24 October 1944 marks the official birth of the Regiment as an independent entity. On that day, an official communication was received which indicated that ...By authority of the GOC 1st Canadian Army, 19 October 1944, the 1st Canadian Armoured Personnel Carrier Squadron ceased to exist as a separate entity and became a squadron of the newly-created 1st Canadian Armoured Personnel Carrier Regiment. The Regiment to be commanded by Lieut. Col. Gordon M. Churchill, formerly 25th Canadian Armoured Delivery Regiment (Elgin Regiment) and 10 Canadian Armoured Regiment (Fort Garry Horse) with Major F.K. Bingham Sherbrooke Fusiliers and 1st Hussars as Second-in-Command. Regimental Headquarters to be at 83 van Ryswick St., Antwerp.
Lt. Col. Churchill was truly the right man for the job. A Sergeant-machinegunner in WW1, Churchill knew the face of war. With the new regimental status, he was now able to indent for the thousand-and-one things which the previous squadron had depended on others for. At the same time, Col. Churchill set about creating the trappings of a unique identity for this already unique unit.
Amongst the first on the list was proper unit identity. Thus was born the classic 'Kangaroo' cap badge. As a mother kangaroo protects and transports her young within her pouch, so too did the Canadian Kangaroos for the infantry. The Regimental motto was decreed as ARMATOS FUNDIT, loosely translated as "Bearing Armed Men'. It was incorporated into a scroll on the bottom of the badge. Shoulder titles for the new regiment were manufactured locally, orange letters (representing Holland) "ARMD CARRIER REGT Canada" embroidered on a black felt backing. The 1st Canadian Armoured Carrier Regiment had come of age.
At this time, the Regiment also came under command of 31 Brigade of the famous British 79th Armoured Division. Previously, the association of the original squadron with the British had been long and successful, and the whole concept of specialized armour fit perfectly within the infrastructure of the "Funnies" of this valourous assault division.
Accordingly, the Canadians of 1CACR were authorized the wearing of the 79th 'Bullshead' flash, and the same was painted on their vehicles, along with the unit designation "157" in white on a green-and-blue square.
On 1 November 1944, RHQ moved formally to Tilburg, Holland, the 'birthplace' of the Regiment. Luckily, deteriorating weather conditions - which were to lead to the worst winter in Europe in 50 years - permitted the new CO to concentrate on building the new organization.
To quote Ken Ramsden, in THE CANADIAN KANGAROOS IN WW2: ...Developing a strong unit with high performance standards was not an easy task. With a suddenly assembled strength of 268 all ranks, no regimental home in Canada, no regimental traditions, and a group of newly-arrived officers, NCOs and troopers, it was a challenge of considerable proportion.
Fortunately, all progressed smoothly. The new faces were integrated quickly, and through labourious indents and some good, old-fashioned scrounging (for which the Canadians in Europe were famous), the Regiment was brought quickly to a state of battle readiness. At this point the combat strength of the Regiment was 106 carriers, and it was contemplated increasing the two existing squadrons to four, but this move was held in abeyance indefinitely, due to the logistical difficulties. By now, 1CACR also had a sister regiment in the 79th Armoured Division, the British 49th Armoured Personnel Carrier Regiment (also equipped with Ram Kangaroos), and it was determined that, between the two, the assault requirements of 21st Army Group would be satisfied.
Towards the end of December, Col. Churchill has also finally won the battle to have 1CACR formally known as the '1st Canadian Armoured Carrier Regiment', dropping the word 'Personnel'. This was significant, as elements within the Canadian command infrastructure had long campaigned to make 1CACR a part of the Service Corps, due to its transport function; the men of the Regiment were vociferously opposed to this categorization, as in combat they were exposed daily to the same hazards as were the infantry and armoured corps. The Regiment was back in action in January 1945, and stayed in the thick of things until the end of the war. 'A' and 'B' Squadrons functioned pretty much independently from the crossing of the Rhine until the official Cease Fire order on 5 May 1945, causing no end of headaches to the administrative staff attempting to keep up with the lads. However, both squadrons rendered yeoman service to many British and Canadian infantry formations through this final victory campaign.
The morning mists of mid-winter roll about a column of loaded Kangaroos somewhere in Holland, January 1945. Note that the troops in the lead vehicle are wearing berets, which suggests this might be an administrative move rather than combat assault. The gentleman on his feet looks like a cold and somewhat bored junior infantry officer waiting for orders.
