Editing 2nd Canadian Division (section)

====Garrison duties and reorganization (1940)====

It was over a year before the 2nd Division came together as a cohesive unit and, during the interim period between formation and arrival in the United Kingdom, many changes to its organization were made. The first brigade concentrations took place in May and June 1940, until which time all units had trained in their own garrisons. The 4th Brigade assembled at [[Camp Borden]] in [[Ontario]], the 5th at [[Valcartier|Valcartier Camp]] in [[Quebec]], and the 6th at [[CFB Shilo|Camp Shilo]] in [[Manitoba]].<ref name="Bercuson29">Bercuson, p. 29</ref> The divisional artillery was concentrated at [[CFB Petawawa|Camp Petawawa]] in Ontario, and at Shilo.{{Citation needed|date=September 2013}}

The 2nd Division's structure was altered in early 1940, reducing its number of machine-gun battalions from three to one.<ref>Copp, p. 20</ref> The Camerons and the Chaudières (now a rifle battalion) were reassigned to the newly mobilized [[3rd Canadian Infantry Division]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.army.dnd.ca/rdechaud/qg-hq/historique-history-eng.aspx?action=view&id=historique-history |title=Chaudière Regimental History |access-date=5 December 2008 |publisher=Le Régiment de la Chaudière |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222004625/http://www.army.dnd.ca/rdechaud/qg-hq/historique-history-eng.aspx?action=view&id=historique-history |archive-date=22 February 2012 }}</ref> and the Winnipeg Grenadiers were sent to Jamaica for garrison duty, after which they returned to Canada then redeployed to Hong Kong, where they were captured when it [[Battle of Hong Kong|fell to the Japanese]] on 25 December 1941.<ref>Willmot & Keegan, p. 57</ref>

In May 1940, The Black Watch were moved from Valcartier to Newfoundland, and in June, the 2nd Division was earmarked for garrison duty by the forces of the [[British Commonwealth]],<ref>Copp, p. 15</ref> with the Royal Regiment of Canada and ''Les Fusiliers Mont Royal'' arriving in Iceland later that month.<ref>Copp, p. 16</ref> However, at the request of [[Winston Churchill]] these deployments were cut short,<ref name="Bercuson29"/> as the division was badly needed in England to supplement the [[British Army]]—then facing the imminent possibility of [[Operation Sealion|German invasion]].<ref name="Bercuson29"/>

As a result, most of the 2nd Division's units were sent to the United Kingdom in August 1940, although the Iceland garrison remained in place until 31 October.<ref name="Bercuson29"/> The absence of the ''Mont Royal''s allowed Major-General [[Victor Odlum]] to reassign the Calgary Highlanders to the 5th Brigade in September, in an attempt to ethnically mix the brigades of the division.<ref>Copp, p.19</ref>