CFB Gagetown
Encyclopedia
Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, referred to as CFB Gagetown is a large Canadian Forces Base
located in southwestern New Brunswick
.
, Canadian defence planners recognized the need for providing the Canadian Army
with a suitable training facility where brigade and division-sized armoured, infantry, and artillery units could exercise in preparation for their role in defending western Europe under Canada's obligations to the North Atlantic Treaty. The facility would need to be located relatively close to an all-season Atlantic
port and have suitable railway connections.
Existing training facilities dating from the First
and Second World War
s in eastern Canada were relatively small (Camp Debert
, Camp Aldershot, Sussex Military Camp
, Camp Valcartier
, Camp Petawawa
, Camp Utopia), thus a new facility was considered. At the same time, regional economic development planners saw an opportunity for a military base to benefit the economy of southwestern New Brunswick.
The area under consideration was an expansive plateau west of the St. John River between the cities of Saint John
and Fredericton, measuring approximately 60 km (37.3 mi) in length and 40 km (24.9 mi) in width; more accurately it runs between Oromocto
in the north to Welsford
in the south, and between the St. John River in the east and the South Branch of the Oromocto River
in the west.
Over 900 families inhabited the area primarily engaged in agriculture and forestry industries. The terrain was variable, providing mixed Acadian forest, swamp and marshland, as well as open farming areas similar to the North European Plain. The influence of the St. Croix Highlands, part of the Appalachian Mountain
range, creates hilly terrain and valleys in the southern and western part of the region close to the Nerepis
and Oromocto Rivers.
The expropriation of lands began in the early 1950s, much to the surprise of local residents who had been kept in the dark about the expropriation until the last minute. The base was surveyed so as to not affect some of the historic communities along the western bank of the St. John River such as Gagetown, Hampstead, and Browns Flat
; the expropriation began several kilometres west of the river and eliminated the communities of Petersville, Hibernia, New Jerusalem and others. This remains the largest single land expropriation in the history of New Brunswick
.
The base headquarters were chosen for the northern part of the base adjacent to the, then, small village of Oromocto. In preparation for the influx of service personnel, Oromocto was redesigned as a "planned" town, with buried electrical utilities and residential and commercial clustering typical of larger planned towns
such as Richmond Hill, Ontario
.
Construction of the base facilities in Oromocto benefitted from convenient railway connections provided by Canadian National
and Canadian Pacific Railway
s. A new alignment of the Trans-Canada Highway
was built on the eastern bank of the St. John River, opposite from Oromocto in the early 1960s (see Route 2
) and a new highway bridge across the St. John River connected the Trans-Canada Highway to the village of Burton
, just south of Oromocto and near the east gate for the base.
The Gagetown Military Camp (or Camp Gagetown) opened in 1956 and was named after the village of Gagetown
, although the base was located west of this historic village and was headquartered 25 km (15.5 mi) to its north in Oromocto. The base's territory measured 1129 km² (435.9 sq mi) and included numerous live-fire ranges for infantry, armoured, and artillery units, as well as aerial weapons ranges.
At the time of its opening in 1956, until the opening of CFB Suffield
in 1971, Camp Gagetown was the largest military training facility in Canada and the British Commonwealth of Nations
. By comparison, Suffield has 2690 km² (1,038.6 sq mi) with 2270 km² (876.5 sq mi) usable by the military, and 420 km² (162.2 sq mi) designated as the Suffield National Wildlife Area
.
The training area has been heavily "landscaped" over the years by military foresters and many woodlines have been sculpted to form shapes recognizable from the air, including:
and The Royal Canadian Regiment
, however defence cutbacks in the 1960s saw a gradual reduction, and the demise of their parent formation, 3 Brigade Group. On February 1, 1968, the Canadian Army, the Royal Canadian Air Force
and the Royal Canadian Navy
, were merged to form the unified Canadian Forces. Following this unification
, Camp Gagetown was renamed Canadian Forces Base Gagetown (CFB Gagetown).
In the post-unification armed forces, CFB Gagetown functioned as the primary combat training centre for Force Mobile Command (renamed Land Force Command
in the 1990s). In the early 1970s Combat Training Centre Gagetown (CTC Gagetown) was established as a unit at CFB Gagetown comprising armour, artillery and infantry training schools. In the 1990s the Canadian Army relocated its combat engineer training function from CFB Chilliwack
. The base is still widely referred to as Camp Gagetown.
