Standing Orders - Chapter 10
A Condensed History of The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, 1793-1998

1001. Introduction

1. The purpose of this document is to provide readers with an overview of the history of The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery. The official regimental history is Colonel G.W.L. Nicholson’s The Gunners of Canada at reference A. Colonel Nicholson’s work is more than an excellent history. It is a reminder to all Canadian Gunners of the “tradition of high resolve and dedicated service” which The Royal Regiment requires. It is hoped that this brief look at the story of The Royal Regiment will encourage you to further study, which should include The Gunners of Canada as a necessary reference. Annex A to this chapter contain brief unit histories of each of the currently serving regiments, independent batteries and the Artillery School.

2. A study of The Royal Regiment’s past brings out three points which are critically important and which the reader should bear in mind. The first of these is the interplay between the Reserve (or Militia) Gunner and his Regular Force counterpart. The task of providing training support to the Militia Gunner has been an important peacetime role of the Regular Force artillery. Secondly, Canadians seem to possess a particular aptitude for Gunnery. We like to compete, and good Gunnery is competitive: from the race against a time to be ready, to the race to see which gun will be first out of action when “cease firing” is ordered. We like excitement and personal challenge and it’s there. Thirdly, the very best Gunners have never regarded the business as a job. To men like Major-General T.B. Strange, Major-General C.W. Drury and General A.G.L. McNaughton, the artillery was much more than a job. These men were professionals dedicated to the profession of serving the guns advancing the organization and technical expertise of the Royal Regiment, and promoting a high esteem and confidence of other arms in the artillery.

1002. Battle Honours and Colours

1. The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery has two mottos: “Ubique” (Everywhere) and Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt” (Whither Right and Glory Lead). The first motto “Ubique” takes the place of all battle honours in recognition of the artillery’s service in all battles and campaigns. These honours were approved by His Majesty King George V in 1926, who in 1920 honoured the RCA by becoming its Honorary Colonel Commandant, and later in 1929, its Colonel-in-Chief. In 1952, His Majesty King George VI became Captain-General the Royal Canadian Artillery. No other Canadian corps can claim this distinction, which has been carried on by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

2. In the old days, regiments of cavalry and infantry were wont to rally on their colours in battle. The Artillery, on ceasing to carry colours, rallied on its guns. After the Crimean War, Queen Victoria permitted the Royal Artillery the unique distinction of using its guns as its colours. In this connection, quotation of an early regulation is of interest: Regulation and Orders for the Active Militia of the Dominion of Canada 1870: “A Battery of Artillery with its guns is equivalent to a Battalion with its colours, and is to be saluted accordingly”.

1003. Early Militia Artillery 1636-1870

1. The tradition of the “citizen soldier” dates from the earliest settlement of this country. The French Crown provided no regular soldiers in Canada until 1665. As early as 1636 there is a record of “The Company of One Hundred Associates” being organized for defence against the Indians. This company procured some artillery pieces from ships that arrived in the colony. Even after the arrival, in 1665, of the Carignan-Salières Regiment, guns and Gunnery remained largely the business of the settlers under the guidance of infantry soldiers. Guns were not prominent in warfare against the Indians because of their lack of mobility in a country possessing such poor roads. Instead guns were found defending established centres. The first really notable use of artillery by Canadians took place at Quebec in 1690. The settlers manned gun batteries under the direction of Jacques Le Moyne, a Canadian officer, and did good service in assisting in the repulse of Sir William Phipps’ attack on the city.

2. The Royal Artillery presence in Canada dates from at least 1745 when a train of the Royal Artillery was stationed in Louisbourg after its capture in that year. It played a prominent part in the battles with the French for control of the country. From the time of the conquest until 1855, the defence of Canada rested mainly with the British regulars garrisoned here, but, like the French, they also had to rely on Canadian assistance. All Canadian men between 16 and 60 were liable to be called up for military service in an emergency. Canadians saw service in 1775-1776, the War of 1812 and the rebellions of 1837. Normally, however, the Canadian commitment entailed nothing more than an annual muster parade. Enthusiasm varied from place to place and some localities organized their own militia units. One such unit, “The Loyal Company of Artillery”, was formed in 1793 at Saint John, New Brunswick. This unit is perpetuated in Saint John today by the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment RCA. Colonel Nicholson points out that this is “not only the oldest artillery unit in Canada, but also the third oldest in the British Commonwealth”.

3. The Militia Act of 1855, passed by the Parliament of the United Provinces of Canada, was a milestone in Canadian military history. Faced with the withdrawal of British troops for the Crimea, Canadians now had to be more actively involved in their own defence. The Act provided for the creation of a five thousand man force which included seven batteries of artillery. The batteries were to undergo twenty days of training per year, ten of which had to be consecutive. Batteries were formed at Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa, Kingston, and Hamilton. Three of these units are perpetuated by batteries serving today as sub units of field artillery regiments: the 2nd Field Battery in Ottawa, the 7th Field Battery in Montreal and the 11th Field Battery (Hamilton-Wentworth) in Hamilton.

4. The period between 1855 and Confederation was one in which interest in military matters remained high because of the Crimean War, the American Civil War, and the threats, real and imagined, which the latter posed for Canada. The Fenian raids of 1866 saw the militia being called out for service but the role of the artillery was limited. In fact, the most notable engagement fought by the artillery was one in which the Welland Canal Field Battery, acting as infantry, defended Fort Erie against the Fenian force returning from their success at Ridgeway. Their gallant stand was doomed from the start, the Gunners being greatly outnumbered, and they were eventually forced to surrender but not before they inflicted more casualties on the enemy than had the infantry in the Ridgeway debacle.

5. After Confederation, the Dominion Parliament moved quickly to improve Canada’s organization for defence. A Militia Bill, passed in 1868, authorized an Active Militia strength of 40,000 men. Essentially, the terms of the bill extended the militia system then in effect in Ontario and Quebec to the two new provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. By 1870 there were 10 field batteries and some 30 batteries of garrison artillery. In Britain, the pressure to make self-governing colonies responsible for their own defence was particularly high, and, in 1871, all the British troops in Canada, with the exception of the Halifax and Esquimalt garrisons, were withdrawn.

1004. The Formation of Canada’s Permanent Force – 1871

1. The permanent element of The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery originated on 20 October 1871 with the formation of A and B Batteries of Garrison Artillery in Kingston and Quebec City respectively. These two batteries represent the creation of Canada’s Permanent (Regular Force) Army. These batteries also functioned in the early years as Schools of Gunnery. The schools soon provided the Militia artillery with a leaven of well-trained NCOs and gunners. Owing to this, the Artillery established itself as the most efficient branch of the Canadian Militia Service and acquired a pride in itself that it has never ceased to possess.

2. On 10 August 1883, with the authorization of C Battery, the Regiment of Canadian Artillery came into being. The battery was manned in Victoria in 1887. The men of C Battery are believed to be the first troops to complete the trans-Canada crossing on the Canadian Pacific Railway. On 24 May 1893, the regiment was granted the distinction “Royal” and a few months later was reorganized into two batteries of Royal Canadian Field Artillery and two companies of Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery. With this change, C Battery became temporarily dormant, its personnel forming the nucleus of one of the garrison artillery companies. The Non-Permanent Active Militia (NPAM) component of the Royal Regiment was granted the prefix “Royal” in 1935.

3. On 1 September 1905, the Royal Canadian Field Artillery was formed into the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (RCHA). These, the original batteries of the Permanent Force artillery, are perpetuated today as A, B and C Batteries, 1st Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, based in Shilo, Manitoba.

