Artillery in Canada (1) British Columbia: Campbell River, Chilliwack, Comox, HMCS Quadra, Cranbrook, Esquimalt, Fort Langley, Kamloops, Kaslo, Kelowna, Ladysmith and Maple Ridge

Artillery preserved in British Columbia, Campbell River, Chilliwack, Comox, HMCS Quadra, Cranbrook, Esquimalt, Fort Langley, Kamloops, Kaslo, Kelowna, Ladysmith and Maple Ridge

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

Note: Back in the day, artillery in Canada was referred to by its radio call sign "Sheldrake".  It is now referred to by its "Golf" call sign.  (Acorn sends)

Guns and Cannon

Those of us with an interest in old guns and cannon generally have to sort them out by size and purpose.  If the weapon can be transported by manpower alone, and if it relies on direct hits to kill, then it is classed as a gun.  If it takes more than one gunner to operate and is too heavy to be transported by manpower alone, and if its main purpose is to kill via shrapnel or concussion or to destroy obstacles, then it is a cannon.  Even when they are not in action against a target that can shoot back, they can be extremely dangerous, particularly when at sea.

A Brief History of Artillery in British Columbia

According to Dale Mumford, "In 1778 Captain Cook became the first European known to have set foot in what would become British Columbia.  Cook’s ships were former merchantmen that had been acquired by the Royal Navy specifically for his voyages of exploration, but as part of their refit for these voyages, they were armed with twelve 6-pounder smooth bore (SB) cannon and twelve swivel guns for protection.  When Cook’s crew told stories of the profits they made selling sea otter skins from Nootka in China, they were soon followed by fur traders whose ships were also armed with cannon.

The first fortification constructed by European’s in British Columbia was built at Nootka by the Spanish in 1789 in a belated attempt to assert their authority over the northwest coast of North America.  Fort St. Miguel is reported to have mounted 16 guns.

Spain’s actions led to a quick response from Britain, and by the terms of the Nootka Convention the Spanish withdrew from Nootka in 1795.  This left the area to the fur traders, most of whom arrived by ship in the early days, again well equipped with small artillery pieces.

Eventually the Hudson’s Bay Company became the dominant force in what they referred to as the Columbia District, driving out the independent traders.  When the HBC built Fort Victoria in 1843, it was with the intention that it would become their new headquarters for operations on the Pacific slope if Fort Vancouver (now Vancouver, Washington) became American territory.  The bastions at the corners of the fort’s palisades were armed with small artillery pieces. One contemporary report notes that at least one of Fort Victoria’s guns was a 9-pounder SB carronade. The bastions at Fort Langley and other Hudson’s Bay Company forts were similarly armed with light cannon.

In the period of sabre rattling that went on before the boundary between the United States and what would become British Columbia was decided, more impressive forces were called upon to protect British interests on the northwest coast.  Four ships of the Royal Navy were sent to cruise in Juan de Fuca Strait in the summer of 1846.  The flagship of this little squadron, HMS Fisgard provided a good example of the final development of the British wooden sailing frigate.  Built at Pembroke in 1819, she was 1,069 tons and she was armed with twenty-eight iron SB 18-pounders, ten 9-pounders and eight 32-pounder carronades. She was a product of over two hundred and fifty years of gradual evolution.  One could have taken a sailor from an Elizabethan galleon and dropped him on to the deck of the Fisgard, and he would have been able to go to work immediately.  Her guns, and sailing rig, though improved, had not been radically changed.  The same sailor dropped onto the deck of a ship built at the end of the 19th century would have been completely lost.  Over a period of fifty years iron and then steel had replaced wood in the construction of warships, steam had replaced sail as the primary power source and smooth-bore muzzle loading guns firing round shot had given way to rifled breech loading guns firing exploding shells with far greater accuracy and range.

While the Fisgard was on station her Captain loaned some of her midshipmen to assist with the first survey of Esquimalt Harbour.  Esquimalt became the favoured anchorage of the Royal Navy from 1848 on, and by the mid-1860s it had become the headquarters of the British Pacific Squadron.

