Appointments

Canadian Military Engineer Branch
Colonel Commandants

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January 2008 - September 2009

Col Roger St.John

Col Roger K. St. John, OMM, CD (Ret.)

Colonel St. John was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1944. In 1959 he joined the Royal Westminster Regiment and subsequently enrolled in the Regular Officer Training Programme (ROTP) in 1966 while attending the University of British Columbia. He graduated with distinction in 1969 with a degree in Forestry Engineering.

He subsequently undertook training at the Canadian Force Fire Academy and in 1970 was appointed as the Fire/Crash Rescue Chief at CFB Montreal. In 1972 he was assigned to 1 Airborne Field Squadron in Edmonton, Alberta. This posting included a challenging peace keeping tour in Cyprus in 1974 that was extended by a Greek inspired coup and the resultant Turkish invasion. In 1975 he was promoted to Major and posted to CFB Gagetown as the Commanding Officer of 22 Field Squadron. This was followed in 1977 by his assignment to NATO’s Central Army Group Headquarters (CENTAG) in Heidelberg, West Germany.

In 1980, Colonel St. John returned to Canada to attend Staff College in Toronto. This was followed by his assignment to Headquarters, 1 CMBG in Calgary, Alberta as G4. He was promoted to LCol in 1982 and returned to the Staff College as a member of the Directing Staff. In 1985 he was appointed as the Base Administration Officer of CFB Calgary where he was involved in a number of major projects including the ‘Museum of the Regiments’ and assisted in the provision of military support to the Calgary Winter Olympics. In 1988, he was promoted to Col and posted to NDHQ Ottawa as the Director of Construction Engineering Control and in 1989 he was assigned to Pakistan as the COS of a UN (UNOCHA) humanitarian mine awareness and clearance training mission for Afghan refugees.

In 1991, Colonel St. John was posted to CFB Montreal as the Force Mobile Command Chief Engineer. He was selected in 1993 to attend the National Defence College in Kingston, Ontario and was subsequently appointed as Base Commander of CFB Chilliwack. Base closure was announced in early 1995 and during the closure period he was assigned as the Deputy Engineer/Corps Engineer Brigade Commander of NATO’s Implementation Force (IFOR) in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

In 1998 Colonel St. John retired from the Canadian Forces and formed his own consulting company specializing in emergency management and business continuation planning. He has also undertaken several mine action contracts for the Department Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the Canadian International Development Agency in the Balkans and Africa.

Colonel St. John is a past President of the Rotary Club of Chilliwack and has been extensively involved in community service projects. He is a member of numerous associations and has served on the Board of the BC Corps of Commissionaires, Chilliwack Big Brothers, the Fraser Valley Regional District Planning Committee, and the Chilliwack Hospice Society Gala Committee.

Colonel St. John became the Canadian Military Engineer Branch Colonel Commandant on 16 January 2008. He resides in Chilliwack, British Columbia with his wife Joy. He enjoys oil painting, skiing and fishing, and periodically, he treats himself to a game of golf.

January 2005 - January 2008

MGen John Woods

Major-General John E. Woods, CD

Major General Woods was born in Darling’s Lake, Nova Scotia in 1936. After graduating from high school in Yarmouth in 1953 he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) under the Regular Officer Training Plan. He studied civil engineering at the University of New Brunswick, graduating in 1957 with distinction and awarded the Ketchum Medal.

During his early military career he was employed in construction engineering on radar stations, operational air bases, and at command headquarters of the RCAF in Canada and Europe. After completing Canadian Forces Staff College in Toronto he was posted to the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering at CFB Chilliwack where he was put in charge of military engineering officer training. This was followed by four years in Air Transport Command in Trenton, Ontario, first as Senior Staff Officer Quartering and later as Base Technical Services Officer at CFB Trenton.

In 1974 Major General Woods was posted to National Defence Headquarters where he served as Director of Military Engineering Operations and Acting Director of Construction Engineering Requirements. In 1976 he became Deputy Chief of Staff Construction engineering at Maritime Command Headquarters in Halifax.

Later in his 37 year career, and following graduation from the former National Defence College in Kingston, Ontario, Major General Woods served in a number of senior military
positions including- Secretary of Staff at Headquarters, Allied Forces Central Europe in Brunssum, Netherlands; Base Commander of CFB Chilliwack; Chief of Staff Support at Air Command Headquarters in Winnipeg; and finally, Chief of Construction and Properties at National Defence Headquarters.

After retiring from the Canadian Forces in 1990 he worked for a number of years as a consultant in the field of environmental management.

Major General Woods served as Honorary Colonel of 4 Airfield Engineering Squadron from 1993 to 1998 and is currently a member of the Air Command Advisory Council.

He is also a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia and the 883 (RCAF) Wing of the Air Force Association of Canada.

Major General Woods lives with his wife Carole in Kelowna, British Columbia. He enjoys golfing, downhill skiing and gardening.

Novermber 2000 - January 2005

BGen Silva

Brigadier General T. H. M. Silva, CD

Brigadier-General Silva entered the Militia in 1958 by enrolling in 6 Field Engineer Squadron at North Vancouver British Columbia and a few months later he left his unit to join the Regular Force. After recruit and new-soldier training at the Royal Canadian School of Military Engineering (RCSME) at Chilliwack, British Columbia, he was posted to 3 Field Squadron RCE (1 Combat Engineer Regiment). In 1961 he completed trades training at RCSME and was posted to 11 Works Company RCE in Vancouver where he took his release from the Regular Force in 1964 and rejoined his former militia unit as a sergeant.

After serving in various capacities from troop sergeant to sergeant major, Brigadier- General Silva was commissioned from the ranks in 1970. After commissioning, he continued to serve in 6 Field Engineer Squadron in various capacities from troop officer to Deputy Commanding Officer until he assumed command of the unit in 1974. He continued to command the unit until 1979 when he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and moved to the Area Headquarters in Vancouver.

At the Area Headquarters, Brigadier-General Silva served first as the Senior Staff Officer Operations and Training then as Senior Staff Officer Logistics and Administration. From 1982 to 1986, he was responsible for senior officer evelopment in Pacific Militia Area and served four terms as a member of the Directing Staff at the Militia Command Staff Course at Kingston. Promoted to colonel in 1986, he was appointed Deputy Commander and in 1988 was promoted again to become Commander of Pacific Militia Area. Upon completion of this appointment in 1990, Brigadier-General Silva retired.

Brigadier-General Silva is a partner in Hindson Silva Consulting, a firm offering consulting services in Occupational Health and Safety. His prior employment has included four years with the Workers' Compensation Board of British Columbia, and several years as a training consultant specializing in preparing and presenting courses in diamond drilling and explosives/blasting. He was also employed for several years with a large Vancouver Consulting Engineering firm where he was a civil project engineer.

Brigadier-General Silva is the former Chair of the Conference of Defence Associations, a Vice President of the Military Engineers Association of Canada and past president of Royal United Services Institute of Vancouver.

12-Dec-2009