Calling all R.A. members, and anyone with possible details

Not sure what the flag depicts at the end of the marching column?

Judging by the colours, the flag looks to be a cross made up in REME colours. I did spot an Anchor! Could it represent an all round 'Maintenance Unit?'

brum wrote:

With respect Stephen and not wishing to be pedantic, I don't think the lad is wearing a replica of a Canadian battledress jacket. I'm sure one of our Scottish contributors can help with the tartan of his kilt, (Cameronians?) but I don't see the famous Canadian "Red Patch" on his sleeve.
All that said, it's a magical clip and one that can only increase my respect for the Canadians.

brum

Hmmmm...you're right...the Red Patch isn't there which of course it would have been had it been a battledress jacket...mind you, it could be, just with insignia removed. I know I wore my dad's old battle dress jacket when I was about 19 or so but he insisted I remove ALL insignia out of respect, so I did. to him, only a soldier had the right to wear insignia. Wearing a battle dress jacket...well,he wasn't real happy but since by then we had all converted to the Jolly Green Jumper uniforms, it wasn't like I was wearing an 'active uniform'.

I was wondering what the tartan might have been as well....I don't recognize it off hand as being anything "Canadian" but then I'm not as up on my tartans as I once was.

It's virtually impossible to discern the tartan worn in this clip other than it is a dark tartan. It's not, therefore, 'shortbread red'... Royal Stewart, which is a regimental pipers' tartan.

It's likely to be Black Watch (Government Tartan) which is dark green, dark blue and black. The Seaforths wore a similar tartan... Mackenzie, which is basically Black Watch with the addition of thin red and white stripe.

There was a Black Watch (The Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada in existence until about 1970. I think that an element may exist yet in the reserve forces.

I kind of half thought it might be Black Watch tartan as well, but as you say the footage is not of good enough quality to discern colour details.

Nevertheless, it's a sweet clip. Little guys at that age are so neat.

Hi all you fine folk,I never thought one little video clip on my website would be of such interest.Though I have to agree its a lovely little moment in time caught on camera.
All the best,
Denis.

Speaking of lovely little moments, Denis....who is the cutie you use as your avatar??? An adorable little pup.... love the 'arched eyebrow' over his left eye :-)

Hi mate,
the little "cutie" I use as a avatar is my neices English bulldog who is a bit bigger now.When we play tug of war I lose.

I thought he might have been an English bull....as slobbery as they are, I think they are really neat little guys. Sturdy and tough but friendly.

When we returned to Canada (I'd have been 17 or 18) and lived in MQs in Calgary, a young officer lived in the quarter next to ours and he had an English Bull. The dog would spot me across the green and coming charging over and -- Wham! -- get me right below the knees and send me hell west and crooked every time then proceed to straddle me and lick my face as I roared with laughter. Great little dogs...well, not "little" LOL

Re "Calling all RA......"

Gentlemen,

Watching the Belgian lad taking the salute, I was surprised to see the Canadian throwing up what we Brits would call an "American" salute.

Seeing as most of the Commonwealth military still use the "British" type salute, when did the Canadians make the change ?

The French salute the same way as we do, so we can't blame Trudeau/De Gaulle for this one!

brum

I actually noticed the salute...an odd salute, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what I found odd about it.

Now, it's been many years since I witnessed Canadian soldiers salute and it was not something I paid particular attention to. I mean, why would I? It was a common occurrence, "just" a salute. But as I recall, and this is taking a certain degree of concentration and "calling up" long buried images so the 'recall' may well be faulty but seems to me "our" salute was a right-hand, fingertips to the brim, palm out, forearm at right angles to the head type salute.

The one the Canadian soldier delivers is markedly different and brum may well be correct in that it is an "American" salute, not a "British/Commonwealth" salute.

Perhaps Hardrations or TonyE can speak to this more authoritatively than I.

From the information I have, the Canadian Army and Air Force adopted the Canadian Navy's salute upon unification of the Canadian Armed Forces back in 1968.