Increased defence spending in the 1980s saw numerous new training facilities built and ranges modernized, and this continued into the 1990s as the Canadian Forces closed smaller bases in response to further defence budget cuts. A large training building housing much of CTC was opened in late 1992. CFB Gagetown continues to function as the army's primary training facility, although due to risk of forest fires in recent years, live-fire training has been pushed primarily to the fall-winter-spring seasons.
CFB Gagetown hosts ACSTC Argonaut, the only Royal Canadian Army Cadets
summer training centre in the Atlantic Provinces
.
s Agent Orange
and Agent Purple
during the 1960s, which has led to an inquiry as to its long term effects upon the soldiers and civilian base personnel who were exposed to it. The affected areas had soil tests that measured dioxin levels at 143 times the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment
guidelines for maximum exposure.
In 2009, a New York production company is releasing a feature length documentary looking into the herbicide sprayings that took place at the base from 1956-1984. It has been said that over 3.2 million liters and kilograms of chemical defoliants were sprayed during that time. That number would make the concentration per acre stronger than American sprayings in Vietnam
.
Canadian Forces base
A Canadian Forces Base or CFB is a military installation of the Canadian Forces. For a facility to qualify as a Canadian Forces Base, it must station one or more major units .Minor installations are named Canadian Forces Station or CFS A Canadian Forces Base or CFB (French Base des forces...
located in southwestern New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
.
Construction of the base
At the beginning of the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, Canadian defence planners recognized the need for providing the Canadian Army
History of the Canadian Army
The Canadian Army as such originally only existed under that name from November 1940 to February 1968. However, the term has been traditionally applied to the ground forces of Canada's military from Confederation in 1867 to the present...
with a suitable training facility where brigade and division-sized armoured, infantry, and artillery units could exercise in preparation for their role in defending western Europe under Canada's obligations to the North Atlantic Treaty. The facility would need to be located relatively close to an all-season Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
port and have suitable railway connections.
Existing training facilities dating from the First
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
s in eastern Canada were relatively small (Camp Debert
CFS Debert
Canadian Forces Station Debert was a Canadian Forces station located in Debert, Nova Scotia. It was most recently used during the Cold War as a communications facility and was home to a "Regional Emergency Government Headquarters" complex.Originally this facility was developed with an airfield...
, Camp Aldershot, Sussex Military Camp
Sussex Military Camp
The Sussex Military Camp, frequently shortened to Camp Sussex, was a training facility for the Permanent Active Militia and Non-Permanent Active Militia, later known as the Canadian Army...
, Camp Valcartier
CFB Valcartier
Canadian Forces Base Valcartier is a Canadian Forces Base located in the municipality of Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, approximately north of Quebec City...
, Camp Petawawa
CFB Petawawa
Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, commonly referred to as CFB Petawawa, or simply "Pet", is a Canadian Forces Base located in Petawawa, Ontario. It is operated as an army base by Canadian Forces Land Force Command.-Base facts:...
, Camp Utopia), thus a new facility was considered. At the same time, regional economic development planners saw an opportunity for a military base to benefit the economy of southwestern New Brunswick.
The area under consideration was an expansive plateau west of the St. John River between the cities of Saint John
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
and Fredericton, measuring approximately 60 km (37.3 mi) in length and 40 km (24.9 mi) in width; more accurately it runs between Oromocto
Oromocto, New Brunswick
Oromocto is a Canadian town in Sunbury County, New Brunswick.The town is located on the west bank of the St. John River at the mouth of the Oromocto River, approximately 20 kilometres southeast of Fredericton...
in the north to Welsford
Welsford, New Brunswick
Welsford is a Canadian rural community in Queens County, New Brunswick.Located in the Nerepis River valley at the foot of Mount Douglas, Welsford is north of Nerepis, New Brunswick and the town of Grand Bay-Westfield.----...
in the south, and between the St. John River in the east and the South Branch of the Oromocto River
Oromocto River
The Oromocto River is a tributary of the Saint John River in southwest New Brunswick, Canada.The Oromocto River is formed by the combination of the North and South Branches near Fredericton Junction, and flows north-northeast for 42 kilometres to its mouth at the Saint John River in the town of...
in the west.
