Artillery in Canada (2) Alberta: Barrhead, Bellevue, Bragg Creek, Brooks, CFB Cold Lake, Didsbury, Fort Macleod, Fort Saskatchewan, Frank, High Prairie, Lougheed, Mannville and Shaunavon

Artillery preserved in Alberta,

Barrhead, Bellevue, Bragg Creek, Brooks, CFB Cold Lake, Didsbury, Fort Macleod, Fort Saskatchewan, Frank, High Prairie, Lougheed, Mannville and Shaunavon

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)

Alberta

Barrhead

(wildwoodke Photos)

17-pounder QF Towed Anti-Tank Gun, standing in a Memorial Park, on the West side of Hwy 33 near the town centre.

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 including at least 28 have been found and documented on these web pages.

Bellevue, Crowsnest Pass

(Ian McKenzie Photos)

German First World War 7.92-mm Maxim Spandau MG 08/15, (Serial Nr. 5194), captured by the 2nd Canadian Division of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) , originally allocated to Blairmore, Alberta.

Bragg Creek

(Maxwell Toms Photos)

Cast Iron possible 6-pounder Smoothbore Muzzle Loading Field Gun replica, weight and maker unknown, mounted on a wood wheeled wood gun carriage, standing beside the cenotaph.

(Terry Honour Photo)

(Maxwell Toms Photo)

Cast Iron possible 6-pounder Smoothbore Muzzle Loading Field Gun replica, weight and maker unknown, mounted on a wood naval gun carriage, standing beside the cenotaph.

Brooks

(Streetview Photo)

German First World War 7.7-cm Feldkanone 16 (7.7-cm FK 16) Field Gun (Serial Nr. unknown), in front of the Royal Canadian Legion at 235 3rd Street West.

Artillery preserved in Calgary is listed on a separate page on this web site.

CFB Cold Lake

(DND Photo)

3.7-inch C Mk. 2/2 Anti-Aircraft Gun, Valcartier, 1943.  (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3625635)

3.7-inch C Mk. 2/2 Anti-Aircraft Gun, Valcartier, 1943.  (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3625633)

(John Moloughey Photos)

3.7-inch C Mk. 2/2 Anti-Aircraft Gun, (Serial No. 2413), 1943, standing at the corner of Kingsway and Medley Road at the edge of the base.

An Anti-Aircraft Gun wheel assembly is on base, possibly for the 3.7-inch C Mk. 2/2 AA Gun, likely from the Air Defence unit originally assigned to protect the airfield at CFB Cold Lake.

(Robert Lansdale Photos)

Canadian Army QF 3.7-inch AA Gun, with RCAF North American Mustang Mk. IVs and a Harvard coming in on an exercise run.

Didsbury

Replica Anti-Tank Gun mounted on a stone cairn War Memorial.

Artillery preserved in Edmonton is listed on a separate page on this web site.

Fort Macleod

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3574417)

9-pounder 8-cwt Muzzleloading Rifles operated by the NWMP Artillery Detachment, D & H Divisions with Fort MacLeod, Alberta, 17 Dec 1890.

(Maxwell Toms Photo)

Cast Iron 1-pounder Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, weight, maker and Serial No. unknown, mounted on a wood wheeled wood gun carriage.

(Maxwell Toms Photo)

7-pounder Bronze Mk. II 200 lb Rifled Muzzleloader Gun (painted black), mounted on a field carriage (Fort Macleod, Alberta).  The bronze guns were conversions from the 3-pounder smoothbore, while the steel guns were designed from scratch.  All 7-pounders used the same projectile but different charges.  They were the same 3-inch calibre as the 9-pounder, but could not interchange projectiles (except for case shot) because the studs on the projectiles were different.

This British gun was the smallest variety of rifled muzzle loader produced for British service.  This gun has been on display in the 5th Regiment, RCA Officer’s Mess for many years.  It is mounted on a steel carriage with two small wooden truck wheels at the front and a skid at the rear.  Its service history is unknown and there is no record of guns of this type having been issued to this regiment.  These guns were used as small (and hence easily transportable) siege pieces by the army and on small vessels by the navy.

Fort McMurray

British FV433 Abbot 105-mm Self-Propelled Gun, Royal Canadian Legion, Branch No. 165.

M113 C & R Lynx, Royal Canadian Legion, Branch No. 165, 9317 Huggard Street.

Fort McMurray, Jack Cross Collection

British Chieftain Main Battle Tank, 120-mm Gun.

British FV432 Armoured Personnel Carrier.

British FV433 Abbot 105mm SP Gun.

British FV603 Saracen Armoured Personnel Carrier.

British FV 620 Stalwart Amphibious Truck.