Len (Ciphers)

Ah yes,That rings a bell. I remember something about the unification.
Thanks

Personally, I prefer the Canadian/US style of saluting. Ours, well, I think it is a 'bit wooden' and unnatural to perform!

Alan

Actually I have just changed my salute to the style the Canadians adopted in 1968 .. after residing here since 1966 I thought it about time .. I saw a photo that someone snapped of me on Canada Day last year, everyones salute except mine was 'palm down', mine of course was 'palm out' ...now the world can rest easy, I have finally conformed.

Len (Ciphers)

I had to have a little practice to remember how we did it, it's been 32 years since I took off the green suit,but it's straight up and down with the palm down,there were a few mishaps at first with the palm being out and the quickly turned down,almost like making the screw loose barmy sign.

When Len mentioned the "palm down" style others used on Canada Day (and as a quick aside...I detest "Canada Day" -- sounds like something Corporate dreamed up! I prefer the old "Dominion Day" but, of course, if I used that nobody would know what the hell I was on about!!), it rang an immediate bell....that was it, the salute my dad used and the salute I grew up with!

What I didn't know was post-unification the newly-minted "Canadian Armed Forces" adopting the former Canadian Navy salute. Now that must have stuck in the craw of the Air Force bunch!!! LOL

I was watching the closing ceremonies of the Vancouver Para-Olympics last night and noticed the Queen's Cowboys - (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) still use the 'palm out' salute ..

Len (Ciphers)

ciphers wrote:

Actually I have just changed my salute to the style the Canadians adopted in 1968 .. after residing here since 1966 I thought it about time .. I saw a photo that someone snapped of me on Canada Day last year, everyones salute except mine was 'palm down', mine of course was 'palm out' ...now the world can rest easy, I have finally conformed.

Len (Ciphers)

Same for me, Len. At the outset of the unification mess we had a sort of "dumb insolence" form of rebellion to the "pusser five". As has been pointed out, we would bring up the old army/air force salute, then as the hand reached the head, quickly turn the palm downwards. I guess it made us feel good, but really proved little, if anything. Like you, I'm better now and do it the regulation way, even though I dislike it.

At least the RCMP have stuck to their traditions, but they also still use what I believe was the very old British Army rank badges for Sargeant and S/Sgt: a crown over the 3 stripes for the former and 4 inverted stripes on the lower sleeve for the latter. A lot of unknowing service people would compliment an RCMP sargeant by addressing them as "Staff" while wondering if an RCMP staff sargeant may have been a drum major. That was in the days before unification when we had staff sargeants and colour sargeants, not warrant officers. But don't get me going on that.

Paul wrote:

In searching for details to update/add to the main site, I have come across many references to "Locating Batteries".

Were these units "stand alone" or detached from main units.

Help, please, to sort this one out

Paul.

Since I have helped get this thread off-topic, as a public service I will quote the original query that Paul initiated.

Cheers,

Rod (Recce83)

I've just been looking at a moth-eaten UN Cyprus newsletter (The Blue Beret), from 1969. There's the Van Doos trying out the new salute on a farewell parade.
In a '91 copy of same there is a mention of the "12e Regiment blinde du Canada". I've never heard of them, can someone translate please ?

Loose translation 12 Re-enforcement Regiment of Canada .. I think


Len (Ciphers)

Thanks Len,
Reinforcement, I wonder who they'd reinforce? A strange thing this unification !

ciphers wrote:

Loose translation 12 Re-enforcement Regiment of Canada .. I think


Len (Ciphers)

The 12th Armoured Regt. A Quebecois regiment affiliated with the Three Rivers Regt. According to their web site the regular force regiment is stationed at Valcartier Quebec and a reserve regiment in Trois Riviere.

I thought that 12 RBC meant just that ,armoured regiment,in my various books French tank regiments are called Regiment Blinde.
Getting back to the actonyms RBC means Rubber Boot Company.