QUÉBEC

Montreal Garrison – 5 Area Support Group:

CFB Montreal opened at Longue Pointe in 1966 as the home of No. 25 Supply Depot. The new base also assumed command of the HMCS Hochelaga, the Naval Supply Depot at Lasalle, re-designating the site as No. 4 Supply Depot.

In 1969, CFB Saint-Hubert also became a detachment of CFB Montreal.

In 1995, CFB Montreal ceased to exist as an autonomous base when No. 5 Area Support Group was established.

The Longue Point site became Montreal Garrison and today, the massive complex still functions as Eastern Canada’s supply depot, No. 25 Supply Depot, as well as serving as Headquarters of the 2nd Canadian Division, 34 Canadian Brigade Group and No. 4 Intelligence Company.

Source Material: Information provided by Captain S. Latraverse, Staff Officer, Area Support Unit Montreal (2000) and the personal recollections of the author (2003).

The Pointe-a-Carcy Naval Complex:

The current naval training complex in Quebec City is on the site of the  former World War II naval station HMCS Chaleur II.  Established in 1939, HMCS Chaleur II served as the home of the Naval-Officer-in Charge for Quebec, one of several defence establishments in Quebec City during WWII.

The NOIC was tasked with controlling shipping and organization of convoys through the St. Lawrence Seaway, local anti-submarine operations and surveillance operations, in addition to servicing newly-built ships.

Chaleur II also oversaw the ammunition depots along Chemin du Foulon and at Fort de la Martinière (Fort No. 2) in Lévis-Lauzon, a fortification that provided protection for Chaleur II and the St. Lawrence Seaway, one of  three forts along the south shore of the St. Lawrence.

The naval base closed sometime after WWII and today, nothing remains of the original buildings.

The current Pointe-a-Carcy Naval Complex opened in the spring of 1995 on the former Chaleur site, bringing together into one location Naval Reserve Headquarters, the Canadian Forces Fleet School (Quebec), HMCS Montcaln Naval Reserve Division, the Compagnie franche de la Marine, the Naval Reserve Band, the Mobile Ship Command of the Coastal Defence, the Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps Champlain and the Naval Museum of Quebec (Musée naval de Québec).

The $41 million complex serves as another training establishment for Naval Reservists and Regular Force throughout Canada, specializing in the Hard Sea trades. Complete with residences for 237 students, eating and recreational facilities, a big focus of the Pointe-a-Carcy Naval Complex trains sailors for duties on the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels (MCDVs).

Source material: “The Naval Reserve – Link” from May 1995, “Abandoned Military Installations of Canada Volume I: Ontario” & “Abandoned Military Installations of Canada Volume II: Quebec” by Paul Ozorak and information provided by the Musée naval de Québec (2003) and Jacques Roussin (2003).

information provided by the Musée naval de Québec (2003) and Jacques Roussin (2003).

Valcartier Garrison – 5 Area Support Group:

Saint-Jean Garrison – 5 Area Support Group:

Opened on 7 July 1941 as No. 9 Air Observer School under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The site was later re-designated RCAF Station Saint-Jean.

Although No. 9 AOS closed on 30 April 1945, No. 13 EFTS re-located to the station from Saint Eugene, Ontario. Flying training ended at No. 13 EFTS on 23 August and by 17 September, the school closed.

While most WWII stations closed, Saint-Jean remained open as part of the post-war RCAF. The station later became the home of the Canadian Forces Technical, Recruit, Language and Management Schools.

As a result of the Unification, the Station was re-named CFB Saint-Jean. L’Ecole Technique des Forces Canadiennes (CF Technical School) was formed in April 1969 for language instruction.

The introduction of the Wing concept at Air Force establishments resulted in the base being re-named 16 Wing Saint-Jean in 1993. 16 Wing, originally formed in Hamilton in 1951 as 16 (Reserve) Wing and disbanded 13 years later, was re-formed at CFB Saint-Jean on 1 April 1993 as a non-flying Air Command unit. The unit relocated to CFB Borden in 1994, where it remains today and responsibility for the station was transferred to Land Forces Command.

By 1996 more change was in the wind for CFB Saint-Jean.  The Canadian Forces Technical School moved to CFB Borden and CFB Kingston and L’Ecole Technique des Forces Canadiennes relocated to various locations. CFB Saint-Jean was downsized and ceased to exist as an autonomous base when No. 5 Area Support Group was established. The base was re-named St. Jean Garrison.

Although some parts of the base were severed off and sold, most of it remains intact and continues to serve as the home of the CF Recruit School and the Royal Canadian Air Cadets Regional Gliding School (Eastern). The airfield operates as the Saint-Jean Airport.

