Canadian Military History
Volume 2 Issue 1 Article 15
1993
The Canloan Story
J.L. Granatstein York University
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Recommended Citation Granatstein, J.L. "The Canloan Story." Canadian Military History 2, 1 (1993)
This Feature 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]. Granatstein: The Canloan Story
BOOK REVIEW
The Canloan Story
J .L. Granatstein
Wilfred Smith. Code Word Canloan. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1993.
n the Second World War, infantrymen had The material was good and National Defence I a short lifespan in combat, the risk of death, Headquarters, its eye firmly fixed on the public wounds or battle exhaustion appallingly high. relations aspects of the scheme, was desperately As might be expected, it was the leaders, NCOs anxious to ensure that the Canloans would and platoon and company officers, those who reflect only credit on Canada. had to expose themselves to fire to motivate their troops, who suffered disproportionately. The Canloan officers arrived in England After four years of war the British army was between April and July 1944 and ended up desperately short ofjunior officers and Canada, scattered across 63 regiments although an with only one division in sustained action by astonishing 23 Canadians served in the 7th July 1943, had an apparent surplus. That was King's Own Scottish Borderers, an airborne the genesis of Canloan, a plan to secure up to regiment. Smith, the Dominion Archivist from two thousand volunteers from the army in 1968 to 1984 and himself a Canloan officer, Canada for service with the British. thus had the extremely trying task of producing a coherent narrative out of a host of disparate In fact, as Wilfred Smith makes clear in experiences. He has done the job very well Code Word Canloan, the reality fell far short of indeed, focussing first on the Canadians' the expectations. Only 673 volunteers could reception in their regiments and then on the be secured (a group that included fifty Royal battles and, while giving enough context to Canadian Ordnance Corps officers needed for keep his readers moving forward, highlighting the Royal Army Ordnance Corps). for many the services of individuals. junior officers in Canada showed no greater eagerness to volunteer for the fighting than did Clearly the initial shock of joining their home defence conscripts. But those who did units was severe. The British regiments step forward were highly motivated-they sometimes treated the Canadians like wanted to get overseas as soon as possible and "Colonials" and that rankled, but no "us" and they wanted to fight the Nazis. While most "them" situations seemed to develop. Some of probably would have preferred to serve with the Canadians were troubled by the gap between their own countrymen, there was a mystique officers and men which was much wider than about the British army that attracted many; in Canada. Others worried that they might fail others had come from Britain or had close to pass the port in the proper direction at mess family ties; still others had served with militia dinners for regimental traditions, even in regiments that had bonds of affection and wartime, were still maintained. Although the allegiance with sister regiments in the U.K. Canadians had been given crash courses in
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Published by Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 1993 1 Canadian Military History, Vol. 2 [1993], Iss. 1, Art. 15
mess etiquette so they could use their knives colleagues at York University would come to and forks like good Brits, there were minor appreciate. Wilf Smith, who served with the problems. Another difficulty was language. As Wiltshire Regiment and was wounded in action, every Canadian knows, the British speak a didn't get a gong, but he undoubtedly developed variety oflanguages with only the most modest the sang-froid and imperturbability that connection to English. In one instance, a characterized his direction of the Public Canloan officer found himself with one of his Archives of Canada. Others made their mark Cockney solders at a disciplinary hearing and, in every field of endeavour from the regular when asked to corroborate the man's story, the army, to the public service, to law, to business, Canadian had to confess that he had not and to farming. understood a word the man had just said. What Smith does not do is tell us who the The immediate difficulties overcome, the Canloan officers were in the mass. The nominal Canloans performed superbly in action. Their role suggests impressionistically that they were regiments grew to appreciate Canadian much like Canadian officers generally-largely informality and adventurous-ness, the COs Anglo-Saxon in origin but with substantial seemed to believe that all Canadians were numbers offrancophones and ethnic Canadians innately masters offield craft and (who seemed, on Smith's patrolling-the coureur de bois recounting, to have done just heritage presumably-and they as well with their platoons as sought all the Canadians they those of Anglo heritage). We could get. Only twelve Canloans learn nothing of their collective drew adverse reports from their educational attainments or of COs and only two were their places of origin and such dismissed outright, an data could have made the book astonishingly small percentage. more useful. Nor does he make Those who served suffered clear that within a few months terrible casualties: a 75 per cent of the Normandy invasion the casualty rate which included First Canadian Army could have 128 dead. Canloans garnered a used those Canloans in its own host of decorations, almost a ranks-Canadian junior hundred in all. Most important officers were killed in action for readers without a personal after 6 June 1944 just as fast ·connection to the Canloan story, as the British. Smith offers useful insight into the experiences of leading men But this is carping. Wilf in action, speaking frankly Smith has produced a very good about fear and courage and offering some book about a group of Canadian officers who useful thoughts on what used to be called (in served their country well as military the days before political correctness) man ambassadors (military high commissioners management. He also writes tellingly about simply doesn't have the proper ring} to the how limited the knowledge of a platoon British army. The high esprit that the Canloans commander was in action. A lieutenant knew had and still have (of which this book is only his front and his flanks and little else, and so the most recent sign) demonstrates their proud isolating was battle that some Canloans were awareness of this. not even aware that others were in the same battalion. J.L. Granatstein teaches at York Univ ~r sity. His book The Generals: The Canadil•.n A few Canloans will be known to historians. Army's Senior Commanders in the Seconi The late Harry Crowe, a giant bull of a man, World War, will be published by Stoddart won a Military Cross with the Welch Regiment, in September 1993. He is a CMHContrib his citation lauding his courage, disregard for uting Editor and will write a regular book danger, and devotion to duty, all traits that his column.
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