Home > CMH > Vol. 5 (1996) > Iss. 2
Abstract
The Canadian Corps of Guides was created in April 1903 by General Order 61, and fell under the purview of the Intelligence Department at Militia Headquarters in Ottawa. However, as the Guides were a service of the Active Militia, and not of the Permanent Force, they were not a full-time formation. The Corps was designed to fulfil both a peacetime and wartime role. During active operations it was to act as a combat intelligence force for Canadian armies in the field, and provide commanders with operational and tactical level intelligence. During peacetime it was to prepare for this eventuality, but more importantly, it was to help accumulate intelligence on Canada’s military resources and capabilities, as well as on those of foreign powers, in particular the United States. As with all of Canada’s peacetime military establishments, the Guides suffered from underfunding, understaffing and undertraining. Nevertheless, the Corps of Guides was still able to provide a valuable service in the years leading up to the First World War, and offered its members a background in Intelligence that would prove indispensable in that war.
Recommended Citation
Jenkins, Dan "The Corps of Guides, 1903–1914." Canadian Military History 5, 2 (1996)