1005. Formation of the North West Mounted Police – 1873

Canadian Gunners claim a close kinship with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) through the formation of the North West Mounted Police (NWMP). In the autumn of 1873, Lieutenant-Colonel (later Major-General Sir) George A. French, the first Commandant of A Battery Garrison Artillery, was appointed as the first Commissioner of the North West Mounted Police. Together with 32 Gunners of A and B Batteries, he formed the nucleus of the new police force. Thus the RCA became in a sense a parent of the RCMP. With French were 15 Non-Commissioned Officers, including a Sgt Steele (later Major-General Sir Sam Steele) from A Battery. Steele was soon commissioned and held a high post in the NWMP during the Yukon Gold Rush of 1898. Steele then returned to service with the Canadian Army as the first Commanding Officer of the Lord Strathcona Horse, leading them throughout the South African War.

1006. The Father of Canadian Artillery

1. French’s Colleague, Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Bland (“Jingo”) Strange, the first Commandant of B Battery Garrison Artillery, rose to the rank of Major-General and became Dominion Inspector of Artillery. Strange, known as the “Father of Canadian Artillery”, was instrumental in forming the Canadian Artillery Association which provided a uniform system of inspection. Participation in nation-wide firing competitions, inaugurated by the Association, was shortly extended to meets held in Shoeburyness, England, where Canadian Militia artillery teams became strong competitors for the coveted British awards. These tournaments increased not only the efficiency but also established a magnificent esprit-de-corps in the several independent units, an esprit-de-corps that continues in The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery to this day.

2. His autobiography, Gunner Jingo’s Jubilee, offers a fascinating series of glimpses into the early years of the Regiment’s permanent force component - “When the last British Legionary departed, mine was the task to form its first guard of Canadian Artillery. The evacuation had been so rapid, only a few days elapsed between my arrival and the embarkation of the British garrison, scant time to enlist, arm, uniform and drill the first new guard of the Citadel. ” Equipment for the Quebec garrison would have been a problem had it not been for Strange’s rather direct manner. The Government of Canada had expected to inherit all the garrison stores but the British Government sold everything down to and including the bedsteads to local merchants. Strange solved this by not allowing them into the Citadel to get their purchases. The arms, ammunition and uniforms were taken over from the Quebec Volunteer Artillery. With drills and practises, Strange quickly brought his garrison into shape. He held his Canadians in very high regard and the sentiment was eagerly returned.

3. As Dominion Inspector, Strange visited all artillery units and his inspections were of the most searching nature, as his numerous reports disclose. He was quick to perceive that the training and efficiency of the artillery left much to be desired and he began overhauling the Regiment by first ensuring that his own house was in order. His methods were spartan in their severity. Long snowshoe marches and manoeuvres in the middle of winter were frequently conducted, with artillerymen bivouacking in 35-pound light cotton 15-man tents. Colonel C.E. Long has described the methods used by “Jingo” to test alertness and efficiency at Quebec by night firing:

“The alarm would be sounded during the night...when all hands would stand to. God help the poor individual who was not at his post, at the guns of the Citadel, or knew not his duties, when the Commandant was making his inspection at a few minutes after the alarm has sounded.”

1007. The North West Rebellion – 1885

1. Canadian Gunners made a name for themselves from their very beginning. The first action by the Permanent Force batteries was during the North West Rebellion of 1885. In addition to A and B Batteries, many Militia artillery units participated in this action. The Winnipeg Field Battery, later designated the 13th Winnipeg Field Battery, supplied two 9-pounder Rifled Muzzle-Loading (RML) guns, and 49 officers and men. Four hundred members of the Montreal Brigade of Garrison Artillery took up positions in Regina, and representatives of the Ottawa Field and the Quebec and Maritime Garrison units were actively employed.

2. On 27 March 1885, A and B Batteries received orders to proceed west on active service. Under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel C.E. Montizambert, the two batteries left Renfrew, Ontario by rail for Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan. On reaching Qu’Appelle, the two batteries split. A Battery, with two 9-pounder RML cannon and a Gatling machine gun, under the command of Capt C.W. Drury, went north to join Sir Frederick Middleton’s column. B Battery, with two NWMP 7-pounder smooth bore muzzle loading cannon and a Gatling machine gun, under the command of Major C.J. Short, went west to Swift Current to join Lieutenant-Colonel William D. Otter’s force. B Battery would soon regret having traded in their 9-pounder RMLs for the 7-pounders. They had done so believing that the lighter 7-pounders would be easier to transport. Unfortunately, the light gun carriages tended to collapse when the guns were fired.

3. More interesting than the actual details of the battles in the rebellion were the hardships that the troops endured in the trip west. William Van Horne of the CPR had promised full support to move all the troops from the East to the prairies. He guaranteed to deliver them to Fort Qu’Appelle within 11 days in spite of the 105 miles of gaps in the railroad north of Lake Superior. He kept his word, and it was because of the railroad that the uprising was quelled as quickly as it was. The artillery was the first to leave. Rails had to be put down on ice and snow wherever possible, and where this wasn’t possible the men rode in sleighs or walked. The trip has been described by a member of one battery:

“We had to march, tramp and haul through snow five feet deep - some days below zero - catching on half completed gaps of line, entraining and disentraining (sic) in midst of bush, wood, snow or frozen swamp, day and night, till we passed the northern end of Lake Superior to Port Arthur, crossing frozen areas of the lake. (Once the mounted men rode out towards the lake for hours, the guide having lost the way); sleeping one night in an empty schooner frozen in the lake; always haunted with the 9-pounders with their carriages and equipment (sleigh and wheel); this was the hardship of the campaign”.

4. A Battery was the first to see action at Fish Creek on 24th April, firing over the heads of the infantry, while elements of the battery fought with distinction in an infantry role. The battery suffered casualties of 3 killed and 12 wounded in its first action. A Battery would go on to fight in the battle at Batoche. B Battery fought its first battle at Cut Knife on 2 May. Successfully beating off determined attacks against its gun positions, the battery had casualties of 4 wounded. During the encounter, one of the 7-pounders was out of action with a collapsed trail after its first shot. Brevet-Captain (later Major-General) Rutherford rigged the second carriage with rope and a prayer in an effort to prevent this, but the cannon had to be lifted back onto its frail carriage after each firing. The Battle of Cut Knife marked the first use of the machine gun by Canadian soldiers and the last time in Canadian history that bows and arrows, with which some of the younger braves were armed, were employed in battle.

1008. The Yukon Field Force 1898 – 1899

The discovery of gold in the Yukon in 1896 had generated a rush of miners and speculators. In 1898, in order to support the NWMP in maintaining law and order, an Order-in-Council authorized the formation of the Yukon Field Force. The 203-man force was mainly constituted of 133 soldiers from The Royal Regiment of Canadian Infantry and 46 Gunners of the Royal Canadian Artillery (14 from Kingston and 32 from Quebec). After tremendous difficulties, the Force finally reached their two main destinations, Fort Selkirk and Dawson City, in September and October respectively. The Force, commanded by Lt Col T.D.B. Evans, carried out garrison duties and other tasks normally done by police and customs officers.

1009. The South African War 1899-1902

1. During the interval between the rebellion and the South African War the Regiment, under the tutelage of Major (later Major-General) C.W. Drury, became considerably more modernized. Drury, on a posting to Britain, had paid particular attention to new developments in fire discipline and technical improvements. As Commandant of the Deseronto Camp, he injected considerably more realism into training, and by stressing competitions, spurred the militia gunners on to greater efficiency. His contributions were to earn him the name of “Father of Modern Artillery in Canada.” The Regiment owes him a great deal. He brought it into the modern era and, in a real sense, gave it the groundwork of knowledge which it would require at the beginning of World War I. The period was one in which great strides were being made in the development of artillery, and the Canadian share was the acquisition of 12-pounder breech-loading guns, which were available for range practice in 1897.

