On the 18th of June 2003, under the Command of LGen (Ret’d) CT Whitecross, 1 Construction Engineering Unit (1 CEU) was redesignated as 1 Engineer Support Unit (1 ESU) by the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff, VAdm GR Maddison. On that day the long history of 1 CEU and the legacy of the Construction and Maintenance Units (CMU) that preceded it was transferred to 1 ESU. Along with the legacy of excellence, the 1 CEU Heraldic Crest, which was officially endorsed in her own hand by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in August 1976, was inherited by the nascent 1 ESU.
Sometime between 1989 and 1993, Col CR Keple, CME Branch Advisor at the time, endorsed the 1 CEU flag emblazonment consisting of the numeral “1” in red with gold trim, overlaid with the image of a beaver which together sits above a blue, red, and gold ribbon displaying the unit motto “USQUAM”. Though 1 ESU assumed this to be part of our history, it was never formally approved according to official protocols. This was all corrected on the 28th of May 2021, when Col MWJ Rancourt our present Branch Advisor signed an official letter approving the flag emblazonment for 1 ESU.
Today (18 June 2021) the unit command team of LCol JRM Comeau and CWO JJE Chouinard, hoisted the official 1 ESU flag for the first time ever, thus completing a page in our history – 18 years in the writing!
1 ESU continues to uphold the proud and storied commitment to provide specialist engineer support and construction management services to the CAF and other government departments and agencies. We remain ready to go at a moment’s notice – living up to the unit motto USQUAM (anywhere).
CHIMO!
