CRB on Ross M10 - What does it mean

[Transitsc]

Just currious, but what exactly does CRB mean that is stamped into the receiver ring of some Ross M10's.

I've read it could mean one of three things:

1) Canadian Railway Battalion
2) Canadian Ranger Battalion
3) Canadian Reserve Battalion

Can anyone shed some light on this?

Information

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[Badger]

A great qutesion with lots of opinions....

Here's a couple of past threads on MILSURPS.COM where a number of opinions have been offered.

M10 Ross Question

Ross Rifle Company M10 Military Rifle - $950 (Cdn)

Hope this helps...

Regards,
Badger

[Transitsc]

Thanks Badger!!

[Cantom]

Just currious, but what exactly does CRB mean that is stamped into the receiver ring of some Ross M10's.

I've read it could mean one of three things:

1) Canadian Railway Battalion
2) Canadian Ranger Battalion
3) Canadian Reserve Battalion

Can anyone shed some light on this?

I also would like to know. I just acquired a Ross Mk III with CRB on the receiver as well. (see second pic down low-CRB)
There seems to have been a production run done for the Canadian government around WWII era, I've had a couple and seen more. Barrels shortened, stock cut down etc.

I've heard Alberta Lands and Forests.
Canadian Rangers.
Canadian Reserve Battalion.

4 digit s/n in the 2XXX range.
Barrel is shiny with nice rifling, but there seems to be a bulge part way down bore, cleaning rod brush catches a bit.
Beautiful stock and wood grain, bluing on trigger guard and magazine almost like new. Cosmetically very nice.

No front or rear sights or barrel band, needed on other projects.

Any estimates on value?

[buffdog]

Just currious, but what exactly does CRB mean that is stamped into the receiver ring of some Ross M10's.

I've read it could mean one of three things:

1) Canadian Railway Battalion
2) Canadian Ranger Battalion
3) Canadian Reserve Battalion

Can anyone shed some light on this?

I just came across some interesting information. The Canadian Rangers were originally issued Ross rifles, and later Lee Enfields.

See: CRB Canadian Rangers
Canadian Government Order-in-Council Number 1644
May 23, 1947

[smellie]

Gentlemen, I think it might be profitable were we to widen the scope of our search.

We have long wondered (including myself for 25 years) as to the origin of the PLY Rosses and we have found precisely NOTHING. All that we know is NEGATIVE: there is/ was/never has been any Canadian formation using these letters. THEN an intelligent chap (not myself, let it be noted) widened the search and came up with the Royal Marines out of PLYmouth. The mystery of all those PLY rifles appears to be on its way to being solved... at last.

THAT got some of our minds partly-awake (for a change, in my case) as we were slapped in the proverbial face with a wet lutefisk by the realisation of four facts and their import:
1. in Canadian service, the normal place to stamp Ross formation marks was on the wood;
2. British practice required formation stampings on the metal;
3. the PLY rifles are stamped on the metal;
4. the CRB rifles are stamped on the metal, as are other formation marks.

Should we not be broadening our search to include the BRITISH formations, built up hastily in the early stages of the Great War especially, to which the turned-in Canadian Rosses were given as emergency-issue pieces in the interim until Lee-Enfields became available?

Also, should we not be considering PRIVATE groups which may have required numbers of cheap surplus rifles for guard duty during LATER troubles? I am minded of a reported CPR Ross; will try to find out more.

And we should always be aware that better than HALF of the world supply of Rosses, especially Mark IIIs, ended up in Russia. There is room there for a LOT of unknown formation markings AND for a lot of fill-in numbers on the series now are beginning to identify.

But we should widen our search. The rifles bring their histories with them, but they can only speak to us so loudly. WE have to listen and sort it all out.

If you think I'm on the wrong track here, blast away.

[tiriaq]

With respect to CRB. Has anyone seen an official reference to a "Canadian Ranger Battalion", as opposed to "Canadian Rangers"?

[smellie]

I believe that there was indeed a "Canadian Ranger Battalion" formed in the early part of the Great War, taking former Imperial troops, cowboys and so forth, much the same mixture as the PPCLI started off with.

I have no idea what became of them. Nicholson will know.

[Surpmil]

Was that the Legion of Frontiersmen you were thinking of Smellie?

[smellie]

No, I am aware of them but never met anyone from them. There were all kinds of outfits at the start of that War. Ever hear of the Yukon Volunteers? I knew a man who was with them, quit and joined the Yukon Machine Gun Company. He told me that as far as he was aware the YV were still in the square in Dawson, drilling with broomsticks!

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that there ALSO were the "Canadian Rangers" 'way back then. Problem is that so much has been forgotten. Our collective memory tends to be somewhat disgraceful, especially when we don't need our heroes any longer.

Heinlein put it rather succinctly in his novel "Glory Road" (about a guy who comes back from 'Nam and gets a job killing dragons: neat story) when he said "Unemployed hero = bum."

Same thing today, of course. There was a rant on one of these forums a while back about the 'thugs' who have 'invaded' Afghanistan. I shoot with some of those 'thugs' and regard them as friends, respect what they are trying to do. Others do not. These particular 'thugs' are called the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and they are attempting to make some kind of Peace and Stability out of Chaos. A worthy objective? I would think, but my name isn't bin Laden.

It's not surprising that entire units have disappeared from the normal ken of things; it is down to use to keep at least their names alive. But I am pretty sure that Nicholson also mentioned Canadian Rangers. They could well have been mixed in with some other formation. It's all very confusing because the peacetime Militia was organised on a Regimental basis, but went to war in Battalions, then reverted to Regiments when the Peace came in 1919.

But I do believe that there were Rangers early in the Great War.