Chapter XXV: The Canadian Ordnance Corps

On the outbreak of hostilities the Canadian Ordnance Corps had a strength of four officers, fifty-five other ranks and thirteen civilians. It was very soon apparent that the Ordnance Depot would have to be kept working twenty-four hours per diem. All ranks therefore were immediately placed under canvas within the Depot, and shifts arranged so that work of the Ordnance Depot could be continued the whole period of twenty-four hours.

The armament of the Fortress and the Royal Canadian Engineer Defence electric lights were immediately equipped up to war scale. All fighting equipment necessary for the Royal Canadian Regiment, the 63rd and 66th Regiments, and 1st Regiment Canadian Garrison Artillery was immediately issued. Companies of the 94th and 78th Regiments were later clothed and equipped for duty at various strategic points in Nova Scotia.

With the manning of all Forts it became necessary to place a highly trained mechanic, known as an Armament Artificer, in each, to keep all guns and machinery in repair, and ready for immediate action. These were provided by the Canadian Ordnance Corps.

As soon as the Camp opened at Valcartier, it fell to the lot of the Canadian Ordnance Corps at Halifax to ship forward the bulk of the stores for equipping the Units being mobilized at Valcartier. Day after day, night after night, it was one continuous loading of cars to rush forward to Valcartier Camp. Special efforts were made to complete the 17th Battery, C.F.A., Sydney, with clothing and equipment before proceeding to Valcartier.

Prior to the departure of the 1st Division from Valcartier, an advance party from the Canadian Ordnance Corps was being sent to England to prepare for the arrival of the Canadians in England. Conductor J. D. Pitman and three non-commissioned officers and men left Halifax with seventy minutes notice and proceeded to England as part of the Canadian Ordnance Corps advance party. The party were each in possession of a haversack and water bottle as their kit. Conductor Pitman received promotion to the rank of Major, and held Staff appointments on the various Divisions in France, finally being made Chief Ordnance Officer, Canadian Overseas Military Forces, and was awarded the D.S.O.

As the Imperial Government was, during the early stage of the War, urgently in need of guns and ammunition, all guns and ammunition which could be spared from this district were immediately shipped away direct to the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich.

Two Armament Artificers also left Halifax to proceed with the Canadian Artillery Brigades of the 1st Division, and of these two, Armament Q.M.S. Smith, it is regretted, after having greatly distinguished himself in action, died of the result of wounds.

In October, 1915, the Halifax Detachment of the Canadian Ordnance Corps sent Overseas a nucleus of an Ordnance Mobile Workshop required by the Canadian Corps for the inspection, repair and upkeep of guns and vehicles of all kinds in the Field. This Unit was placed under the command of Major A. S. Buttenshaw, Inspector of Ordnance Machinery. This officer was afterwards Chief Inspector of Ordnance Machinery, Canadian Forces, and was awarded the D.S.O. Other ranks of the Detachment were moved away from time to time Overseas as ordered from Ottawa. Owing to the enormous amount of work required in the clothing and equipping of C.E.F. Units in the district, it was necessary to more than treble the Staff, recruits enlisting being trained for their duties by the few permanent men who, though much against their own wishes, were kept in Halifax, and even then all ranks were working day and night. The explosion which occurred in Halifax, December, 1917, also added to the work, various temporary hospitals being equipped by the Canadian Ordnance Corps.

In August, 1918, one officer and nine other ranks of the Halifax Detachment, C.O.C., were ordered to Vancouver as part of the Siberian Expeditionary Force. Several cars were loaded at Halifax with stores for this force and sent forward. The Halifax Detachment, with Ordnance men from other districts, arrived in Russia at Vladivostock and at once opened up a complete Ordnance Depot, where work was carried on in the usual smooth manner.

Several hundred thousand tons of ammunition, arms, equipment and clothing have been handled by the Canadian Ordnance Corps at Halifax during the period of the War, both coming from and going to England. The Ordnance Workshops at Halifax carried out an enormous amount of repair work, and in addition manufactured large quantities of military stores which were unable to be purchased. Tradesmen enlisting in the C.E.F. in various parts of Canada, such as wheelers, blacksmiths, saddlers and armorers, who were required to accompany troops Overseas, were sent to the Canadian Ordnance Corps, Halifax, for training. The Ordnance Department was also called upon to carry out all repairs and testing of ammunition for the Naval Services, both Imperial and Canadian, in addition to that of the Land Service. This work has to be done by experts, and necessitates very long hours, as certain cordite tests have to run continually day and night for several days at a time.

Since the War, all the equipment, including ammunition, for the new Reorganized Active Militia, is being handled at Halifax and reshipped to the various military points in Canada.

The following officers and senior warrant officers of Canadian Ordnance Corps have served with No. 6 Detachment, Canadian Ordnance Corps, during various periods of the War:—

Colonel J. F. MacDonald; Lieut.-Colonels A. H. Panet and M. C. Gillin; Majors A. S. Buttenshaw, D.S.O., and J. D. Pitman, D.S.O.; Captains E. M. Cartmer, J. H. MacQueen, S. V. Cooke, A. M. Simons, J. N. Gibson, and R. N. C. Bishop; Lieut. G. E. J. Ball; Conductors J. A. Villard, E. V. Hessian, A. Bentley, D.C.M., and A. Lable.

In recognition of services rendered during War 1914–1918, His Majesty the King has graciously approved the grant of the title “Royal” to the Canadian Permanent Ordnance Corps, and hereafter this Corps is permitted to bear the designation of “The Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps.”

LIEUT.-COL. JOSEPH HAYES, D.S.O., C.A.M.C.,

Twice mentioned in dispatches; M.O., 85th Infantry Battalion, 30–10–15
to 19–12–17; M.O., 4th Divisional Train, 19–12–17 to 14–4–18;
S.M.O., Central Group, C.F.C., 15–5–18 to 1–1–19; O.C., No. 2
Canadian Stationary Hospital, 7–1–19 to 17–5–19. Author of “The 85th
in France and Flanders.”]