Over 900 families inhabited the area primarily engaged in agriculture and forestry industries. The terrain was variable, providing mixed Acadian forest, swamp and marshland, as well as open farming areas similar to the North European Plain. The influence of the St. Croix Highlands, part of the Appalachian Mountain
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
range, creates hilly terrain and valleys in the southern and western part of the region close to the Nerepis
Nerepis River
The Nerepis River is a river approximately 25 miles long, located in New Brunswick. A popular river for canoeists and anglers, it is a tributary of the Saint John River. The river has been subjected to significant environmental stress over many years....
and Oromocto Rivers.
The expropriation of lands began in the early 1950s, much to the surprise of local residents who had been kept in the dark about the expropriation until the last minute. The base was surveyed so as to not affect some of the historic communities along the western bank of the St. John River such as Gagetown, Hampstead, and Browns Flat
Browns Flat, New Brunswick
Browns Flat is a Canadian rural community in Kings County, New Brunswick.Located within the Greenwich Local Service District, Browns Flat is situated along a stretch of the Long Reach section of the Saint John River and is accessed by Highway 102. From Moncton/Sussex, Browns Flat can allow be...
; the expropriation began several kilometres west of the river and eliminated the communities of Petersville, Hibernia, New Jerusalem and others. This remains the largest single land expropriation in the history of New Brunswick
History of New Brunswick
New Brunswick , is one of the three Maritime provinces in Canada, and the only officially bilingual province in the country...
.
The base headquarters were chosen for the northern part of the base adjacent to the, then, small village of Oromocto. In preparation for the influx of service personnel, Oromocto was redesigned as a "planned" town, with buried electrical utilities and residential and commercial clustering typical of larger planned towns
Planned community
A planned community, or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since...
such as Richmond Hill, Ontario
Richmond Hill, Ontario
Richmond Hill is a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada in the central portion of York Region, Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, being located about halfway between Toronto and Lake Simcoe...
.
Construction of the base facilities in Oromocto benefitted from convenient railway connections provided by Canadian National
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
and Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
s. A new alignment of the Trans-Canada Highway
Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...
was built on the eastern bank of the St. John River, opposite from Oromocto in the early 1960s (see Route 2
New Brunswick Route 2
Route 2 is a major provincial highway in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, carrying the main route of the Trans-Canada Highway in the province...
) and a new highway bridge across the St. John River connected the Trans-Canada Highway to the village of Burton
Burton, New Brunswick
Burton is a Canadian rural community in Sunbury County, New Brunswick.Located on the Saint John River immediately downstream of Oromocto on New Brunswick Route 102, Burton is the shire town of the county and is the location of the Sunbury County court house.It is also located at one end of the...
, just south of Oromocto and near the east gate for the base.
The Gagetown Military Camp (or Camp Gagetown) opened in 1956 and was named after the village of Gagetown
Gagetown, New Brunswick
Gagetown is a Canadian village in Queens County, New Brunswick. It is situated on the west bank of the Saint John River and is the county's shire town.-Acadians:...
, although the base was located west of this historic village and was headquartered 25 km (15.5 mi) to its north in Oromocto. The base's territory measured 1129 km² (435.9 sq mi) and included numerous live-fire ranges for infantry, armoured, and artillery units, as well as aerial weapons ranges.
At the time of its opening in 1956, until the opening of CFB Suffield
CFB Suffield
Canadian Forces Base Suffield , is the largest Canadian Forces Base and the largest Commonwealth military training base in the world...
in 1971, Camp Gagetown was the largest military training facility in Canada and the British Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
. By comparison, Suffield has 2690 km² (1,038.6 sq mi) with 2270 km² (876.5 sq mi) usable by the military, and 420 km² (162.2 sq mi) designated as the Suffield National Wildlife Area
Suffield National Wildlife Area
Suffield National Wildlife Area is a National Wildlife Area located within the boundaries of CFB Suffield in Alberta, Canada.SNWA was formally created on the 19th of June, 2003 when it was officially gazetted under Canada Wildlife Act Regulations. The Department of National Defence was delegated...
.
