1 July 1916
At Beaumont-Hamel during the Battle of the Somme, 780 men of the Newfoundland Regiment advance into point-blank fire from German machine guns; only 68 answer roll call the next day.
3 July 1931
The first ships built for the Royal Canadian Navy, HMCS Saguenay and HMCS Skeena, complete their maiden voyages to Halifax from Portsmouth, England.
4-5 July 1944
Canadian units are ravaged by machine guns and shellfireas they advance toward Carpiquet airport near Caen, France.
6 July 2003
Operation Caravan, Canada’s role in the French-led United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, comes to an end.
7 July 2011
Canada’s combat mission in Afghanistan ends.
9-10 July 1943
The Allied invasion of Sicily begins.
11 July 1973
Canadian CC-130 Hercules aircraft join the international food relief effort in West Africa.
12 July 1950
HMC ships Cayuga, Athabaskan and Sioux are sent to Korea to assist the United Nations Command.
13-14 July 1943
During the mission to capture Primosole Bridge in Sicily, 11 planes are shot down, including one carrying Warrant Officer James Jonathan Kunz of Sandwith, Sask.
15-16 July 1900
Lieutenant H.L. Borden becomes the Royal Canadian Dragoons’ first fatality, during a Boer attack in South Africa.
17 July 1927
The Hudson Strait Expedition departs Halifax to conduct navigation studies as part of plans to open a deep-water harbour at Churchill, Man.
18-20 July 1944
Second and Third Canadian divisions participate in an attack designed to break out of the Orne bridgehead south of Caen, France.
22 July 1876
J.F. Macleod becomes North West Mounted Police commissioner and goes on to negotiate Treaty 7 with the Blackfoot, rout whisky traders and found Fort Macleod, Alta.
23 July 1944
Lieutenant-General H.D.G. Crerar takes command of First Canadian Army in France.
24 July 1942
HMCS St. Croix sinks German submarine U-90, which had attacked convoy ON-113.
25 July 1937
Two RCAF aircraft from No. 7 Squadron begin a month-long tour of the Arctic with Governor General Lord Tweedsmuir.
26 July 1945
A cairn is unveiled at Cove, Hampshire, U.K., containing the 12,000 names of No. 1 Canadian Signal Reinforcement Unit personnel who served there.
27 July 1953
An armistice ends three years of fighting in the Korean war. Some 26,000 Canadians served; 516 died and more than 1,200 were wounded.
30 July 1960
Prime Minister John Diefenbaker announces Canada will make a substantial contribution to a United Nations intervention in the Congo.
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