Artillery in Canada (3) Saskatchewan: Moose Jaw, Ponteix, Saltcoats, Saskatoon, Wynard and Yorkton
Artillery in Saskatchewan, Moose Jaw, Ponteix, Saltcoats, Wynard and Yorkton
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 [email protected].
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)
Saskatchewan
Moose Jaw
Lieutenant-Colonel David V. Currie in his Humber Armoured Recconnaissance Car, near Bergen-op-Zoom, the Netherlands, Oct 1944. (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4233288)
17-pounder QF Towed Anti-Tank Gun, 57th Bty, 1st AT Regt, RCA, Campobasso, Italy, 25 Oct 1943. (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3599876)
17-pounder QF Towed Anti-Tank Gun, LCol D.V. Currie VC Armoury, 1215 Main St N.
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 that have been found and documented on these web pages.
25-pounder C Mk. 2 QF Field Gun with No. 9 circular firing platform, with limber, being towed by a Field Artillery Tractor (FAT) Caen, France, 17 Aug 1944. (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3192329)
25-pounder C Mk. 2 QF Field Gun with No. 9 circular firing platform, 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery near Cattolica, Italy, 9 September 1944. (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3533088)
(Clive Prothero-Brooks Photos)
25-pounder C Mk. I QF Field Gun with No. 9 circular firing platform, (Reg. No. L 2932), no muzzle brake, painted No. 44, LCol D.V. Currie VC Armoury, 1215 Main St N. On loan to the Saskatchewan Dragoons from the RCA Museum, CFB Shilo, Manitoba.
105-mm C1 Howitzer, RCHA. (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4235720)
105-mm C1 Howitzer, CDN No. unknown. LCol D.V. Currie VC Armoury, 1215 Main St N.
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. 4235872)
155-mm C1 (M1A2) Medium Howitzer on M1A2 Carriage, aka M114, manufactured at Sorel Industries Limited in Quebec, Queen Elizabeth II cypher. CFR 34458. The carriage plate reads: CARR. HOW. 155MM M1A2 CDN. SOREL INDUSTRIES LTD. CANADA (year TBC), REG. NO. CDN 173, INSP (symbol). LCol D.V. Currie VC Armoury, 1215 Main St. N,
Ponteix
Replica Anti-Tank Gun. This gun is mounted on a cairn at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 297, Centre Street, Railway Avenue. Dedicated on 22 September 1981.
Regina Artillery is listed on a separate page on this web site.
Prince Albert
(David Snyder Photo)
German First World War 7.92-mm Maxim Spandau MG 08/15 Machinegun, possibly (Serial Nr. 2736). This weapon was likely captured c1918 by a Battalion of an Infantry Brigade in a Canadian Division of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), in France.
Saltcoats
(Floyd Davies Photos)
German Great War 10.5-cm leichte Feldhaubitze 16 (10.5-cm leFH 16), (Serial Nr. 4306), no data. This gun was likely captured by a Canadian Battalion, within an Infantry Brigade of a Canadian Division of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF). The leFH 16 is missing its wheels and is mounted on a concrete stand at the cenotaph.
Saskatoon Artillery is listed on a separate page on this web site.
Saskatoon
German First World War 7.92-mm Maxim Spandau MG 08/15 Machinegun, (Serial Nr. 5623a). This weapon was likely captured ca 1918 by a Battalion of an Infantry Brigade in a Canadian Division of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), in France. This MG is on display inside the Saskatoon Museum of Military Artefacts. (It came from Rosthern).
Wynard
German First World War 17-cm mittlerer Minenwerfer (17-cm mMW), (Serial Nr. TBC).
10th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA
64th Field Battery (Yorkton)
The battery currently operates as part of the 38 Canadian Brigade Group's Artillery Tactical Group (ATG) and operates the 105-mm C3 howitzer.
(Canadian Forces Photo)
The C3 Howitzer is a close support, field artillery weapon that is mobile, general purpose, light towed, and has the capability to fire extended range munitions up to 18 kilometres. The C3 is manually operated, single-loaded and air-cooled. It uses semi-fixed ammunition and consists of the cannon assembly, the carriage and the recoil mechanism. It can easily be employed for direct or indirect fire and can be elevated to high angles to reach targets hidden from flat trajectory guns. The C3 is structurally similar to the C1 Howitzer, but is distinguished by its longer 33-calibre barrel and muzzle brake. The gun can fire all standard NATO 105-mm Howitzer ammunition.
