Ronald Arthur Brent
57th Signals Unit - United Nations Canadian Congo Force
The Congo
Pleas for help from the UN mixed with the cries of defenseless Congolese civilians reached even as far as Canada, the nation choosing to provide a contingent of signalmen to aid the ongoing mission in the distant nation. Pulled from his rather quiet posting at CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick, the assignment to the UN force was rather unexpected, the Congo being an unfamiliar place to Ronald Brent of remote Botwood, Newfoundland. Yet in a matter of days the 22-year-old was inoculated with a vast array of shots meant to prevent the many illnesses the Canadian might contract well in the heart of Africa (1).
In August, the Newfoundlander took his place among the 209 men and officers of the first major contingent bound for the Congo (1). They were joining a small advanced party already in country and expected to perform a large amount of work in setting up communications infrastructure for the infant UN mission (1). Upon arrival on August 17th, the signalers were sent to join up with Canadian Headquarters in the capital of Leopoldville. It’s modern buildings and almost tropical vibrance presenting the city as a welcoming place for the fresh soldiers. Yet behind the remnants of the civilized facade, lay the realities of the situation, which greeted the fresh signalers as the were deployed throughout the interior of the vast nation. Expecting a grand welcoming as liberators by the people, the Canadians were instead met with mistrust and often anger by the disenfranchised civilian population (1). Arthur quickly learning to keep his eyes especially on the supposedly “friendly” government troops, who developed a reputation for assaulting and even holding UN soldiers for ransom (1). Such hostility made the sappers job incredibly difficult, though Arthur did his best to help setup the communications infrastructure as needed in the sweltering humidity of the rainforest environment (1).
With little hope of local government aid, the Canadians looked to their own military back home to provide support. Such faith in government bureaucracy proved misplaced with high-level officers in Ottawa spontaneously deciding to form the 57th Signals Unit, Arthur being among those confused soldiers transferred to it (1). Whatever the intended effect, it certainly had the opposite as both the 57th and existing Canadian Headquarters formation began squabbling over the already limited resources available (1). The general lack of supplies entering the nation only added to this growing disaster, the 57th being left with only a few days worth of food at one point, an especially insulting moment to the signalers who were laboring intensely to complete their tasks (1).
|
A fresh draft of signalmen to the 57th would finally arrive in September, being greeted with sharp blows to their bodies by Congolese government soldiers as they arrived (2). Such an embarrassment was finally enough to convince Canada to deploy heavily armed infantrymen to support the vulnerable signalers in the country (2). Reliable protection at least provided an element of comfort to Arthur as he conducted his work throughout the remainder of the year, being among the first awarded the UN Congo medal in December of 1960. Such a medal felt rather worthless as he continued to watch the situation destabilize even further, with all sorts of conflicts breaking out based on political and ethnic lines. Fortunately, the seasoned veteran would be allowed to depart in February 1961, boarding a plane in Leopoldville bound for Canada. His time in the Congo had been rather unpleasant and he was most certainly happy to depart the army to marry his love, Carroll Hawn, settling down in the much more tolerable climate of Ontario that same year.
Sources:
(1) Granatstein, J. L. “Canada and Peacekeeping Operations — The Congo, 1960-64.” Government of Canada, 8 Mar. 2018. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/military-history/history-heritage/official-military-history-lineages/reports/forces-headquarters-1965-1970/book-peacekeeping-congo-1960-1964.html
(2) “UN Mission in the Congo: 2 Sept 1960-30 June 1964.” The Loyal Edmonton Regiment Military Museum, 2018, www.lermuseum.org/1946-to-present/1957-1964/un-mission-in-the-congo-2-sept-1960-30-june-1964.
(1) Granatstein, J. L. “Canada and Peacekeeping Operations — The Congo, 1960-64.” Government of Canada, 8 Mar. 2018. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/military-history/history-heritage/official-military-history-lineages/reports/forces-headquarters-1965-1970/book-peacekeeping-congo-1960-1964.html
(2) “UN Mission in the Congo: 2 Sept 1960-30 June 1964.” The Loyal Edmonton Regiment Military Museum, 2018, www.lermuseum.org/1946-to-present/1957-1964/un-mission-in-the-congo-2-sept-1960-30-june-1964.