Code Word CANLOAN

J.L. Granatstein is a history professor at York University and author of
War and Peacekeeping and For Better or For Worse.

During the Second World War, for a brief period, Canada had a surplus of
junior officers, while the British army had run short. The makings of a
deal were at hand, and 673 Canadian officers, mostly infantrymen, were
loaned to the British. Scattered throughout the British army’s
regiments, serving in Italy and Northwest Europe, the CANLOAN officers
fought from D-Day until the end of the war. Sometimes having difficulty
understanding their troops’ accents, sometimes baffled by regimental
customs, the Canadians generally adapted without too much difficulty to
their new surroundings. Their proud record included some 100 awards for
bravery and a terrifying 75 percent casualty rate (which included 128
who were killed). The survival time of a junior officer in action was
measured in days.

Wilfred Smith, the longtime Dominion Archivist, was a CANLOAN himself.
With substantial skill, he has explained the genesis of the scheme and
told the story of his compatriots. The result is an interesting story on
its own merits and a most useful addition to the history of Canada’s
part in the war.