|
|
|
|
 |
General Information - A Catalgoue of Decorations and Campaign Medals
Issued By Canada To United Nations Forces
For The Korean War 1950 - 1954
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
General Information about
Canada's involvement in the Korean War
| On 30th June 1950
the Canadian Prime Minister, Mr. L. St. Laurent informed the United Nations that
they would immediately consider a contribution to support a police action under
a United Nations Commander. In the meantime three destroyers, H.M.C. Ships
Athabaskan, Cayuga and Sioux of the Pacific Division, would move to Far Eastern
waters to be available if required to co-operate with other U.N. navel forces.
They sailed from Esquimalt on 5 July bound for Pearl Harbour. On 14 July the
Secretary-General of the U.N. requested that Canada examine its capacity to
provide combat forces for service in Korea and the Canadian Government announced
on the 21 July that it was allocating an R.C.A.F. transport squadron to support
the U.N. Command. This was No. 426 Squadron R.C.A.F., consisting of six (later
twelve) North Star aircraft which flew regularly scheduled flights between
McCord Air Force Base, Washington and Haneda airfield Tokyo from 27 July 1950.
The Prime Minister announced the decision to recruit the Canadian Army Special
Force and the authority for the establishment of the Force was contained in
Order in Council PC 3860/50 dated 7 August 1950. The new units consisted
originally of three infantry battalions, one regiment of artillery, a field
ambulance, an infantry workshop, a transport company and two light aid field
repair detachments. It’s strength was to be approximately 4,960 all ranks, plus
a reinforcement group of 2,105. This was recruited from veterans in civilian
life, the Reserve Force, the Supplementary Reserve and from the general public
and on the 9 August 1950, Brigadier J.M. Rockingham was appointed to command the
25th Canadian Infantry Brigade. It was decided to use the Special Force
infantry to expand the Royal 22e Reg, R.C.R. and P.P.C.L.I. with the training
carried out at Fort Lewis in the U.S.A. between 8 October 1950 until 15 May
1951. The first to embark for Korea were 927 members of 2nd P.P.C.L.I., who
sailed from Seattle on the U.S.N.S. Private Joe P. Martinez on 25 November
1950. The troopship steamed into Yokohama on 14 December, then proceed to Kobe
where U.S. Marine reinforcements embarked and finally arrived at Pier 2 Pusan on
18 December. After further training the 2nd P.P.C.L.I. joined 27th British
Commonwealth Infantry Brigade at Changhowon-ni on 17 February 1951. Between 19
February and 16 April 2nd P.P.C.L.I. advanced north, capturing Hills
404, 444, 419, 532, 685, 642, 910, 929, 902, 974, 1250, Point 717, then Hills 795 and 826.
2nd P.P.C.L.I. distinguished itself defending the area between Naech'on and Hill
677 during the action at Kap'yong 24-25 April 1951, were alongside 3rd R.A.R.,
they held off an estimated two Chinese regiments (about 6,000 men). For this
action they were recognised by the American government by the award of the
Distinguished Unit Citation on 23 June 1951 by Eighth Army General Order No.
453. The authority for the wearing of the emblem of this award was finally
granted by the Canadian Army on 21 February 1956, where it was to be worn on
both sleeves with entitlement to follow U.S. regulations. In early May 1951 the
25th Canadian Infantry Brigade Group arrived with the 2nd R.C.R., 2nd R.22e.R.,
an artillery regiment, a field ambulance (both battalion equivalents), tank and
engineer squadrons. These were also joined by 2nd P.P.C.L.I. which had
transferred from 28th Brigade.
Besides the 12
North Star aircraft of 426 Transport Squadron, the R.C.A.F. provided some twenty
fighter pilots and a number of technical officers to the U.S. 5th Air Force, the
Canadian pilots were credited with a total of more than twenty Russian made jet
fighters destroyed or damaged.
|
The Canadians
rotated their forces throughout the war and the following Units were involved :-
|
H.M.C.S.
Athabaskan (Destroyer) |
5. 7.50 to |
|
H.M.C.S.
