The Royal Canadian Corps of Signals (RCCS or RC Sigs; french: links=no, Corps des transmissions royal du Canada, CTRC) is a component within the

Canadian Armed Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

Communications and Electronics Branch The Communications and Electronics Branch (french: Branche des communications et de l'électronique, link=no) is a personnel branch of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). The army component of the branch is designated the Royal Canadian Corps of Sign ...

, consisting of all members of that

personnel branch Personnel branches, in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), are groupings of related military occupations. Personnel branches were officially established at unification in 1968 to amalgamate the old Canadian Army corps and similar occupational group ...

who wear army uniform. Prior to 1968 it was a combat support corps of the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...

.The Regiments and Corps of The Canadian Army (Queen's Printer, 1964) The Royal Canadian Corps of Signals was re-instituted in 2013. It provides communication support and information systems for the Canadian Army. Signallers receive their training at

CFB Kingston Canadian Forces Base Kingston (also CFB Kingston) is a Canadian Forces Base operated by the Canadian Army located in Kingston, Ontario. History The Barriefield Military Camp, commonly called Camp Barriefield, was established as a military ba ...

, Ontario, at the Canadian Forces School of Communication and Electronics (CFSCE). Upon completion of their trade's training, signallers are posted to one of three mechanized brigade groups in Canada, or the Canadian Forces Joint Signal Regiment at CFB Kingston. There are detachments of signallers at bases around Canada and other DND facilities. In the Second World War era, the corps badge consisted of a circle, with a

Tudor Crown The Tudor Crown, also known as Henry VIII's Crown, was the imperial crown, imperial and state crown of Kingdom of England, English monarchs from around the time of Henry VIII until it was destroyed during the English Civil War, Civil War in 16 ...

on top with the text ''Royal Canadian Corps of Signals'' around the edge. At the centre of the circle is the Roman god Mercury. At the bottom is a ribbon with the text and eight maple leaves.

History

Major Wallace Bruce Matthews Carruthers established a militia (

Non-Permanent Active Militia The Non-Permanent Active Militia (NPAM) was the name of Canada's part-time volunteer military force from 1855 to 1940. The NPAM (also called "the Militia" though that term could also encompass the full-time standing army known as the Permanent ...

) component of signallers under the designation "Signalling Corps" on 24 October 1903, making it the first independent signal corps in the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

. It was redesignated "The Canadian Signal Corps" on 4 June 1913. On 1 April 1919 as part of the restructuring based on experiences during the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, a regular (Permanent Active Militia) component was established as the "Canadian Signalling Instructional Staff". This was redesignated "The Canadian Permanent Signal Corps" on 15 December 1920. Shortly thereafter, on 15 June 1921,

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

, the

Canadian monarch The monarchy of Canada is Canada's form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is at the core of Canada's constitutional Canadian federalism, federal structure and Westminster system, Westminster-style Parliamentar ...

, bestowed on the permanent force portion of the organization the title "The Royal Canadian Corps of Signals". Meanwhile, on 1 August 1921, the militia component was re-titled "Canadian Corps of Signals"; redesignated "Royal Canadian Corps of Signals" on 29 April 1936 (as part of the larger military restructuring that year); and finally aligned in nomenclature with the regular component as "The Royal Canadian Corps of Signals" on 22 March 1948, after the conclusion of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Korean War

In June 1950 North Korea invaded South Korea, initiating a conflict that became the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. A United Nations-led coalition was formed with 16 countries providing troops. Canada was one of the countries to intercede in the conflict. Over 26,700 Canadian troops served as part of the British Commonwealth Forces Korea. The RCCS was disbursed among the Canadian regiments as well as some American units and contributed to the overall success of the UN mission. Signallers served the war effort with distinction in multiple battles, one of which was the Battle of Kapyong. Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI), with their attached signallers, held their position against a much larger enemy force during the first North Korean spring offensive. With such efforts by the PPCLI and signallers, The UN mission stopped North Korean aggression and subsequently provided deterrence that lead to an armistice, signed on 27 July 1953. This armistice is still in effect.

Post-War

During the 50s and 60s, the RCCS operated

Emergency Government Headquarters Emergency Government Headquarters is the name given for a system of nuclear fallout shelters built by the Government of Canada in the 1950s and 1960s as part of continuity of government planning at the height of the Cold War. Situated at stra ...

