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The
origin of the Halifax Volunteer Artillery cannot be easily determined. The
first non-permanent military force in Halifax was based on “levi-en-masse”.
This required that all male between 16 and 45 serve in defence of the
colony. Within a short time, businessmen saw a social relationship with
the military as a means of establishing business contacts. Entering the
military social sphere and forming “militia” units in which they and
their associates could purchase commissions accomplished this.
The
Halifax Volunteer Artillery was likely one of these units. The training of
volunteers in “specialist” trades allowed
for rapid augmentation of the British regulars, who were too few to man
all the guns in the Halifax defences. As
well, it is probable that a field battery was in existence in 1776.
The
first official recognition of the unit was recorded in Governor Sir John
Wentworth’s report to London in April 1791.
Wentworth had been ordered to raise a force of 1000 men to defend the
colony and reported that he had “700
good militia…including a battery of Artillery under Captain Tremaine”.
In addition, he had 1000 men in the
Nova Scotia Legion of Militia located in the Bay of Fundy area, which
included a company of “horse” and two
batteries of artillery.
The
Halifax Battery in Wentworth’s report continued to serve throughout the
Napoleonic era. Meanwhile, with the re-organization of the colony’s
defence forces, Halifax now had five regiments, each of five companies.
One of these,
the 1st Halifax
Regiment of Militia, included the Halifax Volunteer Artillery. Halifax
gunners served under this
name until June 14th, 1865, when
the “1st
Brigade of Halifax Militia
Artillery” was formed. Later in 1866, the
Brigade was tasked to man the forts surrounding Halifax. Six batteries
were assigned to join British regulars, and
300 men took their place along side the RA gunners, ensuring that all guns
were manned. The remaining four
batteries were designated to form a reserve in the Citadel. On September
10th, 1869, the three
militia artillery brigades
in Halifax were amalgamated to form the Halifax Brigade of Garrison
Artillery, which, on December 9th,
1870, was designated the
“1st Halifax
Brigade of Garrison Artillery”. In 1885, two batteries of this unit
served in
the northwestern Rebellion. The next few years were to see changes once
again, the unit becoming the “1st
Battalion, Garrison
Artillery” in April, 1892, and two years later on December 28th, 1893, the “1st
Halifax Regiment
of Garrison Artillery”.
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 9th
Siege 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 February 2nd,
1920, and on July 1st, 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 August 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
December 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 World
War I, 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 May 29th, 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 August 22nd,
1955.
The
current designation of the “1st
(Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery
Regiment, RCA” occurred on November 1st, 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. |
