A Brief History

Establishing A6 - CETC

A military presence was established in the area of Chilliwack in 1858 when Royal Engineers established five camps in the area to support the Canada-United States Boundary Commission Survey. The survey was conducted from these bases up to late 1959. A decision was made in late 1941 to move the A6 Canadian Engineering Training Center (CETC) from Dundurn, Saskatchewan to the West Coast.

This was necessary for more efficient training by being able to provide year round training. Dundurn Sappers would have to undergo further training in England or elsewhere as the Dundurn climate, with frozen ground in the winter, was not conducive to all engineer training. Two other considerations for the move were, first, that the Dundurn area with the constant erosion and shifting sands of the Saskatchewan River did not provide suitable facilities for either watermanship or bridge building. Secondly, the paranoia generated by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor demanded that the Government station more troops on the West Coast.

Major Howard Kennedy from Army Headquarters Ottawa was dispatched to British Columbia to scout several possible sites. He enlisted the support of the Chief Engineer, Dominion Water Resources Branch who suggested Vedder Crossing. An inspection of the Vedder Crossing area showed that it had everything a military engineer could want, timber, swift water, lakes, mountain terrain and year round ice, fire, water and frost free ground.

Privy Council directive 2582 dated 1 April 1942 authorized the purchase of 55.8 hectares (138 acres) of farmland for a sum of $20,000. On the morning of the 24th of April 1942 two trainloads of soldiers arrived at Chilliwack just prior to noon. Under overcast and showery skies, the 1200 troops were formed in parade order and marched through the main sections of town. The sidewalks were lined by townspeople who were impressed by the smart appearance of the men. At approximately 1315 hours, the troops arrived at what was then called Sardis Camp. Major S.J. Davies, who was to be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel shortly after, calmly said, "Here is the site of A6 Canadian Engineer Training Center. We are going to build it ourselves. Let's get busy". The men looked around them; a muddy hog farm littered with stumps and deadwood comprised a large part of the area.

A rickety farmhouse, barn and chicken coop were the only buildings. But to offer consolation, there was the beauty of the majestic mountains, which almost overhung the site. The farmhouse quickly became the headquarters and remained until much later when it was moved to 45714 Keith Wilson Road, Vedder Crossing (in the vicinity of the rifle range). The barn became a Quartermaster store and even a temporary kitchen.

It was later demolished, as was the chicken coop, which served for a time as company orderly room. As is the case of every instance of large numbers of personnel descending upon an area, in this case 1200 troops overnight, shortages of services were common. Local drycleaners couldn't keep up with the laundry demands so enterprising housewives in the vicinity of the camp began taking in laundry.

Housing too was scarce as dependants moved into the area. Married troops were renting accommodations from the East Side of Chilliwack to Cultus Lake. Many townspeople opened their homes and rented rooms to the newly arrived families. Hard work too, was the order of the day as power saws rasped through the fir stumps and bulldozers strained and tugged at large logs. Trucks loaded and unloaded rock for roadbeds.

Wells were dug by hand and a network of hoses and pipes laid on the ground distributed water throughout the camp. Part of this system was improvised to provide primitive showering facilities. Networks of pipes were laid over pits in which fires were burning. Water heated in this way was piped to ablution enclosures. Cutting partially through the overhead pipes at staggered intervals they created showerheads with a hacksaw. While clearing operations were underway, heifers and chickens visited the troops.

Preliminary building excavations for the construction of the first huts started on 22 June and the actual construction started on the 26th. Brush clearance for other huts went on in the remainder of the camp. The fifth of July saw Army Week with the fledging camp open to visitors from 1200 to 1900 hours. Over 2500 visitors passed through the camp, which hosted a band concert, small arms and vehicle displays.

Construction continued at a rapid pace. The building of the current Officers Mess and Warrant Officers' and Sergeants' Mess started on 13 July. A larger Quartermasters Store began on the same date. Lumber was salvaged from other sources during those days, as wood was scarce. A crew was sent approximately 26 km to a location near the Trans Canada highway at Yarrow, BC to disassemble a railway bridge. The Musselwhite Trestle yielded approximately 15000 lineal meters of timber in addition to iron and steel. By agreement, half of the salvaged material was retained by the army and the other half to the Sumas Municipal Yard. This salvage operation took five days and was completed on the 22nd of August.

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