph). As noted they were bearing a new title, 1st Canadian Motor Machine first equipped with Colt machine guns, but on 9 Gun Brigade (1st CMMGB). August 1916 these were dispensed with in favour of the classic British machine gun of the war, the The unit soon went into the line at Chateau Vickers, which they continued to use until the la Hutte, in Flanders, in support of the 1st war's end.7 Canadian Division.
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