This is one of those “I learned something new today about the Second World War” I’ve been working on the Canadian Movement Directorate documents, going though LAC reels on ship movements from Canada to “elsewhere” during WW2, and just in the past few days, I’ve noted “nominal rolls” of a Unit that I had never heard about before. As the title says above it is the CIVILIAN TECHNICAL CORPS Of course a quick google search brought up this: The Civilian Technical Corps was an American quasi-military uniformed organization raised in 1941 in the United States of America, to directly assist with the war effort within the United Kingdom. The Corps was manned by volunteer civilians. Their support role was primarily in connection with RADAR and radio, but was extended across a wide range of areas over time. They wore a uniform identical to the wartime Royal Air Force, but with unusual wreath-and-bars non-commissioned rank badges instead of chevrons, of the same design as those issued to members of the Royal Observer Corps, another semi-military air force corps within the UK during the same era. I haven’t researched more yet…..but was this a AMERICAN organization or a BRITISH organization. From above, it seems it was BRITISH, as they work uniforms etc Here is a copy of ONE of the Nominal Rolls that I have found Their ship was the SS Vancouver Island, loaded in Montreal, Ship E.292, date 9-10-41 In the file, it also indicates that this ship was torpedo’d Info from UBoat.net Vancouver Island (Canadian Motor merchant) - Ships hit by German U-boats during WWII - uboat.net History Completed in June 1929 as Sud Americano for A/S Linea Sud Americana (Ivar A. Christensen), Oslo. 1931 sold to Germany and renamed Yakima Star for Hanseatische Schiffahrts- und Betriebs-GmbH, Bremen. 1934 rebuilt, lengthened and renamed Weser for Norddeutscher Lloyd, Bremen. At the outbreak of war, the Weser was interned at Manzanillo, Mexico. On 25 Sep 1940, she left loaded with 2630 tons of diesel oil, 600 drums of lubricating oil and provisions to serve as supply ship for the German raider Orion (HSK 1) in the Pacific, but was intercepted and captured by HMCS Prince Robert (F 56) (Capt C.T. Beard, RCN) waiting off the harbor and brought to Esquimalt by a prize crew. On 19 October, the ship was taken over by the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and handed over to Merchant Marine Ltd, Ottawa. Notes on event At 21.54 hours on 15 Oct 1941 the unescorted Vancouver Island (Master Eric Lacey Roper) was spotted by U-558, which was searching convoy SC-48 west of Ireland. Due to her high speed of about 15 knots the U-boat immediately went on full speed to get into a favorable attack position and fired a spread of three torpedoes from about 2000 meters at 22.49 hours, hitting the ship with two of them after 144 seconds. The vessel was hit in the fore part and amidships and stopped but did not sink. Because Krech wanted to continue the search for convoy he fired two coups de grâce from more than 1000 meters at 23.08 and 23.17 hours, hitting the ship fore and aft and causing her to sink fast by the stern. The Germans had observed how the crew abandoned ship in lifeboats after the first hits, but HMS Dianthus (K 95) (LtCdr C.E. Bridgman, RNR) sent to her assistance from the dispersed convoy ON-24 did not find any survivors. On 31 October, a lifeboat with the bodies of two officers from the ship was found by a British warship in 56°08N/20°45W. The master, 64 crew members, eight gunners and 32 passengers were lost.
Found a little more info on their recruiting in American newspapers I went looking for a few of the men in the first post, and the first one on the list was actually a Canadian, who joined the CTC as the RCAF would not accept him;
