Artillery in Canada (5) Ontario: Ottawa, Uplands, 30th Field Artillery Regiment

30th Field Artillery Regiment, Uplands, Ottawa

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.

Ottawa, The Canadian War Museum, 1 Vimy Place.

A number of guns on display with 30th Field are on loan from the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.  The guns in the CWM are listed on a separate web page on this website.

30th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4316674)

Blomefield pattern 9-pounder Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, weight 28-2-7 (3,119 lbs) under the cascabel, (WCo) (Walker & Company) on left trunnion, (Serial No. TBC) on right trunnion, King George III cypher, broad arrow mark, mounted on an iron garrison carriage.   This gun is shown being loaded at Major’s Hill Park facing the Ottawa River, ca. 1963.  It is currently on loan to the 30th Field Regiment.

(Author Photos)

Blomefield pattern 9-pounder Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, weight 28-2-7 (3,119 lbs) under the cascabel, (WCo) (Walker & Company) on left trunnion, (Serial No. TBC) on right trunnion, King George III cypher, broad arrow mark, mounted on an iron garrison carriage.  30th Field Regiment.

(Doug Knight Photos)

Blomefield Cast Iron 9-pounder Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, weight 28-2-7 (3,119 lbs) under the cascabel, (WCo) (Walker & Company) on left trunnion, (Serial No. TBC) on right trunnion, King George III cypher, broad arrow mark, mounted on an iron garrison carriage.  This gun was on display at Major’s Hill Park looking towards Parliament Hill.  It is currently in storage at the Canadian War Museum.

Ottawa, 30th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA

30th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA is a Primary Reserve Royal Canadian Artillery (RCA) regiment of Land Force Central Area's 32 Canadian Brigade Group located in Ottawa, Ontario, along the shores of Dow's Lake on the Rideau Canal.  Currently, the regiment consists of 1st Field Battery, RCA, and 2nd Field Battery, RCA, and is co-housed with HMCS Carleton, a Canadian Naval Reserve unit.  The unit fulfils the requirements of parade duty whenever needed at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is an operational field unit that regularly participates in Canadian military manoeuvres. The regiment was established in 1855.

30th Field Artillery Regiment Afghanistan Honour Roll.

30th Field, Bytown Gunner’s Firepower Museum

(Doug Knight Photos)

(Author Photos)

Cast Iron 9-pounder 8-cwt Muzzleloading Rifle Mk. II, weight 8-1-10 (934 lbs), RGF No. 596, I, 1873, mounted on a black replica carriage.  Also known as “The Turner gun”, this 9-pounder was presented to BGen W.W. Turner when he was the Colonel Commandant of the RCA.  It is in the Guns of Kingston list and was on his lawn at Kingston for a while.  Before presentation to him, it was supposedly at Valcartier, or at least refurbished for presentation there.  The gun has an extra vent identical to the Ottawa Time Gun and it is possible that it was a time gun at or near Québec after it retired from the CF.  It is mounted on a replica sea service carriage that has no relation to the gun.

(Author Photos)

(Normand Roberge Photo)

Bronze 9-pounder Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun with carrying handles, weight 13-2-27 (1,519 lbs), 1822, King George IV cypher and a second cypher W with crown & belt, Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense (cypher for Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington), and the Roman numerals DCCXLIV (744), mounted on a wooden carriage marked 1858.  This gune was previously on display in the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment Armoury.  

(Author Photos)

9-pounder 8-cwt Muzzleloading Rifle, weight 8-1-6 (930 lbs), RGF No. 233, I, 1872 on the left trunnion, Firth Steel 2549 on muzzle, Queen Victoria cypher, broad arrow mark,  mounted on a wood wheeled iron gun carriage.

(Author Photo)

9-pounder 8-cwt Muzzleloading Rifle, weight 8-1-6 (930 lbs), RGF No. 2 on the left trunnion, Firth Steel No. TBC on muzzle, Queen Victoria cypher, broad arrow mark, mounted on a German Boer War Gun carriage on loan from the Canadian War Museum.

Contemporary photos of 9-pounder MLR mounted on similar gun carriages from the era of the Boer War.  Photos provided by MC Heunis.

(Maxwell Toms Photos)

(Author Photos)

12-pounder 8-cwt QF Naval Landing Gun, weight 8-0-0 (896 lbs), Serial No. 52 crossed out, 1903, new Serial No. 1752.  Breech Block Serial No. 742 stamped out, 1898, new No. 1752.  Queen Victoria cypher.  Carriage weight 6-cwt TBC, Admiralty No. TBC.  With Limber.  This gun was on loan to the 30th Field Regiment at Uplands, from HMCS Carleton. It is now back with  the Naval Reserves at HMCS Carleton.

