The importance of the Canadian Forestry Corps to the nation’s war efforts is symbolized on the Canadian National War Memorial in Ottawa where one of the twenty three statue figures is a member of the Canadian Forestry Corps.
As the First World War raged on and on, it was realized that huge quantities of lumber were needed. Trenches, tunnels, rail and road systems all required large quantities of lumber in their construction. Lumber was also required for duckboards, shoring timbers, and crates.
The British recognized that Canadians had the experience and qualifications to harvest timber and asked for Canada’s assistance. Thus the Canadian Forestry Corps was created on 14 Nov 1916 to harvest the forests in the United Kingdom and France. The Corps would serve until being disbanded in 1920. Almost 32,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders served in the Corps and produced 43.5 million cu ft of lumber products.
Again during the Second World War, there was a requirement for men to harvest timber for the war effort. The Corps was re-activated in 1940 for the duration of the war.
Bob Briggs has researched the Canadian Forestry Corps, posting his efforts on the web at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~jmitchell/cfc.html
Bob comes from a military family with connections to the Forestry Corps. Among family members was a great-grandfather who served with the 222nd South Manitoba Overseas Battalion in the Canadian Forestry Corps, during the First World War. A grandfather served with No. 28 Company, Canadian Forestry Corps during the Second World War.
Newfoundland also contributed the Newfoundland Forestry Corps during the First World War : http://www.heritage.nf.ca/greatwar/articles/forestry.html and the Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Unit for the Second World War: http://www.mgl.ca/~cpike/NOFU.html
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