A Heritage At Risk by T. C. Willett

Author:T. C. Willett [Willett, T. C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Military, Canada, Political Science, General
ISBN: 9780429712937
Google: ed6iDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2019-04-10T01:35:06+00:00

Selection

A marked difference between the Militia of today and the earlier model according to the memories of the retired members is the much higher proportion of officers who joined as other ranks. Fifty-eight percent of the male officers who returned questionnaires and 43 percent of the women had come up from the ranks, many after more than three years as other ranks. Moreover, it was made very evident by senior officers that this was the preferable way to the "old days when a guy brought an interested friend along to the mess for us to look at, and if we took to him he was asked again. If he was still interested enough to come again, the adjutant or even the CO would interview him and sound him out. If there was mutual acceptance of the commitment to being an officer in the regiment, he would attend parades and the mess as an observer for several weeks [the period was variable from a few weeks to six months or a complete training season] and he'd then be put up for election to the Mess and there would be a vote. If it was in favour he'd go for an interview with the brigade or district commander who would have to approve his official application before sending it to the Defense Headquarters and then, in due course he'd receive his papers [the certificate in formal terms signed by the governor-general for the sovereign]." It was notable that the whole business was usually in the hands of officers, and no mention was made about "vetting" by other ranks, though in many units a visit to the sergeants' mess was part of the process, after which the views of the RSM were made clear to the CO. But in no cases was the aspirant put into a command position until he had been accepted fully, and it seems that considerable trust was placed in the ability of officers to predict what sort of officer the man might be. They relied mainly on his and his family's reputation in the community; his civilian job and its status; and the reliability of his referees, including his main proposer. Though not entirely a matter of "who you know," it was evident that this counted for more than the possession of formal certification, for example, degrees or professional certification in civilian fields.

After acceptance, promotion depended on vacancies and the opinions of COs and, mainly in the case of majors, honorary officers and higher commanders. There were no formal requirements for minimal training time. Even residence in the unit's community was not required, and it was not unusual for officers to live and work considerable distances from the armory, for example, two hundred miles or more, so that their appearances were infrequent and sometimes on only three or four parade nights in addition to the annual camp, which for officers was usually compulsory. Over and over again retired members said, "There were several (officers) we rarely saw until camp.

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