Canadian Military Engineer Branch
Appointments
- Home
- About Us
- CME Family
- News and Events
- Member Services
- History and Heritage
- Honours and Recognition
- Competitions
- Contacts
- Site Plan
- Français
| Appointment | Name |
| Colonel-in-Chief | Her Majesty The Queen |
| Colonel Commandant | BGen R.W. DesLauriers, OMM, CD (Ret.) |
| CF Chief Military Engineer | MGen C.T. Whitecross, OMM, CD |
| CME Branch Advisor | Col R.N.H. Dickson, CD |
| CME Branch Chief Warrant Officer | CWO K. Jones, MMM, CD |
| Senior Serving Engineer | MGen J.M.C. Rousseau, CD |
| Combat Engineering Representative | Col J.G. Wall, CD |
| Construction Engineering Representative | Col K.G. Horgan, CD |
| Geomatics Imagery Representative | Col K. Chadder, CD |
| Firefighting Representative | LCol J.S.P. Bouffard, CD |
| CME Navy Representative | LCol P. Doucette, CD |
| CME Branch Adjutant | Capt J.R.J. Landry, CD |
| Her Majesty The Queen, Colonel In Chief |
|
| Royalty traditionally holds the Colonel-in-Chief appointment and this individual acts as a patron. The first Colonel-in-Chief chosen for a Canadian unit may have been the Duchess of Connaught for the 199th Battalion in April 1917. King George VI became the Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Engineers and the Royal Engineers on 18 February 1938. Queen Elizabeth II then became Colonel-in-Chief when she succeeded to the throne and held this appointment until the disbandment of the RCE on 1 February 1968. She accepted the new appointment of Colonel-in-Chief of the CME on 11 June 1977, her Silver Jubilee. This was a particular honour since it was the only appointment accepted on that occasion. |
| Colonel Commandant |
|
BGen R.W. Deslauriers, OMM, CD (Ret.) Brigadier-General DesLauriers enlisted as a soldier apprentice in 1964 and attended Basic Sapper training at the Royal Canadian School of Military Engineers (RCSME) in Chilliwack, British Columbia. On graduation from the twoyear program, Sapper DesLauriers was posted to 2 Field Squadron, Gagetown, New Brunswick. In 1970 Corporal DesLauriers moved back to Chilliwack to 3 Field Squadron where he remained until his promotion to Sergeant in 1973. He was selected as a member of the International Commission for Control and Supervision (ICCS) in Vietnam. On his return to Canada he returned to 3 Field Squadron. In 1976 Warrant Officer DesLauriers was posted to Valcartier, but immediately moved to Bromont, Quebec, as part of the 5e RGC security forces for the Olympic Games. He served as the second in command of security forces for the equestrian events and was heavily involved in Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) operations. On completion of this task he returned to Valcartier as the 2 Troop Warrant Officer and then Unit Training NCO until his promotion in 1979 to Master Warrant Officer. He remained in Valcartier as the Regimental Headquarter Sergeant-Major until 1980 when he accepted his commission, was promoted to the rank of captain, and returned to Chilliwack as the Chief Standards Officer for the Engineer School. In 1982 he became the commander of the Mine Warfare and Demolitions Section and 24 EOD units. In 1984 he moved to METS as a tactics instructor. In 1985 Captain DesLauriers was appointed Deputy Commanding Officer of 22 Field Squadron, where he served until his promotion to Major in 1986 at which time he was appointed as the Senior Engineer Tactics Instructor at theCombat Training Centre. In August 1986 Major DesLauriers took command of 45 Field Squadron in Sydney, Nova Scotia, becoming the first Regular Force Commanding Officer of a Militia unit since the Second World War. During this period he also served in Turkey with the Allied Mobile Force (Land). In 1989 he moved to 1 Canadian Division Engineer Group Headquarters at CFB Kingston as G2 (Intelligence) and subsequently as G3 (Operations). In 1991 he was posted to 4 Combat Engineer Regiment as the Deputy Commanding Officer and participated in the Canadian Forces' first six-month tour in the former Yugoslavia. On the unit's return to Germany, Major DesLauriers held command of 4 Combat Engineer Regiment until its closure in summer 1993. He then moved to Heidelberg, Germany as the Engineer Operations Officer in HQ Land Cent (NATO). In this capacity he participated in many of the Partnership for Peace initiatives with former Warsaw Pact countries and in several LandCent exercises involving multiple Corps formations. On promotion, Lieutenant-Colonel DesLauriers returned to Canada in July 1995 as the Chief of Staff, Toronto Militia District, later renamed 32 Canadian Brigade Group. He served in this position until his retirement from the Regular Force in 1999 after 35 years of service. He then transferred to the Active Reserve Force and became the Deputy Commander of 32 Canadian Brigade Group. He was promoted Colonel in August 2000 and assumed command of 32 Canadian Brigade Group on 12 September of that same year. On relinquishing command of 32 Canadian Brigade Group in 2003, he assumed command of 2 Area Support Group. He held that command until January 2005. He was subsequently appointed Assistant Chief of Staff (Operations) and Deputy Commander for Land Forces Central Area. Brigadier-General DesLauriers was promoted to his current rank in October 2006 on his appointment at Deputy Commander Land Force Doctrine and Training System. In September 2008, he retired from the Canadian Forces after 44 years of service. His awards include being invested as an Officer in the Order of Military Merit, the Canadian Decoration with three clasps and the Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal, along with the UN Medal for the former Yugoslavia and the ICCS Medal for Vietnam. Brigadier-General DesLauriers became the Canadian Military Engineer Branch Colonel Commandant on 28 January 2010. He resides in Havelock, Ontario with his wife Judy. |
|
| This honourary appointment has a normal tenure of three years and is bestowed upon a retired senior officer who has served with distinction. The first Colonel Commandant in the Canadian Army was appointed for the Artillery in January 1925 and in December 1947 each corps of the Canadian Army was permitted to have a Colonel Commandant. Appointees must have held the rank of colonel or higher and, although Colonels Commandant may have held higher rank, they assume the insignia of colonel with pride. The title of Colonel is symbolic, being the highest rank within the historic regimental system and thus the senior position having direct contact with junior ranks. the Military Engineers' first Colonel Commandant was Brigadier J. L. Melville, CBE, MC, ED, CD who was appointed in 1948 when the appointment was referred to as "Honourary Colonel Commandant." |
|
Brigadier-General R.W. Deslauriers, OMM, CD (Ret.) Colonel Roger K. St.John, OMM, CD (Ret.) Major-General John E. Woods, CD (Ret.) Brigadier-General T. H. M. Silva, CD Brigadier-General A. C. Brown, CMM, CD
Major-General J. A. Stewart, CD Major-General N. S. Freeman, CD Colonel E. A. Ballantyne, CD Colonel M. C. Sutherland-Brown, DSO, CD
Major-General G. H. Spencer, OBE, CD
Colonel R. J. Carson, CD Brigadier J. L. Melville, CBE, MC, ED,
CD |