2. Shortly after the outbreak of the war between Great Britain and the Boer Republics of the Transvaal and Orange Free State, public pressure led to the dispatch of two Canadian contingents to South Africa. Three batteries of field artillery, armed with 12-pounders were brigaded as part of the Second Contingent. The three artillery batteries designated C, D and E concentrated respectively at Kingston, Ottawa and Quebec. Each battery was formed from members of the Royal Canadian Artillery (permanent force) with the remaining personnel coming from local militia units. In command of the Brigade was Lt Col C.W. Drury.

3. The South African War was frustrating in some respects for Canadian gunners. The nature of the war did not permit the grouping of the batteries under Drury’s headquarters. The war did, however, teach some valuable lessons. Indirect fire techniques, for example, were spurred by the actions of this war. Boer marksmanship has been cited as the motivating factor but, in fact, the widespread use of the rifle in any hands would have been enough to end the older tactic of galloping up and engaging the enemy over open sights.

4. C Battery formed part of the Rhodesian Field Force and took part in the relief of Mafeking and then in operations in the western Transvaal. D and E Batteries originally formed part of Carnarvon Field Force and then assumed line of communications duties on the main railway line to Kimberly. Later E Battery formed part of the Gruiqualand column and suffered one killed and eight wounded in action at Faber’s Putt. E Battery had the heaviest battle casualties of all three batteries: the total for the campaign being one man killed and eleven wounded in action.

5. D Battery joined Lord Roberts’ main army in operations on the east Transvaal. It was at Leliefontein that a historic and successful rear-guard action was fought by a handful of Royal Canadian Dragoons and the left section of D Battery (the Gunners under the command of Lieutenant (later Major-General) E.W.B. Morrison of the 2nd Ottawa Field Battery). They defended against an attack by some 200 Boers who had charged to within 70 yards of their position. Three of the Dragoons were awarded the Victoria Cross for this action. Lieutenant Morrison was awarded the DSO. The gun involved now rests in the Canadian War Museum. The following is an excerpt from the Supplementary Report, Organization, Equipment, Dispatch and Services of the Canadian Contingents during the War in South Africa 1899-1900" from OC D Battery, RCFA to CC Brigade Division RCFA, dated 9 March 1901:

“It was soon evident that the Boers had heavily reinforced since yesterday. Col Lessard with The Royal Regiment Canadian Dragoons and two Royal Canadian Guns, the latter under Lt Morrison, covered the rear, and I have no praise too high for the devoted gallantry they all showed in keeping the enemy off the convoy and infantry.”

“In a telegram congratulating Gen Smith-Dorrien on the success of his operations, Lord Roberts said: ‘Col Lessard with his Canadians had a difficult task in guarding the rear of your return march and deserves great credit as do all who were with him.’”

“Gen Smith-Dorrien subsequently recommended Lt Morrison for ‘some special mark of Her Majesty’s favour for the skill and coolness with which he worked and finally saved his guns’. He was duly awarded the Distinguished Service Order.”

“During the two day’s fighting the section expended 240 rounds ammunition.”

6. In the Regular Force the service and traditions of C, D, and E Batteries are perpetuated by the RCHA batteries with the same designation. Because of the size of the contribution of the 7th Battery at St Catharines, its logical successor, 10th Battery, 56th Field Regiment RCA, perpetuates the South African service of C Battery in the Reserve Force. For the contribution of a battery commander, a gun section and their distinguished conduct at Leliefontein, 2nd Field Battery of 30th Field Regiment RCA perpetuates in the reserve force the South African service of D Battery.

7. The most rewarding aspect of the Royal Canadian Artillery’s first overseas service was the increased recognition which now came from the Canadian and Imperial governments not only in the form of increased appropriations but also an awareness of the excellence achieved by the Regiment.

1010. Turn of the Century - The Pre-War Years

1. 1906 ended a long chapter in Canadian and British military history. In addition to A and B Batteries, there were now five companies of Garrison Artillery in the Canadian Permanent Force. These were formed in 1905 and 1906 to take the place of the departing British in the garrisons at Halifax and Esquimalt. Many of the Gunners of the withdrawing British batteries took their leave from the Imperial Army to serve with the new Canadian units. In 1905 there was a re-organization of the militia artillery grouping the batteries into ten brigades.

2. Among the most significant developments prior to the First World War from the Royal Regiment’s point of view was the acquisition of the large new training area at Petawawa. The familiar peacetime routine of summer practice camps for the militia artillery, presided over by the regular gunners, once again became a feature of Canadian artillery training. Petawawa gave these practices a scope never before possible. There would soon be new 13 and 18 pounders with their modern recoil and sighting systems. Indirect fire became a regular feature of practice.

3. While their numbers were small, the training of Canadian gunners in the years preceding the war was essentially good. The equipment was up-to-date, indeed, the 18-pounder would remain in service until early in the Second World War. Tactically, the size of the Petawawa ranges allowed scope for manoeuvre, and the indirect fire procedure, with its requirements for meteorology and other technical considerations such as communications and range-finding, became familiar to Canadians.

4. Changes in techniques and equipment stemmed largely from experiences gained in South Africa. Previous to this campaign, guns had not normally been specifically allotted in support of a particular arm. With the redesignation of the Royal Canadian Artillery Field Brigade to the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (RCHA) Brigade in 1905, a British practice was adopted. It was decided that in future, horse artillery batteries would gallop with the cavalry while field batteries would support the more slowly moving infantry. Orders were placed in the United Kingdom for 13-pounder quick-firing (Q.F.) guns for the RCHA, and 18-pounder Q.F. guns for the Militia field artillery.

5. The term “quick-firing” was applied to a gun that fired fixed ammunition, and was also equipped with a recoil mechanism. Fixed ammunition for guns had come into use in the early 1890’s, after the silk cloth bag which contained the charge (propellant) had been replaced in certain breech-loading guns by a brass cartridge case which expanded when fired and thus acted as a seal for the gases at the breech. This innovation made it possible for guns of small calibre to have the cartridge case joined to the projectile, and the resulting “fixed ammunition” materially speeded up the process of loading.

6. The 13- and 18-pounders themselves were a composite of an Armstrong wire-wound gun (barrel and breech) mated to a Vickers recoil system, and sighting and elevation gear made in the Royal Ordnance factories. Both guns fired shrapnel and high explosive rounds. The lack of a wire cutting capability was a concern, as the fuzes in use at the time lacked an instantaneous action, resulting in the round burying itself in the earth before exploding. The blast and fragments would be projected into the air, with minimal damage to objects along the surface. The problem was solved with the introduction of the No. 106 instantaneous fuze at Vimy Ridge in 1917.

7. The 18-pounder entered service on the coat tails of political controversy. Trials of the first four batteries of guns to be completed were carried out in 1903, and these showed both the new pieces to be satisfactory. But before the British Equipment Committee made its final recommendation to adopt the 13-pounder for the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) and the heavier gun for field artillery, problems arose in the House. One member suggested that the 18-pounder was not sufficiently superior in performance to the lighter weapon to justify the expense of producing two different equipments where one might do. The indecision that resulted, ended only when the Prime Minister, Mr. Balfour, cast the deciding vote in favour of retaining the 18-pounder. His choice would be amply vindicated in the First World War when almost 100 million rounds of 18-pounder ammunition were fired in comparison with 1.5 million 13-pounder rounds. Both types of gun would be used by Canada’s artillery in the First World War.

1011. The First World War 1914-1918

1. Of approximately 44,000 Gunners who enlisted during the First World War, some 38,000 served overseas. The remainder served in depots, coastal batteries and as instructors at the Gunnery schools. By the end of the war in 1918, Canada had produced for service five divisional artilleries, an army field brigade, an anti-aircraft battery and three brigades of garrison artillery (including two heavy batteries). The RCHA Brigade, first under Lieutenant-Colonel Panet and later under Lieutenant-Colonel W.H.P. Elkins, was part of the Canadian Cavalry Brigade. This brigade served in the Canadian Corps and also in the Indian and British Cavalry Corps. Two Canadian field batteries served in North Russia and one in Siberia, fighting the Bolsheviks into 1919. A coastal defence company garrisoned the Island of St Lucia in the British West Indies.

