
At the outbreak of the First World War the Canadian military was just beginning to introduce mechanization into its structure. The primary types of wheeled transport acquired by the Canadian government during these early days were cargo trucks and passenger cars. The first recorded wartime purchase of passenger vehicles for the Canadian army was for seven Canadian made Russell touring cars acquired in the first days of the war, for use by the 1st Canadian Contingent overseas. Beginning in 1915, the Department of Militia and Defense began to acquire a number of different makes of cars from across the auto industry. These purchases included Fords, Briscoes, McLaughlins, Cadillacs and Chalmers, with 119 cars of all types delivered between June 1915 and October 1916 alone.
Passenger Cars
Amongst all of the car types ordered in the first years of the war, the US built Cadillac was the standout. The model received was based on the large seven passenger luxury car from the American company. It was fitted with the newly introduced Cadillac V8 engine and was manufactured between 1915 and 1918 as the Type 51, 53, 55 and 57 respectively. Although Cadillac began production of left hand drive cars in 1915 those ordered by the Canadian government appear in both left and right hand drive configurations.
In July 1916 a large order for 55 passenger cars was placed for use by the Canadian army with the justification indicating that the type was best suited for overseas service on several accounts. The type went on to be the largest number of any passenger car delivered with more Cadillacs acquired than all other types combined. Cadillac corporate records of the period indicate that 221 vehicles of all types were sold to the Canadian Government over the course of the war.
Cadillac cars began to appear in CEF references overseas during 1917. The passenger cars were used in England and France primarily as staff cars for use by officers. At least one car (M-19910) was assigned to the War Records Office Photographer and his staff for use in recording the Canadian war efforts in France and Flanders. This car appears in numerous official CEF images, often in interesting settings. Another Canadian Car of note (M-44852) was assigned to Lt. Colonel George H. Johnson, Deputy Director of Timber Operations with the Canadian Forestry Corps. Johnson used this car for 2 years in France and Germany, covering 11,000 miles with no major breakdowns. At the end of the war, Johnson wrote a letter to Cadillac thanking them for producing a wonderful product. In his letter he recounted that his car was the first Canadian car into Germany after the Armistice and possibly the first allied car to cross the Rhine River at the wars end.
The configuration of the Canadian cars is usually standard with few alterations as the war progressed. All were of the open top “touring” design with leather covered seats and interior panels and canvas weatherproof soft-top roofs with side curtains. The standard equipment for cars operating in France and Flanders included blackout driving shields on both headlamps and two spare tires fitted to the rear of the body. Some examples are seen fitted with glass windscreens for the rear passengers, extra petrol and oil cans secured to the running board while others gain locally installed wooden storage bins in the same location.
Ambulances
In addition to the standard seven-passenger configuration, Cadillac also supplied a chassis with limited bodywork to Canada for use in the creation of ambulances.
Although the Cadillac was determined to be the best suited chassis for cars used by the CEF in Europe, by mid-1915 the number of vehicles required necessitated the adoption of numerous vehicles of British origin to augment those shipped from Canada.
The War Diary of the 1st Divisional Ambulance Workshop in early 1915 recorded that the unit arrived in France on February 11th with 21 Ambulances, 4 Lorries, 3 motorcycles and 1 car. The ambulances were of Daimler, Austin and later Talbot designs and the car was a Sunbeam and later a Canadian made Russell. The early months of the War Diary record that the Daimlers experienced gearbox issues from the start, the Austins suffered from damaged springs and frames due to overloading and rough conditions and all types experienced high rates of tire and wheel rim damage due to poor road conditions caused by overuse and shelling.
The Cadillac ambulances acquired by Canada were fitted with wood and canvas ambulance bodies supplied and fitted by Canadian companies. These bodies had a rated capacity of 4 litter patients or 8 sitting patients. Although information on the supplier of the bodies is scant the partial records available indicate that 11 bare chassis were acquired from Cadillac for use in ambulances in 1916 and that shipping of Cadillac chassis was occurring from a well-known Canadian Coach-builder, the Ledoux Carriage Company, of Montreal in September 1916, further to this 32 ambulances were crated for Shipment to Montreal in December 1916. Unfortunately nothing concrete had linked the Ledoux Company to the production of ambulance bodies to date but hopefully further research will shed light on this possible connection.
Images of Cadillac ambulances in France and Flanders are usually from the late 1917 to 1918 period when they became more common overseas, although numerous British makes remained in service with the CEF until the wars end. Standardization of vehicle fleets appears to have remained elusive for the Canadians during the War. In order to provide some consistency, ambulances were often organized by the divisional workshops into sections of up to seven vehicles all of the same manufacture. This would at least allow for some interchangeability of parts and organization of maintenance schedules.
