Colonel Commandant
Colonel-Commandant
was both a rank and an honorary appointment.
Rank
The rank of Colonel-Commandant was introduced in 1922 into the
British Army (and many Commonwealth militaries) to replace the rank
of Brigadier General. It existed as a rank until 1928, when renamed
Brigadier.
Appointment
The appointment of Colonel-Commandant evolved similar to that of
Colonel of the Regiment, in the British Army and subsequently the
Canadian Army, generally in corps/regiments/branches which had
originated as "families" of tactical units.
Colonel-Commandant is a centuries-old tradition that Branches of the
Canadian Forces have chosen to inherit from the British.
The exact origin of this appointment is somewhat vague but has been
traced as an honorary appointment in 1722 to the Royal Artillery.
When the title was first adopted by the British infantry in 1756
with the 2nd Green jackets, the King's Rifle Corps, it was a
commanding officer's position. Their Colonel-Commandant commanded
each of that Regiment's four battalions until 1759. From 1921 to
1928, Colonel-Commandant along with "Colonel of the Staff" became an
official rank. The two replaced Brigadier in the British Army for
that period.
The personnel given this appointment were not always active military
officers. Retired military officers and prominent citizens of the
community also have been so appointed.
Appointments
As an honorary appointment, the first Colonel-Commandant in the
Canadian Army was appointed for the Royal Canadian Artillery in Jan
1925 and in Dec 1947 each corps of the Canadian Army was permitted
to have its own Colonel-Commandant.
Canadian Forces Administrative Orders were eventually promulgated,
which indicated that a Colonel-Commandant could be appointed for any
branch of the CF, with the Chaplain Branch permitted two, one for
Chaplain (P) and one for Chaplain (RC) (ie one Protestant and one
Roman Catholic) as well as one for the Royal Canadian Army Cadets.
Appointment as Colonel-Commandant was restricted to former officers
of the Canadian Forces who, normally, held the rank of colonel or
above on retirement. Recommendations could be initiated only by the
Branch Adviser of a Branch, or by the Director General Reserves and
Cadets (DGRC) and only for the Royal Canadian Army Cadets, and
nominations were subject to the approval of the Minister of National
Defence.
Tenure
The tenure Colonels Commandant was established by CFAOs as normally
being three years, with extensions possible at the discretion of the
Chief of the Defence Staff.
Terms of Reference
The terms of reference of a Colonel Commandant included:
-
fostering esprit
de corps throughout his organization;
-
advising NDHQ on:
-
matters of
significance to the organization they represented
-
the
administration and disposition of appropriate funds and
property
-
Branch or
cadet corps charities, organizations and memorials, as
appropriate
-
liaising between
the units of the Regular Force and Reserve Force within that
branch
-
liaising with
allied or affiliated formations, regiments and units
-
advising military
associations or unit commanders in order to maintain uniformity
in such matters as dress and custom within their affiliations
Channels of Communication
A direct channel of communication was authorized between a Colonel
Commandant and Branch Adviser or NDHQ/DGRC, as appropriate, on
matters falling within the terms of reference above.
Colonels Commandant were also permitted to communicate with:
-
the private
secretary of his Colonel-in-Chief or Captain General regarding
significant Branch or cadet corps activities and exchange of
birthday or similar greetings
-
commanders of
commands, when appropriate; and
-
the Chief of the
Defence Staff, when appropriate.
Visits
Colonels Commandant were permitted, in the performance of his
duties, to:
-
visit the
appropriate CF school;
-
in consultation
with the Branch Adviser, visit Branch units of the Regular Force
or Reserve Force on appropriate occasions;
attend meetings of his military association; and
-
visit NDHQ for
consultation with the CDS.
(The Colonel
Commandant of the Royal Canadian Army Cadets, in consultation with
NDHQ/DGRC, was permitted to visit cadet camps and make other visits
necessary to perform his duties)
Examples
-
Colonel-Commandant Royal Canadian Armoured Corps
-
Colonel-Commandant Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical
Engineers
-
Colonel-Commandant Land Electrical and Mechanical Engineering
Branch
-
Colonel-Commandant Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery
-
Colonel-Commandant Royal Canadian Infantry Corps
-
Colonel-Commandant Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps
-
Colonel-Commandant Logistics Branch
-
Colonel-Commandant Legal Branch
-
Colonel-Commandant Chaplain Branch
-
Honorary
Colonel-Commandant Royal Canadian Engineers
-
Colonel-Commandant Canadian Military Engineers
-
Colonel-Commandant Intelligence Branch