Kangaroo # 14 is a late-production model featuring a hull-mounted Browning .30 calibre machine gun rather than the cupola of the earlier Ram IIs. Most Kangaroos were initially equipped with at least one Browning .50 on an improvised mount on the turret ring, but these mounts were found awkward and unreliable due to the incredible vibration of firing, and were subsequently replaced with one or two additional Browning .30s scrounged from wrecked vehicles or wherever they could be found. Sticking with .30s also eased a logistical problem in that much more of the smaller calibre ammunition could be carried, and no space required for bulky .50 calibre. Generally, responsible infantry were taught to man these extra guns on the run into the debarkation point (it was easier to teach them to use the .30 as well), providing saturating fire all over the objective. A troop of eight Kangaroos would thus have a minimum of sixteen machine guns to cover their advance, not including the Brens of their infantry lift and the support from whatever other armour might be along for the ride.
An unidentified Ram Kangaroo speeds past the camera in a non-tactical move, somewhere in northern Holland, on April 11th, 1945. The troops onboard are members of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders of Canada.
Note the rudimentary racking holding water cans and other bric-a-brac on the front of this 'Roo. Storage space was at a premium in WW2 armoured vehicles.
The Kangaroo was a god-send to the infantry in both tactical and non-tactical applications. The former meant going into battle with a modicum of protection from artillery and small arms fire, and the latter meant not having to walk between battles!
The Kangaroo's worst enemies in 1945 were mines and artillery. The former usually just blew off tracks and running gear (and shaking up the occupants!), but the latter could prove deadly in or out of the tank. Most Kangaroo casualties were as a result of artillery fire.
The following units of the 21st Army group were lifted into battle by 1CACR at one time or another. If you know of any veterans who have memories and stories of the Kangaroos they would like to share, please contact the WEBMASTER. 2nd BRITISH ARMY
3rd Infantry Division
1st Bn Suffolk Regiment
7th Armoured Division
1/5 Bn Queen's Regiment
2nd Bn Devonshire Regiment
9th Bn Durham Light Infantry
11th Armoured Division
4th Bn King's Scottish Light Infantry
15th Infantry Division
8th Bn Royal Scots
6th Bn Royal Scots Fusiliers
6th Bn King's Own Scottish Borderers
9th Bn Cameronians
7th Bn Seaforth Highlanders
2nd Bn Glasgow Highlanders
10th Bn Highland light Infantry
2nd Bn Gordon Highlanders
2nd Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
43rd Infantry Division
4th Bn Somerset Light Infantry
4th Bn Wiltshire Regiment
5th Bn Wiltshire Regiment
7th Bn Hampshire Regiment
4th Bn Dorset Regiment
5th Bn Dorset Regiment
7th Bn Somerset Light Infantry
5th Bn Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry
49th Infantry Division
2nd Bn Essex Regiment
2nd Bn Gloucestershire Regiment
Hallamshire Bn
51st Infantry Division
2nd Bn Seaforth Highlanders
5th Bn Cameronians
5th Bn Black Watch
1st Bn Gordon Highlanders
5/7th Bn Gordon Highlanders
1st Bn Black Watch
7th Bn Black Watch
7th Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
52nd Infantry Division
7/9th Bn Royal Scots
4th Bn King's Own Scottish Borderers
5th Bn King's Own Scottish Borderers
53rd Infantry Division
6th Bn Royal Welsh Fusiliers
4th Bn Welsh Regiment
1st CANADIAN ARMY
2nd Cdn Infantry Division
Royal Regiment of Canada
Royal Hamilton Light Infantry
Essex Scottish Regiment
Regiment de Maisonneuve
Calgary Highlanders
South Saskatchewan Regiment
Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada
3rd Cdn Infantry Division
Royal Winnipeg Rifles
Regina Rifles
1st Bn Canadian Scottish Regiment
Highland Light Infantry
of Canada
Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders
North Nova Scotia Highlanders
4th Cdn Armoured Division
Lake Superior Regiment
Lincoln and Welland Regiment
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada
And in addition...
Elements of Royal Artillery and Royal Canadian Artillery, i.e. Forward Observation Officers & Men
Elements of Royal (Assault) Engineers
Kangaroos also carried hundreds of wounded and prisoners away from the line in the course of normal ops.
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