The first volunteer artillery battery in British Columbia was formed at New Westminister in 1866 due to fears of a Fenian attack.  The Seymour Battery of Artillery was armed with two brass 24-pounder SB howitzers (which still exist in New Westminister).  In the same year HMS Zealous arrived at Esquimalt as flag ship of the Royal Navy’s Pacific Squadron.  She was the first iron-clad warship in the Pacific and in addition to armour up to 4.5-inches thick she carried an armament of the then new rifled muzzle loading (RML) guns.

These rifled muzzle loaders were the types of guns in use when the first coast artillery batteries were built to defend Victoria Harbour and the naval base at Esquimalt due to a threat of war with Russia in 1878.  Four batteries were constructed of earth and timber and mounted the following (RML) guns loaned from naval stores: Finlayson Point: Two 64-pounder, 71 cwt RML (converted) guns.  Nias (Victoria) Point: One 64- pounder 64, cwt RML gun and one 64-pounder, 71 cwt RML gun.  Macaulay Point: Three 7-inch 6 1/2 ton RML guns.  Brothers Island: One 8-inch 9 ton RML and two 64-pounder 64 cwt RML guns.

These were fairly powerful guns for their day.  The 7-inch guns at Macaulay Point for example, fired a 112 pound (51 kilo) shell to a maximum range of about 5,500 yards (about 5 km).  These temporary batteries remained in place for 15 years while the British and Canadian governments discussed plans for more permanent defences, and particularly who would pay for them.  Finally, in 1893, they agreed to share the costs of providing more permanent fortifications and the artillery for them.  A garrison of regular force troops to man the defences would also be part of the British contribution.

The first guns to be installed in these new fortifications were 6-inch BL Mk. 6 guns on Mk. 4 Hydro-Pneumatic disappearing carriages.  These guns fired a shell of 100 pounds ( 45 kilos) to a maximum range of 10,000 yards (over 9 km).  Three of these were installed at Macaulay Point and three more at Rodd Hill (one in the Upper Battery and two in the Lower Battery).  These guns were designed to protect against close-range attacks by enemy cruisers.

Once the 6-inch guns were installed, construction began on batteries of lighter guns to defend against torpedo boat attack.  Originally it was only intended to have one such battery, at Duntze Head at the eastern entrance to Esquimalt harbour, armed with Hotchkiss 6-pounders.  In 1897 a review of the anti-torpedo boat defence requirements for Esquimalt concluded that three batteries of guns were required and recommended that all these should mount the new 12-pounder 12-cwt QF guns which had just been introduced into service and had a maximum range of 8,000 yards (over 7 km) and a firing rate of 15 rounds per minute.  Belmont and Black Rock Batteries were designed to mount two of these 12- pounder guns.  Duntze Head battery replaced its two 6-pounder Hotchkiss guns with 12-pounders about 1904.

The final battery added as part of this defence plan was not completed until after the British garrison departed in 1906.  Although the guns had already arrived and most of the construction for the battery on Signal Hill had already been undertaken, the small Canadian garrison that took over from the British troops did not have sufficient man power to mount the two huge 9.2-inch Mk.10 BL guns on Mk.5 barbette mountings.  The barrels of these guns alone weighed 28 tons, and they fired a 380 pound (173 kilo) shell to a maximum range of over 19,000 yards (over 17 km).  It was not until the summer of 1912 that a special party of gunners was sent from eastern Canada to help mount the guns on Signal Hill.

In addition to the fixed guns of the coast defences, the 5th (BC) Regiment, Canadian Garrison Artillery also had a battery of field guns which could be used for mobile defence.  This battery was originally armed with 9-pounder 6-cwt RML guns from about 1892.  In 1896 six 13-pounder 8-cwt RML field guns were sent from Britain as part of the new defence agreement.  These 13-pounder RML guns were only in service in Canada at Esquimalt and Halifax.  These rifled muzzle loading field guns were replaced by six 12-pounder 6-cwt BL field guns ca.1912.