Cadillacs used overseas by the CEF are usually marked with basic Geneva Cross markings, capacity markings and often include a large “Canada” stencil on the body sides and on top of the cowl. These vehicles are usually marked on the hood sides with a War Department registration number incorporating an “A” prefix and may include a “broad arrow”or “C broad arrow” followed by the individual vehicle number. Interestingly, those ambulances supplied overseas are not fitted with a glass windscreen, using a half height solid deflector panel in its place.
Not all of the Cadillac ambulances built for Canada served overseas with the CEF. Many examples remained in Canada serving with field ambulance units, military hospitals and the Red Cross. These home service ambulances are usually marked with basic Geneva Cross markings, capacity markings and often include a large “Canada” stencil on the body sides and on top of the cowl. These home service vehicles are not usually marked on the hood sides with registration numbers using license plates instead. Records show the vehicles in use across Canada are generally the same configuration, incorporating a full glass windscreen with no variations beyond commonly missing spare tires in the two storage bins under the body.
Other Users
Cadillac first came to the attention of the US army in the early years of the 20th century. The large, well built cars were well liked as staff-cars in the Mexican border war of 1910 and again in 1915 when they featured prominently in the Davidson Automobile Corps convoy of 1915. This convoy from Chicago to San Francisco was completed with 8 Cadillacs in various configurations, including armoured cars, driven by US military academy cadets accompanied by US army officials. The purpose of the expedition was to prove that automotive transportation of US forces was possible over long distances. The trip took 34 days and was the first successful military crossing of the United States by car.

When the US entered the First World War in April 1917 the Cadillac Type 57 was quickly named the Official Seven-Passenger Car of the US Army. The configuration of the cars basically conformed to those ordered by the Canadian government but were all delivered in left hand drive. Cadillac went on to produce the car as a military knockdown (CKD) version, pre final assembly and packed in crates for overseas shipment to a factory that would complete the final fittings once arrived. In addition to the standard open cars, the United States army also held a small number of special closed cars for use by senior officers in the field.
By the end of the conflict Cadillac had delivered 2095 cars to US forces overseas and 199 to the US Army at home. Very few of the cars shipped overseas were returned home and the remaining inventory of cars in US stores were disposed of as newer designs were acquired.
Post-War Use and Disposal
By the end of the First World War the Cadillacs that were shipped overseas had served for 2-3 years and in often horrible conditions. They had been used in the heat of summer and the wet cold of winter with limited servicing and repair. In many cases, the lifespan of a car in France and Flanders was determined by the skill of its driver, an enlisted soldier, who had to not only skillfully navigate the roads, traffic and shellfire but perform basic maintenance and repairs in the field.
It was determined that the vast majority of mechanized transport used by the CEF overseas during the war would not be returned to Canada in 1919. Even General Currie’s Rolls Royce Silver Ghost limousine was disposed of in England shortly after the war, being sold at public auction.
The Cadillacs that were retained in Canada appear to have served on for a few years with examples finding use as base vehicles. With the newly formed Canadian Airforce at Camp Borden in Ontario in 1921, some examples were observed as aging airfield ambulances, no doubt issued from Canadian Army Service Corps wartime stocks. It is reasonable to believe that the last of the wartime Cadillac’s would be withdrawn from service by the late 1920’s or early 30’s as more modern types of cars and ambulances became available.
Table of Known Cadillac Registration Numbers
Reg. No. | Config. | Date | Unit | Notes |
16103C | Car | CEF- Training Div. HQ | Listed as being involved in traffic accident with a charabanc. | |
58099K | Car | CEF-CAVC | Listed as being involved in traffic accident while overseas. | |
A142 | Ambulance | CEF | Image taken overseas. | |
A145 | Ambulance | CEF | Image taken overseas. | |
A162 | Ambulance | CEF | Image taken overseas. | |
A59146 | Ambulance | CEF – 5th Can Div. | Image taken overseas. Shows Div. markings. | |
M19475 | Car | CEF- Can. Sect. 1st Ech. GHQ | Documentary reference. | |
M19908 | Car | June 1917 | CEF-France | Image taken overseas. |
M19910 | Car | June 1917 | CEF- France | Official image O.1471 and O.4592. Car assigned to Canadian War Records Office Corps HQ. |
M44501 | Car | CEF-2nd Can. Div. | Documentary reference. | |
M44852 | Car | Nov.18, 1918 | CEF – CFC | Recorded as first car to Cross the Rhine into Germany. Staff car of Lt. Col. George H. Johnson DD of Timber Ops. Story and picture of car in Cadillac book 1919 |
RC298 | Car | Dec. 1918 | Canadian Red Cross | Canadian Red Cross Committee from London visit the Corps HQ in Schleiden, Germany. Image O.3919 |
Table of Known Canadian Goverment Purchases
The records of the War Purchasing Commission are quite complete for the years 1915-1916 but become less so in the later years of the conflict. The entries below reflect those Cadillac purchases held in the records that are available at the time of writing and are by no means to be considered complete.
