Artillery in Canada (5) Ontario: Colborne, Collingwood, Cookstown and Cornwall

Artillery preserved in the Province of Ontario,

Colborne, Collingwood, Cookstown and Cornwall

The aim of this website is to locate, identify and document every historical piece of artillery preserved in Canada.  Many contributors have assisted in the hunt for these guns to provide and update the data found on these web pages.  Photos are by the author unless otherwise credited.  Any errors found here are by the author, and any additions, corrections or amendments to this list of Guns and Artillery in Canada would be most welcome and may be e-mailed to the author at hskaarup@rogers.com.

For all official data concerning the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, please click on the link to their website:

Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery Website

According to the  1974 edition of ACP 125 Cansupp 1A, "Sheldrake" was the appointment title for the artillery representative in a headquarters.  "GOLF" was the arms indicator to be used by artillery callsigns on nets other than their own, especially those of the supported arms.

Colborne

(Photos courtesy of the Cramahe Township Public Library)

Cast Iron 8-inch 65-cwt Smoothbore Shell Gun with Millar pattern breeching ring, weight 66-2-0, (7,448 lbs), B.F.C. (Serial No. 174), 1844.  No. 1, West of cenotaph in Victoria Square.

Cast Iron 8-inch 65-cwt Smoothbore Shell Gun with Millar pattern breeching ring, weight 66-1-0 (7,420 lbs), Low Moor, 1844, (Serial No. 2327).  No. 2, East of cenotaph in Victoria Square.

Collingwood

(Tim Laye Photo)

Blomefield Cast Iron 32-pounder 56-cwt Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, weight 55-3-14 (6,258 lbs), (WCo) (Walker & Company) on left trunnion, (Serial No. 197) on right trunnion, King George III cypher, broad arrow mark, mounted on a concrete stand.  Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 63, 490 Ontario Street.

Blomefield Cast Iron 32-pounder 56-cwt Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, weight 56-1-11 (6,311 lbs), (Serial No. 70502, CARRON, 1806) on left trunnion, (32P) on right trunnion, King George III cypher, broad arrow mark, mounted on a concrete stand.  Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 63.

(Phil Radley Photo)

(Tim Laye Photo)

German First World War 7.7-cm Feldkanone 96 neuer Art (7.7-cm FK 96 n.A.), (Serial Nr. 3263), no data.

Cookstown

(Phil Radley Photos)

German First World War 7.58-cm leichtes Minenwerfer neuer Art (7.58-cm leMW), (Serial Nr. 16214), mounted on a round iron stand at the cenotaph.  This trench mortar was captured by the 102nd Battalion near Beaucourt Wood, NW of Les Quesnel on 8 August 1918.

The 7.58 cm Minenwerfer a.A. (alter Art or old model) (7.58 cm leMW).  The Germans fielded a whole series of mortars before the beginning of the First World War.  Their term for them was Minenwerfer, literally mine-thrower; they were initially assigned to engineer units in their siege warfare role.  By the Winter of 1916-17, they were transferred to infantry units where the leMW's light weight permitted them to accompany the foot-soldiers in the advance.  In common with Rheinmetall's other Minenwerfer designs, the leMW was a rifled muzzle-loader that had hydraulic cylinders on each side of the tube to absorb the recoil forces and spring recuperators to return the tube to the firing position.  It had a rectangular firing platform with limited traverse and elevation.  Wheels could be added to ease transportation or it could be carried by at least six men.  In 1916, a new version, designated as the n.A. or neuer Art, was fielded that included a circular firing platform, giving a turntable effect, which permitted a full 360 degree traverse.  It also had a longer 16 inches (410 mm) barrel and could be used for direct fire between 0° and 27° elevation if the new 90 kg (200 lb) trail was fitted to absorb the recoil forces.  In this mode it was pressed into service as an anti-tank gun.

Cornwall

(Maxwell Toms Photos)

SBML 12-pounder Carronade with Blomefield pattern breeching ring, weight 6-2-4 (732 lbs), broad arrow mark, mounted on a wood naval gun carriage.  Outside the Cornwall Armoury.

 (Maxwell Toms Photos)

(Author Photos)

Blomefield Cast Iron 24-pounder 50-cwt Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, weight 50-3-20 (5,704 lbs), (Serial No. 70702, CARRON, 1807), King George III cypher, broad arrow mark, mounted on a wood Naval Gun carriage, No. 1, outside the Cornwall Courthouse.

 (Maxwell Toms Photos)

Blomefield Cast Iron 24-pounder 50-cwt Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, weight >5,000 lbs, (WCo) (Walker & Company) on left trunnion, (Serial No. 962) on right trunnion, King George III cypher, broad arrow mark, mounted on a wood Naval Gun carriage, No. 2, outside the Cornwall Courthouse.

(Normand Roberge Photo)

The "Matross Detachment" recently made two new navy carriages for SD&G United counties, Blomefield Cast Iron 24-pounder 50-cwt Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, weight >5,000 lbs, (WCo) (Walker & Company) on left trunnion, (Serial No. 962) on right trunnion, King George III cypher, broad arrow mark, mounted on a wood Naval Gun carriage, No. 2,

(Terry Honour Photos)

Blomefield Cast Iron 32-pounder 56-cwt Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, weight >6,000 lbs, (Carron Serial No. 55047, 1796) on left trunnion, (32P) on right trunnion, George III Cypher, mounted on a concrete stand.  Weight markings are embedded in concrete stand.  This gun is located on the west side of the cenotaph in the Veterans Memorial Park at 2nd St W and Bedford St.

(Terry Honour Photos)

Blomefield Cast Iron 32-pounder 56-cwt Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, weight >6,000 lbs, (WCo) Walker &Company on left trunnion, (Serial No. 371) on right trunnion, George III Cypher, mounted on a concrete stand.  Weight markings are embedded in concrete stand.  This gun is located on the east side of the cenotaph in the Veterans Memorial Park at 2nd St W and Bedford St.

(Maxwell Toms Photo)

(Tim Laye Photo)

155-mm C1 (M1A2) Medium Howitzer on M1A2 Carriage, aka M114, manufactured at Sorel Industries Limited in Quebec, Queen Elizabeth II cypher.  CFR 34424.  The carriage plate reads: CARR. HOW. 155MM M1A2 CDN. SOREL INDUSTRIES LTD. CANADA (year TBC), REG. NO. CDN 172, INSP (symbol).

(Terry Honour Photos)

155mm M109 SP Howitzer, CFR 68-34841, located at the Legion at 415 Second St W.  

(Terry Honour Photo)

German First World War 7.58-cm leichtes Minenwerfer neuer Art (7.58-cm leMW), (Serial Nr. 33750), mounted on a round iron stand with wood wheels, inside the Cornwall Armoury.  This trench mortar was captured by the 2nd Division in France, ca. 1918.  It was originally allocated to RMC.

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