Cayuga (Destroyer) |
5. 7.50 to |
|
H.M.C.S.
Crusader |
|
|
H.M.C.S. Haida |
|
|
H.M.C.S. Huron |
|
|
H.M.C.S.
Iroquois |
|
|
H.M.C.S.
Nootka |
|
|
H.M.C.S. Sioux
(Destroyer) |
5. 7.50 to |
|
'A' Squadron,
Royal Canadian Armoured Corps; Lord Strathcona's Horse (ASqnRCAC)
|
20. 5.53 to
24. 5.54 |
|
'B' Squadron,
Royal Canadian Armoured Corps; Lord Strathcona's Horse (BSqnRCAC)
|
2. 6.52 to
24. 5.53 |
|
'C' Squadron,
Royal Canadian Armoured Corps; Lord Strathcona's Horse (CSqnRCAC)
|
4. 5.51 to
8. 6.52 |
|
'D' Squadron,
Royal Canadian Armoured Corps; Royal Canadian Dragoons (DSqnRCAC)
|
24. 5.54 to
14.12.54 |
|
1st Regiment,
Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (1RegRCHA) |
3. 5.52 to
22. 4.53 |
|
2nd Field
Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (2FldRegRCHA) |
5. 5.51 to
6. 5.52 |
|
3rd Regiment,
Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (3RegRCHA) |
9. 5.54 to
27.11.54 |
|
81st Field
Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery (81FldRegRHA) |
16. 4.53 to
9. 5.54 |
|
3rd Field
Squadron, Royal Canadian Corps of Engineers (3FldSqnRCCE) |
26. 3.54 to
27.11.54 |
|
23rd Field
Squadron, Royal Canadian Corps of Engineers (23FldSqnRCCE) - |
3. 5.52 to
28. 3.53 |
|
57th
Independent Field Squadron, Royal Canadian Corps of Engineers
(57IndFldSqnRCCE) |
4. 5.51 to
3. 5.52 |
|
59th
Independent Field Squadron, Royal Canadian Corps of Engineers
(59IndFldSqnRCCE, re-designated 4th Field Squadron 16.10.53) |
23. 3.53 to
26. 3.54 |
|
25th Canadian
Infantry Brigade Signal Squadron, Royal Canadian Corps of Signals
(25InfBgdeSigsRCCS) |
3. 5.51 to
27.11.54 |
|
1st Battalion,
Royal Canadian Regiment (1BtnRCR) |
20. 4.52 to
25. 5.53 |
|
2nd Battalion,
Royal Canadian Regiment (2BtnRCR) |
5. 5.51 to
25. 4.52 |
|
3rd Battalion,
Royal Canadian Regiment (3BtnRCR) |
23. 3.53 to
27. 3.54 |
|
1st Battalion,
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (1BtnPPCLI) |
29.10.51 to
4.11.52 |
|
2nd Battalion,
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (2BtnPPCLI) |
18.12.50 to
4.11.51 |
|
3rd Battalion,
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (3BtnPPCLI) |
29.10.52 to
29.10.53 |
|
1st Battalion,
Royal 22e Regiment (1BtnR22eR) |
20. 4.52 to
21. 4.53 |
|
2nd Battalion,
Royal 22e Regiment (2BtnR22eR) |
4. 5.51 to
24. 4.52 |
|
3rd Battalion,
Royal 22e Regiment (3BtnR22eR) |
16. 4.53 to
15. 4.54 |
|
2nd Battalion,
Royal Highland Regiment of Canada; Black Watch (2BtnRHRC) |
29.10.53 to
3.11.54 |
|
2nd Battalion,
Queens Own Rifles of Canada (2BtnQORC) |
26. 3.54 to
6. 4.55 |
|
2nd Battalion,
Canadian Guards (2BtnCG) |
15. 4.54 to
26.11.54 |
|
3 Transport
Company, Royal Canadian Army Service Corps (3TransCoyRCASC)
|
26. 3.54 to
27.11.54 |
|
23 Transport
Company, Royal Canadian Army Service Corps (23TransCoyRCASC) |
10. 4.52 to
27. 3.53 |
|
54 Transport
Company, Royal Canadian Army Service Corps (54TransCoyRCASC) |
4. 5.51 to