During the First World War, temporary coast batteries were added by mounting two 4-inch naval guns off HMS Shearwater in Stanley Park to protect the approaches to Vancouver harbour Two more naval 4-inch guns were mounted to control Seymour Narrows in Johnstone Strait, protecting the approaches to the northern entrance into Georgia Strait.

After the First World War ended, few changes were made to the coast artillery defences until the late 1930's.  In 1924 two of the 6-inch disappearing guns at Macaulay Point battery were removed and replaced by two naval 6-inch QF guns which appear to have been removed from the first Royal Canadian Navy cruiser on the west coast, HMCS Rainbow, which had been scrapped in the previous year.

The 5th (BC) Regiment, CGA had a field battery and a siege battery attached to it beginning in the early 1920's and these were equipped with 18-pounder QF field guns and 8-inch BL and 4.5-inch QF howitzers respectively.  A small anti-aircraft section was also formed armed with a couple of obsolescent 13-pounder 9 cwt QF anti-aircraft guns.

In 1936 a British coast artillery expert, Major B.D.C. Treatt, was brought to Canada to make recommendations for improving the coast artillery defence of Canada’s fortresses and defended ports.  Treatt’s report formed the basis of what would later be known as the “Ultimate Plan” for the upgrading of the defences of these harbours, including the VictoriaEsquimalt Fortress.  Coast artillery batteries were also to be built to defend Prince Rupert and Vancouver, and on Yorke Island in Johnstone Strait to guard the northern entrance into Georgia Strait.  The ultimate plan was originally scheduled to take five years to complete, but it quickly became obvious that war was likely to break out long before the new guns ordered as part of this plan arrived in Canada.  Consequently an “Interim Plan” was formulated in 1938 to allow work to progress on new battery sites and the installation of the best coast artillery guns available in Canada in these locations, until the final armaments arrived from Britain.

As part of the Interim Plan, 6-inch Mk 7 guns on Mk 2 carriages were mounted in two emplacements at Macaulay Point and in three emplacements at the new battery built on Mary Hill. These guns had a maximum range of 14,500 yards (over 12 km). The two 9.2-inch guns at Signal Hill were moved to the new battery at Albert Head and later a third 9.2-inch gun was sent to this battery from eastern Canada. To guard the entrance to Victoria harbour, a new anti-torpedo boat battery armed with two 12-pounder QF guns was built at Golf Hill and a single 12-pounder was mounted at Ogden Point.

Beginning in 1940 some of the first steps in providing for the joint defence of North America were taken by the Canadian and US governments. To help close the Strait of Juan de Fuca to enemy shipping two long range 8-inch guns were loaned by the US to Canada and installed at Christopher Point at the very southern tip of Vancouver Island.  With a maximum range of 23,500 yards (over 21 km) these guns were capable of reaching to the other side of the strait.  They remained in place until early 1945, by which time new 9.2-inch and 6-inch guns on high-angle mountings had been installed at Albert Head and Mary Hill.

Batteries were also constructed to defend the approaches to Vancouver harbour at Stanley Park ( two 6-inch), Point Grey (three 6-inch), Point Atkinson (one18-pounder) and at Narrows North (two 12- pounders). A battery of two 18-pounder field guns (later 25- pounders) was installed at Steveston to protect the entrance to the Fraser River. The battery on Yorke Island in Johnstone Strait protected the northern approaches to Georgia Strait. It was originally armed with two 4.7-inch guns, which were later exchanged for the two 6-inch guns from Stanley Park.

The approaches to Prince Rupert were protected by batteries at Barrett Point (three 6- inch guns), Fairview Point ( two US 8-inch railway guns), Frederick Point (two 12-pounder guns), Dundas Point (one US 75 mm gun) and Casey Point (one 6-pounder gun).

A number of US 75 mm guns were also made available to the Canadian army in 1941. These were actually a US-built version of the British 18 pounder field gun which had been chambered for the ammunition used by the French 75 mm gun, as both types of gun were used by the US army in World War I. Most were mounted on pedestal mountings in Canadian service. One such gun was mounted for a short period at Duntze Head Battery in the Victoria Esquimalt defences. These 75 mm guns were also used in batteries at Ucluelet and Coal Harbour on Vancouver Island; on the mainland at Bella Bella, Alliford Bay and Prince Rupert (Dundas Point); and on the armoured train which operated between Prince Rupert and Terrace during 1942.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3514254)

6-inch gun firing at Mary Hill, 6 December 1941.

