Royal Canadian Artillery (RCA) Historic Photos
Royal Canadian Artillery - historic photos
(York Sunbury Historical Society, Fredericton Region Museum Collection, Author Photo)
1997.28.42. RCA badge, QC.
(Fredericton Region Museum Collection, Author Photo)
1997.28.488
(Canada) The Royal Horse Artillery - King George V cypher, Metal Cap Badge
The gun on the RCA badge is representative of a bronze 9-pounder 13½-cwt smoothbore muzzleloading gun, which was the field gun in service at the time of Canada's Confederation in 1867.
The photos on these pages have been gleaned from the Library and Archives Canada collection. Many of the photos were filed with detailed information missing from the caption section. This set of photos has been collated and compiled by the author with information added where photos can be compared with existing artillery. There are errors in some of the data, and any additions, corrections or amendments to this list of Artillery photos connected with Canadians 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
Artillery in Canada before the Great War
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3645646)
Personnel of the Digby Battery of Garrison Artillery, with 18-pounder Smoothbore Muzzleloading Guns with Millar pattern breeching ring, weight (more than 4,700 lbs), mounted on a wood naval gun carriage, Digby, Nova Scotia, 1885.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3394426)
18-pounder Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun with Millar pattern breeching ring, weight (more than 4,700 lbs), mounted on a wood naval gun carriage, Digby, Nova Scotia.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3394425)
Bronze SBMLs, York Factory, overlooking the Hayes River, Manitoba, 1925.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3245964)
Winter gun drill with a 9-pounder 8-cwt Muzzleloading Rifle, mounted on a horse-drawn sled, Quebec Citadel, Canada, 1885.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3645645)
9-pounder 8-cwt Muzzleloading Rifle with Artillery Officers of A Battery, RCA, 1874.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3192260)
9-pounder 8-cwt Muzzleloading Rifle, A Battery, RCA, 24 Apr 1885, Fish Creek, Saskatchewan, Riel Rebellion.
(Library and Archives and Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3192261)
9-pounder 8-cwt Muzzleloading Rifle, A Battery, RCA, shelling Batoche, 9 May 1885.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3228076)
.303-inch Colt 1895 machine-gun on a galloping carriage, 1887.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3404365)
.303-inch Colt 1895 machine-gun, field exercises, ca 1916.
Nordenfelt .45-inch 5-barrel Gun, Royal Marines, 1890. A similar gun is preserved in the Citadel in Halifax. (UK Gov, PD Photo)
.45-inch rifle calibre 5-barrel Nordenfelt Gun, preserved in the Citadel in Halifax. (Photos courtesy of Gary Melville)
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3574417)
9-pounder 8-cwt Muzzleloading Rifles, Northwest Mounted Police (NWMP) Artillery Detachment, D & H Divisions, Fort MacLeod, Alberta, 17 Dec 1890.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3300651)
9-pounder 8-cwt Guns, 13th Battery, Winnipeg, July 1905.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3397473)
A Bty, RCHA, Renfrew, Ontario, 3 June 1907.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3397487)
B Bty, RCHA, Renfrew, Ontario, 1909.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3397486)
9-pounder 8-cwt Gun, B Bty, RCHA, Renfrew, Ontario, 1909.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3397505)
12-pounder, Salisbury Plain, England, 1914.
(British Government Photo)
12-pounder 6-cwt BL Gun, ca, 1897. Note: British military traditionally denoted smaller ordnance by the weight of its standard projectile, in this case approximately 12 pounds (5.4 kg). "6-cwt" referred to the weight of the gun and barrel to differentiate it from other "12-pounder" guns. One hundredweight (cwt) = 112 pounds (51 kg), so the total weight was 672 pounds (305 kg).
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4234796)
12-pounder 6-cwt BL Gun drill, RCHA.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3394423)
Guns at Nepean Point, Ottawa.
Canadian Artillery in the First World War
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3667113)
Artillery recruiting poster, 1914-1918.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4316435)
Inspection of Canadian Field Artillery by His Majesty the King, Dominion Day, 1 July 1916.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3404495)
QF 2-pounder pom-pom Mk. VIII, V.S.M. (Vickers, Sons & Maxim LL) Automatic Guns and a Vickers MG at the Machine Gun School, Military District 10, 16 Dec 1916.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395208)
13-pounder AA Guns, Oct 1916.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3396811)
13-pounder AA Guns, May 1918.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3194240)
13-pounder AA Guns, Oct 1916.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3336980)
18-pounder Field Gun, Camp Valcartier, ca. 1914.
