History Browser

During the inter-war years of 1919-1939 the Canadian military experienced large-scale reorganization which included major diversification and expansion of communications capabilities. In many cases these capabilities would grow to serve civilian as well as military needs and would put the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals in the unique position of being the only branch of the Armed Forces that continued to expand during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

The First World War stimulated a burst of striking new technologies including advances in battlefield communication. This resource describes the successes and failures of this technology and how the organization of forces changed to enable their use.

France's 1778 entry into the American Revolutionary War spread fear in several places. The Maritimes worried about a French fleet disrupting shipping in the Gulf of St. Lawrence or attacking Newfoundland. In Quebec, officials worried about Canadian reaction to a French landing.

Listing of films from the National Film board. Military developments in the fields of weaponry, communication, and transportation are looked at in this collection of films. How these developments have affected training, civilian life and warfare is explored.

Fortified towns like Quebec, Montreal, Trois-Rivières and Louisbourg were all governed by military staffs. The lives of French soldiers and Canadian civilians alike were regulated by the different drum beatings of the garrison, from La Diane at dawn to La Retraite at sunset.

The Iroquois pressed their advantage, raiding and spreading fear among the colonists. A French attempt to force a pitched battle was unsuccessful.

Listing of films from the National Film Board. Many aspects of radio broadcasting and the military are explored in this series of films. The subject matter covers everything from the principles of radio wave transmission to accounts of broadcasters and journalists who relay the war news back to Canada.

In 1793, at the outbreak of war between Britain and revolutionary France, harbour batteries were hastily erected to secure Halifax from attack by sea. In the 19th century York Redoubt and the Citadel used signal flags to keep each other informed of ships' movements. During the First World War, the site was used as barracks for assigned infantry and for troops waiting to go overseas. Early in the Second World War, the Redoubt was the nerve centre for harbour defences, and included an anti-submarine net. York Redoubt remained in military use until 1956.

Wilfred D."Dick" Ellis speaks about his experience as a communications and transportation surveying specialist. Includes transcript and glossary.

Military orders were often written with much flourish in the 18th century, as can be seen by this 1755 order from Governor General Vaudreuil to Captain de La Valterie, directing him to take command of Fort Niagara.