The 5 week Winter Warfare Instructor Course is designed to train junior officers and NCOs how to survive and operate in the arctic in winter. The first two weeks are conducted in Wainwright, followed by an airlift to Joahaven, Coppermine, Rankin Inlet or other exotic places that guarantee lots of snow, no trees and temperatures well below minus 40 Celcius. Candidates are drawn from all army units.

Our primary function today remains the training of TQ3 (Trade Qualification) soldiers who have completed the 10 week recruit course at CFRS Cornwallis. The course teaches the young man or woman individual or group skills needed to function as a member of a dismounted infantry section. Basic subjects covered include physical fitness training, Regimental history classes, weapons and marksmanship training, unarmed combat, patrolling, and drill. The instruction year varies little and this ensures a consistently high standard of trained soldiers graduating from the School.

The Battle School is established with a permanent staff of 60, having its own Commanding Officer and RSM. Presently these positions are held by LCol W.J.H. Stutt and CWO V.I. Komadina. LCol Stutt carries on in his father’s shoes, he having commanded the Regimental Depot from 1966-68. At peak transient strength, the School can be over 700 strong, making it the largest single unit in the Brigade.

For the past 22 years the Battle School has enjoyed a close relationship with the Camp and community of Wainwright. This compatibility is one of the key reasons for the PPCLI Battle School being considered by many as the finest of its kind in Canada. We look forward to a continued and mutually rewarding association with Wainwright.

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<span class="centerblock">LCol W.J.H. Stutt, CO with PPCLI Mascot</span>