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HMCS ST-HYACINTHE
RCN Communications Training Base
Commissioned on 01 Oct 1941, the Signal School at ST HYACINTHE, Quebec was instrumental in training thousands of wireless operators during World War II. It had moved from Halifax to ST HYACINTHE in the summer of 1941. The school was located in the former Militia Training Centre in an area bounded by the CNR tracks, Sicotte and Larocque Streets. Modern buildings, spread over a 25 acre site, housed almost 3200 officers, ratings and Wrens who were involved in all phases of communication training. In the years prior to WW II, training telegraphists took about a year. After the war started, that period was reduced to approximately 3 months with intensive training. If a student failed his exam after 6 weeks, he would be assigned to either the stoker or seaman trade. After the summer of 1941, with the need for more coders growing rapidly, they were trained as coders. By 1944 ST HYACINTHE was able to turn out highly proficient communicators and by the war's end, ST HYACINTHE was training visual signalmen, wireless telegraphists, coders, radar operators and radio artificers.
Telegraphist course HMCS ST HYACINTHE - 02 Aug - 30 Oct 1942 Click on the above photo to view a larger image
From the collection of James M. MacLellan, Tel, RCNVR Courtesy of Jamie MacLellan
(7) Fincham, Reginald John (16) MacLellan, James M., Tel
"XU" Class RCN Signal School, HMCS ST HYACINTHE, Quebec Click on the above photo to view a larger image
From the collection of John Bruce Young, AB, RCNVR Courtesy of Greg Young
"XW" Class RCN Signal School, HMCS ST HYACINTHE, Quebec Click on the above photo to view a larger image
From the collection of John Bruce Young, AB, RCNVR and Jack Nash, RCNVR Courtesy of Greg Young
(1) Burchell, F. (2) Lovell, D. (3) Carley, J. (4) Gibson, D.
(5) Lowe, F. (6) Tesky, B. (7) Bowyer, W. (8) Marshall, B. (9) Muir, J. (10) Guest, PO, Instructor (11) Bride, R. (12) Guertin, A. (13) Shanover, D. (14) Sutherland, R. (15) Hicks, S.
(16) Smith, J. (17) Dawson, R. (18) Bennett, D. (19) Degrandpré, J. (20) Pravda, R. (21) Gommes, R. (22) Strendin, W. (23) Slade, J. (24) Young, J.B. (25) Nash, J.H.
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Coder "BC" Course HMCS ST HYACINTHE - Jun-Aug 1943 Click on the above photo to view a larger image
From the collection of Patrick Casey Courtesy of Patricia Pollock
(9) Casey, Patrick (11) Wood, Howard E., L/Coder
Names listed on back of photo (not in numbered order): Pop Bellmore, R. Robillard, Bob Bearman, Oscar Houde, Hugh McEwan, Reginald H. Potter, ?? Moran, Bill Allen (Tackline), F.J. Smith, A. Musson, Butts Butler, Norman Jolly, Dick Franki (?sp), Bill Caldwell (Doc), A.L. Kinney, Hugh Wills, R.D. Illingworth, E. Livingston, R.B. Haliuski (?sp), H.K. Partridge, D.M. Ward, A. Morash, Howard E. Wood L/Coder
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Coder "BB" Course HMCS ST HYACINTHE - 22 Jul 1943 Click on the above photo to view a larger image
From the collection of Coder Gilbert Smith, RCNVR Courtesy of Sharon Wing
(14) Smith, Gilbert John
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Wireless Telegraphist 2 Q's Course HMCS ST HYACINTHE, Quebec 01 Jul - 10 Sep 1943 Click on the above photo to view a larger image
From the collection of John E. (Jack) Jenner Courtesy of Judy Jenner
(1) Britton, F.K. (2) Tate, H.H. (3) Ross, P. (4) ONeil, P.J. (5) Greaves, J.H. (6) Bon Bernard, H. (7) Ivy, N.E.
(8) Campbell, D.P. (9) Baker, J.F. (10) Simpson, B. (11) Gatenby, CPO (12) Miles, R.L., Lt (13) Hymas, CPO (14) Tomlinson, N. (15) Crossi, J.A. (16) Cook, W.O.
(17) Miller, F.R. (18) Steward, R. (19) Jenner, J.E. (20) Pattullo, J.A. (21) Abercrombie, H. (22) Shepherd, A.K. (23) Baillie, J. (24) Baker, W.W. (25) Barrett, E.J. (26) Tuner, D.R. (27) Taylor, S.