The first of the modern guns ordered to complete the ultimate plan for the defences finally began arriving in Victoria in 1943.  In that year three 6-inch Mk. 24 guns on Mk. 5 mountings replaced the older Mk. 7 guns at Mary Hill.  These guns could be elevated to 45 degrees and had a maximum range of 24,500 yards (22 km).  At Albert Head the 9.2-inch guns were upgraded one at a time beginning in 1943.  Each gun in turn was provided with a new Canadian-designed mounting, (designated C Mk. 6A) with which the maximum elevation increased from 15 to 30 degrees.  This provided a maximum range of 27,500 yards (over 25 km).

Some of the anti-torpedo boat batteries were also upgraded, beginning in 1943 when Duntze Head battery received the first of the new twin 6-pounder 10-cwt QF guns, and these guns were later installed at Belmont Battery and Ogden Point as well.

Between 1943 and 1945 modern 6-inch Mk. 24 guns were also installed at Barrett Point Battery in Prince Rupert, and twin 6-pounder guns were installed at Casey Point Battery in Prince Rupert and Narrows North Battery in West Vancouver.  In the 1920's four 13-pounder 9-cwt QF anti-aircraft guns were sent to Esquimalt for training purposes, although only two appear to have ever been mounted.  These were still the only anti-aircraft guns on the west coast when the Second World War began.

The first Canadian made Bofors 40 mm light anti-aircraft guns arrived at Esquimalt just three days after Japan’s entry into the war in December 1941.  Over the following months several batteries of heavy and light anti-aircraft guns were installed to protect both Victoria- Esquimalt and the Patricia Bay military airfield (now Victoria International Airport).  By October 1942, sixteen 3.7- inch QF heavy anti-aircraft guns and twenty-four 40 mm Bofors light anti-aircraft guns were in service around Victoria and Esquimalt.  Many other batteries of anti-aircraft guns were installed from 1942 to 1945 to protect harbours, airfields and seaplane bases elsewhere in BC.

As the Second World War progressed, field artillery units in the province gradually gave up their First World War vintage 18-pounder field guns for the new 25-pounder gun, and some units also began to receive a few 6-pounder anti-tank guns.

After the end of the Second World War, the newer coast artillery weapons installed during the war remained in service until 1956.  In that year coast artillery was declared obsolete in Canada and the guns were all removed and in most cases given away to NATO allies (Norway, Portugal and Turkey) who still had a requirement for coast artillery equipment.

The 1950's also saw Canadian field and anti-aircraft units convert from British to American designed guns.  The U.S. 90-mm. gun replaced the 3.7-inch gun as the standard heavy anti-aircraft gun as the Cold War led to fears of Soviet bomber attacks.  British 5.5-inch medium guns and 25 pounder field guns were replaced by U.S. 155-mm and 105-mm gun/howitzers.  The 5th (BC) Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery survived the demise of coast artillery, converting initially to a medium, and later a field artillery battery.

Today, Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site, the CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum and the regimental museums of the 5th (BC) Field Regiment, RCA in Victoria, and the 15th (BC) Field Regiment, RCA in Vancouver continue to perpetuate the heritage of BC’s early artillery units.  The museums of the British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught’s Own) and the Royal Westminster Regiment also pay tribute to their predecessor artillery units and the Maritime Museum of British Columbia preserves an important collection of naval guns."  (Dale Mumford, Historic Artillery in BC, Oct 2007)

Campbell River

Cast iron possibly 3-pounder smooth bore muzzleloading gun on display in the Campbell River Maritime Centre.

Cast iron 9-pounder SBML Carronade, on display in the lobby of the Coast Hotel.

Chilliwack, Canadian Military Education Centre.

The CMEC is a Non Profit Museum Society.  It is a member of the Organization of Military Museums and a recognized Military Museum by the DND.  It is operated by a group of dedicated volunteers and the museum functions by public donations and the support of the City of Chilliwack.