The training area has been heavily "landscaped" over the years by military foresters and many woodlines have been sculpted to form shapes recognizable from the air, including:
- Scotty Dog Woods
- Square Woods
- Flag Woods
- The "CTC" cutting
- The "Maple Leaf" cutting
Operations
Initially, Camp Gagetown was the home base for many army regiments, including The Black WatchThe Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada
The Black Watch of Canada is a reserve infantry regiment in 34 Brigade Group, Land Force Quebec Area. The regiment is located on rue de Bleury in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and is currently commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Bruno Plourde...
and The Royal Canadian Regiment
The Royal Canadian Regiment
The Royal Canadian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces. The regiment consists of four battalions, three in the Regular Force and one in the Primary Reserve...
, however defence cutbacks in the 1960s saw a gradual reduction, and the demise of their parent formation, 3 Brigade Group. On February 1, 1968, the Canadian Army, the Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
and the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
, were merged to form the unified Canadian Forces. Following this unification
Unification of the Canadian Forces
Unification of the Canadian Forces took place in 1968 when the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force were merged to form the Canadian Armed Forces....
, Camp Gagetown was renamed Canadian Forces Base Gagetown (CFB Gagetown).
In the post-unification armed forces, CFB Gagetown functioned as the primary combat training centre for Force Mobile Command (renamed Land Force Command
Canadian Forces Land Force Command
The Canadian Army , previously called Land Force Command, is responsible for army operations within the Canadian Forces. The current size of the Army is 19,500 regular soldiers and 16,000 reserve soldiers, for a total of around 35,500 soldiers...
in the 1990s). In the early 1970s Combat Training Centre Gagetown (CTC Gagetown) was established as a unit at CFB Gagetown comprising armour, artillery and infantry training schools. In the 1990s the Canadian Army relocated its combat engineer training function from CFB Chilliwack
CFB Chilliwack
Canadian Forces Base Chilliwack was a Canadian Forces Base located in Chilliwack, British Columbia.On 2 September 1997, Area Support Unit Chilliwack was opened on the former CFB Chilliwack properties that was retained by the Canadian Forces.-Camp Chilliwack:Military Camp Chilliwack was...
. The base is still widely referred to as Camp Gagetown.
Increased defence spending in the 1980s saw numerous new training facilities built and ranges modernized, and this continued into the 1990s as the Canadian Forces closed smaller bases in response to further defence budget cuts. A large training building housing much of CTC was opened in late 1992. CFB Gagetown continues to function as the army's primary training facility, although due to risk of forest fires in recent years, live-fire training has been pushed primarily to the fall-winter-spring seasons.
CFB Gagetown hosts ACSTC Argonaut, the only Royal Canadian Army Cadets
Royal Canadian Army Cadets
The Royal Canadian Army Cadets is a Canadian national youth program sponsored by the Canadian Forces and the civilian Army Cadet League of Canada. Administered by the Canadian Forces, the program is funded through the Department of National Defence with the civilian partner providing support in...
summer training centre in the Atlantic Provinces
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
.
Defoliant testing
Portions of the training area were subject to testing of the defoliantDefoliant
A defoliant is any chemical sprayed or dusted on plants to cause its leaves to fall off. A classic example of a highly toxic defoliant is Agent Orange, which the United States armed forces used abundantly to defoliate regions of Vietnam during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1970.Defoliants differ...
s Agent Orange
Agent Orange
Agent Orange is the code name for one of the herbicides and defoliants used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. Vietnam estimates 400,000 people were killed or maimed, and 500,000 children born with birth...
and Agent Purple
Agent Purple
Agent Purple is the code name for a powerful herbicide and defoliant used by the U.S. military and the Canadian Government in their Herbicidal Warfare program during the Vietnam War. The name comes from the purple stripe painted on the barrels to identify the contents...
during the 1960s, which has led to an inquiry as to its long term effects upon the soldiers and civilian base personnel who were exposed to it. The affected areas had soil tests that measured dioxin levels at 143 times the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment
Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment
The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment is an inter-governmental organization in Canada with members from the federal government, ten provincial governments and three territorial governments...
guidelines for maximum exposure.
In 2009, a New York production company is releasing a feature length documentary looking into the herbicide sprayings that took place at the base from 1956-1984. It has been said that over 3.2 million liters and kilograms of chemical defoliants were sprayed during that time. That number would make the concentration per acre stronger than American sprayings in Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.