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Applications of unit serial numbers on vehicles of the Canadian Army Overseas, 1943-45

Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 3:12 pm
by Phil
With war in Europe inevitable, and as Canada prepared, starting on 1 September 1939, as a Canadian unit was called out and placed on active service, as a unit of the Canadian Active Service Force1, each unit was allocated, a separate ‘Unit Serial Number.’ Each individual unit serial number, to all intents and purposes, became the unit identity code until such time as the unit was disbanded, although in some instances, a new unit serial number was sometimes allocated upon the conversion and redesignation of a unit. The unit serial number normally consisted of one, two, three or four digits.

Some examples of the one, two, three, or four digit unit serial numbers allocated to Canadian units upon being called out and placed on active service:

a.) – Serial No. 2, was allocated to the Headquarters of the 1st Division (later redesignated Headquarters, 1st Canadian Division, and still later, was redesignated Headquarters, 1st Canadian Infantry Division) on 1 September 1939, and was retained as the unit serial number of the Headquarters until it was disbanded on 15 September 1945.

b.) – Serial No. 22, was allocated to the 2nd Field Park Company, Royal Canadian Engineers, on 1 September 1939, and was retained as the unit serial number of the 2nd Field Park Company until it was disbanded on 30 November 1945.

c.) – Serial No. 144, was allocated to No. 15 General Hospital, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, on 1 September 1939, and was retained as the unit serial number of No. 15 General Hospital until it was disbanded on 7 May 1945.

d.) – Serial No. 1177, was allocated to No. 6 Field Surgical Unit, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, on 1 February 1943, and was retained as the unit serial number of No. 6 Field Surgical Unit until it was disbanded on 1 June 1945.

Read more at MilArt,

Applications of unit serial numbers on vehicles of the Canadian Army Overseas, 1943-45