The Otter Commission , or Otter Committee , was established after the First World War to tackle a problem created by the chaotic mobilization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force . In 1919, units of the CEF, intended as a wartime expeditionary force, returned to Canada where the Canadian Militia had served during the war performing home defence duties, staffing internment camps, and raising recruits for overseas. Both the CEF and the Militia desired to be perpetuated in the post-war world. The CEF units were proud of their wartime record, while the pre-war Militia had long-standing roots in the community and battle honours dating back as far as the War of 1812.
33-530: The commission was headed by General Sir William Dillon Otter . Other members were Major General Archibald Cameron Macdonell , Brigadier General E.A. Cruikshank (who served as Secretary) and Brigadier General A.G.L. McNaughton . The commission held hearings across the country in the autumn of 1919. The catalysts for the commission were peace and fiscal austerity following the end of the First World War. It dealt with questions of national and military unity in
66-556: A Battalion with Regulations for Marches, Transport & Encampment, Also Forms & Bugle Calls in 1914, which includes sections on discipline, courts martial, offences, complaints, and defaulters. During the First World War he came out of retirement to command operations for the internment of enemy nationals resident in Canada. Otter headed the Otter Commission . The Otter Commission was tasked to establish links of perpetuation from
99-420: A formal report to the government or release any information to the press. Most of the adopted recommendations, authored primarily by Gwatkin and McNaughton, were enacted over a long period of time. By 1936, the threat of another conflict prompted the re-emergence and adoption of the last few Otter Commission recommendations that had not yet been put in place. In order to preserve both the pre-war Militia units and
132-580: A major general. In 1922 he was the second Canadian, after Sir Arthur Currie , to be appointed a full general. Otter had the reputation of being something of a martinet – due mainly to his desire that the young Canadian Army should not show up badly when compared to British troops. He wrote The Guide: A Manual for the Canadian Militia (Infantry) Embracing the Interior Economy, Duties, Discipline, Drills and Parades, Dress, Books, and Correspondence of
165-731: A pair of decorations which were instituted simultaneously, the other being the Decoration for Officers of the Royal Naval Reserve , often referred to as either the Royal Naval Reserve Officers' Decoration or the Royal Naval Reserve Decoration. The badges of these two decorations are identical and both initially hung from the same all-green ribbon, until a new ribbon was introduced for the Decoration for Officers of
198-460: A silver-gilt crown, which acts as the ribbon suspension. Five versions of the decoration have been awarded. The reverse is smooth and undecorated, usually with the year during which the decoration was awarded impressed on the back of the reef knot on decorations awarded in the United Kingdom, or engraved named to the recipient in other countries. The clasp, which was introduced c. 1954, has
231-423: Is 56 millimetres (2.20 inches) high to the top of the crown and 35 millimetres (1.38 inches) wide. It has a 12 millimetres (0.47 inches) diameter ring suspender, formed of silver wire, which is attached to a small ring affixed to the top back of the decoration. The obverse has the royal cypher of the reigning monarch in silver-gilt, surrounded by a silver rope tied with a reef knot at the base and surmounted by
264-575: The Battle of Ridgeway during the Fenian Raids . He joined the Permanent Force as an infantry officer when Canada established its own professional infantry unit in 1883. On May 2, 1885, he led a Canadian force of more than 300 in the Battle of Cut Knife against a Cree and Assiniboine camp defended by Poundmaker and Fine-Day . Otter's tactics were ineffective against the defending warriors. He
297-779: The Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario , was named in his honour and the Cadet Squadron Leader of Otter Squadron is permitted to carry his sword on graduation parade. In October 1895 he married Marian Porter, daughter of James Porter & Agnes Dryden. They had three sons and one daughter. Otter was the grandfather of Canadian Military historian Desmond Morton . Ribbon bar : [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Volunteer Reserve Decoration The Decoration for Officers of
330-779: The 1930s. In addition to the perpetuation of CEF units by the Non-Permanent Active Militia, the Otter Commission made a major change to the post-war Permanent Force by adding two units that had been raised for service in the CEF in 1914. Permanent additions to the Permanent Active Militia (the Regular Force) were Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and the 22nd Battalion (today the Royal 22 Régiment). They joined