I would imagine that many of you who are reading this book are very likely familiar with the standard routine of military training exercises and the rigours of being in the field in all seasons, not to mention the conditions found on deployment these days. Whether or not you have experienced it, I am sure you can well imagine what it is like to train and work in the heat, the dust and the mosquitoes in summer, the wind, the rain and the mud in the spring and fall, the snow and the cold in the winter and of course the routine day-to-day challenges of combat exercises in the training areas of the Canadian Forces. For most in the Army, this includes CFB Gagetown, CFB Valcartier, CFB Petawawa, CFB Kingston, CFB Shilo, CFB Edmonton, CFB Wainwright, CFB Suffield and all the fields and exercise areas of LFAATC Aldershot and LFCATC Meaford and their environs.
As an Army Officer in the Canadian Forces, it has been my privilege to have served alongside a tremendous number of highly professional military men and women of our nation while taking part in training in Germany, the UK and the USA and while on operational deployments to Cyprus, Bosnia-Herzegovina and in Afghanistan. During my training and military professional development, I have learned much about our long military history. My interest in our multi-faceted historical record has led me to write about it and to seek out the stories about Canada's military servicemen and women and the tools and equipment they used to preserve our security when warclouds darkened our horizons.
As a military history enthusiast, I have learned over the years that there are many with similar interests in preserving our story. We have all seen the odd old gun or retired tank placed on display outside a Militia Drill Hall, War Memorial, city park site or Royal Canadian Legion Hall, and many will have enjoyed visiting a number of our military Museums. The vast majority of retired wartime combat equipment used by members of the CF have dwindled in number, many being scrapped, others being shot up as targets, while a few have been sold to overseas operators and collectors. Fortunately, a handful of important examples of retired CF guns and war machines have been preserved and may be found in a wide variety of locations throughout Canada.
Curators, docents and volunteers working in Canada's military museums have been successful in preserving a good number of retired military weapons of war and many are still being sought after and in some cases, being restored to running condition again. As an artist, photographer and military history enthusiast, I have attempted to keep track of where historic Canadian military equipment has survived and is presently located and to make that information available to others with the same interest. For those of like mind, the purpose of this handbook is to provide a simple checklist of the classic Great War and WWII artillery that is part of our military heritage and a location guide to where they can be found in Canada. The book includes a number of photographs to illustrate an example of each gun wherever possible, and lists the locations of the survivors by province.
The numbers of restored Canadian guns is actually increasing as a few rare examples are being recovered from scrapyards and monument sites and salvaged for restoration. (Ultra rare items such as Skink AA gun turrets come to mind). One of the aims of this book is to help an enthusiast track down these monuments and museum artefacts and to have a simple reference book on hand with more detailed information about them such as a serial number, a Museum location and contact information which might be helpful in learning a bit of the history of a particular vehicle. The guns detailed in this handbook are listed alphabetically by manufacturer, number and type in the order that they came into service with the CF. The data is also appended with a list of most of the current guns found in the various collections and Museums in Canada. The book is also meant to serve as a companion volume to "Ironsides", Canadian Tanks and Armoured Fighting Vehicle Museums and Monuments, also available online.
It is my sincere hope that more of the guns and artillery found in this list will one day be added to the record of historically important military armament survivors that have been recovered and restored.
Shelldrake can be ordered online in softcover or e-book at these bookstores:
http://bookstore.iuniverse.com/Products/SKU-000542288/Shelldrake.aspx
Photos and technical data on artillery preserved in Canada may be viewed by Province on seprate pages on this website.
https://www.amazon.ca/Cannon-Canada-Province-Saskatchewan-Territories/dp/195738414X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2I0B0O2FGQQM6&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.9Sn6zWL3XIUHOedeOny35iN5nvXVvo9fAJUgkS51lSrDgJBTwkErM5KhVCD3nYAX40G4MH8ODSEQB6kuoV-smIpHZf-zndwN_CeYImPdrmlarWQIHfTyIR45fXfsdn-5SPOw2_2-syFYSzhT7y1p1YhSTNcFgrMo3q7YXYteqnPng6pIVpDgBMRDASLZCbouViLb_Ce5lJwGp1HRfjnEA602pPCo38oytXYMTwVOSD8.hojnY3s70LUimzAhb3EkkW-QHDdEc2JRNB_ofZDwieM&dib_tag=se&keywords=saskatchewan+cannon&qid=1738354797&sprefix=saskatchewan+cannon%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-1
