Camp Hughes

Camp Hughes was a Canadian military training camp, located in the Rural Municipality of North Cypress west of the town of Carberry in Manitoba, Canada. It was actively used for Army training from 1909 to 1934 and as a communications station from the early 1960s until 1991.

Camp Hughes was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 2011. It features an intact World War I battlefield terrain, which was created for training purposes by the Canadian Department of Militia between 1915 and 1916. It is now one of the only World War One era trench systems remaining in the world.^[1]

History

In 1909, a Canadian military training camp named "Camp Sewell" was established 10 kilometers west of Carberry, south of the Canadian Pacific Railway line. It started out as a city of tents and covered a large area. The name of the camp was changed in 1915 to "Camp Hughes" in honour of Major-General Sir Sam Hughes, Canada's Minister of Militia and Defence at the time. Extensive trench systems, grenade and rifle ranges, and military structures were built at Camp Hughes between 1915 and 1916, and a variety of retail stores and entertainment complexes on a double-avenued area close to the main camp formed a lively commercial midway. During World War I, more than 38,000 troops of the Canadian Expeditionary Force trained at the camp, and by 1916 it had grown to such a large size that it had the largest population of any city in the province of Manitoba outside of the capital city, Winnipeg. Many of the soldiers who trained at Camp Hughes were later involved in the Battle of Vimy Ridge in France on April 9, 1917.

The soldiers and support staff stationed at Camp Hughes maintained very close social and economic ties with the town of Carberry, which is located a short distance away from the site.

The Canadian Army continued to train soldiers at the camp until 1934, when the camp closed and the troops were moved to nearby Camp Shilo, now CFB Shilo, and Kapyong Barracks, a now closed part of CFB Winnipeg, for financial and logistical reasons. The former camp saw some use during World War II.

By the early 1960s, the site re-opened as a Cold War remote transmitter station for Camp Shilo. A one-level bunker was built on the property. The bunker was closed in 1992 and has since been demolished.

Today

Although very eroded after over 85 years, the original trench system at Camp Hughes is still intact and is the only World War One era trench system remaining in North America.

The Camp Hughes Cemetery, which is located on what is known as Cemetery Hill, also remains at Camp Hughes.

The Camp Hughes National Historic Site is no longer used for active military use, therefor the area is completely open to the public and access is unrestricted. It does however continue to be monitored by the Canadian Department of National Defense, as the Camp Hughes site is located less than 1 km away from a restricted area of CFB Shilo.

Official recognition

In 1994, Camp Hughes was designated by the Government of Manitoba as a Provincial Heritage Site. In 2011, the site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada.^[2]

There is a roadside park named "Camp Hughes Wayside Park" located 10 kilometers west of Carberry on the Trans Canada Highway at the west intersection with PTH 351, a short distance north of the actual Camp Hughes site, named in honour of the military camp.

Photo gallery

• 

  Trenches at Camp Hughes

• 

  Trenches at Camp Hughes

• 

  A sign marking the boundary of the historical area

• 

  Entrance to the Camp Hughes Cemetery

• 

  Entrance gate to the area where the trench systems are located. Maps and other information are located here.

• 

  Headstones in the Camp Hughes Cemetery

• 

  Unknown grave at Camp Hughes

• 

  Sign notifying visitors of archeological research activity at Camp Hughes (taken in 2013)

• 

  A gate near Camp Hughes on the boundary of the restricted DND area connected to CFB Shilo

• 

  The main walking trail leading to trenches in the historical area

References

Further reading

• Military History Society of Manitoba

See also

• Carberry, Manitoba
• Rural Municipality of North Cypress
• RCAF Station Carberry
• History of the Canadian Army
• Canadian Forces
• Bruce Forsyth's Canadian Military History Page

Canadian Armed Forces Royal Canadian Navy Canadian Army Royal Canadian Air Force Military history Royal Canadian Navy Canadian Army Royal Canadian Air Force Commander-in-Chief Chief of the Defence Staff Vice Chief of the Defence Staff Armed Forces Council Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy Commander of the Canadian Army Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force Canadian Forces Chief Warrant Officer Canadian Joint Operations Command Canadian Special Operations Forces Command Canadian Forces Intelligence Command Primary Reserve Bibliography Conflicts Operations Victories Peacekeeping Category Portal WikiProject

Canadian Army  History History of the Canadian Army Canadian Corps First Canadian Army Military History of Canada Fort Frontenac Library Structure Structure of the Canadian Army 2nd Canadian Division 3rd Canadian Division 4th Canadian Division 5th Canadian Division List of Units Mechanized brigade groups 1 CMBG 2 CMBG 5 CMBG Brigade groups 31 CBG 32 CBG 33 CBG 34 CBG 35 CBG 36 CBG 37 CBG 38 CBG 39 CBG 41 CBG Small arms C9 machine-gun C7A1 rifle/C8A1 carbine/C7A2 rifle C6 machine-gun Browning .50 calibre heavy machine gun Browning-HP 9 mm pistol P225, 226 C15 Long Range Sniper Weapon (LRSW) C3A1 sniper rifle C14 Timberwolf C13 fragmentation grenade M203 grenade launcher M72 SRAAW(L) Crewed weapons Carl Gustav SRAAW(M) ERYX SRAAW(H) TOW LRAAW(H) 81 mm mortar 60 mm mortar Javelin short-range air defence missile Skyguard C1 close support howitzer C3 close support howitzer LG1 Mark II 105 mm towed howitzer M777 lightweight 155mm howitzer C16 CASW Armoured fighting vehicles LAV III Coyote Reconnaissance Vehicle ADATS Leopard C2 Leopard 2 Bison APC M113A3 and MTVL RG-31 Textron TAPV Schools Canadian Army Command and Staff College Peace Support Training Centre Canadian Army Advanced Warfare Centre Category Portal WikiProject

National Historic Sites of Canada by location Provinces Alberta British Columbia Manitoba New Brunswick Newfoundland and Labrador Nova Scotia Ontario Hamilton Kingston Niagara Ottawa Toronto Prince Edward Island Quebec Montreal Quebec City Saskatchewan Territories Northwest Territories Nunavut Yukon Other countries France Category Portal WikiProject