2. The main armaments used by Canadian Gunners during the war were: the 13-pounder with the RCHA; the 18-pounder and 4.5-inch howitzer in the field artillery; the 13-pounder mounted on a truck in the anti-aircraft artillery; and 60-pounder, 6-inch, 8-inch and 9.2-inch heavy guns in garrison, heavy and siege artillery companies. There were also two heavy Trench Mortar batteries using 9.45-inch mortars and four light Trench Mortar batteries with 6-inch Newton mortars.

3. The gas attack at Ypres, the battles of the Somme, Passchendaele, Amiens, Arras, Cambrai and Mons mark the road trodden by Canadian Gunners, but in no battle did they shine more than at Vimy Ridge in April, 1917, where great sacrifice reaped national honour. It is safe to say that no British offensive up to that time was as carefully planned as the forthcoming attack by the Canadian Corps.

4. “The artillery conquers and the infantry occupies.” This was the principle underlying the plans for the assault on the hitherto impregnable German positions on Vimy Ridge. Experience at the Somme had shown the necessity of thorough artillery preparation against strong defences. This time, however, there was no intention of trying to demolish all of the enemy’s trenches. Instead of totally destroying the German wire entanglements, except in the foremost areas, the fire of medium guns, using the new No.106 instantaneous fuze on high explosive shells, would cut lanes through the wire for the assaulting infantry. The preliminary bombardment would be directed against trench junctions, concrete machine-gun emplacements, and other strongpoints, tunnel entrances, and dugouts; in the rear, road junctions, ammunition dumps, and light railways would receive particular attention. Harassing fire had proved its value at the Somme; it would now be employed each night to ensure that the enemy’s relieving troops or carrying parties could use no avenue of approach to their trenches with impunity. Counter battery (CB) work, the organization and development of which was due largely to the efforts of Lieutenant-Colonel (later General) A.G.L. McNaughton, would seek out and neutralize hostile guns to an extent far greater than in any previous operation.

5. General McNaughton must rank as the greatest Gunner this country has ever produced, but to see him only in this light is an injustice to him. His greatness spanned many fields of endeavour. His overriding purpose in life was the welfare of Canada - completely - and this ran through everything he did. His devotion to his country was the most outstanding thing about him. The CB field was a new one, and McNaughton with his scientific background was one of the few officers in either the British or Canadian Armies who was farsighted enough to see the possibilities of flash spotting and sound ranging. Under his command, the CB organization of the Canadian Corps was moulded into the most efficient organization of its type in any army. At a time when casualties were measured in thousands per day, McNaughton’s insistence on total and continuous support by Canadian guns undoubtedly saved thousands of Canadian infantry.

6. Overall command of the artillery in the operation was vested in the General Officer Commanding Royal Artillery (GOC RA), Canadian Corps, Brigadier E.W.B. Morrison. Total heavy artillery at the Corps level numbered one hundred and four 6-inch howitzers, thirty-six 8-inch howitzers, thirty-six 9.2-inch howitzers, four 12-inch howitzers, three 15-inch howitzers, fifty-four 60-pounder guns and eight 6-inch guns.

7. The Commanders Royal Artillery (CRAs) of the four Canadian divisions, in addition to their own guns, had under their command a number of British artillery formations for the operation. These included four more divisional artilleries, seven army field artillery brigades (i.e. regiments) and a brigade of the RHA. The total amount of field artillery available to the four divisions numbered four hundred and eighty 18-pounders, twenty 13-pounders (A & B Batteries RCHA with C and K Batteries RHA), one hundred and thirty-eight 4.5-inch howitzers and twenty-four 9.45-inch trench mortars.

8. During the thirteen days of the preliminary bombardment, over 85,000 rounds of heavy and 190,600 rounds of field ammunition were fired. During Phase II (2-8 April), a period called by the enemy “the week of suffering”, an unceasing flow of shells of all calibres poured over the heads of the Canadians in the forward trenches. By the morning of the assault (9 April), more than a million rounds, with a total weight of 50,000 tons had battered the German positions into a cratered wilderness. The counter battery fire - 125,900 rounds in the week before 9 April - attended to 83% of an estimated 212 German guns.

9. During the assault itself, Canadian Gunners put into action nine captured enemy artillery pieces, in addition to their own guns. The Vimy operation remains a classic example of the deliberate break-in against strong prepared positions, and the ability of the assaulting forces to consolidate and hold what they had gained. Vimy set a new standard in the artillery’s readiness to deal effectively with strong enemy counter-attacks after the infantry’s successful capture of their objectives.

10. A stunt that Canadian Gunners would use with effect during the Second World War may have originated at Vimy as a defence against German counter battery measures. It was known that the German artillery was using a prominent church spire behind the Canadian lines as a registration point. The tower was carefully dismantled one dark night and then rebuilt exactly as it had been before, but on a new site far enough away to throw all guns registering on it several degrees off their targets.

11. The price of victory during the First World War was high. Canada suffered 232,494 battle casualties, including 10,097 Gunners. Of the 59,544 fatalities, 2,031 were Gunners. The addition of 534 artillerymen who died of disease, injury or accident brought the total Canadian artillery fatalities to 2,565. The record of decorations won by Canadian Gunners during the conflict included 93 awards of the Distinguished Service Order, 308 Military Crosses, 195 Distinguished Conduct Medals and 1,170 Military Medals. An additional 658 Canadian Gunners were mentioned in dispatches and a number were awarded foreign decorations.

12. The war of 1914-1918 would contribute significantly to the growth and efficiency of the RCA. The intimate cooperation between artillery and infantry, which is the first requisite of modern war found no better example than in the productive relationship which existed between the Gunners and their supported arms within the Canadian Corps. General Currie sought at all times to exploit gun power to the limit for the purpose of saving infantrymen’s lives. In the final two years of the war, when the serious shortage of artillery ammunition no longer existed, Canadian Gunners were unsparing in their expenditure of ammunition to give the assaulting infantry adequate support.

1012. The Inter-War Period 1919 – 1938

1. The First World War was to place very definite limitations on the role of horse artillery. In 1918 the Canadian Government would reverse the decision taken by Prime Minister Balfour in 1903 (in favour of two different types of light artillery). The returning Canadian Contingent would not bring back its 13-pounders. The Defence Department made the 18-pounder the uniform post-war arm for both horse and field artillery in Canada.

2. The “war to end all wars” philosophy which pervaded public thinking after the war, resulted in political indifference for matters military, creating a climate in which there was little support for the spending of funds on defence. It was decided to maintain a nucleus of young officers, Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) and specialists around which expansion could be quickly effected in the event of an emergency. Thus, between the two World Wars, the Permanent Force artillery was small and consisted of the RCHA Brigade, a medium battery, coastal elements and two Schools of Artillery. The RCHA Brigade with A and B Batteries was located at Kingston together with the 3rd Medium Battery and the 4th Anti-Aircraft (AA) Battery. C Battery, RCHA Brigade was located at Winnipeg.

3. During the 1920’s the authorized number of Non-Permanent Active Militia artillery batteries increased from 59 to 121. They trained at local headquarters every winter and spent a week at practice camp in the summer. Units were small, usually under strength, but keen, judging by the enthusiasm shown by most at the annual competitions fostered by the Royal Canadian Artillery Association (RCAA). Camps were conducted by the RCHA and the Schools of Artillery, and were held at Petawawa, Shilo and Sarcee.

4. In 1924 the Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery (RCGA) dropped the word “Garrison” from its name. At the same time, companies were renamed batteries of the RCA. Various Militia units underwent nomenclature changes, and the terms CFA and CGA disappeared from Militia lists.

