2 Intelligence Company

2 Intelligence Company (abbreviated 2 Int Coy) is a Canadian Forces Primary Reserve intelligence unit based in Toronto, head-quartered at Denison Armoury, and is an asset of the 4th Canadian Division. The Intelligence Officer s and Operators of the unit are prominent citizens of Toronto, work as professionals in the business community and serve in numerous community service organizations. They deploy on domestic and foreign operations, and have served in Cyprus, Bosnia, and in Afghanistan on Operations MEDUSA, ATHENA and ARCHER, among others.

Perpetuation
2 Intelligence Company perpetuates the presence of a military intelligence unit in Toronto that can be traced back to the original No. 2 Guides Company that was formed in 1903. As mounted units, Guides Companies were tasked to survey their respective regions as well as to collect information of potential military intelligence value. Upon mobilization for World War I, Guides personnel were reassigned to other duties. This was due to the fact that there was no establishment for intelligence units in the British divisional structure on which the Canadian Expeditionary Force was based. Guides personnel however did serve in intelligence capacities at Corps, Division and Brigade level throughout the war. Following the end of World War I, units of the Corps of Guides were restructured as Cyclists and a company assigned to each Military District. On December 15, 1921, the company in Toronto was re-designated No. 2 Cyclist Company. As Divisional troops, these units were tasked to conduct reconnaissance and force protection.

On March 31, 1929 the Corps of Guides was disbanded. As a result the Canadian Army had no officers or men trained in “field intelligence” at the beginning of World War II. The Canadian Intelligence Corps was formed on October 29, 1942. Overseas, the Corps grouped together several specialist units as well as all personnel employed in intelligence duties at various headquarters, but did not include senior staff officers or intelligence officers at Brigade and Battalion level. Within Canada, Canadian Intelligence Corps units were responsible for the training of specialist personnel, performing signals intelligence and censorship duties as well as conducting counter-intelligence. One of these units was No. 2 Security Intelligence Section, which operated in Toronto from April 1, 1942 until February 27, 1946.

The need to train officers and men without wartime experience was recognized quickly after the end of World War II and militia intelligence companies were formed across Canada. No. 2 Intelligence Company was formed in Toronto on September 4, 1947. Training was provided in combat intelligence, air imagery analysis, field security and languages.

With Unification, the amalgamation of the Regular Force Intelligence component with the Provost Corps led to the amalgamation of their militia counterparts. On February 1, 1970, No. 2 Intelligence Company was reduced to a section within the Military Police Platoon of the Toronto Service Battalion

2 Intelligence Company formally returned to the Canadian Army’s Order of Battle on October 29, 1993 as Land Force Central Intelligence Company. It regained its historic designation on May 19, 1995.

Camp X
2 Intelligence Company conducts the annual Remembrance Day parade at Intrepid Park, the site of a World War II commando and espionage training site known as Camp X (or Special Training School 103 as it was officially known). Founded by Sir William Stephenson (more popularly known by his codename ‘The Man Called Intrepid’), Camp X operated from 1941 to 1946 as a vital co-operative training ground for agents in Canadian, British and American service, who were subsequently inserted deep in Nazi-occupied Europe. Many in the intelligence world consider Camp X to be the finest espionage training camp of the Second World War. A monument was erected in 1984 to honour the men and women of Camp X. The annual parade at this memorial honours the service of the fallen soldiers and the veterans who trained at this site, but could never be publicly recognized for their service during their life-time. Many of these brave men and women originated from occupied countries, and approximately half of them did not return from their missions.