Date | Quantity | Value | Notes |
1915/06/25 | 4 | 6,885.80 | 4 Cadillac cars and 15 Ford Cars in same purchase. |
1915/11/03 | 3 | 4,939.35 | 3 Cars for the Corps Troops Supply Column. Originally ordered as Fords in Sept. 1915 but requirement amended to Cadillacs in Nov. 1915. |
1915/11/25 | 2 | 3,292.90 | 2 seven-passenger Cars. 1 each for Divisional HQ’s in Toronto and Quebec City. |
1916/02/15 | 5 | 8,651.00 | 5 Cars |
1916/06/13 | 55 | 45,198.00 | 55 Cars |
1916 | 11 | 11 Chassis for Ambulances. |
Passenger Car Image Galley
A very tidy 1916 Type 53 staff car with the rear windscreen fitted. This car was the assigned to Brig.-Gen. HF MacDonald in England. (Library and Archives Canada) A left-hand drive 1916 Type 53 assigned to Canadian Corps Headquarters at Seaford, England. Note the blackout shields on the headlamps. (library and Archives Canada) The 1916 Type 53 staff car of Brig.-Gen. AH Bell, CMG, DSO (standing right) seen in England. (library and Archives Canada) M19908 a 1916, Type 53, passing over the old German front line on Vimy Ridge, France. May, 1917 Note the Petrol/Oil /Water can secured to the running board. (Library and Archives Canada) Another view of M19908 a 1916, Type 53, passing over the old German front line on Vimy Ridge, France. May, 1917. (Library and Archives Canada) M19910, a 1916 Type 53 assigned to the Canadian War Records Office photographer. Here the driver is seen chatting up a nurse at a railroad crossing in June 1917. (Library and Archives Canada) An uncommon interior view of a Cadillac in Canadian service. In this case the car assigned to the War Records Office photographer is seen in Lievin, on the outskirts of Lens, France in July 1917. (Library and Archives Canada) A well loaded Cadillac carrying civilians returning to their homes through flooded streets of Valenciennes, France, November, 1918. (Library and Archives Canada) M19910, a 1916 Type 53 assigned to the Canadian War Records Office photographer, giving a ride to farmers returning to their homes during April or May 1919. (Library and Archives Canada) A well-worn 1915 Type 51 on the Belgian/German border in December 1918. Note this example is left-hand drive and has a Canadian Corps decal displayed in the windscreen in addition to a pennant on the right fender and a handwritten inscription of the door that includes the word “Berlin” (Library and Archives Canada) Members of the Canadian Red Cross Committee from London visit the Corps HQ in Schleiden, Germany in December 1918. Note the Red Cross “RC” prefix to the registration number of the hood of the 1916 Cadillac Type 53 and the McLaughlin utility car in the rear, a former ambulance that has had all of its markings painted over with the exception of “Property of Canadian Red Cross” on the body side. (Library and Archives Canada) M44852, A 1917 Type 55 staff car of the Canadian Forestry Corps, seen on the German side of the Rhine River at Alt-Breisach on November 18, 1918. It was one of the first allied cars over the Rhine after the retreat of the German Rear guard. Note the locally made stowage bin on the running board and the flat hood to cowl transition and heavily arched windshield base of the Type 55 and 57 cars. (Lt. Col. George H. Johnson via Cadillac Motor Car Company) Another view of M44852, A 1917 Type 55 staff car of the Canadian Forestry Corps, seen on the German side of the Rhine River at Alt-Breisach on November 18, 1918. (Lt. Col. George H. Johnson via Cadillac Motor Car Company) A letter from Lt. Col. George H. Johnson Canadian Forestry Corps to the Cadillac Motor Car Company dated December 1918 praising the Cadillac cars supplied to Canada during the war. (Cadillac Motor Car Company) M44501 a 1915 Type 51 Seen in Bonn, Germany in January of 1919 with costumed members of the members of the “See Toos” concert party. Note the deeply curved lower door edges and flat cowl top edge distinctive to the Type 51. (Library and Archives Canada) a close-up of M44501 a 1915 Type 51 Seen in Bonn, Germany in January of 1919 with costumed members of the members of the “See Toos” concert party. (Library and Archives Canada) A February 1919 image of M44501 a 1915 Type 51 Seen in Bonn, Germany. The Original caption indicates that the Officer in the rear is saying goodbye to his Charger that he brought with him from Canada. (Library and Archives Canada) A dusty Cadillac on the main street of Lievin, on the outskirts for Lens, France. By the shorts and helmets in wear the Date would suggest summer, 1917.