5. In 1929, the inevitable but sad day arrived, when the RCA was informed that it was to become mechanized. Everyone had become deeply attached to the horses and each was assigned a number and a name, the name starting with the battery letter. There are few military spectacles more stirring or picturesque than that of horse-drawn artillery, and crowds always turned out when the batteries appeared on the streets or highways. It is even recorded that when B Battery was proceeding to Camp Petawawa in the summer of 1909, the inhabitants of Smiths Falls, hearing that a stop-over was intended on the outskirts of their town, bought and laid 300 feet of piping for watering the horses.

6. The first unit to become mechanized was the 3rd Medium Battery, RCA. It was issued four 6-wheeled Leyland tractors in 1929 to tow its 60-pounders. A and B Batteries RCHA Brigade were mechanized in 1930. It wasn’t until 1937 that C Battery parted with its last horses. In 1931, seven field artillery brigades, one medium brigade and one medium battery were placed on the mechanized establishment, but it would be some years before these units would see their equipment.

7. Between 1922 and the early thirties, when horses were replaced, all three batteries of the RCHA performed the Musical Drive at numerous events for the public. The popular mounted displays were based on the famous drive performed annually at Olympia by the RHA. The Musical Drives had three main objects. As exhibitions of considerable colour, dash and skillful precision, they were designed to stimulate and maintain public interest in the Canadian Army, and the artillery in particular. They served to encourage recruiting among young men, for whom the varied skills in the artillery held a special appeal. Above all, for the Gunners themselves, the drives developed excellence in the technique of driving six-horse gun teams, they raised to a very high standard the care of horses and the maintenance of equipment, and they furnished soldiers with a special interest outside the day-to-day routine of service in peacetime. Wherever the Musical Drive performed, spectators in their thousands, filling every seat, thrilled to the sight of four six-horse teams swinging their heavy guns and carriages at full gallop around the arena. The last drive was performed in Winnipeg in 1933, when Captain “Ham” Roberts (who 19 years later, as Major-General J.H. Roberts, would command the forces taking part in the Dieppe Raid) staged C Battery’s display.

8. In keeping with advancements made in air warfare, the first Permanent Force anti-aircraft component of The RCA was raised in 1937 at Kingston. Designated the 4th Anti-Aircraft Battery, it was equipped with four 3-inch 20-cwt. guns and first conducted firing practice at Point Petre on Lake Ontario in the fall of 1938. In the following year it proceeded overseas as part of the 2nd Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) Regiment.

9. The lack of defence spending during the inter-war years had taken its toll on the Canadian military. Despite the build-up of international tension from 1932 onward, the Defence Department went into World War Two ill-equipped to fight. A report by the Defence Minister in 1935 revealed a dismal shortage of modern equipment in all three services. It would take three more years before plans were set in place to re-arm - unfortunately, the rising crisis in Europe caused the delay or cancellation of armament orders. With no defence industry of her own, Canada would have to wait her turn for up-to-date equipment to be made available.

1013. The Second World War 1939-1945

1. The outbreak of war found Canadian Gunners still training on the weapons that their fathers had used in 1918. The forces that were mobilized with commendable speed and efficiency when hostilities commenced would have to wait many months before they could be fully re-armed with modern equipment.

2. On 25 August 1939, in view of the growing tension in Europe, volunteers from the NPAM were called out to man the coastal defences, and the 4th AA Battery was ordered from Kingston to Halifax. On 10 September, Canada declared war. Within two days, each of the Permanent Force batteries had dispatched 25 of its personnel to cities and towns across the country to act as assistant Gunnery instructors for the Militia artillery units. Where they were available, First World War-era 18-pounders and 4.5-inch howitzers were used for gun drill. Other units had to improvise with barrack room furniture and a chalked outline of a gun on the floor.

3. By 3 December, the 1st Divisional Artillery began to assemble in Halifax, and by 10 December, the first convoy left for England. Training in England was initially hampered by the lack of equipment which soon started to appear.

4. The field regiments (the term “Brigade of Field Artillery” was dropped at the beginning of the war) progressed from the 18-pounder to the 18/25-pounder and finally to the new 25-pounder gun-howitzer and the self propelled 25-pounder Sexton. The medium regiments received the 5.5-inch and 4.5-inch guns. Anti-tank regiments (an innovation in this war) were equipped first with the ineffectual 2-pounder, then the more effective 6-pounder, followed by the 17-pounder towed gun, the 17-pounder self-propelled gun and the American self-propelled M10 (3-inch).

5. Light anti-aircraft (LAA) batteries were equipped with the dependable 40mm Bofors gun for engagement of low-level aircraft, while the heavy anti-aircraft (HAA) guarded against higher altitude aircraft with the 3.7-inch gun. Later in the war, once the Allies had established air superiority, anti-aircraft guns were often employed with devastating effect in the ground role in support of infantry units.

6. The 3rd Divisional Artillery were specially equipped with American 105mm SP howitzers for the initial landings at Normandy, and returned to their 25-pounders afterwards. In late 1944 the 1st Rocket Battery was formed and was equipped with 12 rocket projectors, each projector firing 32 high explosive rockets. Artillery officers also took to the air with the formation of three Air Observation Post (OP) Squadrons. These Air OP pilots directed artillery fire from their Auster aircraft while flying over the forward defended localities.

7. The 1st Field Regiment RCHA (re-named from “the RCHA Brigade” at the beginning of the war) was the first of the gun regiments to “visit” the continent in the abortive attempt to stem the German invasion of France in June of 1940. Their stay lasted a mere four days, and they nearly had to leave their guns behind when the British headquarters ordered all guns and transport destroyed in order to ensure enough room for the evacuation of personnel. The determination and stubbornness of the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel J.H. Roberts prevailed, and the regiment was the only one to return its field guns to England.

8. The First Canadian Army (in Europe), which was commanded initially by General A.G.L. McNaughton, then by General H.D.C. Crerar (both Gunner officers), would have two artillery Army Groups (AGRAs), five divisional artilleries and two corps artilleries as its primary fire support. The RCA would eventually go on to play a major part in the campaigns in Sicily, Italy and Northwest Europe.

9. Elements of the 2nd Divisional Artillery - prepared to man any captured German guns - landed at Dieppe in 1942. In 1943, the guns of the 1st Division supported Canadian tanks and infantry through Sicily. Next, on the Italian mainland, the 1st Divisional Artillery, augmented later by 5th Divisional and 1st Corps Artillery, assisted in smashing a way through the crack German Paratroop Division before Ortona, on through the Gustav, Hitler and Gothic Lines and onto the Plains of Lombardy.

10. On 6 June 1944, the Gunners of 3rd Division accompanied the first wave of assaulting infantry on the “run in” to the Normandy beaches, firing their self-propelled 105mm howitzers from the decks of their landing craft. This would be followed by the breakout, Falaise Gap, the rush up the Channel Coast, the drive through Belgium to the Scheldt, the southeast punch through the Hochwald and the Battle of the Rhine. Numerous barrages, concentrations and ceaseless bombardments were fired in support of the 1st Canadian Army in its bitter engagements with the Germans.

11. A total of 89,050 officers and men served in the Royal Canadian Artillery during the Second World War. Of these, 57,170 served in Europe (including Canadian Gunners manning anti-aircraft defences that protected cities in the United Kingdom), Newfoundland, the Aleutians and the Caribbean. The remainder served in Canada in Field Artillery home defence, anti-aircraft and coastal defence units as well as schools and depots. There were three divisional artilleries in Canada formed as part of the 6th, 7th and 8th Divisions for Home Defence. A Pacific Division, with its divisional artillery, formed in 1945, made up of volunteers for the Far East, was training in Canada and the USA when the war with Japan ended. At the war’s end in 1945, a divisional artillery was formed as part of the Canadian Occupational Forces in Germany.

