Artillery in Canada (9) Nova Scotia: Sambro Island, Shelburne, Sydney, Trenton, Truro, Wallace, Whycocomagh, Windsor, Wolfville, and Yarmouth

Artillery in Nova Scotia,

Sambro Island, Shelburne, Sydney, Trenton, Truro, Wallace, Whycocomagh, Windsor, Wolfville and Yarmouth

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)

Nova Scotia

Sambro Island

(Letterofmarque Photo)

Blomefield Cast Iron 12-pounder 34-cwt Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, weight unknown, unmounted, No. 1 of 2 on the ground by the Sambro Island light.

Blomefield Cast Iron 12-pounder 34-cwt Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, weight unknown, unmounted, No. 2 of 2 on the ground by the Sambro Island light.

Chris Harvey-Clark has noted that in the last few years a third cannon has emerged from the earth there, looking similar in pattern to the other 2 with the same escutcheon. There is also a fragment of a fourth cannon, breech and part of trunnion, which must have blown up.  Apparently they were used for signalling prior to effective foghorn signalling to alert vessels at sea.
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‍Shelburne

(Ivan Smith Photos)

9-pounder 6-cwt Muzzleloading Rifle, weight 5-?-? (>600 lbs), (RGF No. unknown) on left trunnion, Queen Victoria cypher, broad arrow mark, mounted on an iron carriage with wood wheels this MLR stands beside the war memorial.

(Ivan Smith Photos)

German First World War 7.7-cm Feldkanone 96 neuer Art (7.7-cm FK 96 n.A.), Field Gun, (Serial Nr. 18251).  There is a six-point star in a circle.  The gun is also stamped  M753 AB, G. S7422 k.p (2), 1918.  A.B. TgL. Sp 48 (OR Cp 48). 18251.R.  No data.  This weapon was likely captured ca 1918 by a Battalion of an Infantry Brigade in a Canadian Division with the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), in France.  It was allocated to Shelburne in 1920 and stands beside the war memorial.

Shelburne, McNutt’s Island

Blomefield Cast Iron 24-pounder 50-cwt Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, stamped 1831, (5,600 lbs+).  Originally mounted on a wooden carriage.  It was used to sound fog alarms.  Now resting on the rocks below its former site.

(Photos courtesy of Dennis Jarvis)

BL 10-inch M1888 Gun, (Serial No. 12 Watervliet), with the barrel mounted on a steel barbette carriage M1893 (Serial No. 11 Watervliet) rotating stand.  Dennis Jarvis indicates this  gun battery is located near the Cape Roseway Lighthouse on McNutt’s Island.  Apparently two American-made BL 10-inch M1888 guns on M1893 barbette carriages were allocated to the site, but only partial remains of (Serial No. 37), carriage (Serial No. 1) may be seen.  (A similar gun is preserved at Cape Spear, Newfoundland).  The guns had a range of 16 kilometers and were used in Fort Worden, Washington State during the First World War and brought to McNutt's Island in 1941.  The guns were garrisoned by the 104th Coast Artillery Battery.  They were part of Fort McNutt because of the threat of German submarine activity.  The Port of Shelburne had been designated as an alternate port to Halifax Harbour during the Second World War should Halifax have been rendered unserviceable.  The gun in emplacement No. 2 is in fair condition and still on its mount.  A total of eight 10-inch American ex-pats were located on the East Coast during the Second World War, including two at Prevel, Quebec, two at Cape Spear and two at Wiseman's Cove in Newfoundland, and two at Fort McNutt, Shelburne, Nova Scotia.

Breechloading Gun, type and Serial No. unknown.   The second gun on site appears to be a substantially smaller piece and is laying on the ground.

Sydney, Cape Breton Island

German First World War 17-cm mittlerer Minenwerfer, (17-cm mMW), possibly (Serial Nr. 1078), captured by the 43rd Battalion on 8 August 1918 at Dodo Wood SW of Demuin, France.

Trenton

4-inch/45 QF Mk. XVI* Twin Guns on a Mk. XIX mounting.  (IWM Photo, A 21143)

4-inch/45 QF Mk. XVI* Twin Guns on a Mk. XIX mounting, Steeltown Park.