* For more detailed data on the QF 18-pounder Field Gun in Canadian service, Doug Knight's book can be reviewed free on the net here: https://archive.org/details/the-18-pounder-field-gun-in-canadian-service.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3404412)
Canadians training on 18-pounder field guns while wearing gas masks, Whitley, England.
(Library & Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN 3405482)
Ordnance QF 18-pounder QF Field Gun, RCA, ca. 1918.
(Library & Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4474053)
18-pounder Field Gun, 15 Apr 1915, CFA, No. 1 of 2.
(Library & Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4474053)
18-pounder Field Gun, 15 Apr 1915, CFA, No. 2 of 2.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3642847)
18-pounder QF Field Guns being inspected by Canada's Prime Minister, Sir Robert Borden, Bramshot, England, April 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395408)
18-pounder QF Field Gun mounted on a sled, 68th Bty, RCA, Northern Russia, Feb 1919.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3405480)
4.7-inch QF Mk. IV Gun, Canadian Artillery, 1915.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3405481)
4.7-inch QF Mk. IV Gun, Canadian Artillery, 1915.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3404392)
6-inch 26-cwt Howitzer, Canadian Gunners training at Whitley Camp, England, 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3404393)
6-inch 26-cwt Howitzer, Canadian Artillerymen training at Whitley Camp, England, 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395269)
Canadian gun in a ditch, on the way to firing line, July 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3522237)
60-pounder BL Mk. I Guns in action, Battle of Amiens, August 1918.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3336979)
60-pounder BL Mk. I Gun, Camp Valcartier, Quebec, ca. 1914.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3336982)
60-pounder BL Mk. I Gun, Camp Valcartier, Quebec ca. 1914.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3337050)
60-pounder BL Mk. I Gun, Camp Valcartier, Quebec, ca. 1914.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395355)
60-pounder BL Mk. I Gun on the move through a French village, Feb 1918.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3404888)
Canadian Artillery getting fodder from a forage dump for their horses, May 1918.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395690)
A soldier with his War Horse, Canadian Army Veterinary Corps, Shorncliffe, UK, ca 1918.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3194797)
Pack horses taking ammunition up to the guns of the 20th Bty, CFA, Neuville St. Vaast, France, Apr 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3667327)
Artillery recruiting poster, 1914-1918.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395274)
Vimy & its mother, born on the ridge, 20th Bty, CFA, July 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3522236)
60-pounder BL Mk. I Gun in action, Amiens, Aug 1918.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395317)
6-inch 26-cwt Howitzer, Passchendaele, Nov 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395301)
Corps tramways bringing ammunition for an 8-inch Mk. VI Howitzer (with unusual wheels), 4th Canadian Siege Battery, Souchez, France, Sep 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395379)
8-inch Mk. VI Howitzer being fired in the presence of Major-General S.C. Mewburn.
Sydney Chilton Mewburn, PC (December 4, 1863 – August 11, 1956) was a Canadian lawyer, soldier, and politician. Major-General S.C. Mewburn, Sir Robert Borden, and Sir A.E. Kemp. Born in Hamilton, Canada West, he was the Minister of Militia and Defence from 12 October 1917, to 15 January 1920, under Sir Robert Borden's Union Government in 1917. Mewburn was Commanding Officer (Colonel) of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (13th Royal Regiment as of 1910)[1] and served during the First World War, he was a Major General (and Adjutant-General) in the Canadian Army before his appointment as Minister of Militia in October 1917. He was later the Chair of the 1920 Canadian Battlefields Memorials Commission, which selected the site for the Vimy Memorial.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3517340)
8-inch Mk. VI Howitzer being hauled into position June 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3522153)
4.5-inch BL Mk. II Howitzer on a Mk. I Carriage, with Officers of the 48th Bty, CFA, June 1918.