12. Total artillery firepower available to the First Canadian Army in Europe by the end of the war included:

-15 field artillery regiments (264 towed 25-pdr, 48 SP 25-pdr Sextons, 48 SP 105mm Priests);
- 6 medium regiments (48 5.5-in. guns, 48 4.5-in. guns);
- 7 anti-Tank Regiments (150 towed 17-pdr, 150 SP 17-pdr);
- 1 heavy anti-aircraft (HAA) regiment (24 3.7-in. AA guns);
- 7 LAA regiments (60 towed 40mm, 108 SP 40mm, 84 quad-mounted 20mm);
- 32 OP vehicles (75mm AFVs in Field Regiments with 4th and 5th Cdn Armd Divs); and
- 1 rocket battery (36 Land Mattress rocket projectors).

13. Developments in artillery played a large role in the Allied victory during the Second World War. While there were no revolutionary changes to artillery weapons from the First World War, there were significant evolutionary improvements in range, ammunition efficiency, maintenance and mobility of guns. These included the successful combining of the characteristics of a gun (high velocity) and howitzer (high trajectory) in the 25-pounder and the development of self-propelled artillery. New types of artillery that appeared in the Second World War were the anti-tank gun and the barrage rocket (e.g. Land Mattress and German Nebelwerfer).

14. Canadian Gunners played an important role in a number of artillery developments. One was the development of the discarding sabot anti-tank round, which allowed existing guns to fire a much higher velocity round capable of defeating heavily-armoured tanks. The Germans had produced a tapered gun with its arrow round, which provided higher velocity at the expense of heavy barrel wear and rounds which were inaccurate due to instabilities caused by the deformation of the projectile as it was squeezed through the decreasing taper of the barrel. General A.G.L. McNaughton solved the problem by developing a small shell that could be fired by a larger calibre gun. The difference in calibre was taken up by a light metal or plastic pot in which the round sat, and which acted as a driving band to give the projectile its stabilizing spin. The fore part of the projectile was held in place by a serrated band of three petals. When the round was fired, the high force of gravity broke the serrations, and when the round left the barrel, the spin and air pressure caused the petals to fly to the sides, while a combination of pressure and drag caused the pot to fall away. By such means, a small projectile, such as a 2-pounder shell, fired from a 25-pounder gun would receive a much greater thrust, resulting in significantly increased muzzle velocity and thus greater armour penetration. Tests with the Super Velocity Discarding Sabot (SVDS) were carried out in France in September 1944 by the 3rd Anti-Tank Regiment RCA, and the Sabot projectile was subsequently used against enemy armour with excellent results for the remainder of the war. This type of ammunition, with subsequent improvements, forms the main anti-tank ammunition used in modern tanks. The main difference is in the size and shape of the sub-calibre projectile and the material used in its construction. Materials used today include Tungsten Carbide and Depleted Uranium.

15. Canadians also took part in the most important artillery development of the war - the ability of an allied commander to quickly bring down the fire of a massive concentration of guns (from division, corps or even army artillery) onto a single target in a short space of time. This required the development of reliable wireless (radio) and other communications equipment, more effective, speedy and accurate methods of gun survey and improved methods of fire control, voice procedure and fire planning. Putting this system into practice required a high level of proficiency in every troop in every battery. Most concentrations fired during the war were carried out at the divisional level, where a CRA had at his disposal the fire of three field regiments and occasionally the fire of flank or higher formations. Major battles, controlled at the Corps or Army level, involved the concentrated fire of 1000 guns or more.

16. One of many examples of the effectiveness of Canadian and British artillery providing massed, accurate fire occurred in early February 1945 during Op Veritable - the First Canadian Army’s attack from Nijmegen southeast to the Rhineland. General Crerar had to make a frontal attack against three successful fortified zones, each firmly anchored on the Rhine River. The defences included two and three lines of trench works linking strongpoints and reinforced by anti-tank ditches. Small towns and villages between the second and third zones had been extensively fortified. General Crerar’s final objective lay 40 miles from his front lines. Due to this depth, Op Veritable was planned in three stages, with enough time between each to regroup infantry and armour and to bring supporting artillery to within range of their new targets. General Crerar had 30th British Corps under command, while 1st British Corps would provide a secure anchor and deception to the South. Due to the narrow distance between the Rhine (to the north) and the Maas River (to the south), the initial assault would be made by the five divisions of 30th Corps (including 2nd Canadian Division), and as the distance widened, 2nd Canadian Corps would join in on the left flank.

17. The artillery support for the operation was intended as a major battle-winning factor. The 30th Corps Fire Plan was designed to take advantage of a 14:1 advantage in Allied versus German artillery to use massive gunfire to blast a way for the infantry into the enemy’s defences. The Fire Plan called for:

- preliminary bombardment to prevent the enemy from interfering with the initial assault;
- complete saturation of enemy defences;
- destruction of known concrete positions;
- immediate supporting fire for the attack; and
- maximum fire of the medium regiments on the Materborn feature 12,000 yards from the start line, without their having to move forward.

18. The fire of seven divisional artilleries would be augmented by five AGRA’s and two anti-aircraft brigades together with units of Corps and Army level artillery, for a total of 1034 guns (in addition to the 17-pounders and 40mm Bofors which would be used with tanks, mortars and machine-guns to “Pepperpot” selected targets). All known enemy localities, headquarters and communications sites were targeted. An estimated six tons of shell would fall on each target. The concrete defences of the Materborn would be subjected to the fire of the 8-inch and 240mm guns of the 3rd Super Heavy Regiment RA located in the 1st British Corps area to the South.

19. The Fire Plan would open with the preparatory fire from 5:00 to 9:45 A.M. on D Day (8 February 1945). It would be followed by a Block Barrage planned to support the three central divisions in their advance. This barrage would last for seventy minutes on the initial positions and was 500 yards deep. At H Hour the barrage would lift 300 yards, repeating this every twelve minutes to allow for the advancing speed of the infantry and armour over the difficult terrain.

20. A novel feature was introduced into the schedule for the preliminary bombardment. Between 7:30 and 7:40 a smoke screen would be fired across the front, followed by 10 minutes of complete silence. It was hoped that the enemy, assuming that the screen heralded the main assault, would engage with his artillery, thereby exposing his gun positions. Flash spotters, sound rangers and pen recorders of the locating batteries would attempt to pinpoint the enemy battery positions, allowing counter battery fire to neutralize the exposed enemy guns before H Hour.

21. A massive ammunition dumping program was carried out by the 2nd Canadian Corps prior to the assault. More than half a million rounds, weighing more than 10,000 tons were dumped - 700 rounds per gun on field gun positions and 400 rounds per gun on medium positions. In addition 120 truck loads per division of 40mm, 17-pounder, 75mm and 12.7mm ammunition was dumped for the “Pepperpot” requirement. More than 10,000 three-inch rockets for the Land Mattress Battery were brought in.

22. Stunned by the ferocity of the preliminary bombardment of over 500,000 rounds of various natures of ammunition, and pinned down by the tremendous barrage which had expended more than 160,000 shells, the badly disorganized enemy troops offered little resistance to the assaulting infantry and armour. The effectiveness of the counter battery and counter mortar programs was seen in the almost complete lack of German shelling and mortaring. Most of the Allied casualties, which were relatively light, came from mines rather than artillery or small arms fire. Interrogators were told that the bombardment had a devastating effect upon morale, producing a feeling of complete helplessness and isolation, with no prospect of any possible reinforcement. The artillery fire had also succeeded in seriously disrupting the German lines of communication and resupply.

23. The day’s success owed much to the contributing factors of well-prepared gun programs, carefully sorted ammunition, much improved meteorological data and recently-calibrated guns. The massive preparations had been successful in providing effective artillery support to the operation. It didn’t end there, however. The artillery would provide continuous support with barrages, screens, direct support and counter battery fire until the enemy was finally beaten three months later.

