The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada - The Cold War Period

The Cold War Period

The seeds of the Cold War had been sewn well before the close of the Second World War. Militant communism threatened the fleeting peace that was achieved through the defeat of the Axis powers. Operating under the belief that the next war would be nuclear and would likely be finished before a large-scale mobilization of reserves could be affected, the decision was reached that the Regular Army would need to be more robust and would become Canada's main line of defence rather than the Militia. By 1946 the Militia was restored to basically its pre-1939 condition.

In 1950 the Red River climbed to its highest level since 1861, resulting in major flooding in Winnipeg from April to June. Heavy autumn rains and a long winter with heavy snowfall followed by a cold spring, which prevented normal thawing, all contributed to the catastrophe. More rainfall in early May exacerbated flooding. In total 600 sq mi (1,600 km2) of Manitoba between the US border and Winnipeg became a vast inland sea. The flood climaxed on the night of 5 May, known as "Black Friday", when driving rain, sleet and snow swelled the Red River to the point where it tore apart eight dikes and destroyed four of Winnipeg's eleven bridges. Throughout much of the city homes and buildings were engulfed by the floodwaters. The Regiment was mobilized in aid of the Civil Power on 8 May. Organized into five work parties, the Camerons were piped to the dykes and worked around the clock in shifts for 17 days until the danger of flood diminished. When the flood was over, 107,000 people had been evacuated from the area. The cost of the flood was estimated at over one billion dollars.

In June 1950 the Cold War turned hot with Communist North Korea's invasion of South Korea. Although the Canadian Government chose not to mobilize the Militia to fight overseas, numerous Second World War veterans and serving reservists, including many Camerons, chose to volunteer for the new battalions that were being raised to go to Korea.

In 1960, the Regiment celebrated its 50th Birthday. Part of the celebrations, the performing of a retreat ceremony on the Manitoba Legislative grounds, was broadcast on national television. The decade would provide little else to celebrate. The 1960s saw a serious erosion of Militia capabilities and morale. Undermanned and issued with aging or obsolete equipment, the reserves were not seen as playing any useful role in a major overseas conflict, particularly with the strategic assessment of the day seeing any future war quickly becoming nuclear and being of short duration. Lacking a war-fighting role, the focus of the Militia concentrated more on domestic operations, particularly territorial defence and survival operations after a nuclear conflict.

During the 1970s the role of the Army Reserve shifted again. Unification of the Forces and years of budgetary reductions had resulted in Forces wide personnel shortages. The focus for the Reserves shifted to providing individual soldiers to augment Regular Force units overseas. Camerons increasingly began to deploy as augmentees to Regular Force units on United Nations Peacekeeping duties in places such as Egypt, the Golan Heights and Cyprus and to participate on flyovers to Germany to serve with Canadian units operating with NATO in North-West Europe.

In the spring of 1979, the Red River jumped its banks again, rising to the flood levels of 1950. While Winnipeg was protected by the massive floodway built after the 1950 flood, the farming communities to the south were largely unprotected. Within an hour of the call for assistance, the Camerons had assembled and dispatched troops to augment 2 Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) operating inside the ring dyke around Morris, Manitoba.

In the 1980s the role of the Militia was once more re-defined. The 1987 Defence White paper espoused the belief that any conflict would only turn nuclear after a series of conventional battles, which would give the belligerents adequate time to mobilize and commit their reserves to battle. This thinking eventually gave rise to the Total Force concept in which the Reserve and Regular components were to be more fully integrated. The 1980s ended with the Regiment marking its 79th birthday in 1989. Celebrations were held at Minto Armoury with the itinerary including a military skills demonstration, a performance by the Pipes and Drums, and an all-ranks Regimental Dinner.