Records transferred to the Court Martial Appeal Board from the Office of the Judge Advocate General consist of predominantly textual material. There are document transfer and receipt forms and philatelic material indicating use of registered mail. Each appeal case includes the minutes of proceedings of a disciplinary or general court martial. There is one case of a district court martial. The minutes of proceedings generally include an index or table of contents to trial procedures, the names of witnesses (including rank in the case of military personnel) and submitted exhibits. Questions asked throughout the proceedings are numbered in sequence. This material is accompanied by a Charge Sheet listing one or more charges against the accused and any amendments, a Convening Order for a Disciplinary or General Court Martial and information regarding the assembly of the Court. The courts martial referred to the Board for appeal had been held at Canadian military installations in Canada, Germany, France, Japan, Italy and in the field in the Republic of Korea. A Statement of Appeal form, completed by the offender, accompanies the minutes of proceedings. Some cases also include a Supplementary Statement of Appeal. Exhibits submitted as evidence to courts-martial are varied. There are certificates, affidavits, statements, reports and warrants for arrest. Information regarding federal government furniture and equipment property is included in inventory sheets, demand and issue vouchers, stock control and maintenance records, and work orders. Financial records include invoices, bills of sale, shipping memos, allowance claims, and pay roll, banking and accounting records. Personal information regarding the accused and his military service record was usually submitted as evidence and includes personal and training assessments, employment and medical records, conduct sheets, records of service, categorization and ability reports, recommendations for promotion and statements as to character and particulars of service. Other types of evidence include administrative, operational and standing orders, instructions, duty lists, shift rosters and authorizations. There are also extracts from logbooks, notebooks and registers. Other supporting evidence of alleged offences consists of photographs, hydrographic charts and other maps, architectural drawings and sketches. Objects submitted as evidence, such as clothing, equipment and weapons, are represented as exhibits by textual descriptions or photographs.
Records created by the Court Martial Appeal Board include Grounds of Appeal, Notices of Hearings, Adjournment of Hearings, Motions and Abandonment of Appeal. There are Applications for Summary Disposal, and the opinions of individual designated members. Correspondence and memoranda refer to individual cases. Reasons for Judgment contain a decision as to whether an appeal was allowed or disallowed by the Board and a decision regarding the conviction and sentence. The fonds includes a list of appeal cases with details of dates, the names of board members, counsel and disposal for 1959. There is also a list of cases referred by the Office of the Judge Advocate General to the Board for consideration, 1952-1955, including cases heard, appeals dismissed and appeals abandoned. Finally, there are lists of cases dated between September 1951 and January 1956 which were submitted for summary disposal as the appellants had formally or informally abandoned their appeals, or remained unheard.
Information regarding financial compensation approved for members of the Board and the Registrar are found in claim forms, minutes of meetings of the Treasury Board, Treasury vouchers and correspondence. Types of payments include terminable allowances per annum and daily allowances. Expenses for attendance at meetings of the Board and hearings including necessary travelling and transportation costs, out-of-pocket expenses incurred in travel, and expenses of accommodation. The fonds also contains oaths of office and allegiance given by members.
The fonds also contains information regarding precedents cited by the Board. Reference is made to cases noted in individual appeals, to the Rules of Procedure, texts on criminal law and statutes considered such as, sections of the Criminal Code, the National Defence Act, Queen's Regulations and Orders for the three military services and the Canada Evidence Act. There are also records of judgments made by the Courts-Martial Appeal Court of the United Kingdom which was established in 1951 under the Courts Martial Appeal Act. Copies of these judgments were to be distributed on behalf of the Judge Advocate General to the Chairman and members of the Court Martial Appeal Board in case references to them were made by counsel in an appeal hearing. Other records in the fonds consist of the Court Martial Appeal Board Rules of Appeal Procedure (1954) and amendments, and legislation and regulations from the United Kingdom (1916-1920) concerning military service and exemption from service.