, nicknamed "Diefenbunkers", that served to ensure the

continuity of government Continuity of government (COG) is the principle of establishing defined procedures that allow a government to continue its essential operations in case of a catastrophic event such as nuclear war. COG was developed by the British government befo ...

at the height of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

. The RCCS operated the

Ennadai Ennadai is a former populated place in the Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. Located on a peninsula that juts into northeastern Ennadai Lake it faces an unnamed island. It is northwest of Churchill, Manitoba and west of Arviat. Ennadai and t ...

Lake Radio Station (VEJ) from the summer of 1949 until 18 September 1954 when it was turned over to the Department of Transportation. When the Canadian Army,

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

and

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

were unified in 1968 to form the

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

, the RCCS was amalgamated into the Canadian Forces'

. On 19 April 2013, Minister of National Defence,

Peter MacKay Peter Gordon MacKay (born September 27, 1965) is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He was a Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2015 and has served as Minister of Justice and Attorney General (2013–2015), Minister of National Defence (2007� ...

, announced that the designation of "Royal Canadian Corps of Signals" would be restored for the army component within the Communications and Electronics Branch.
Restoring the historical designations of Canadian Army organizations.

Structure

Canadian Forces School of Communications and Electronics Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

* Canadian Forces Joint Signal Regiment * 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters and Signal Squadron * 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters and Signal Squadron * 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters and Signal Squadron * 31 Signal Regiment * 32 Signal Regiment * 33 Signal Regiment * 36 Signal Regiment * 37 Signal Regiment *

38 Signal Regiment The 38 Signal Regiment (Volunteers) was a regiment of the British Army's Royal Corps of Signals, part of the Army Reserve. The regiment's task was to "provide contingency communications throughout the whole of Northern England, from the Scottish B ...

* 39 Signal Regiment *

41 Signal Regiment , march = , website = , mascot = Swift Fox , anniversaries = , identification_symbol_4 = 41 Sig Regt , identification_symbol_4_label = Abbreviation ...

* 21 Electronic Warfare Regiment **Regimental Headquarters (Regular) **211 Electronic Warfare Squadron (Regular) **212 Electronic Warfare Squadron (Regular) **214 Electronic Warfare Squadron (Reserve) **215 Electronic Warfare Squadron (Regular) **218 Combat Service Support Squadron (Regular)

Colonels-in-Chief

* Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood (1940–1965) *

Anne, Princess Royal Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of ...

(1987-now)

Notable former members

* William Arthur Steel – An officer with the RCCS during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and radio pioneer. * Jack Kane – He was

Anglo Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from, the Angles, England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term ''Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to peopl ...

-Canadian

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

, conductor and

clarinetist This article lists notable musicians who have played the clarinet. Classical clarinetists * Laver Bariu * Ernest Ačkun * Luís Afonso * Cristiano Alves * Michel Arrignon * Dimitri Ashkenazy * Kinan Azmeh * Alexander Bader * Carl Baermann * ...

who served with the trumpet band from 1942 to 1945. *

James Gayfer James McDonald Gayfer (26 March 1916 – 7 April 1997) was a Canadian bandmaster, clarinetist, composer, conductor, organist, military officer, and music educator. His compositional output encompasses several orchestral works, including two ...

– Served with the RCCS trumpet band in Europe. He was also the Director of the Band of

The Canadian Guards The Canadian Guards (officially known as the Regiment of Canadian Guards) was an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army that served in the same role as the five regiments of foot guards in the British Army. The regiment was formed on 16 October 19 ...

in the 1950s and early 60s. *

William Carlton Woods William Carlton Woods (February 24, 1891 – December 11, 1965) was a farmer and political figure in Saskatchewan. He represented Kinistino from 1948 to 1952 in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan as a Liberal. He was born in Tamwor ...

References

External links

{{Commons category, Royal Canadian Corps of Signals
Communications and Electronics Museum

NWT Historical Timeline, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre
RC Sigs Militaria Web Site
Administrative corps of the Canadian Army Military communications corps Military communications of Canada Military units and formations established in 1903 Army units and formations of Canada in World War I Army units and formations of Canada in World War II Military units and formations disestablished in 1968 Military units and formations established in 2013