Truro

German First World War 7.92-mm Maxim Spandau MG 08 Machinegun (Serial Nr. unknown), Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 26.  This weapon was likely captured ca 1918 by a Battalion of an Infantry Brigade in a Canadian Division with the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), in France.  Five machineguns were allocated to Truro, (Serial Nrs. 351, 4590, 5163, 5641 and 5829), and it may be one of these.

Wallace

German First World War 7.92-mm Maxim Spandau MG 08 Machinegun (Serial Nr. 5417).  This weapon was captured on 28 Aug 1918 by a Battalion of an Infantry Brigade in the 2nd Canadian Division, Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), in France.  The MG 08 stands at the cenotaph near St. John's United Church.  (East of Pugwash)

Whycocomagh, Cape Breton Island

(Photo courtesy of Scott Baltes)

(Ivan Smith Photos)

(Paul Henderson Photo)

American 90-mm M1A1 AA Gun, Whycocomagh Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 123.

Windsor, Fort Edward

Fort Edward National Historic Site, Hants County has the oldest and only original wood Block House preserved in North America.

Cast Iron 4-pounder Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, (1,400 lbs+), weight 4-1-7 (483 lbs), 4-feet, 6-inches long, ca. 1800 to 1820, No. 1 of 2, East of the blockhouse.

Cast Iron 4-pounder Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, (1,400 lbs+), 4-feet, 6-inches long, ca. 1800 to 1820, No. 2 of 2, West of the blockhouse.

Wolfville,  Acadia Univerity

(Acadia University Photo)

Bronze 6-pounder 6-cwt Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, weight unknown, (ca 600 lbs), inscribed TRIA JUNCTA IN UNO (three joined in one), (Serial No. unknown), left and right trunnions blank, Queen Victoria cypher, S. ECCLES 1853, No. 3 on the button.  On the chase is the Master General of Ordnance's (MGO) emblem for Fitzroy James Henry Somerset , the 1st Baron Raglan, MGO in 1852-55.  His highest award was the Order of Bath.  This British bronze gun has a 92-mm calibre.  Its length with the button is 1.64 metres and without the button is 1.53 metres.  The distance from the muzzle to the trunnion axis is 850-mm.  Trunnion axis length is 365-mm.  No. 1 of 2 guns stored with the University.

Bronze 6-pounder 6-cwt Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, weight unknown, (ca 600 lbs), inscribed TRIA JUNCTA IN UNO (three joined in one), (Serial No. unknown), left and right trunnions blank, Queen Victoria cypher, S. ECCLES 1853, No. 3 on the button.  On the chase is the Master General of Ordnance's (MGO) emblem for Fitzroy James Henry Somerset, the 1st Baron Raglan, MGO in 1852-55.  No. 2 of 2 guns stored with the University.

Yarmouth, 84th Independent Field Battery

(Author Photos, 5 Sep 2018)

Blomefield Cast Iron 24-pounder 50-cwt Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, weight corroded, (roughly 5,600 lbs), (L) on left trunnion (possibly Lowmoor), (Serial No. corroded) on the right trunnion, King George III cypher, broad arrow mark, mounted on a concrete stand, No. 1 of 2 in front of the Armoury.

(Author Photos, 5 Sep 2018)

Blomefield Cast Iron 24-pounder 50-cwt Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, weight corroded, (roughly 5,600 lbs), Samuel Walker & Company of Rotherham, England (WCo) on left trunnion, (Serial No. corroded) on the right trunnion, King George III cypher, broad arrow mark, mounted on a concrete stand, No. 1 of 2 in front of the Armoury.

(BK Hunters Photo)

(Author Photos, 5 Sep 2018)

Cast Iron 32-pounder 17-cwt Smoothbore Muzzleloading Carronade with a Blomefield pattern breeching ring, mounted on a wood stand, corner of Yarmouth County Museum.

(Author Photos, 5 Sep 2018)

105-mm C1A1 M2A2 Howitzer, CDN No. unknown.

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