17-pounder QF Towed Anti-Tank Gun being manned by gunners serving with the 57th Battery, 1st Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, near Campobasso, Italy, 25 October 1943.  (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3599876)

(John Eckersley Photos)

17-pounder QF Towed Anti-Tank Gun, stamped 17-pdr I &  II.  The metal tube covering the vertical shaft of the breech operating mechanism is stamped 558  FL6163.  Previously on display in the veterans section of the Surrey Centre Cemetery, this 17-pounder is currently with the Canadian Military Education Centre.  It has been restored and occasionally returns to Surrey for events such as Remembrance Day.

In June 1947, Canada had 149 17-pounder QF Towed Anti-Tank Guns in service.  These guns served until 1952, when they were offered to NATO.  Those remaining in 1959 were scrapped or became part of war memorials where at least 28 have been found and documented on these web pages.

Colwood,  Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site of Canada.  Artillery preserved in this location is listed on a separate page on this web site.

Comox, HMCS Quadra

(DND Photo)

12-pounder 8-cwt QF Naval Landing Guns, HMCS Quadra.

(Capt Tim Townley, UPAR Photo)

12-pounder 8-cwt QF Naval Landing Guns, HMCS Quadra.

(Gene C. Fedderly Photos)

12-pounder 8-cwt QF Naval Landing Gun, weight 8-0-0 (896 lbs), Serial No. 1001, RGF 1899, Breech Block Serial No. 1001 King Edward VII cypher.  Carriage plate: Q.F. 12 Pr. Naval Trg.  Made by R.C.D. Woolwich. 1901, Exd (Examined) at Portsmouth 1903, Wt Carriage Complete 6 1/4 Cwt. Admiralty No. 16, Kings Arrow.  With Limber.

British Columbia, Comox, HMCS Quadra.

 (Gene C. Fedderly Photo)

12-pounder 8-cwt QF Naval Landing Gun, weight 8-0-0 (896 lbs), Serial No. 919, RGF 1898, Breech Block Serial No. TBC, Queen Victoria cypher.  Carriage plate: Q.F. 12 Pr. Naval Trg.  Made by R.C.D. Woolwich. 1903, Exd (Examined) at Portsmouth 1901, Wt Carriage Complete 6 1/4 Cwt. Admiralty No. 243, Kings Arrow.   Formerly at Royal Roads Military College.

British Columbia, Comox, HMCS Quadra.

(Gene C. Fedderly Photo)

(Gene C. Fedderly Photo)

12-pounder 8-cwt QF Naval Landing Gun, weight 8-0-0 (896 lbs), Serial No. 1213, RGF 1900, Breech Block Serial No. 2294 crossed out, new Serial No. 1910, Queen Victoria cypher.  Carriage plate: Q.F. 12 Pr. Naval Trg.  Made by R.C.D. Woolwich. 1903, Exd (Examined) at Portsmouth 1901, Wt Carriage Complete 6 1/4 Cwt. Admiralty No. 243, Kings Arrow.  Formerly at Royal Roads Military College.

Cranbrook

(City of Vanvouver Archives Photo, AM54-S4-: Mil P171)

German First World War 7.7-cm Feldkanone 16 (7.7-cm FK 16), being removed from grounds of Legislature on 25 July 1941.

(Dave Humphrey Photos)

(BK-Hunters Photos)

German First World War 7.7-cm Feldkanone 16 (7.7-cm FK 16), (Serial Nr. 19241).  This gun was captured by the 7th Battalion (1st British Columbia), 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade, 1st Canadian Division of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) on 27 Sep 1918 near Marquion.  It is presently on display behind the Heritage Inn on Cranbrook Street, close to the entrance to the Canadian Legion.

German First World War 7.7 cm FK 16 on display at the cenotaph in front of the old Cranbrook Courthouse ca 1920s.