* For more detail on the 4.5-nch Howitzer, have a look at the Handbook found on Doug Knight's page: https://archive.org/details/4.5-inch-howitzer-hdbk-1915/page/6/mode/2up.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3522087)
Canadian 8-inch Mk. VIII Howitzer Siege Gun firing into Lens, Jan 1918.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395340)
Canadian 8-inch Mk. VIII Howitzer, Jan 1918.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395341)
Canadian 8-inch Mk. VIII Howitzer (TBC), Jan 1918.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3521998)
Canadian 8-inch Mk. VIII Howitzer (TBC) being moved into position, France, May 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3517339)
Possibly a 6-inch Howitzer, being loaded for action in preparation for support to Canadian operations, April 1917. An 8-inch shell weighs about 200 lb and is a two or four man load. The loader in the photo is holding a shell - possibly a 6-inch (100-lb) shell, or a round for a 60-pounder. (Doug Knight)
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3521904)
Possibly a 6-inch Howitzer, being fired in support of Canadian operations, April 1917. It may also be a 60-pounder. (Doug Knight)
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395348)
9.2-inch Howitzer mounted in pieces on wagons near Lens, France, Feb 1918.
* For more detailed data on the 9.2-inch BL Howitzer Doug Knight's book can be reviewed free on the net here: https://archive.org/details/the-9.2-inch-coast-defence-gun-in-canadian-service.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395363)
Snow being shoveled from the barrel of a 9.2-inch Howitzer mounted in pieces on a wagon near Lens, Feb 1918.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395166)
Loading a 9.2-inch Howitzer, Sep 1916.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395167)
Loading a 9.2-inch Howitzer, Sep 1916.
In British Commonwealth service during the First World War the 9.2-inch Howitzer served only on the Western Front with 36 British, one Australian and two Canadian batteries. Batteries increased in size from four guns to six during 1916–17. Initially, batteries were in Heavy Artillery Groups – usually a single battery of 9.2-inch with the other four batteries being differently equipped. Mid-war Groups were renamed Brigades RGA, and there were different types but the pattern of a single 9.2-inch battery in a brigade was retained.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395191)
Heavy guns being moved forward in France, Oct 1916.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3405471)
Canadian Gunners moving a heavy gun into position at the front.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3405410)
Heavy Artillery, 8th Canadian Siege Bty, Nov 1918.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395164)
Heavy Howitzer in action, Sep 1916.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395180)
Loading a 9.2-inch Heavy Gun, Sep 1916.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395365)
Unloading shells for Canadian Heavy Artillery, March 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3397350)
RAF airman badly wounded while spotting for Canadian Artillery, September 1918.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395517)
Canadian Siege Gun crew with what may be a 9.2-inch Howitzer (TBC) taking a meal break, Apr 1918.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3522407)
12-inch Naval Howitzer, railway mounted, Nov 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3521913)
Large Naval Gun being prepared for action in support of Canadians carrying out the assault on Vimy Ridge, France, on 19 April 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3195150)
Large Naval guns being fired behind Canadian lines, April 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3521906)
Large Naval Gun in action supporting Canadians in assault on Vimy Ridge, April 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3521911)
Large Naval Gun in action supporting Canadians in assault on Vimy Ridge, April 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3194805)
Naval gun in action at night behind Canadian lines, May, 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395320)
Heavy Naval Guns being removed by Canadian Light Railway, Passchendaele, Nov 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3521927)
Naval gun in action behind Canadian lines, April 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No.3395305)
Naval gun repair behind Canadian lines, Oct 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395371)
Shells at a Canadian Heavy Artillery dump, May 1918.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395315)
.A 15-inch gun howitzer firing on the Canadian front, October, 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395346)
A 15-inch howitzer in action behind Canadian lines, Jan 1918.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3194244)
Canadians with an Ordnance BL 15-inch howitzer on the Western front, May 1917.
(IWM Photo H7568)
Ordnance BL 12-inch railway howitzer Mk III of 14th Super Heavy Battery, Royal Artillery, at Wareham, Dorset. Gunners of the 59th (Newfoundland) Heavy Regiment manned similar guns in the UK in 1941 in the Coastal Defence role.
(IWM Photo Q4280)
British BL 9.2 inch gun, Mk III or Mk VI HMS Iron Duke, mounted on Mk I railway truck, in action at Maricourt, France, during the Battle of the Somme, Sep 1916.
