...preparation for a combined operations...1942...

[Voltigeur]

Canadian Universal carrier (Calgary Tank Regiment) and troops embarking at a British port in preparation for a combined operations exercise, July 1942.© IWM (H 21729)

http://media.iwm.org.uk/iwm/mediaLib...at=photographs

[Blackadder1916]

Where did you find the info that it is a "Calgary Tanks" vehicle? It is not identified as such at the IWM page - just "Canadian".

I may be wrong, but assuming that the unit is from 2nd Cdn Div (likely since the photo is dated the month before Dieppe raid), the unit sign "69" would indicate that it is an infantry battalion vehicle, probably South Saskatchewan Regiment. The Calgary Tanks unit sign would have read "175" as seen on this Churchill tank left at Dieppe. http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205090378

[Voltigeur]

Originally Posted by Blackadder1916

Where did you find the info that it is a "Calgary Tanks" vehicle? It is not identified as such at the IWM page - just "Canadian".
I may be wrong, but assuming that the unit is from 2nd Cdn Div (likely since the photo is dated the month before Dieppe raid), the unit sign "69" would indicate that it is an infantry battalion vehicle, probably South Saskatchewan Regiment. The Calgary Tanks unit sign would have read "175" as seen on this Churchill tank left at Dieppe. http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205090378

Click on the pic to enlarge and a better view...Blackadder you have better knowledge about the units serial number....which I don't have BUT, if you have a closer look at the sergeant on the right and at the trooper leaning on the side of the carrier,you will notice that they have, on the left arm, a faint ram badge worn at the time by units of the 1st Armoured Brigade which the Calgary Tank Regiment was part. Also worn by the Sgt, a faint shoulder title,also worn by the Calgary Tank Regiment at the time......
Finally, the only tank unit (IIRC) participating in the training and the Dieppe operation was,again, the Calgary Tank Regiment and,looking again at the photo,I see five "troopers" with black berets and "largish" cap badge.....again Calgary Tank Regiment...
(The number 69 on the carrier's left fender was for the South Sasketchewan Regiment.....Sorry,just l found it...courtesy Canadiansoldiers.com)

So, this why I mistakenly attributed the carrier to the Calgary instead of to the SSR.....

Jo

[ddaydodger]

Please, it's not "The Calgary Tank Regiment", it's The Calgary Regiment (Tank), or properly: '14th (Reserve) Army Tank Battalion, (The Calgary Regiment (Tank))' on 1 April 1941; then '14th (Reserve) Army Tank Regiment, (The Calgary Regiment (Tank))' on 15 August 1942. More name changes before and after this period. But always referred to as "The Calgary Regiment" until 1946 when it became "'14th Armoured Regiment The King's Own Calgary Regiment".

[Voltigeur]

Originally Posted by ddaydodger

Please, it's not "The Calgary Tank Regiment", it's The Calgary Regiment (Tank), or properly: '14th (Reserve) Army Tank Battalion, (The Calgary Regiment (Tank))' on 1 April 1941; then '14th (Reserve) Army Tank Regiment, (The Calgary Regiment (Tank))' on 15 August 1942. More name changes before and after this period. But always referred to as "The Calgary Regiment" until 1946 when it became "'14th Armoured Regiment The King's Own Calgary Regiment".

Blackadder...thank you for the clarification but,one word comes to my mind here...."picky,picky,picky" nothing personnal.....
Jo

[ddaydodger]

It's one of the first things I do when I pick up a history book on Canadian military history, check to see if the author got the unit names correct. If not the rest of the book becomes suspect. The Calgary Regiment is wrong more often then naught, PPCLI is another one people make a mess of- I've seen Princess Patricia's Light Infantry of Canada in a major Canadian newspaper recently.
I suppose it's picky, but what would you call discussing tac signs on a Bren Gun Carrier (or Universal Carrier, there is a difference, but would that be picky too).

[Bill A]

The designation quoted by Bruce is for the reserve regiment. The active force regiment was designated as follows (from the DHH site):
The regiment subsequently mobilized an armour regiment designated the '14th Army Tank Battalion (The Calgary Regiment (Tank)), CAC, CASF' on 11 February 1941.30 It was redesignated: '14th Army Tank Regiment (The Calgary Regiment (Tank)), CAC, CASF' on 15 May 1942; '14th Armoured Regiment (The Calgary Regiment), CAC, CASF' on 26 August 1943;and '14th Armoured Regiment (The Calgary Regiment), RCAC, CASF' on 2 August 1945.

[ddaydodger]

For brevity sake I left off the CAC, CASF. I probably should have included them. Nor were they used except in formal correspondence. The troops referred to themselves as The Calgary Regiment, as per their shoulder flash, and not the Calgary Tanks.

[Bill A]

Bruce, the lineage you quoted is the lineage for the reserve army unit. The active service unit had different designations that were actually part of their insignia. (As shown in the CASF lineage.) The shoulder titles were worn from circa 1941 until early 1943. At that time the scheme of insignia for the CAC was changed. CAC units were to wear the CAC shoulder title with the appropriate formation patch. So, in the case of the Calgary Regt (Tank), they wore the 14 CTB (14 Canadian Tank Battalion) imposed on the 1 CTB patch, later changed to 14 CAR (14 Canadian Armoured Regt) on the 1 CAB patch. Then after the move to NW Europe, the scheme of insignia was changed again this time back to the regimental shoulder title worn with plain 1 CAB patches. There were several exceptions to this scheme, but generally the 1 CTB/1 CAB followed the laid down policy for most of the war. The reserve army unit only wore the worsted slip-ons reading CALGARY.