1014. Post-War Vigilance

1. In May 1945, The RCA contributed three field regiments, an anti-tank regiment and a LAA regiment to the Canadian Division serving as occupation forces in the British Zone of Occupation. They would remain there until the summer of 1946. Most of the remaining units of the Army, which had been activated during the war, were now deactivated or transferred to the Militia. In 1947, the Canadian Army Active Force was established with an authorized strength of 25,000, supplemented by a Reserve Force of 50,000. In 1946, 1st Field Regiment RCHA, was renamed the 71st Regiment RCHA, and was moved to Shilo, Manitoba, when the latter was chosen as the permanent site for the Royal Canadian School of Artillery (RCSA) (Field, Medium and Anti-Tank).

2. The Active Force artillery consisted of the 71st Regiment RCHA, the 68th Medium Battery, and the 127th Anti-Tank Battery at Shilo, the 128th HAA and 129th LAA Batteries at Picton, Ontario, and E Section Signals (71st Regiment RCHA), Royal Canadian Corps of Signals. In addition to the school in Shilo, two others were formed: RCSA (AA) at Picton, and RCSA (Coast and Anti-Aircraft) at Halifax. In 1948, The 129th LAA Battery was re-designated HAA and moved to Esquimalt, British Columbia, together with a Coast Artillery Training Section - RCSA West Coast. The School at Halifax was re-designated RCSA East Coast that same year.

3. By the end of 1950, the post-war organization of the Active Force artillery had undergone several changes. In 1949, 71st Regiment RCHA reverted back to its wartime designation of 1st Field Regiment RCHA. In 1950, it had under command the 1st Light Battery (Paratroop), which later became Z Battery, and was armed with 75mm pack howitzers and 4.2-inch mortars. A growing emphasis on air defence resulted in the formation of four composite anti-aircraft batteries through the conversion of the 127th Anti-Tank Battery and the 128th HAA and 129th LAA Batteries together with the authorization of the 119th Composite AA Battery. In addition, the RCSA East Coast was re-designated the 49th Coast Battery. This left the three schools of artillery in Shilo, Picton and Esquimalt.

1015. The Korean Conflict 1950-1953

1. The 2nd Field Regiment RCHA was raised at Shilo in 1950 as part of the Canadian Army Special Force destined to support UN operations in Korea (the term “field” was dropped from the RCHA unit titles in 1951). Volunteers came from 1 RCHA, the Schools and selected Militia artillery units. On the train move to Fort Lewis, Washington on 21 November 1951, tragedy struck. The third troop train collided head on with an east-bound passenger train just east of Canoe River, British Columbia. The passengers on the eastbound train escaped injury, but 17 Gunners on the first two cars of the troop train were killed and 33 injured when the cars fell down an embankment and were demolished. Four bodies were never recovered.

2. 2 RCHA arrived with its twenty-four 25-pounders in Korea on 4 May 1951, and saw its first action two weeks later. By May 1952, fighting in support of the 25th Canadian Infantry Brigade Group, and later with the 1st Commonwealth Division, 2 RCHA had expended over 300,000 rounds of ammunition, and it was considered to be one of the most efficient units in the Commonwealth Divisional Artillery. This reputation upheld by 1 RCHA after it replaced the 2nd Regiment that May.

3. In 25th Brigade, most of the raids were carried out by the 1st Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR), supported by A Battery, 1 RCHA. A bond of mutual admiration grew between the battery and the RCR to the point where the guns of the battery had the RCR crest painted on them. A letter from the Commanding Officer of 1 RCHA, Lieutenant-Colonel E.M.D. (Teddy) McNaughton (who in March 1953 changed his surname to Leslie), to the infantry Commanding Officer confirmed this. A phrase in the letter would soon haunt A Battery: “It is also my intention that should ever the day come, from which the Lord preserve us, that a gun of A Battery shoots short onto the Royal Canadian Regiment, that gun and the subsection thereafter for twenty-five years will forgo the high honour and distinction of wearing the Colour and the Cypher of the Royal Canadian Regiment.” It was with commendable frankness but undoubtedly with no little chagrin that a little more than a month later the Regimental diarist recorded the forfeiture of this privilege by a gun of A Battery. To the embarrassed members of that gun detachment, 1977 must have seemed far distant indeed! Two years later, however, in view of the consistently fine support given by 1 RCHA to the RCR, the infantry Commanding Officer asked that the penalty be cancelled, and from that time A Battery has proudly worn the RCR crest on all its guns.

4. The 79th and 81st Field Regiments RCA had been formed in 1951 and 1952 respectively, by mobilizing six Militia batteries for service in Europe as part of the Canadian Brigade with NATO. 1 RCHA handed over to the 81st Field Regiment RCA in April 1953. The 81st Field Regiment served in Korea until nine months after the armistice in July 1953. In November 1953 its designation was changed to 4 RCHA as part of a reorganization of the Canadian Army which saw the formation of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division as part of Canada’s commitment to NATO. In conjunction with this, the 79th Field Regiment RCA was redesignated as 3 RCHA. After serving in Germany for two years, 3 RCHA replaced 4 RCHA in Korea in the spring of 1954. 3 RCHA remained in Korea for 29 weeks. Of the 1,543 battle casualties suffered by the Canadian Army in Korea, the artillery lost one officer and 8 men killed, 2 officers and 25 men wounded, and one officer and one man taken prisoner.

1016. Reserve Force Artillery in Post-War Canada

1. The Reserve Force (which had replaced the earlier Non-Permanent Active Militia) was also reorganized after the war, and the artillery component was authorized at six divisions and corps troops. This provided for six divisional headquarters, RCA, eight medium regiments, 20 field regiments, eight anti-tank regiments, nine HAA Regiments, 18 LAA Regiments, five coast regiments, two survey regiments and nine AA gun operations rooms.

2. This would last until 1954 when a second reorganization resulted in the substantial reduction of the establishment of the artillery. In the aftermath, both coastal artillery and anti-tank artillery ceased to exist, and the Militia artillery now consisted of 21 field regiments, six medium regiments, three independent medium batteries, nine HAA regiments, two harbour defence batteries, a locating regiment and an anti-aircraft fire control battery. It would be another 10 years or so before any other major changes were made to Militia artillery establishments.

3. In 1959 the word “Artillery” was authorized to be incorporated into the title of each artillery Militia unit - e.g. 20th Field Artillery Regiment RCA.

4. On 1 February 1968, Canada’s three services ceased to exist as separate entities. Integration brought about the amalgamation of these services to form what is now called the Canadian Armed Forces. With that change came a severe reduction in the establishments of the Militia. The Reserve Force artillery units were either converted to field artillery regiments and independent batteries, struck off the order of battle or converted to other arms. Today in the Reserve Force artillery there are 15 field artillery regiments, two air defence artillery regiments and two independent field artillery batteries. An additional air defence battery (58 AD Bty) forms part of the 6e Régiment d’artillerie de campagne RCA (6 RAC). The field regiments operate the C3 105mm towed howitzer, a longer-range version of the C1. The air defence regiments and 58 AD Bty operate the shoulder-launched Javelin S-15 (Starburst) Air Defence Missile System.

1017. Service with the NATO Brigade, 1951-1992

In 1951, 79th Field Regiment RCA joined the newly formed 27th Canadian Infantry Brigade Group (CIBG) in Northern Germany under command of the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Instead of the 25-pounder, the standard field artillery weapon in Canada, the regiment was initially issued the American 105mm towed howitzer - the standard NATO gun at that time. , however, the regiment reverted to the 25-pounder in order to solve problems with supply and a lack of uniformity with its sister British units. The regiment was first quartered at Hohne, and then later at Fort Prince of Wales, near Soest in the Upper Ruhr Valley. Re-named the 3rd Regiment RCHA in 1953, the regiment was replaced in November 1953 by 2 RCHA during the changeover of 27 CIBG with 1 CIBG. Over the next thirteen years, 1, 2, 3 and 4 RCHA would rotate to Germany. In 1967 1 RCHA became the permanent artillery regiment in Germany as part of 4 CIBG (later - 4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (CMBG) as the Army replaced its wheeled troop transport with tracked armoured personnel carriers). The Regiment moved south to the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) with the rest of the brigade group in 1970, to become Central Army Group’s reserve force, and was based in Lahr, Germany. It would remain there until 1992, when the brigade group began pulling out of Europe.