The 7.7 cm Feldkanone 16 (7.7 cm FK 16) was a German First World War field gun with a longer range than the FK 96 n.A.  The barrel is longer and the gun has a box carriage to allow for greater elevation, which increased the range.  It also has separate-loading ammunition to reduce powder consumption and barrel wear at short ranges, although this had the drawback of reducing the rate of fire compared to the older gun.  It was prematurely rushed into production in 1916 and early guns suffered from a number of defects, mainly stemming from the German use of substitute materials to reduce consumption of strategic metals. It also suffered from a large number of premature detonations of its shells during 1916.

CFB Esquimalt Artillery is listed on a separate page on this web site.

Esquimalt

(John Eckersley Photos)

(Author Photos, 29 Jan 2019_

German First World War 7.7-cm Feldkanone 96 neuer Art (7.7-cm FK 96 n.A.) (Serial Nr. 595), with large wheels  This gun was captured by the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles, 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Division of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) at Cambrai, West of Neuville St. Remy, France on 29 September 1918.  It is on display in Memorial Park, 1200 Esquimalt Rd., Esquimalt.

Painting of Canadians capturing a German First World War 7.7-cm Feldkanone 96 neuer Art (7.7-cm FK 96 n.A.),  entitled "Taking the Guns", ca 1918, by Forunino Matania.  (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3636763)

The 7.7 cm Feldkanone 96 neuer Art (7.7 cm FK 96 n.A.) is a German First World War field gun.  The gun combined the barrel of the earlier 7.7 cm FK 96 with a recoil system, a new breech and a new carriage. Existing FK 96s were upgraded over time.  The FK 96 n.A. was shorter-ranged, but lighter than the French Canon de 75 modèle 1897 or the British Ordnance QF 18 pounder gun; the Germans placed a premium on mobility, which served them well during the early stages of World War I. However, once the front had become static, the greater rate of fire of the French gun and the heavier shells fired by the British gun put the Germans at a disadvantage. The Germans remedied this by developing the longer-ranged, but heavier 7.7 cm FK 16.  As with most guns of its era, the FK 96 n.A. had seats for two crewmen mounted on its splinter shield.

(Colin Wyatt Photo)

(John Eckersley Photos)

(Author Photos, 29 Jan 2019)

German First World War 7.7-cm Nahkampfkanone (7.7-cm NK) close support gun (Serial Nr. 9739).  These guns were minimal modifications of the standard gun to make it more suitable  as an infantry support gun.  They were often used as "silent" guns - heavily camouflaged guns which only went into action if the front line was breached during an attack. About the only changes made to the standard gun was to drop the lower part of the gun shield and the footrests of the axle tree seats as well as the smaller wheels.  Charlie Clelland.  This gun was captured by the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles, 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Division of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) at Vimy Ridge, La Folie Farm, France on 9 Oct 1917.  It was initially allocated to Cranbrook but is now on display in Memorial Park, 1200 Esquimalt Rd., Esquimalt..  They were made an official part of the war memorial in 1941.

(Richard Laughton Photo)

Outstanding restoration of the two German First World War trophy guns at Esquimalt in 2015.

Fort Langley National Historic Site of Canada

(John Eckersley Photo)

Cast Iron ½-pounder Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, weight 1-1-1 (129 lbs), appears to be a replica.

Kamloops

German First World War 7.92-mm Maxim Spandau MG 08/15 Machineguns carried by German Prisoners of War captured by Canadians, June 1917.  (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3403114)

German First World War 7.92-mm Spandau MG 08/15 heavy machine gun (Serial Nr. TBC), inside the Rocky Mountain Rangers Museum.

155-mm C1 (M1A2) Medium Howitzer on M1A2 Carriage, aka M114, manufactured at Sorel Industries Limited in Quebec, Queen Elizabeth II cypher.  (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4235869)

155-mm C1 (M1A2) Medium Howitzer on M1A2 Carriage, aka M114, manufactured at Sorel Industries Limited in Quebec, Queen Elizabeth II cypher.  R. Vicars Armoury, 1221 McGill Road.