Fort Saskatchewan

(Internet Photo)

German Great War 7.7-cm Feldkanone 96 neuer Art (7.7-cm FK 96 n.A.), (Serial Nr. 1251), captured by a Canadian Battalion within an Infantry Brigade, in the 2nd Canadian Division of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF).  This gun stands beside the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 9964 93rd Ave.

M113 C & R Lynx, standing behind the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch, 9964 93rd Ave

Frank

(Ian McKenzie Photos)

German First World War 10.5-cm leichtes Feldhaubitze 98/09 (10.5-cm leFH 98/09) Light Field Howitzer, (Serial Nr. 3392), no data, 1916.  This gun is part of a War Memorial located on the Crowsnest Highway, Route 3, Alberta, a few miles east of the divide in the small community of Frank.  The gun is flanked by two German First World War 7.92-mm Maxim Spandau MG08 Machineguns.

(Ian McKenzie Photo)

German First World War 7.92-mm Maxim Spandau MG 08 Machineguns, the mounts are original, but the real machineguns were stolen in the 1970s, these are replicas.  The missing MGs were (Serial Nr. 5203) captured by the 2nd Canadian Division and (Serial Nr. 5307) captured by the 27th Battalion at Passchendaele, or (Serial Nr. 44996) (no data).

Missing War Trophy Guns

There are a number of guns known to have been on display in Canada until recently, that appear to have been moved to another location or otherwise lost.  These include two that were on display at High Prairie.  Any information on their present location would be welcome.

High Prairie

German First World War 15-cm schwere Feldhaubitze 1902 (15-cm sFH 02), War Prize, 1918.  (City of Vancouver Archives Photo, AM54-S4-: Gr War P42)

German First World War 15-cm schwere Feldhaubitze 1902 (15-cm sFH 02) Heavy Field Howitzer, (Serial Nr. 223), unconfirmed.  Captured by the 3rd Battalion at Vimy on 9 April 1917; or possibly (Serial Nr. 512) captured by the 31st Battalion.  Both guns were originally allocated to Edmonton.  This gun was located in a park beside the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 37, 4721, 51st Ave.  The Legion President advises these guns are no longer there, present location unknown.

Russian SBML possible 36-pounder (TBC) Gun from the Crimean War era.  This gun is missing its carriage, and was mounted on concrete blocks.  This gun was located in a park beside the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 37, 4721, 51st Ave.  The Legion President advises these guns are no longer there, present location unknown.

There are unique weights and numbers for the 18 Russian iron guns from the Crimean War presently known to be on display in Canada.  The unit of weight of the gun’s design all up weight is the Russian pood, about 36 lbs. (To gunners, the ‘gun’ is the barrel, not the carriage.)  Shown as P, or the Cyrillic/Greek for ‘pi’.  The unit of weight of the shot is the English pound from the Western influence on the Russian court, as they strove to get their artillery up to standard. T he figure is followed by a squiggle which is a stylised lb.  .  The guns were cast in chronological order, with (Serial No. 551) from 1807 on a mortar in Dublin, Ireland being the earliest known survivor.  The Alexandrovski factory where the gun was made is abbreviated to ALXDVK or in Cyrillic, and the gun may be stamped “Závod” or ZAV or ZVD (also in Cyrillic letters which may appear as “3aB”).  The designer, Nachimatel, abbrev ‘nach’ (in Cyrillic it looks like HaY) is also shown, and for two of the guns in Kingston, Ontario, Foullon is marked on them with a Russian ? (F), similar to the Greek phi, familiar to classic scholars and mathematicians.  The designer of the Russian guns was named Armstrong, not the British one most often mentioned here, but an early Scot at the Tsar’s court.  The figure is followed by ‘God’, year, or ‘G’.   Major Colin Robins, OBE, FRHistS, Editor Emeritus, "The War Correspondent", Journal of the Crimean War Research Society, e-mail 8 Jan 2013.

Lethbridge Artillery is listed on a separate page on this web site.

Lougheed

(DHH Photo)

German First World War 7.92-mm Maxim Spandau MG 08 Machinegun (Serial Nr. unknown), No. 1 of 2, mounted on a Schlitten stand beside the Soldier's Memorial.  Lougheed was allocated four MGs in 1919, (Serial Nrs. 2315, 3227, 7520 and 9393).

German First World War 7.92-mm Maxim Spandau MG 08 Machinegun (Serial Nr. unknown), No. 2 of 2, mounted on a Schlitten stand beside the cenotaph.

Mannville

(Terry W. Honour Photos)

American 90-mm M1A2 Anti-Aircraft Gun (Serial No. 3465), 50th Street and 50th Ave.

Shaunavon

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(Richard Trekofski Photos)

German First World War 7.58 cm Minenwerfer a.A. (. alter Art. or old model). (7.58 cm leMW), (Serial No. 14827).

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