363-846: The British Empire and a separate new decoration was instituted, the Volunteer Officers' Decoration for India and the Colonies . In 1899, the Volunteer Officers' Decoration for India and the Colonies was superseded by the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration , for award to part-time commissioned officers of the Dominion of Canada and the British Colonies, Dependencies and Protectorates . On 17 August 1908,
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#1732845281689396-858: The General Staff , the head of the Canadian Militia . Otter was born near Clinton, Canada West . His parents were Anna Louisa, née de la Hooke (1824–1907) and Alfred William Otter (1815–1866), both English immigrants who married in Ontario on 15 September 1842. He began his military career in the Non-Permanent Active Militia in Toronto in 1864. Captain William Otter was Adjutant of the Queen's Own Rifles of Toronto in 1866. He first saw combat with them at
429-608: The Militia had their regimental numbers removed and others were renamed entirely (such as the Eastern Townships Mounted Rifles ). Some were disbanded, such as The Dawson Rifles of Canada and the 109th Regiment. Notable exceptions to the abandonment of regimental numbers included the 1st Hussars and the 48th Highlanders of Canada . Individual battalions of the new units were granted perpetuation of CEF units and received claim to their battle honours when they were granted in
462-662: The Naval Volunteer Reserves of Colonial Auxiliary Forces throughout the British Empire . The award of the decoration was discontinued in the United Kingdom in 1966, when the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, composed of civilian volunteers, was merged with the Royal Naval Reserve , composed of Merchant Navy seamen. It was superseded by its identical sister decoration, the Decoration for Officers of
495-478: The Otter Commission called for basic training and ignored the inadequate equipment and lack of mechanization within the Canadian Army after the First World War. William Dillon Otter North-West Rebellion Second Boer War General Sir William Dillon Otter KCB CVO VD (December 3, 1843 – May 6, 1929) was a professional Canadian soldier who became the first Canadian-born Chief of
528-527: The Permanent Force's infantry arm along with The Royal Canadian Regiment , which in 1914 had been Canada's only full-time infantry unit. Some academics point to the Otter Commission as part of the reason that the Canadian Army was not fully prepared for mobilization at the start of the Second World War. Due to little political support, the suggestion of veterans that Canada have a regular army of 30,000
561-634: The Royal Cypher of Queen Elizabeth II (EIIR) in the centre, surmounted by the Royal Crown, with the year of the award impressed on the reverse. In undress uniform, a recipient of a clasp would wear a silver rosette on the ribbon bar. Two ribbons were used with the decoration. In the order of wear prescribed by the British Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood , the Decoration for Officers of
594-517: The Royal Naval Reserve. The New Zealand version, the Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve Decoration, is still being awarded. In 1892, the Volunteer Officers' Decoration was instituted as an award for long and meritorious service by officers of the United Kingdom's Volunteer Force . In 1894, the grant of the decoration was extended by Royal Warrant to commissioned officers of volunteer forces throughout
627-570: The Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve , post-nominal letters VD until c. 1947 and VRD thereafter, was instituted in 1908. It could be awarded to part-time commissioned officers in the United Kingdom's Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve after twenty years of service as efficient and thoroughly capable officers. The decoration was a Naval version of the Volunteer Officers' Decoration and its successor, the Territorial Decoration. The decoration could also be awarded to part-time commissioned officers in
660-511: The Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in 1919. The decoration was also awarded by several countries in the British Empire. Until c. 1947, recipients were entitled to use the post-nominal letters VD, the same as those for the Volunteer Officers' Decoration and the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration, approved by Royal Warrants dated 9 May 1925. The post-nominal letters were changed to VRD c. 1947. The decoration
693-523: The Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve takes precedence after the Decoration for Officers of the Royal Naval Reserve and before the Royal Naval Reserve Long Service and Good Conduct Medal . On 6 April 1952 the Union of South Africa instituted its own range of military decorations and medals. These new awards were worn before all earlier British decorations and medals awarded to South Africans, with
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#1732845281689726-705: The Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, often colloquially and even officially referred to as either the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Officers' Decoration or the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Decoration, was instituted before 17 August 1908 as a long service award for part-time officers of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserves of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, Colonies and India. It was one of