On 1 January 1940 two 9.2" guns of ‘Y’ Battery of the Canadian Royal Artillery and 7th Battery 2nd Super Heavy Regiment were sited at Elham in England for coastal defence. These were replaced by two 12" guns of the 8th Battery, 2nd Super Heavy Regiment in 1942. Three 9.2-inch guns served with the RCA in Halifax in the coastal defence role during the Second World War. In the 1950s, these Canadian guns were transferred under NATO auspices, to Portugal (Azores) and Turkey.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3194826)
British Railway Gun, Nov 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3397386)
Canadian officers interested in a large French Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1893/96 gun mounted on a railroad wagon, 1889 model center-pintle chassis mount, October 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3397388)
Canadian officers interested in a large French Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1893/96 gun mounted on a railroad wagon, 1889 model center-pintle chassis mount, October 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3397387)
Canadian officers interested in a large French Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1893/96 gun mounted on a railroad wagon, 1889 model center-pintle chassis mount, October 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3397389)
Canadian officers interested in a large French Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1893/96 gun mounted on a railroad wagon, 1889 model center-pintle chassis mount, October 1917.
(Raoul Berthelé Photo, City Archives of Toulouse)
Panoramic view of French Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1893/96 (named Anne) on a railway carriage at Mont-Notre-Dame (Aisne departement), France, 11 November 1917, 1914-1918 war. Two Marines pose on the enormous gun.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3404552)
Canadian trench mortar being loaded, 1st Army School, Clarques, Feb 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3521982)
Canadian trench mortar firing Jul 1917.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3379682)
General Sir Arthur Currie, unveiling the Memorial erected at Thelus Corner by Canadian Artillery in memory of Artillerymen who fell during the taking of Vimy Ridge. February, 1918.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3379683).
General Sir Arthur Currie, Canadian Corps Commander unveiling the Memorial at Thelus Corner, erected by Canadian Artillery in memory of Artillerymen who fell during the taking of Vimy Ridge. February, 1918. Sgt Walter Ray Estabrooks, the author's grandfather, attended this ceremony.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395250)
Loading ammunition behind Canadian lines, May 1917.
Canadian Artillery between the wars
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395977)
Ordnance QF 18-pounder gun salute near |Chateau Laurier, Ottawa.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3404640)
Ordnance QF 18-pounder Gun training, RMC, Kingston, Ontario.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4328843)
Ordnance QF 18-pounder Field Gun, being examined by RCA Cadets, ca 1945.
75-mm M1897 Gun being towed by a148th Field Artillery Regiment Battery E truck on parade at 1062 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC, 1 July 1938. (City of Vancouver Archives Photo CVA 371-1102)
Canadian Artillery in the Second World War
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3563835)
Ordnance QF 18-pounder Field Gun being examined by the Earl of Athlone, Governor General of Canada, during his visit to the 4th Fd Regt, RCA, Petawawa, Ontario, 1940.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4232664)
Ordnance QF 18-pounder Field Gun, Militia training, post war.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4232665)
Ordnance QF 18-pounder Field Gun, Militia training, post war.
(IWM Photo H540)
Ordnance BL 6-inch 26-cwt howitzer, manned by Royal Artillery gunners, Salisbury Plain, England, 1939.
(IWM Photo H14090)
Ordnance BL 6-inch 26-cwt howitzer, served by Royal Artillery gunners, Lydd, Kent, England, 20 Sep 1941.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3607065)
Ordnance BL 5.5-inch medium gun.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3607576)
Ordnance BL 6-inch 26-cwt howitzer on a Mark IP carriage, taken to England by the 1st Medium Regiment, RCA. Replaced by the 5.5-inch gun, it remained in service for training purposes during the Second World War.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3661962)
Observation Post, B Battery, 1st Regiment, 24 September 1943, Italy.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3405800)
Lance-Bombardier T. Hallam and Signalman A.H. Wharf, both of Headquarters, Royal Canadian Artillery (RCA), 5th Canadian Armoured Division, examining a knocked out German Mark IV tank, near Pontecorvo, Italy, 26 May 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada, MIKAN No. 3195690)
Canadian Military Pattern (CMP) Field Artillery Tractor (FAT), Windsor, Ontario, March 1941.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3202163)
Gunner E.G Westover, 4th Field Regiment, RCA, Ossendrecht, Netherlands, 23 Oct 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, 3524518)
Taylorcraft Auster AOP III, RAF, Orsogna, Italy, in support of the RCA, 10 Feb 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3524500)
Taylorcraft Auster AOP Mk. III, operating from the beach at Ortona, Italy in support of the RCA, 10 Feb 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4233446)
Canadina Army jeep, 2nd Division Artillery parade, post war.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3520587)
British 7.2-inch Howitzer of the Royal Artillery firing in support of the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade, France, 28 Jun 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3205394)
7.2-inch howitzer being fired on German positions, 28 June 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4233274)
1st Canadian Army heavy gun engaging a target.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3405577)
2-inch Mortar, Canadian Scottish Regiment, France, 12 June 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3524603)
2-inch Mortar training, NCO School, Ravenstein, Netherlands, 26 Jan 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3607517)
3-inch Mortar crew in training.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3191580)
3-inch Mortar in action in the Netherlands, Jan 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4233184)
3-inch Mortar, Canadian Mortar team, France, 1944.
