1st Battalion Canadian Scottish Regiment at Prince Rupert 1940 Help

Discussion in 'Canadian' started by dryan67, Apr 8, 2016.

  1. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    I am finalizing my details of the early war history of the 1st Battalion, The Canadian Scottish Regiment and I am trying to nail down one detail of the battalion's service before it left for the East.

    I have documentation in its war diary and in that of the Prince Rupert Defences that a detachment of 2 officers and 55 ORs of the battalion left Prince Rupert, BC on replacement by a similar detachment of the 2nd Battalion Canadian Scottish Regiment. This detachment left Prince Rupert on July 26th, 1940 and returned to the Battalion at Work Point Camp, Esquimalt, BC on July 29th, 1940.

    Unfortunately, I have not been able to find when this detachment was sent to Prince Rupert. There is also a bit of confusion in the sources since 'B' Company 2nd Canadian Scottish Regiment was also in Prince Rupert during this period.

    I am missing some appendices for the May 1940 War Diary of the 1st Battalion, but in May 1940 it states that 'D' Company moved off on May 13th, 1940, 'B' Company moved off on May 14th and 'C' Company moved off on May 15th, all according to the instructions of Movement Order #11. I am missing this movement order. I have movement order #12, but not #11. I am a little suspect that these May moves were for points outside Victoria anyways since I have all other moves to Yorke Island and Ucluelet documented. It is just this move to Prince Rupert.

    I am not sure if the regimental history would be of any help. I viewed it a long time ago and my notes do not refer to this move. Here is the title of the regimental history if anyone has it:

    Roy, Reginald H. Ready for the Fray (Deas Gu Cath): The History of the Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary’s) 1920-1955. Vancouver: Evergreen Press, 1958.

    If anyone has the full war diary for May 1940 and can help with Movement Order #11 that would be great. If anyone has any other details on when this detachment from the 1st Battalion moved to Prince Rupert, that would be great.

    Thanks,

    David
     
  2. 17thDYRCH

    17thDYRCH Senior Member

    David,
    I have a contact at the Royal Canadian Military Institute. They have a huge library. I have asked a friend to see if he can lend a hand. This could take a couple of weeks.
     
  3. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    Thanks a lot. There is no rush as all. I have tried to contact the Canadian Scottish Regiment museum in Victoria to see if they have a copy of the war diary and Movement Order #11. The period 1939 to 1941 is a difficult time to document with many HQs having rather sparse records.
     
  4. 17thDYRCH

    17thDYRCH Senior Member

    Regrets....
    I have not heard from my contact at the RCMI so batting .000.

    Only thing I can think of is a researcher based in Ottawa ( compliments of Klambie ) who does good work at a nominal rate. $25.00-35.00 in Canadian dollars or thereabouts.

    Best to PM if you want his coordinates.

    Cheers
     
  5. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    I am still at a dead end. I have most of the primary sources for the period, such as the war diaries for all of the units at Prince Rupert as well as the war diary for Prince Rupert Defenses, but I can't seem to nail down this detachment. Hopefully, when my colleague returns from Ireland, he can get this Movement Order copied. In the meantime, I have plenty of other irons on the fire. I am working my way through the RCA at home for 1939-1945 and I am up to the units mobilized in 1942.
     
  6. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    I final solved my own question!

    After staying away from the problem of the 1st Battalion Canadian Scottish Detachment at Prince Rupert, I re-examined the war diaries of the 1st and 2nd Battalions and I now understand what happened.

    There was never any 1st Battalion Detachment sent to Prince Rupert. On June 28th 1940, all Category ‘A’ men of the 2nd Battalion Canadian Scottish were transferred to the 1st Battalion at Prince Rupert. All of the Canadian Scottish detachments at Prince Rupert were changed over on July 15th 1940 to group the 2nd and 1st Battalion Detachments more conveniently. On July 27th, a relief from ‘B’ Company 2nd Battalion arrived at Prince Rupert and, at the same time, the 1st Battalion Detachment sailed for Victoria.

    This has been nagging at me and I am happy I finally solved the problem.
     

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