41 C.L./C. Mk II Canadian Army Fire services

[Mark K]

You could be right Aaron I could not find the original reference material I was referring to but it would appear the Canadian Corps Of Fire Fighters were initially to be part of the Canadian Army and this ideal was shelved early on here is an interesting article I am now wondering if the Mk II in Question was one that was issued to the Corps here is an interesting article on the Firefighters.

The Corps of Canadian Fire Fighters was formed subsequent to a visit to Britain in the summer of 1941 by the Rt. Hon. William L. Mackenzie King, Prime Minister of Canada, who assured the British Government that Canada would be only too willing to assist in the Battle of the Blitzes with a corps of Canadian firemen. It was at first the intention to have the corps come over as a branch of the Canadian Army, and be recruited under the Department of National Defense. Later, however, it was deemed advisable that inasmuch as the Fire Service in Great Britain was operating as a civilian organization the Canadian contingent, too, should be a civilian body. Major-general L.R. La Fleche, DSO, the then Associate Deputy Minister National War Services, was charged with the responsibility of providing a firefighting corps representative of the Dominion for duty in Great Britain with the National Fire Service of that country. On January 30, 1942, the Canadian Cabinet Council ratified, by Order-in-Council, the appointment of Flight-lieutenant G.E. Huff, MM, Royal Canadian Air Force, who was at that date fire prevention officer No. 2 Training Command, Winnipeg, as commanding officer. In normal times he commanded the fire department of Brantford, in Ontario, which force he had entered in 1919, but, on the outbreak of war he had been granted leave of absence, for the duration of hostilities, so that his fire engineering skill might be at the disposal of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

On February 16, 1942, he reported to Ottawa, seat of the Dominion Government and without delay began the task of banding together the various units which now constitute the Corps of Canadian Fire Fighters. It was decided that the corps should be truly representative of all parts of Canada and with this thought in mind, the commanding officer asked his brother fire chiefs from coast to coast for aid in enrolling the personnel. The response by those Canadian fire chiefs was magnificent; it resulted in very successful recruiting, and at no cost to the Canadian Government. Coincident with the announcement of the first "blitz" raids on England, countless numbers of professional firemen, and civilians alike, had volunteered their services to the British Fire Service, through the medium of the Canadian Government, and had been prepared to give up their positions, leave their homes, families, and all that was near and dear, to assist in the battle. However, it was not until the formation of the Corps of Canadian Fire Fighters was finally approved by Order-in-Council on March 3, 1942, that their dream began to materialize.

This was the opportunity for which personnel of the Canadian Fire Service and civilians alike had been waiting since first hearing of the magnificent work done by the British Fire Service during the Battle of Britain. The response to the first announcement was spontaneous as is proved by the fact that the corps has representatives from the nine Canadian provinces and 107 Canadian municipalities, in the East from Halifax to Vancouver in the west, a distance of almost 4,000 miles. At no time was there any shortage of applicants. Even to-day there is a long waiting list of candidates on file.

Members of the corps received a complete medical examination prior to reporting at Ottawa and, upon arrival, a final medical examination was given, including inoculation and vaccination, similar to the Canadian Active Service Forces. After being enrolled in small groups, the members began preliminary training in Ottawa during the time they were waiting to be supplied with uniforms and equipment prior to embarkation for overseas.

The advance party arrived in Great Britain by air on May 24, 1942-Victoria Day, a Dominion holiday, and the first contingent arrived exactly one month later. Completing its training - the trailer pump to the Canadian firefighter in the Dominion is essentially a British appliance - this first contingent assumed active duty on August 1, 1942.

The final contingent arrived on December 19, 1942, and, six weeks later, was in its operational stations. Thus the corps was formed, organized, and operating in Britain in less than 12 months from the date of Chief Huff's reporting at Ottawa.

For the purposes of pay and allowances, medical care, hospitalization, dental treatment, pension for disability and death, members of the corps have the same rights as if they were members of the Canadian Active Service Force; while for operational duties they are an integral part of the NFS. They man their own stations in four key cities on the south-west coast of England. They are under their own officers, and the corps has its own administrative headquarters in the London region.

Seventy per cent of the officers and men of the corps are professional firefighters vitally interested in gaining experience which will benefit them upon their return home. Every endeavor has been and is being made to have them attend advanced courses of instruction in the NFS schools and college. They undergo physical training courses at Royal Marine barracks and personnel are attending army and industrial schools on war gases and so forth.

The corps is unique in that, for the first time in history, a group of professional firemen has left its own country and volunteered to operate, in its own profession, in a theatre of war.

Regards Mark K

[tinlid]

Great bit of info', would need to find some pics of Canadian ARP services, but they don't seem to be in great numbers.

[Mark K]

Thanks Aaron I do have a few images on file somewere of ARP helmets in use I will see if I can locate them and post them up after work.

Regards Mark K