Source material: DND press release from February 1994, “Wings For Victory” by Spencer Dunmore, the 16 Wing Borden web site – www.bconnex.net/~wing-hq, College Militaire Royal de Saint-Jean web site – http://www.cmrsj-rmcsj.forces.gc.ca/index-eng.asp, & the personal recollections of the author (2003).

Farnham Garrison:

Originally opened south-east of Montreal on 22 August 1910 as an infantry and cavalry training centre.  It closed in 1918.

On 4 August 1940 as A-12 Canadian Infantry Training Centre.  The camp, comprising 6000 acres, was originally commanded by Colonel A.T. Howard and training began on 9 October 1940, with the arrival of recruits from Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke, Le Regiment de St Hyacinthe and Le Regiment de Joliette amongst the first occupants of the camp.

The camp was also used as a refugee and Prisoner of War camp, with up to 2800 being housed in the camp throughout the war.

Colonel Wright succeeded Col Howard in 1943 and commanded the camp until A-12 officially closed on 1 October 1946.

Unlike many other WWII army training camps, Camp Farnham remained a part of the post-war Army with the establishment of a reserve training school in October 1946, run by the Royal 22e Regiment.

An Army Cadet summer training camp was opened at Camp Farnham in July 1947, as was a reserve Armoured Corps training centre.

In July 1966, a special parade was held at Camp Farnham when Governor General Georges Vanier presented new Colours to the 4e and 6e Bns, R22eR.

The Cadet camp re-located to CFB Valcartier in 1968 summer training period

Today, Farnham Garrison is used as a militia training centre and by the recruits from the CF Recruit School for field training.  Many of the original WWII-era buildings have been demolished.

Camp Vimy:

In 1997, more permanent facilities were opened to facilitate training of reserves and to support the existing ranges and training areas.

Source material: “Le Fleur de Lys” from September 1999.

La Citadelle de Quebec:

The Quebec Citadel, La Citadelle de Quebec, isn’t a typical turist attraction.  It is actually an active military installation, and the Home Station for the Royal 22^e Régiment, Canada’s only all-Francophone infantry regiment, and one of the three Regular Force infantry regiments across Canada.

The fort was built in an uneven fashion, with an open end on the sea-side, and comprises four bastions and three straight curtain walls, all constructed with locally quarried sandstone. Within its walls are 24 buildings constructed mostly of grey cut stone.

Built in a star-shape , the current Citadelle was built by Lieutenant Colonel Elias Walker Durnford of the Royal Engineers between 1820 and 1850, replacing previous French forts, as part of the fortifications of Quebec City against an American invasion.

The Second Battalion, Royal 22^e Régiment, maintain a ceremonial garrison at La Citadelle, performing guard duties at the entrance to the fort, as well as daily changing of the guard ceremonies on the parade square within the walls of La Citadelle for some of the 200, 000 annual visitors.  the ceremony also includes Batisse X, a goat who is the mascot of the regiment.

Located in Quebec City, beside the Plains of Abraham, Le Citadelle also serves as the secondary official residence for the Governor General of Canada and is a designated National Historic Site of Canada.

The Royal 22^e Régiment Regimental Museum is also contained within the walls of La Citadelle.

Le Citadelle is the oldest military building in Canada and forms part of the fortifications of Quebec City, which along with Campeche, Mexico, are only cities in North America still surrounded by fortifications.

During World War II, La Citadelle was the site of the Quebec Conferences of 1943 and 1944.  It was during this conference that the Governor General of Canada, the Earl of Athlone, Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, discussed strategy for the war, including the planning for D-Day.

Royal Military College Saint-Jean:

Royal Military College Saint-Jean is a Canadian military academy located on the site of Fort Saint-Jean, originally built in 1666, now part of the town of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec.

The original college opened in 1952 as Collège Militaire Royal de St-Jean, the third military college in Canada along with Royal Military College in Kingston and Royal Roads Military College in Victoria.

CMR closed in 1995, along with Royal Roads Military College due to DND budget cuts.

In Fall 2007, the federal government re-opened CMR Saint-Jean.

The reopening of CMR Saint-Jean in 2007 greatly differs from the original Collège militaire royal de St-Jean and from the RMC of Canada located in Kingston. The new bilingual CMR/RMC Saint-Jean encompasses the Canadian Forces Management and Development School, one of the oldest CF training establishments in the country. It is also the home to the Non-Commissioned Member Professional Development Centre, which develops the prospective future senior leaders of the Canadian Forces NCM Corps.

The Commandant of Royal Military College Saint-Jean reports to the Commander, Canadian Defence Academy (CDA). RMC Saint-Jean also has its own board of governors. Cadets at RMC Saint-Jean are issued scarlet uniforms. The first-year program at RMC Saint-Jean is freeing up beds at RMC allowing more Regular Officer Training Program (ROTP) cadets to attend RMC rather than civilian universities.

Although the college does not offer university-level courses as it did before 1995, credits can be applied to programs at RMC and other universities.