Sorel Industries Limited in Quebec manufactured 209 155-mm Howitzers.  Of these 180 were built for NATO, with the remaining 29 going to the Royal Canadian Artillery.  In 1951 an order was placed for 47 155-mm Howitzers from the USA.  All of the Ordnance BL 5.5-inch Medium Guns in service were replaced by 155-mm Howitzers in 1954.  The guns produced in Canada by Sorel are designated Howitzer, Medium, Towed, 155-mm, C1.  The designation for the guns procured in the USA before 1962, was 155-mm Howitzer M1A1 on Carriage M1A2.  After 1962, it was designated the Howitzer, Medium, Towed, 155-mm, M114.

Queen Elizabeth II. reigning from 6 Feb 1952 to present.  (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4314245)

Queen Elizabeth cypher, on the barrel of a gun.

Kaslo

German First World War 7.92-mm Maxim Spandau MG 08/15 heavy machine gun being examined by Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade Officers, March 1918.   (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3522120)

(Mary Linn Photo)

German First World War 7.92-mm Maxim Spandau MG 08/15 heavy machine gun, (Serial Nr. 4076).

Kelowna

(Al Dadds Photos)

German First World War 7.7-cm Feldkanone 96 neuer Art (7.7-cm FK 96 n.A.), (Serial Nr. 2577), TBC, captured by the 7th Battalion (1st British Columbia)  2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade, 1st Canadian Division of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) on 2 Sep 1918, West of Vilers-lez-Cagnicourt, France.  Okanagan Military Museum, 1424 Ellis Street in Kelowna.  The gun stands outside surrounded by pedestals topped with stones marking Battles of the First World War in which area residents gave their lives.  The stones are from the original Kelowna Cenotaph, replaced in the City Park several years ago.

Ladysmith

German First World War 7.7-cm Feldkanone 16 (7.7-cm FK 16),  possibly (Serial Nr. 7065), on display from 1921 until removed in 1941 by rail, and sent to the smelter to aid in the war effort.  (Photos courtesy of Bridget, Ladysmith Historical Society)

Maple Ridge

(City of Vancouver Archives Photo, AM1545-S3-: CVA 586-1213)

6-pounder 7-cwt QF Anti-Tank Gun being fired at Kitsilano Beach during training exercises in 1943.

(Rudy Lisop Photos)

6-pounder 7-cwt QF Anti-Tank Gun, located across the road from the Lilley Drive bulk loading potable water station 3100 block in the Kanaka Industrial Park.  The 6 acre site is a movie prop storage and assembly company not open to the public.

Japanese Type 93 13.2-mm twin mount light anti-aircraft gun (left).  (USGOV-PD Photo) and a Japanese Type 96 25-mm twin barreled anti-aircraft gun (right).  (Daderot Photo)

Japanese 13.2-mm or 25-mm twin-barreled Anti-Aircraft gun (MISSING - seeking information on its present location).  This gun was brought to to the Vernon, British Columbia Army Training Camp from Kiska, Alaska, in early 1944 by the 24th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA.  The Regimental War Diary entry describes it as a 20-mm twin-barreled AA gun.  Research to date indicates there were no twin-barreled models of 20-mm calibre found on Kiska (viz. intelligence ground survey in 1943 after Allied occupation).  The only 20-mm AA guns were single-barreled models.  However, many twin-barreled types of both 13.2-mm and 25-mm were found.  The same results came from the 2007/8 Kiska Guns and sites preservation survey.  The anti-aircraft gun brought to Vernon by the 24th Field RCA was positioned in front of the regimental sergeants’ mess.  It disappeared from the camp sometime after the 24th Field RCA was disbanded in 1945.  RCA Captain (Retired) Robert H. (Bob) Spring is seeking information from anyone who was posted to the Vernon, BC Army Training Camp during or after 1944 (including as an Army Cadet in later years), who recalls seeing the twin-barreled AA gun referred to and remembers which of the two models depicted in the photos it was.  Additionally, information as to the disposition of the gun or its current location (particularly if it can be confirmed it is in a museum or private collection etc.) is sought.  Please contact Bob at #414 - 12258 224th Street, Maple Ridge, BC, V2X 8Y7, Canada, or by e-mail: bobspring@shaw.ca if you have any information on these missing guns.

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