Horace Delancey Beach
Corporal
Special Service Company - Canadian Pacific Command
The Pacific Threat
By early 1942, it was clear that Canada’s situation was dire. It now not only faced the German menace in Europe, but also the Japanese Empire that directly threatened its eastern most province of British Columbia. The need for men had never been greater, which is why older localized units such as the Brockville Rifles were reactivated. This unit had existed and served as far back as the War of 1812 and as recently as the First World War. Once again it found the residents of Brockville willing to take up the call (1). Connaught Range served as an enlistment location and attracted a wide variety of volunteers. Horace Beach, not one to be left behind, signed his papers there in May. The 29-year-old left his job as a painter to be among the locals in the service and eagerly adjusted to military life and discipline. Following training, he was among a portion of the unit shipped over to British Columbia for service with the Pacific forces gathering there (1). The intention of this new combination of units was to defend the coast from a Japanese assault, which seemed likely given that they had managed to seize the Aleutian Islands in neighboring Alaska. Many of the volunteers from Brockville would help retake these islands, though Horace was not among them (1). His age and his prior work as a tradesman stuck out and he was pulled and assigned to the Special Employment Company of the Pacific Command. He would serve with this Company in Vancouver from 1942 all the way to 1945.
When Germany was finally defeated in 1945, recruitment began across Canada for willing volunteers to join a Division that would be bound for the invasion of Japan (2). Horace longed for a change of pace and volunteered for this force, though like many, he was rejected due to his age and some minor health issues (2). Though a bit discouraging, he continued to perform his duties well, and ended up not having to watch the Division go off without him as Japan would capitulate (2).
Postwar Interim Forces
The wars end was very exciting but left those in the service like Horace wondering what they would do or where they would go next. He had spent the last 4 years in uniform and had grown to enjoy military life. He decided he wished to remain serving and was one of the many to volunteer for the postwar interim force and was accepted. His skill in painting and interior decorating were of immediate use to the military, which shipped him out to Ottawa in 1946. Here he presumably helped work on the new facilities for the Canadian militaries research department, specifically, he was assigned to the chemical warfare laboratories (3).
Experimentation with atrocious biological and chemical weapons had been performed during the war years in less than pleasant facilities and the army sought to build new homes and better-quality labs (3). Horace worked as a tradesman here until October when he was shipped out West and attached to the PPCLI, who he would serve with for a number of years. He became a true career military man and would hold various positions throughout the army, eventually becoming a Corporal and serving in the Military Headquarters of Western Canada. In recognition of his extensive service, he was awarded the Canadian Forces Decoration. His career finally came to an end in January of 1963, after having spent close to 20 years in the Canadian Armed Forces. |
Sources:
(1) “Regimental History.” The Brockville Rifles, 4 Nov. 2019, http://thebrockvillerifles.ca/regimental-history/.
(2) Stacey, C. P. Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War. E. Cloutier, Queen's Printer, 1955. https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/themes/defence/caf/militaryhistory/dhh/official/book-1955-army-ww2-1-en.pdf
(3) Turner, Jonathan. “The Defence Research Board of Canada, 1947 to 1977.” Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology University of Toronto, 2012. https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/71816/1/turner_jonathan_r_201211_PhD_thesis.pdf
(1) “Regimental History.” The Brockville Rifles, 4 Nov. 2019, http://thebrockvillerifles.ca/regimental-history/.
(2) Stacey, C. P. Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War. E. Cloutier, Queen's Printer, 1955. https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/themes/defence/caf/militaryhistory/dhh/official/book-1955-army-ww2-1-en.pdf
(3) Turner, Jonathan. “The Defence Research Board of Canada, 1947 to 1977.” Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology University of Toronto, 2012. https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/71816/1/turner_jonathan_r_201211_PhD_thesis.pdf