See LAC O-1582 for additional image of scene from July 1917. (Library and Archives Canada)A Cadillac and a pair of Ford Model “T”‘s at a baseball match between the Epsom Canadians and the 198th Battalion CEF at Godalming, Surrey in October 1917. (Library and Archives Canada) Maj. A.M. Gordon, D.S.O., Lt Col. F. Scott, D.S.O. Maj E.E. Graham, D.S.O., M.C, standing in front of a Canadian Cadillac in London, England in 1919. This images shows a car with the top and partial side curtains fitted. (Library and Archives Canada) A 1916 Type 53 staff car, seen at Whitley Camp, England, driven by Sgt. W.A. Corbett. Note the Pennant staff on the radiator cap and large horn mounted on drivers door. (Library and Archives Canada) An interesting top view of the adjustable rear windscreen often fitted to Canadian Cadillacs. Normally the windscreen appears adjusted to favour access to the car from the right side rear door. This car is seen in England on the occasion of Col. Hogarth’s Wedding. (Library and Archives Canada) Sgt. G.H. Cross in in a nicely turned out 1916 Cadillac Type 53 staff car in England. The partially visible licence plate ends in “611K” (Library and Archives Canada)
Ambulance Image Gallery
A 1916 Type 53 ambulance seen in 1919 (National Archives) An interesting image of a 1916 Type 53 ambulance with the windshield, headlamps and grille badge of the late Type 55 cars fitted. Note the filler panel between the windshield and cowl used to compensate for the different curvature of the two types. This image dates from July 1919 and was taken in Victoria, British Columbia. The Dog, is “Muggins the Red Cross Dog”. (Saanich Archives) Another image of the above ambulance taken during the parade in Victoria, British Columbia in July 1919 to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Note “Muggins the Red Cross Dog on the Roof”. (Saanich Archives) A Cadillac ambulance with crew overseas. Note lack of Windshield common on models supplied to the CEF.. (Barrie Advance) A59146 is a 1916 Type 53 ambulance with its side curtains neatly rolled. Seen here in the markings of the 5th Division CEF. The markings on the rear body indicate “4 Lying” and “8 Sitting” (Unknown source) Two Cadillac ambulances seen at a Field Ambulance Dressing Station during the Battle of Amiens. August, 1918 (Library and Archives Canada) A closeup of a home service ambulance seen during training in Kingston, Ontario with the Queens University Field Ambulance during spring 1918. The Stretcher-Bearer is the author’s Great-Grandfather, Ernest Ginn, CAMC. (Courtesy J. Ginn) A line of nine Canadian Cadillac ambulances at the CASC vehicle park in Shorncliffe, England in August 1917. Note the stylized “C Broad Arrow” marking in place of the normally seen “Broad Arrow” on the hood registration number and the “Canada stencil on the Cowling top. (Library and Archives Canada) Another image of A145 in England. The markings on the side indicate that it was presented by the Magrath, Alberta, Canadian Red Cross Society. (Glenbow Archives) A home service ambulance seen at Camp Borden serving with the newly formed Canadian Air Force in 1921. Likely transferred from CASC stocks in 1920. Note the wooden windshield frame, registration number on the hood and torn canvas cover on the rear body side. The black mark in the centre of the image is damage to the original print. (L.Sprague Image) A series of three photographs showing the rear of a Cadillac Ambulance being used to transfer wounded to “Paulin’s” Dressing Station, in Angres, near Lens in October 1917. (Library and Archives Canada) A series of three photographs showing the rear of a Cadillac Ambulance being used to transfer wounded to “Paulin’s” Dressing Station in Angres, near Lens in October 1917. (Library and Archives Canada) A series of three photographs showing the rear of a Cadillac Ambulance being used to transfer wounded to “Paulin’s” Dressing Station in Angres, near Lens in October 1917. In this image the ambulance is unloaded and now headed back to the front (Library and Archives Canada) Unloading a casualty from the Halifax Explosion from the back of a Cadillac ambulance fitted with tire chains for winter traction in Halifax, Nova Scotia, December 1917. (Canadian Red Cross) A Cadillac ambulance in front of medical office, Victoria Park barracks, Calgary, Alberta. 1918. Note the wooden windshield framing seen on some home service ambulances. (Glenbow Archives)
SELECT SOURCES
American Military Vehicles of World War I, Albert Mroz, 2009. pg.100
Standard Seven Passenger Army Car, Cadillac Motor Car Company, 1919
Making Cars in Canada, Richard White, Canada Science and Technology Museum, Transformation Series #15, 2007. pg. 28