1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery
The 1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery Regiment, RCA, is a Primary Reserve Royal Canadian Artillery (RCA) regiment. It is located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, at 73 Hobson Lake Drive near Bayer’s Lake. The unit consists of two batteries, the 51st Field Battery in Halifax and the 84thIndependent Field Battery located in Yarmouth.
1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery Regiment, RCA, is a Primary Reserve artillery regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces. As an Artillery unit, they train their members to provide indirect fire in the support of Canadian Army operations. Artillery Soldiers are responsible for surveillance, target acquisition, and indirect fire to engage the enemy. They also work to position, operate and maintain the guns and air defence weapon systems.
Artillery Officers provide indirect fire support, air defence, and surveillance and target acquisition in battle. In addition to field guns and rockets, missile systems and target acquisition systems, they are expected to become experts with a wide variety of technologically complex equipment. They are citizen soldiers who volunteer to defend Canada through our participation in military training on a full-time and part-time basis.
The “1st Halifax” was called out for active service at the outbreak of The First World War. The regiment was to remain on active service throughout the war, and to provide drafts of trained troops to assist in forming the 9thSiege Battery, and to provide replacements for other siege units in France. One draft helped to form No. 6 Company, Siege Artillery, which served in St. Lucia.
After the armistice, the Regiment returned to militia status. More name changes were to follow with the unit becoming the “1st Halifax Regiment, Canadian Garrison Artillery” on 2Feb 1920, and on 1 July 1925, the “1st Halifax Coast Brigade, Canadian Artillery”. It was under this name that the regiment was placed on active service in 1939. 87 Battery was authorized on 15 Aug 1939 as the ‘87th Field Battery, RCA’ through the disbandment and conversion to artillery of elements of ‘The King’s Canadian Hussars (Armoured Car)’ (originated 1 Dec 1903) and allocated to the 14th Field Brigade, RCA.
During the Second World War, the regiment was called upon to man the Halifax defences once again. As in the First World War, the Regiment was assigned the boring, but necessary task, of home defence. Throughout the war, the regiment sent troops to other units for service overseas. Another name change followed on 29 May 1942, when the regiment became the “1st ( Halifax) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA”. With a change from 3.7 inch guns of British design to 90mm American equipment, the regiment was re-named the “1st (Halifax) Medium Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA” on 22 Aug 1955.
The current designation of the “1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery Regiment, RCA” occurred on 1 Nov 1960, when the Regiment was issued 105mm howitzers and was amalgamated with the 36th Medium Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA of Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia. Today, the senior batteries of these two proud units, the 51st Field Battery, and the 87th Field Battery constitute the regiment, thus perpetuating units whose history includes the original Halifax Volunteer Artillery and the old King’s Canadian Hussars.(RRCA)
(Cold.Indrid Photo)
The 1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery (RCA), armoury located at 73 Hobson Lake Drive in Halifax, Nova Scotia.(
105-mm C1A1 M2A2 Howitzer, and a 9-inch 12-ton Mk. I Muzzleloading Rifle with Millar pattern breeching ring, one of the four recovered from the trench in front of the Halifax Armoury in 2011, on display in front of the Armoury.
(Author Photos)
Ordnance QF 25-pounder field gun with limber, inside the armoury.