Telegraphist Course HMCS ST HYACINTYE - 01 Sep 1943 Click on the above photo to view a larger image
From the collection of James Thorpe Friend Courtesy of Barbara Hamlin
(1) G.P. King, Winnipeg, MB (2) G.A. Parsons, Montreal, QC (3) W.McCartney, Edmonton, AB (4) L. Sackhouse, Longueuil, QC (5) P.H. Ewing, Winnipeg, MB
(6) M. Malone, Edmonton, AB (7) E.F. Collins, Saskatoon, SK (8) R.G. Donmoyer, Woodstock, ON (9) Jack Wight, Rodney, ON (10) PO Tel William ????? (11) ?? Marquort (12) St. Posmituk, Port Arthur, ON (13) J.D. Davies, Windsor, ON (14) Jim Friend, New Westminister, BC (15) G. Berubé, Montreal, QC
(16) ??, Lethbridge, AB (17) L.F. Gillis, Winnipeg, MB (18) W.F. Wright, Toronto, ON (19) W.F. Slight, Vancouvr, BC (20) J. Whytoch, Fort William, ON (21) Alvin Dunlop, Chatham, ON (22) H.R. Spence, Vancouver, BC (23) R.J. Fellows, Calgary, AB (24) R. Labelle, Ottawa, ON
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Telegraphist "XM" Course HMCS ST HYACINTHE - 03 Jun 1943 Click on the above photo to view a larger image
From the collection of Frank Tucker & Marcel Chasse Courtesy of Joe Phelan & Robert Chasse
(1) Dyment, John Theodore (2) Brown, E. B. (3) Hampel, L. E. (4) Merryweather, Bruce (5) Purvis ?sp (6) Harbron, Edward Lewis (7) Warner (8) Marshall, C. G. (9) Vincent, Jack Clifford (10) Jean, Harvey J. (11) Scott (12) Unknown (13) Demers (14) Romanchuk, William (15) Nordley ?sp (16) Tucker (17) Webster, T. G. (18) MacMillan, John (19) Chase, Marcel (20) Comby, Ken (21) Maistro ?sp (22) Legge, K. A. (23) Acton, Raymond Alexander
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Telegraphist Course HMCS St-Hyacinthe 22 Oct 1943 Click on the above photo to view a larger image
From the collection of W.T. Joyce Courtesy of Mike Joyce
(1), Joyce, William T., Tel (12) MacNamara, PO Tel
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Wren Telegraphist Course HMCS ST HYACINTHE Jan 1944 Click on the above photo to view a larger image
(10) Mackay, Ada Hazen, Wren Telegraphist
Telegraphist "UH" course HMCS ST HYACINTHE - Aug 1944 Click on the above photo to view a larger image
From the collection of Les Armstrong Courtesy of Bob and Shanon Armstrong
(1) Armishaw, G.W., Dunnville, ON (2) Riggs, W.R., Toronto, ON (3) Reese, R.H, Harrow, ON (4) Hutchins, N.J., PO, Victoria, BC (5) Lummiss, Gord (Lyn), Bellville, ON (6) Riemer, Helmut, Carbon, AB (7) Johnson, Gordon, Fort William, ON
(8) Mylenchuk, W., Fort Francis, ON (9) Munn, H., Ottawa, ON (10) Dixon, C.F., Springhill, NS (11) Casselte, Lorne, Shaunavon, SK (12) Dotzert, Don, Waterloo, ON (13) O'Hearn, J., Toronto, ON
(14) MacKinnon, J.A. (??) (15) Wright, Howard, Sherbrooke, QC (16) French, E.R. (C.R.??), Chatham, ON (17) Armstrong, L., Swift Current, SK
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Wireless Class HMCS ST HYACINTHE - 1944 Click on the above photo to view a larger image
From the collection of William (Bill) Green, RCNVR
Courtesy of Robert (Bob) Greene
Signalman course - Chatham class HMCS ST HYACINTHE - date unknown Click on the above photo to view a larger image
From the collection of Charles Archie Esseltine Courtesy of Bob Esseltine
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(12) Esseltine, Charles Archie
Signalman course HMCS ST HYACINTHE - date unknown Click on the above photo to view a larger image
From the collection of Herb Lyon Courtesy of Gary Lyon
(7) Lyon, Herb
Telegraphist course HMCS ST HYACINTHE - date unknown Click on the above photo to view a larger image
From the collection of Arthur Penelton Courtesy of Gary Penelton
Telegraphist course HMCS ST HYACINTHE - date unknown Click on the above photo to view a larger image
From the collection of Arthur Penelton Courtesy of Gary Penelton
Radar III Course HMCS ST HYACINTE 20 Sep 1944 - 16 Oct 1944 Click on the above photo to view a larger image
From the collection of AB Radar III Robert Stone, RCNVR Courtesy of Julia Payne
(1) Tessier, L. (2) Winter, E. (3) McRae, Ken (4) Wolfe, J. (5) Arnold, SLt (6) Norman, Pat (7) McPhee, C. (8) Payne, A.G. (9) Smith, V.H. (10) Stone, Robert (11) Cuish, H.Mc. (12) McNee, George (13) Pelland, P.E. (14) Zentner, J. (15) Wilson, J.D. (17) O'Malley, Gil (18) Kinch, J.E. (19) Norman, H.G. (20) Ring, Don (21) McDonald, H.G. (22) Sheppard, R.H.
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Radar Plotter course HMCS St-Hyacinthe - Feb 1945
Front: G. Carroll
Second row, left to right: K. Cavanagh; R. Voss; B. Mayhew
Back row, left to right: J. Boyle; D. Webb; L. Restall; G. McLeod; J. Black
From the collection of Larry Restall Courtesy of Clay Restall
Telegraphist 'XK' Course HMCS ST HYACINTHE - 19 May 1945 Click on the above photo to view a larger image
(3) Jackson, Donald C., Tel
From the collection of Donald C. Jackson, Tel, RCNVR Courtesy of Donna (Jackson) Oviatt
Signalman Course HMCS ST HYACINTHE - Jul 1945 Click on the above photo to view a larger image
From the collection of CYS Jim Wilson, RCNVR Courtesy of David Wilson
(3) Wilson, Jim, CYS
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