Halifax - First Home of the Canadian Engineers

Royal Engineers lay out the plans for the settlement of Halifax

In 1999, the City of Halifax celebrated the 250th anniversary of its founding. Edward Cornwallis, Governor of Nova Scotia from 1749-52, landed on 21 June 1749 and his Royal Engineers immediately began to lay out the town and its defences. On 10 December 1749, a company of local Engineers became the earliest known Engineer unit raised in Canada. As The Citadel was the first location for the School of Military Engineering when the Canadian Engineers were formed in 1903,  Halifax is considered to be the first Home of the Engineers.

During the initial settlement of Canada, the principal means of transportation was by water, so harbours played a major role in this activity. The need to protect these harbours and the surrounding population led to the construction of fortifications of all types at Halifax. Sites overlooking the harbour entrances and other dominating features were placed under Military Reserve and an initial town survey was carried out by the Royal Engineers. Defence installations were constructed on Citadel Hill, Chebucto Head, McNabs Island and other sites in and around the harbour. The Naval Dockyard had a modest start with the construction of jetties to handle shipping. The period 1800-1814 saw the development of a Naval Dockyard in the full sense.

Early in the 20th century, Britain reviewed its need for overseas naval installations and determined that it did not need to retain the facilities at Halifax and Esquimalt, British Columbia and they were transferred to Canada at no cost. Canada agreed to maintain them and grant access to the British Admiralty when required.

By 1907, Canada had full control of the shore facilities in Halifax. The infrastructure spanned 24 acres and 75 buildings including a naval hospital, victualling stores, coal stores, workshops, and some residences. There were five wharves and three slipways on the waterfront. An adjacent magazine area had its own wharf.

These were also formative years for the Canadian Army as the last British Forces departed their Canadian garrisons. While training of Canadian Engineers had been taking place at units, summer camps, and provisional schools across the country, there was an increasing requirement to formalize this training. With the transfer of the Halifax garrison to Canada, it was logical that the early Canadian Engineer training would start in The Kings Lumber Yard in the Halifax Dockyard, as that had been the location of the Royal Engineer training.

There is mention of "an electrical school and a school of instruction for recruits" in Halifax in the December 1906 "Annual Report of the Militia Council for Canada." Indications are, however, that this was a Provisional School as, in that same report, the Inspector General had recommended that a School of Military Engineering be formed and stated, "It would appear to be an opportune time to establish a thoroughly organized school of engineering at Halifax, distinct from field training at Petawawa, as many facilities now offer at the former station."

Militia Order 158 of 11 July 1907 authorized the formation of Canada's first permanent School of Military Engineering. It comprised five sections; Construction, Electrical, Mechanical, Telegraphy, and Field Works. Each section was called a 'school' or a 'division.'  The Commandant also acted as the Commander of Royal Canadian Engineers (CRCE), Maritime Provinces. All sections had a Chief Instructor, a Sergeant Major, and a Sergeant Instructor. Instructors were allocated only when courses started with all the staff being borrowed from nearby units. For example, the Chief Instructor for Field Works was also the Officer Commanding the Halifax Fortress Company. The Division Officer for Defense Lights, Halifax, was the Electrical School's Chief Instructor.

During the First World War, the school was closed from 1914 to 1919 because provisional schools and training establishments of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Canada and England conducted necessary engineer training. The school re-opened in Halifax at Wellington Barracks after the war. The school remained in Halifax until early in the Second World War when it was redesignated as "The Royal Canadian Engineer Training Centre" on 1 December 1940. The title change was part of the transfer of command and control to the Canadian Army Active Service Force from the Non-Permanent Active Militia. Training continued in Halifax until the Spring of 1940 when the training centre moved to Petawawa, Ontario.

A monument was installed on the grounds of Royal Artillery Park to mark the association between the Canadian Military Engineers and Halifax. Based on two Bailey bridge panels, it was unveiled on 24 September 1995. This is a very fitting monument due to its location on the grounds of the Royal Artillery/Royal Engineers Officers' Mess and the use of Bailey panels, one of the most successful pieces of equipment used by the engineers during the Second World War.