2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group

2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group was a regular organizational formation based in central Canada.

Lineage

• 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade Group was activated in 1954, based at Camp Petawawa near Ottawa.

• The Brigade was redesignated 2 Combat Group in 1966.

• On 1 April 1977 the brigade was combined with the Canadian Airborne Regiment to form the Special Service Force (SSF).

• The SSF was dissolved after the disbandment of The Canadian Airborne Regiment in 1995. The remaining units were redesignated as 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (2 CMBG), following the format of earlier formations 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group in Western Canada and 5e Groupe-brigade mécanisé du Canada in Quebec.

Order of Battle February 1959

• Headquarters, 2 Canadian Infantry Brigade Group (Petawawa, ON)

  • The 1st Fort Garry Horse (Petawawa, ON)

  • 4th Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (Petawawa, ON)

  • 1st Field Squadron, Royal Canadian Engineers (Petawawa, ON)

  • 1st Battalion, The Canadian Guards (Petawawa, ON)

  • 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (Ipperwash, ON)

  • 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (London, ON)

• Ancillary supporting signal and service units in Borden and Petawawa

Uniform Insignia

After the redesignation from SSF to 2 CMBG, the brigade adopted a distinctive patch for wear on the DEU and Garrison Dress. The Formation Patches were eventually worn on the right sleeve only; the raw edged melton badges on the DEU and the swiss-embroidered edged badges on the Garrison Dress Jacket.

 Artifacts and photo courtesy Bill Alexander

Joe Costello (webmaster of rcsigs.ca) passes on the following:

For the first year at least and I believe for a couple in fact, the (2 CMBG) formation patch was worn on the left sleeve only...There was always a good natured ribbing of 5 Bde because as they were going into battle, their lion was running away/backwards, facing the rear as it were. When the 2 CMBG crest was being designed they tried to avoid this by having the bear facing right. This was of course soon quashed by the heraldry folks (hence the 'wrong' facing bears from Bill A which were the result of an early trial run. In all, there were only 5 sets of 'wrong' facing bears produced (and only five sets of the second (bright yellow) trial set too). I have one set of each trial, Bill another, with the other three being with the Comd, RSM and G4 of the day.) Anyways, when thwarted on the bear, the Comd decreed that we would wear the patch on the left arm so that the Bear was going forwards. I stayed in 2 CMBG until the summer of 1997 and at that time they were still worn on the left.