759-522: The Volunteer Officers' Decoration was superseded in the United Kingdom by the Territorial Decoration . Prior to the institution of this new decoration, a pair of distinctive Naval decorations had been instituted specifically to reward long and meritorious service by part-time officers of the Royal Naval Reserve, composed of Merchant Navy seamen, and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, composed of civilian volunteers. The Decoration for Officers of
792-399: The active list on or after 1 June 1954, became eligible for the award of a clasp to the decoration after completing ten years of additional reckonable service, provided that no service could under any circumstances count double for the assessment of the additional ten years. The decoration is an oval skeletal design and was struck in silver, with parts of the obverse in silver-gilt. The badge
825-573: The decoration. In any event, a minimum of seven years had to have been served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in any capacity before becoming eligible for the award of the decoration. An Officer who had previously been awarded the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Long Service and Good Conduct Medal for service as a rating, could subsequently be awarded the decoration and still wear the medal, provided both periods of qualifying service had been completed. Officers serving on
858-480: The exception of the Victoria Cross , which still took precedence before all other awards. Of the official British medals applicable to South Africans, the Decoration for Officers of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve takes precedence as shown. [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] New Zealand continues to award the Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve Decoration, for fifteen years of service. In
891-473: The history of the CEF units, a system of perpetuations was created based primarily on geographical connections through the original recruiting areas of the CEF battalions . This provided a basis by which the battle honours of the CEF units were claimed by units of the standing Militia. From a legal standpoint, the existing Militia units had to be disbanded and new ones created. Most of the cavalry and infantry regiments of
924-405: The post-war era; ensuring regionalization in the culture of the armed services; determining the future organization and role of the militia; the economization of military expenditure; the integration of various functions; the reinvestment of existing resources into future capabilities; as well as the modernization of military equipment, doctrine, and training. The Otter Committee did not submit
957-432: The units of Canadian Expeditionary Force back to the institutionally separate units of the Canadian Militia in the years following the First World War. This establishment of perpetuation, based primarily on geographical connections through original recruiting areas of the CEF infantry battalions and CEF mounted regiments , provided a basis by which the achievements and battle honours of the CEF units transferred back to
990-620: The units of the standing Militia. Without this work of the Otter Commission the CEF and its achievements would have had no continuance with existing units of the Canadian Army today. General Sir William Otter died on 6 May 1929. Otter was initiated into the Ionic Lodge of Freemasonry in Toronto in February 1869. He became Worshipful Master in 1873. Otter Squadron, composed of University Training Plan Non Commissioned Member (UTPNCM) Officer Cadets, at
1023-619: Was appointed as the first commanding officer of the Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry in 1893. During the Second Boer War , Otter, by then a lieutenant colonel, commanded the 2nd (Special Service) Battalion of The Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry in South Africa. Otter played an important part in the Battle of Paardeberg . He became the first Canadian-born officer to command Canada's military in 1908, and retired in 1910 as
Otter Commission - Misplaced Pages Continue
1056-421: Was first awarded to Lieutenant Charles Alfred Jones on 9 November 1909. The decoration could be awarded to part-time Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve officers after twenty years of commissioned service, not necessarily continuous, as an efficient and thoroughly capable officer. Wartime service counted as double time, while half of the time served as a rating or in the ranks could be reckoned as qualifying service for
1089-675: Was rejected by the commission. Instead, it recommended a non-permanent force made up of eleven infantry and four cavalry divisions and a smaller permanent force that incorporated the Royal Canadian Dragoons , Lord Strathcona's Horse , the Royal Canadian Regiment, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, and Royal 22 Régiment . However, the number of volunteers for the reserve units fell drastically after 1920 and some non-permanent regiments existed only on paper, as they could not find enough men to fill their ranks. In addition,
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