11. 4.52
|
|
56 Transport
Company, Royal Canadian Army Service Corps (56TransCoyRCASC) |
22. 3.53 to
15. 4.54 |
|
3 Field
Ambulance, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (3FldAmbRCAMC) |
26. 3.54 to
7. 5.56 |
|
25 Canadian
Field Ambulance, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (25CanFldAmbRCAMC)
|
4. 5.51 to
27. 4.52 |
|
25 Canadian
Field Dressing Station, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps
(25CanFldDrStnRCAMC) |
20. 7.51 to
9.11.54 |
|
37 Field
Ambulance, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (37FldAmbRCAMC) |
10. 4.52 to
30. 4.53 |
|
38 Field
Ambulance, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (38FldAmbRCAMC, re-designated 4
Field Ambulance 16.12.53) |
1. 5.53 to
15. 4.54 |
|
Canadian
Medical Detachment Korea, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (CanMedDetKorRCAMC)
|
1. 4.56 to
10. 7.57 |
|
Canadian
Section, British Commonwealth Hospital (CanSecBritCommGenHosp) |
27. 6.51 to
20.11.54 |
|
25 Canadian
Infantry Brigade Ordnance Company, Royal Canadian Army Service Corps
(25CanInfBgdeOrdCoyRCAOC) |
4. 5.51 to
2. 1.52 |
|
1st
Commonwealth Division Canadian Army Ordnance Field Park, Royal Canadian Army
Service Corps (1CommDivOrdFldPkRCASC) |
26. 9.51 to
20. 1.55 |
|
23 Infantry
Workshop, Royal Canadian Corps of Electrical and Mechanical
Engineers(23InfWkpRCCEME, redesignated40 Infantry Workshop16.12.53) |
15. 4.53 to
15. 4.54 |
|
25 Canadian
Support Workshop, Royal Canadian Corps of Electrical and
Mechanical
Engineers (25FldWkpRCCEME) |
5. 5.51 to
2. 1.52 |
|
42 Infantry
Workshop, Royal Canadian Corps of Electrical and
Mechanical
Engineers (42InfWkpRCCEME) |
26. 3.54 to
1. 2.55 |
|
191 Canadian
Infantry Workshop, Royal Canadian Corps of Electrical and
Mechanical
Engineers (191InfWkpRCCEME) |
4. 5.51 to
16. 4.53 |
|
25 Canadian
Provost Detachment, Canadian Military Provost Corps
(25ProvDetCMPC) |
4. 5.51 to
25.12.54 |
|
25 Canadian
Field Punishment Camp
(25FldDetBar, re-designated 25 Field Detention Barracks 20.9.51)
|
5. 5.51 to
16.11.54 |
|
20 Canadian
Field Dental Detachment, Royal Canadian Army Dental Corps
(25FldDentUnitRCADC,re-designated 25 Canadian Field Dental Unit 5.1.52)
|
5. 9.51 to
27.11.54 |
|
1 Canadian
Field Security Section, Canadian Army Intelligence Corps
(1CanFldSctryCAIC) |
4. 5.51 to
31.12.51 |
|
25 Canadian
Public Relations Unit (25CanPubRelUnit) |
4. 5.51 to
14. 1.55 |
|
Canadian
Military Mission, Far East (MilDivFarEast) |
22. 9.50 to
31. 7.57 |
|
Canadian
Section, Line of Communication and Base Troops British
Commonwealth
Forces in Korea (LofC&Base TroopsBCFK, re-designated
Canadian Communications Zone Detachments
10.2.52) |
26. 9.51 to
8.11.54 |
|
426 Transport
Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force
(426Sqn
RCAF; North Stars) |
27. 7.50 to
31. 6.54 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Part of the Red Oblong Network