(Library & Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4820939)
.5-inch Vickers Mk. III AA Machine Guns on a quad naval gun mount, ca 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3607690)
M3 Motor Gun Carriage Half-track with 75-mm Gun.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3574238)
M3 Motor Gun Carriage Half-track with 75-mm Gun, Larino, Italy, 20 Mar 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4233293)
Canadian Half-track in Normandy, France, 1944.
British 155-mm "Long Tom" gun of 33/61 Heavy Regiment, Royal Artillery, at Vergato, Italy. Gunners of the 59th (Newfoundland) Heavy Regiment made good use of this gun during the Second World War. One is now on display in St. Johns. (IWM Photo NA22470)
(Steve Cooney Photo)
American 155-mm American M2 Gun "Long Tom" on Mk. I Carriage, preserved in St. John's, Newfoundland. This 7-foot 2-inch long Heavy Gun came from Woolwich Artillery Park in the UK. It is one of only three survivors. Veterans of the 59th (Newfoundland) Heavy Regiment arranged for the Gun to brought to Newfoundland. The Gun has been restored and repainted under Nelson Sherren`s direction.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3262646)
Personnel of the 16th Field Company, Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE), arming a Universal Carrier which has been modified to carry fifteen PIAT anti-tank weapons fired by a single trigger, Nijmegen, Netherlands, 14 December 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3394508)
Gunner with gun aboard an unidentified defensively equipped merchant ship (DEMS), 1943.
Canadian Artillery in the Cold War
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4235756)
105-mm C1 Howitzer, live fire, Germany, 1964.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4235755)
105-mm C1 Howitzer, live fire, Germany, 1964.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4235774)
Live fire arty demo, Germany, 1964.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4235775)
Live fire arty demo, Germany, 1964.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4235904)
SSII Rockets on 3.4-ton truck.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4235712)
106-mm M40 Recoilless Rifle with a 50 cal spotter mounted on the top; mounted on a jeep, back in the day. The soldier kneeling on the left is armed with a 7.62-mm FNC2 and the Corporal on the right is armed with a 9-mm Sterling SMG.
Canadian soldiers fire a 155-mm M777 Howitzer from a forward operating base in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan, 7 April 2007. (Spc. Keith D. Henning, US Army Photo)
105-mm C3 Battery, 6 RAC firing in Quebec on 17 Oct 2015. (Guy Dallaire Photo)
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
...and for those interested in Canadian Armour:
Major Hal Skaarup has woven together an informative and detailed synopsis of the carefully preserved and restored armoured fighting vehicles on display in Canada. He highlights the importance of these upon key turning points in history when these AFVs were in use as tools of war at home and overseas. We often associate the evolution of military prowess with the advancement of sophisticated technology. Major Skaarup's descriptions of Canadian armour as it evolved to the level it has today reveals that military planners have had to be continuously creative in adapting to the changes in modern combat. They had to devise many intricate techniques, tactics and procedures to overcome the insurgents and opposition forces faced in Afghanistan and future overseas missions where Canadian armour will be brought into play. This guide book will show the interested reader where to find examples of the historical armour preserved in Canada, and perhaps serve as a window on how Canada's military contribution to safety and security in the world has evolved.
Lieutenant-General Steven S. Bowes
You may order the book "Ironsides" on line at these websites:
Order Book: http://bookstore.iuniverse.com/Products/SKU-000479183/Ironsides.aspx.
Order E-book: http://bookstore.iuniverse.com/Products/SKU-000479183/Ironsides.aspx.
Order book in Canada: http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Ironsides-Canadian-Armoured-Fighting-Vehicle-Harold-A-Skaarup/9781462034642-item.html?ikwid=harold+skaarup&ikwsec=Books
