32 Combat Engineer Regiment
Encyclopedia
32 Combat Engineer Regiment (32 CER) is the Primary Reserve (Militia) unit of the Canadian Military Engineers
in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada. It is assigned to 32 Canadian Brigade Group
, part of Land Force Central Area
.
The unit parades Friday evenings at the Denison Armoury
. It was formerly known as 2 Field Engineer Regiment (2 FER) before being renamed in 2006.
The company's first Commanding Officer was Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Clarkson Scoble. With no established engineer stores and no trained instructors, his problems were numerous. Lt Col Scoble located a retired Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) of the Royal Engineers living in Toronto, persuaded him to become the Training NCO of the Engineer Company, and then paid from his own pocket for the supplies and equipment necessary to train his men as Sappers.
Members of the Regiment have long been innovators. In 1909 Lieutenants J.A.D. “Jack” McCurdy and Frederick W. “Casey” Baldwin made Canada's first powered flight in the ‘Silver Dart’ at Baddeck, Nova Scotia and conducted the first military aircraft demonstration at Petawawa, Ontario later that same year. The Regiment's current home beside the Downsview airfield, is an appropriate place for the heirs of those outstanding pioneers of army aviation as it was once home to legendary aircraft manufacturer A. V. Roe (AVRO) and now to Bombardier Canada.
32 Combat Engineer Regiment perpetuates the 2nd Field Company, 1st Canadian Divisional Engineers of the First World War's Canadian Corps. Sappers from the Regiment also went overseas in 1918 as a key part of the 4000 man Canadian Contingent sent to open a new front in Siberia. Again deployed during World War II as the 2nd Divisional Engineers, they took part in the Dieppe Raid in 1942. Thereafter the component companies of the Regiment distinguished themselves fighting throughout the European Campaign following the D-Day invasion in Normandy.
After the war, they were re-designated 2 Field Engineer Regiment (M), and under that name were called out in 1954 to provide disaster relief and aid to the Greater Toronto Area in the aftermath of Hurricane Hazel. Thirty years later, 2 FER became the one and only unit to ever receive the Freedoms of all six Cities and the Borough that now form Metropolitan Toronto. On November 23 2006 by order of the Honourable Gordon O’Connor Minister of National Defence 2 Field Engineer Regiment became 32 Combat Engineer Regiment.
Canadian Military Engineers
The Canadian Military Engineers is the military engineer branch of the Canadian Forces.-Mission:The mission of the Canadian Military Engineers is to contribute to the survival, mobility, and combat effectiveness of the Canadian Forces...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada. It is assigned to 32 Canadian Brigade Group
32 Canadian Brigade Group
32 Canadian Brigade Group is part of Land Force Central Area, under the Canadian Army. It is centered around the Greater Toronto Area, as well as Grey and Simcoe Counties...
, part of Land Force Central Area
Land Force Central Area
Land Force Central Area is responsible for the administration of the Canadian Army in the province of Ontario, from the Quebec border to the northern Lakehead region...
.
The unit parades Friday evenings at the Denison Armoury
Denison Armoury
Lieutenant-Colonel George Taylor Denison III Armoury, commonly known as Denison Armoury, is a Canadian Forces facility located at 1 Yukon Lane in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is in the northeastern corner of Downsview Airport just west of the W.R. Allen Expressway on Sheppard Avenue West...
. It was formerly known as 2 Field Engineer Regiment (2 FER) before being renamed in 2006.
Unit History
Militia Order No. 1 dated 14 January 1876 authorized the formation of the Toronto Engineer Company. This name was changed in October of the same year to the 2nd Military District Engineer Company. The establishment of the Company called for 5 officers and seventy other ranks.The company's first Commanding Officer was Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Clarkson Scoble. With no established engineer stores and no trained instructors, his problems were numerous. Lt Col Scoble located a retired Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) of the Royal Engineers living in Toronto, persuaded him to become the Training NCO of the Engineer Company, and then paid from his own pocket for the supplies and equipment necessary to train his men as Sappers.
Members of the Regiment have long been innovators. In 1909 Lieutenants J.A.D. “Jack” McCurdy and Frederick W. “Casey” Baldwin made Canada's first powered flight in the ‘Silver Dart’ at Baddeck, Nova Scotia and conducted the first military aircraft demonstration at Petawawa, Ontario later that same year. The Regiment's current home beside the Downsview airfield, is an appropriate place for the heirs of those outstanding pioneers of army aviation as it was once home to legendary aircraft manufacturer A. V. Roe (AVRO) and now to Bombardier Canada.
32 Combat Engineer Regiment perpetuates the 2nd Field Company, 1st Canadian Divisional Engineers of the First World War's Canadian Corps. Sappers from the Regiment also went overseas in 1918 as a key part of the 4000 man Canadian Contingent sent to open a new front in Siberia. Again deployed during World War II as the 2nd Divisional Engineers, they took part in the Dieppe Raid in 1942. Thereafter the component companies of the Regiment distinguished themselves fighting throughout the European Campaign following the D-Day invasion in Normandy.
After the war, they were re-designated 2 Field Engineer Regiment (M), and under that name were called out in 1954 to provide disaster relief and aid to the Greater Toronto Area in the aftermath of Hurricane Hazel. Thirty years later, 2 FER became the one and only unit to ever receive the Freedoms of all six Cities and the Borough that now form Metropolitan Toronto. On November 23 2006 by order of the Honourable Gordon O’Connor Minister of National Defence 2 Field Engineer Regiment became 32 Combat Engineer Regiment.
Organization
There are currently two Field Squadrons, an independent Support Troop, and a Regimental Headquarters in 32 CER:- 2 Field Engineer Squadron, which provides engineering support to the brigade
- 47 Field Squadron, the training squadron
- Support Troop, provides heavy equipment, water supply, and construction support to the field squadrons.
- RHQ is composed of the regimental command staff, Ops and training staff, and administration and logisitcs staff.