I'm looking information about where X Company Served after graduating from Camp Borden May 25 1944. Any information appreciated - Regiment was reported to be Royal Hamilton Light Infantry.
Hi, Welcome to the forum. It’s not the best quality image but it looks like a training course photo? Recruits? I’m sure our Canadian members will be able to assist you later today after dawn breaks “over the pond”. My initial thoughts are by that time in the war recruits who trained together would not necessarily stay together post training. If it was a post recruit “specialised” training course the men were likely drawn from various units and would return there after the course ended. Newly trained recruits may have gone overseas together as a draft but were likely split up and sent to diverse units as reinforcements as required. I’ve seen records for men who completed recruit training in Canada April/May 1944 and were sent to UK within a month and were fighting in France by July/August. It might help members to help you if you provide a name. Steve
Thanks so much for the Reply. His name is Allan Ross Hill. His service regular number on the address and one of the last letters he received over seas below. I’ve recently filed an ATIP request.
Hi, Thanks for posting the additional information. Ancestry.com has service records for 7 casualties in the A1097** series. The common factor is enlistment in mid February 1944. They were killed whilst serving in various regiments. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9145/ If you have anymore personal details please post them as members with access to Canadian newspaper archives may find mention of him. Steve
I should clarify, he very much lived until he was an old man and had a good life. I have an ATIP he was very elusive about what he did in the service or what actual unit he served with. I’m more so looking for details about that X company, and if you joined in a regiment if you stayed with that regiment. I think the answer to that is not at all, so he wouldn’t have necessarily been with the Royal Hamilton Infantry Unit, they could have been rolled out other units upon arrival and specialized training and need is what I’m learning. We know he flew in a plane as a PTE in the army.. seemed unusual. and was overseas between Oct 21 44 until Mid to late summer 45. I have an ATIP request in and in two years it will have been 20 years since he passed so we will be able to submit again under > 20. I wasn’t sure if anyone had any special databases outside of the Canadian Feds that we could lookup the details for. It’s wild that the Canadian Records are sealed so much. But in my research I’ve learned the Canadians were brutal.. so in many ways it protected the living from having too much out there. if there is a way to track “X” company from Borden from May 25 44 and where and when they went that would probably be my best possible hope.
Hi, I did appreciate he had survived the war and simply quoted the near service numbers of casualties to give you an idea about when he enlisted. Your best bet will be to wait to access his service file. You receive a lot more information in a Canadian service file than a UK file. I personally doubt you will find any information about X Company in May 1944 but perhaps our Canadian members will be better placed to give you an answer. Good Luck Steve
As far as I know, A-11 was a standard Advanced Infantry Training Centre at Borden. CSTTC has me baffled. X Coy is probably just one of multiple training Coys at that Centre. After completion of training, you would typically go into the reinforcement stream and he presumably ended up with the RHLI. This assumes this was a bit later in the war. (edit to add you have dated this as May 44). Early in the war when the RHLI was mobilized they presumably did their own training in Canada but I would expect they were organized as a standard Infantry Battalion with A, B, C, D as rifle Coys as well as other sub-units (no X Coy). His file should shed more light.
I agree, I’ve never heard of the term CSTTC before……did a little searching and found 2 more photo’s of ‘C’ Company, A11, CSTTC Camp Borden……so they did have “regular lettered” companies as well….try to find wat CSTTC means? My best guess is Canadian Signals Training ? Center . Still trying to find what CSTTC means. BUT the record above (Queen Mary) shows him in the CIC (Canadian Infantry Corps)??
Hi, Thanks for your input. Could it be Canadian Signals Trade Testing Centre? However on the basis that the 7 near numbered casualties (to be confirmed in his service record) I mention above enlisted in mid February 1944 would he have been eligible for trade training with only 3 months service? Would he have completed his initial recruit training by May 1944? Steve
Actually I just found a “very similar” abbreviation (from the list of abbreviations in WW2 service records)….. Source: Military abbreviations used in service files CSTTB - Canadian Standing Trades Test Board Could that mean there was a “Canadian Standing Trades Test Center” at Camp Borden……just a SWAG here, I think his records “may” have clues……so it will be a mystery to me until someone comes up with an answer.
This is Accurate with respect to returning home on Mary—we knew this one, but that's awesome find! Steve, YES, that photo I put in of him was from his grad class on May 25, 1944. I appreciate all of these updates, ATIP is officially in - and I have to pay the fee, so will do that today - and then wait however long. Here's the thing - he claimed he Never fired a gun in WW2. About as much as we knew was "infantry" - and I can't conclude how. We knew he was transported by Plane occasionally, which seemed odd for someone in the infantry.. My uncle told me that recently, primarily as he learned from him, could have been transport between U.K. and Front.. I don't know, purely speculative. Interesting on the Canadian Standing Trades Test Board acronym. Can't figure out what that means online anywhere.
During the War, many “new recruits” were sent for specialized training in different things, like radio’s, electronics, mechanics etc etc. To get “trades pay” they men would be tested, in order to be awarded the pay increase Also, many older men, who joined, may have had a trade BEFORE the war, so they would be tested on their training, and if they qualify without additional military trades training. BUT, I’m not saying that acronym is correct for that Unit in Camp Borden. So far its the only thing I can find that is even close. I’m hoping (like you) that maybe someone on this site has more information about it and can either correct us, or give us more info on what that means.
Well the ATIP request will need to wait until the Canada Post strike here is over, because I need to make a $5 payment to get the service records under the Privacy Act, and they do not take electronic transfer of funds, must be done via mail. Thanks for the help so far. I'll post when I get the files.
Very helpful to other researchers if you can post what kind of timeline they are currently estimating for a reponse. If you are intereseted in expediting, I can recommend an Ottawa researcher who can get a file in a few months. PM me for info. Not sure why it's taking that long, he used to be able to do 6-8 weeks. He charges around $30.