(Author Photos)

Ordnance QF 2-pounder Anti-Tank Gun.  This gun is on loan from the RCA Museum, CFB Shilo, Manitoba.

Ordnance QF 6-pounder Anti-tank Gun, on loan from the Swords and Ploughshares Museum, Kars.  (Author Photo)

(Author Photos)

Ordnance QF 17-pounder Anti-Tank Gun.  The RCA held 138 of these guns.

25-pounder C Mk. 2 QF Field Gun with No. 9 circular firing platform.  (Author Photo)

105-mm C1A1 M2A2 Howitzer, being fired for a Canada Day salute, Ottawa, 1960.  (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4234683)

105-mm C1A1 M2A2 Howitzer, CDN No. unknown, No. 1 of 4 used for gun salutes

105-mm C1A1 M2A2 Howitzer, CDN No. unknown, No. 2 of 4 used for gun salutes

105-mm C1A1 M2A2 Howitzer, CDN No. unknown, No. 3 of 4 used for gun salutes.

105-mm C1A1 M2A2 Howitzer, CDN No. unknown, No. 4 of 4 used for gun salutes.

(Author Photos)

105-mm C3 Howitzers in service.  The C3 105mm Howitzer was an upgraded version of the C1 105mm Howitzer. The weapon was exclusively used by the Militia. A total of 96 of these weapons were procured in 1997 and 1998. 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.  This gun can fire all standard NATO 105-mm Howitzer ammunition. The C3 was manufactured by RDM Manufacturing of Rotterdam, The Netherlands and delivered in late 1998.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3583068)

Bofors 40-mm AA Gun being prepared for loading into a Douglas Dakota Mk III, RCAF (Serial No. 653), No. 12 (Communications) Squadron, RCAF Station Rockcliffe, Ontario, 27 Oct 1943.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3583070)

Bofors 40-mm AA Gun being loaded into a Douglas Dakota Mk III, RCAF (Serial No. 653), No. 12 (Communications) Squadron, RCAF Station Rockcliffe, Ontario, 28 Oct 1943.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3583069)

Bofors 40-mm AA Gun being loaded into a Douglas Dakota Mk III, RCAF (Serial No. 653), No. 12 (Communications) Squadron, RCAF Station Rockcliffe, Ontario, 28 Oct 1943.

(Author Photos)

Ordnance QF 40-mm Bofors Anti-Aircraft Gun, transferred from the 42nd Fied Regiment, Pembroke.

(Author Photos)

105-mm L5 Pack Howitzer, (Serial No. 057650), on loan from 2 RCHA, Petawawa.

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(Author Photos)

155-mm C1 (M1A2) Medium Howitzer on M1A2 Carriage, aka M114, manufactured at Sorel Industries Limited in Quebec, Queen Elizabeth II cypher.  CFR 34426.  The carriage plate reads: CARR. HOW. 155MM M1A2 CDN. SOREL INDUSTRIES LTD. CANADA (1957 TBC), REG. NO. CDN 177, INSP (Symbol).  This gun was transferred to Ottawa from the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps Museum, Montreal, Quebec.

(Author Photo)

M125 2-1/2 ton cargo truck, CFR No. TBC.

(Author Photo)

81-mm C3 Mortar, (Serial No. 8392) in service.  The 81-mm mortar is an indirect fire support weapon. It has the tactical advantage of a high trajectory, which allows it to be sighted and engage targets from behind cover and provide overhead support to friendly troops.  The mortar consists of a monobloc steel barrel with a smooth bore.  The supported barrel in the bipod mount allows it to elevate, depress and cross the mortar within specified limits.

Steel 7-pounder Mk. IV muzzleloading rifle (MLR) replica, similar to guns used as pack howitzer in India in the late 1800s.  The type entered service in 1873 and apparently most of them were sent to India.  There were six in Canada, with two in service with the NWMP.

This gun is a replica/reproduction.  The front sight is a solid plug, there is no vent (touch hole), and since it is about 75 pounds overweight, it is possible that the barrel is only bored out for the first three inches and then has an insert to give the impression of a plug.  Externally, it is a reasonable dimensional copy of the Steel Mk. IV MLR, although it may have been cast using wrought iron and not steel.  There are no markings, except for the cypher and crescent moon.  

The cypher is engraved (not etched), probably freehand.  The centre of the garter is the Kabul Arsenal logo, which appears on the Afghan Martini rifles.  This [links] it to Abdur Rahman, who had the arsenal built about 1887.  His bio on wiki does not indicate a member of the Order of the Garter, so the cypher is probably fanciful.  Difficult to positively link the arsenal with artillery production.  The lettering is "a mixture of Dari and Kufic script", which [as is] makes no sense, but experts are still working on it.  (Doug Knight)

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