Clifford Roy Baker

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Clifford Roy Baker (MC CD BSc P Eng), is a Canadian World War II veteran. He is the son of F.H. Roy Baker and Grace Edith (Newman) Baker. He was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada on 14 September, 1920 and was raised on a fruit farm on Lake Shore Road. He attended St. Catharines Collegiate Institute. After that, he attended Queen's University, Kingston(Ontario) from 1939 to 1941, where he began his Civil Engineering degree and qualified as a 2nd Lieutenant (2Lt), through the Canadian Officer Training Centre (COTC) that was run at the University.

Joining The Canadian Forces
Clifford Baker joined 10 Reserve Field Battery (10 Bty) in May of 1941, not as a commissioned officer, but as a Sergeant (Sgt). Because his training at COTC qualified him as a Second Lieutenant (2Lt) and as a Sergeant, the 10 Bty commander, at the time, wanted him to gain some practical and field experience, so he was given the rank of Sergeant. Three months later, on 13 August, Clifford Baker was commissioned as a 2Lt. He began his active service on 6 February, 1942 when he attended the Officers Training Centre in Brockville - ON, then completed his training at the Artillery Training Centre, Petawawa and qualified as a Lieutenant (Lt).

First Overseas Posting
In October of 1942, the young Lieutenant was posted overseas to the Canadian Artillery Reinforcement Unit in Borden - England. In June of 1943, he joined 28 Bty, 5 Fd Regt RCA - 2nd Canadian Infantry Division as a Troop Leader and an Assistant Command Post Officer (ACPO), then moved to 5 Bty, 5 Fd Regt RCA, as a CPO in March of 1944 (at that time he was a senior Lt).

Promotion to Captain
On 8 July 1944, Lt Baker landed in Normandy with 5 Bty and, on 12 July, the first rounds were fired. On 18 August 1944, he was promoted to Captain (Capt) then transferred to 36 Bty, 23 Fd Regt SP (Self-Propelled) in the 4th Armoured Division.

European Theatre
Capt Baker served as a Troop Commander (TC) and Forward Observation Officer (FOO) in the advance through France, Leopold Canal and the Scheldt in Belgium, and into Holland then Germany; through the Reichwald and Hochwald Forests, where his OP RAM Tank was hit by a Panzerfaust, but he escaped with minor injuries. Capt Baker was later awarded the Military Cross for his good service and valiant efforts in the push through this part of Europe. In early March of 1945, he was posted as the 2nd in Command (2i/c) and then the OC of the Artillery Reinforcement Unit in Ghent - Belgium.

Leaving and Rejoining the Army
In July of 1945, Capt Baker was posted to 10 Bty, 2 Fd Regt - 1st Division, as a Troop Commander (TC) for repatriation to Canada, arriving in St. Catharines on 22 September 1945, and he was discharged from the army that day. A week later, Mr. Baker returned to Queen's University to finish his engineering degree and graduated with a Bachelors degree in civil engineering in April of 1948. Shortly after graduating from Queen's, he started working for Ford Motor Company in Windsor - ON.

In December of 1948, Clifford Baker re-enlisted in the CF Regular Force in his old rank as a Captain and was posted to the Directorate of Armament Development, CFHQ Ottawa. In June of 1950, he attended the Royal Military College of Science at Shrivenham - England until September of 1951. Shortly after graduating, in the same month, he was posted to the Directorate of Military Intelligence in the War Office in London - England until December of 1952 when he returned to Canada to DMI CFHQ Ottawa.

Promotion to Major
In May of 1954, Capt Baker was promoted to Major (Maj) and was posted to Washington DC as a Canadian Liaison Officer at the Office Chief of Ordnance, US Army in the Pentagon. From January to December of 1957, Maj Baker attended the Canadian Army Staff College in Kingston - ON and, in January of 1958, he was posted to 2 RCHA in Winnipeg as a Battery Commander for D Bty. He commanded D Bty until September of 1959 when he was posted as a Tech Staff Officer Grade II at the Directorate of Artillery, CFHQ Ottawa.

Korea
In June of 1962, Maj Baker was posted as the Canadian Representative on the Korean Armistice Commission in Panmunjom, Korea where he also served as a Liaison Officer to the Korean Armed Forces, and as a Liaison Officer to the 8th US Army. In June of 1963, he returned to CFHQ Ottawa as a Tech Staff Officer in the office of the Director of Design and Development.

Promotion to Lieutenant Colonel
In July of 1964, Maj Baker was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel (LCol) and was appointed as the Assistant Director for the Space Research Institute at McGill University. In July of 1966, LCol Baker worked as a Staff Officer at Directorate of Weapons and Engineering Research, Defense Research Board, Ottawa. During this time, he worked closely with the famous Canadian engineer, Gerald Bull on the HARP project.

Working at NATO Head Quarters
In August of 1967, LCol Baker was posted to NATO HQ as First Secretary Armaments through the Canadian delegation to NATO in Paris - France. Two months later, in October, he moved to Brussels - Belgium with NATO HQ, where he served as a Military Advisor to the Canadian Ambassador to NATO and worked on the armament, science, defence planning, intelligence, and nuclear planning committees.

Retirement
After his retirement from the army in September of 1971, Clifford Baker joined the Science Secretariat of the Privy Council Office in Ottawa, which later became the Ministry of State for Science and Technology. He was the Director of Bilateral Relations in the International Division until he retired in December of 1975. In 1976, Mr. Baker moved to Bonita Springs, FL and lived there until 1987. While in Florida, he was quite active within the community and held several positions, such as; President of the Bonita Springs Board of Realtors (after obtaining his realtor license), President of the Lions Club, Director of Friends of the Library, and Director of Chamber of Commerce. Clifford Baker moved back to St. Catharines in April of 1987 and has been living there since then. After returning to St. Catharines, Mr. Baker served as the President of the Royal Niagara Military Institute and Vice President of the St. Catharines Historical Society, Director of the St. Catharines Museum and Chairman of the Museum Building Committee (during its construction), Commander of the Honourable Company of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment and the Director of the Probus Club.