Training Manuals

Issued at the beginning of the Second World War, this British manual (reprinted for Canada) covered only the most basic elements of training for war, including a series of games that could provide instruction in field-craft.

The Second World War revealed an unexpectedly low level of physical fitness in Canadian men, leading military authorities to devote considerable effort to remedial action. Training brochures like this one were among the results of that effort.

One lesson of trench warfare was that "bombing" (or using hand grenades) was much more important in capturing and clearing enemy trenches than had been imagined before the war. As a result, training manuals like this one by James Ferris, who joined the 63rd Battalion in Edmonton in July 1915, were published as a way to pass on new tactical knowledge.

First World War veteran and later cabinet minister Brooke Claxton originally prepared these notes in the form of lectures for the McGill University Contingent of the Canadian Officers' Training Corps. They cover everything from courts martial to morale and efficiency.

Written in 1939, this training pamphlet was distributed before the British or Canadian army had much experience with modern anti-tank warfare.

The complexities involved in moving large numbers of soldiers in an orderly fashion are outlined in this booklet, which was printed not long before the end of the First World War.

The UK War Office produced and issued a series of short training manuals used by both the British and Canadian armies. Collectively, these manuals established the doctrine, or tactical procedures, for both armies throughout the war. This 1944 manual concerns the operation of the infantry battalion.

The UK War Office produced and issued a series of short training manuals used by both the British and Canadian armies. Collectively, these manuals established the doctrine, or tactical procedures, for both armies throughout the war. This 1944 manual on the tactics of small units reflected the experience gained in North Africa and Italy.

Periodic amendments were made to the Field Service Pocket Book, a kind of military manual typically carried by officers. This one concerned the proper use of radios in the field.

This coursebook prepared instructors in the Canadian Army to teach recruits how to use maps strategically in battle.