1018. Re-Arming and Reorganizing - The Mid-1950’s Through to the Present

1. By the end of 1954, besides the four RCHA Regiments, the move to a divisional artillery organization included the formation of a Divisional HQ RCA, the 1st LAA Regiment, the 1st Locating Battery and the No.1 Air OP Flight. Anti-tank Gunnery had been taken over by another corps. In the anti-aircraft field, the missile systems then under development and the increasing speed of aircraft seemed to imply that the usefulness of the gun as an anti-aircraft weapon was diminishing. Defence again began to seem too costly when measured against alternative uses for the money.

2. A Soldier Apprentice Training Battery was formed in Shilo ln September 1954. This program allowed 16 year old boys to enroll for a two year combined academic and military training. The battery produced potential NCOs until its closure in June 1967. 1956 saw the birth of The RCA Depot at Shilo, Manitoba. The depot undertook Gunner recruit training for both field artillery and anti-aircraft artillery units. It was the sole source of basic Gunner recruits until 15 May 1968 when the last squad (#164) completed their “Passing-Out Parade”.

3. In the early fifties, each of the four Regular Force regiments were provided with a fourth battery armed with 4.2-inch mortars. In the mid-fifties the RCHA regiments turned in their 25-pounders for the US 105mm M1A1 towed howitzer (the C1 in its Canadian form), and in 1958 replaced the 4.2-inch mortar in the light batteries with M114 155mm medium towed howitzers. The Militia regiments would eventually replace their 25-pounders with the new 105mm howitzers as they became available. In 1968, 1 RCHA replaced its towed guns with self-propelled M109A1 155mm howitzers.

4. The 1st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment RCA was formed in October 1953. It consisted of a HQ and the 2nd and 3rd LAA Batteries, and it was located with the RCSA (Anti-Aircraft) at Picton, Ontario. The remaining battery, the 4th LAA Battery was at Esquimalt. The Regiment was originally equipped with 40mm Bofors, but converted to 90mm guns and M33C fire-control equipment in 1955. The 4th LAA Battery in Esquimalt was reduced to nil strength in 1957. The remainder of the regiment continued to function for three more years during which it helped to train anti-aircraft Gunners of the Militia.

5. Changes in defence policy resulted in the 1st LAA Regiment being disbanded in September 1960. The majority of its personnel went on to form two new units - the 1st and 2nd Surface-to- Surface Missile (SSM) Batteries RCA - at Hemer, Germany (with 4 CIBG) and Shilo respectively. Each battery was equipped with four 762mm Honest John Rocket launchers. The Honest John was a nuclear tactical weapon capable of carrying a 1-Kiloton nuclear warhead to a range of 40 km. Thus was born the nuclear role of The RCA. The SSM Batteries would remain in service until 1970, when the Canadian NATO Brigade Group’s role was reduced in scope, and the Brigade Group was repositioned to CENTAG.

6. With the closure of the 1st LAA Regiment and The RCAS (AA) in Picton in 1960, the only remaining school of artillery was at Shilo. The school would remain in Shilo until 1970, when it was moved to Gagetown together with the Infantry and Armour schools (the title “Royal” was dropped from the various Army schools when the services integrated in 1968). They formed the Combat Arms School, part of the Combat Training Centre in CFB Gagetown.

7. Formation of the 1st Divisional Locating Battery in 1954 at Shilo marked the reappearance of a locating unit in the Order of Battle of the Regular Force after an absence of nine years. After a short, but fruitful existence, during which it played an active role in numerous exercises, the battery fell victim to a general reorganization of close support artillery. Among other changes, locating units were decentralized to the Brigade Group level, and each RCHA regiment in Canada was given a Regimental Locating Battery as part of a new “5-battery organization.” The 1st Divisional Locating Battery was reduced to nil strength on 30 April 1958. It was revived briefly in 1965, and its Radar Troop equipped with the new AN/MPQ/501 Counter Mortar Radar. At the same time the RCHA and Militia locating batteries disappeared. The revived battery was located at Winnipeg, where it conducted drone and sound ranging trials with the National Research Council. Once the trials ended in 1968, the battery was once again reduced to nil strength.

8. Completing the order of battle of the 1st Divisional Artillery at the time of its formation in 1953 was Canada’s first peacetime Air OP Flight. No. 1 Air OP Flight was formed at Petawawa in 1953, followed by No.2 Air OP Flight in Shilo in 1954.The flights were initially equipped with the British wartime Auster Mark VI aircraft, and in late 1954 were re-equipped with the US-built Cessna L-19. A number of field artillery officers underwent basic pilot training at the Brandon Flying Club. They then progressed to the Light Aircraft School at Rivers, Manitoba for advanced training. Their role was to provide aerial artillery observation, air photography, liaison and reconnaissance. In 1960, Air Observation Troops were added to the four RCHA regiments (Gagetown, Petawawa, Shilo and Fort Prince of Wales, Germany), and the two original Flights were reduced to nil strength. The new Air OP Troops operated under regimental control until 1970-71, when they converted to Kiowa helicopters and were subsequently absorbed into the Air Command helicopter squadron.

9. The latter part of the 1960s and the early 1970s saw many changes that would affect the Regular component of The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery. With the formation of the Canadian Airborne Regiment on 8 April 1968, the 1st Airborne Battery RCA was created. It remained in Edmonton as an independent battery until 1977 when the Airborne Regiment was re-organized and moved to CFB Petawawa. At that time the 1st Airborne Battery was disbanded and E Battery, 2 RCHA was re-designated E Bty (Para).

10. On 6 May 1968, a Regular Force artillery unit returned to Quebec City after an absence of nearly half a century. Le 5e Régiment d’artillerie légère du Canada (5 RALC), the first Regular Force French-speaking regiment, was formed around a nucleus of Gunners from X Battery, 3 RCHA. Initially equipped with towed 105mm howitzers, it took on its new colours, 105mm L5 pack howitzers, in 1969. Over the next few years, the L5 would also see service in the airborne role and with ACE Mobile Force Batteries in 2 and 3 RCHA. 3 RCHA now found itself in Shilo, and on 15 July 1970, 4 RCHA in Petawawa was reduced to nil strength. The majority of its equipment and personnel were transferred directly to 2 RCHA, which was moved from Gagetown to Petawawa. A second buy of M109s in 1977 went to equip 3 RCHA. These up-gunned versions of the M109 featured a longer-calibre barrel as well as other improvements. The guns have been modernized twice since then.

11. In 1975, two airfield air defence batteries were re-activated in Germany, 128 Airfield Air Defence Battery RCA at Baden-Soellingen, and 129 Airfield Air Defence Battery RCA at Lahr. Both were equipped with 40mm Boffin guns and Blowpipe Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORAD) missiles. The Boffin was a hydraulically driven naval version of the standard World War Two 40mm Bofors. They had been retrieved from decommissioned minesweepers and the aircraft carrier Bonaventure. In 1976, 1 RCHA and 2 RCHA each received a troop of Blowpipe. The Germany-based units were augmented in 1976 by the formation of two fly-over batteries - H Battery in 3 RCHA, and V Battery in 5 RALC.

12. In the mid 1980s, The Low Level Air Defence (LLAD) Project, which would be the most expensive single project to date for the Army ($1 Billion), resulted in the procurement of what is considered to be one of the most effective Short Range Air Defence (SHORAD) systems in the world. 1985 saw the air defence troop of 2 RCHA dismantled with the reactivation of 119 Air Defence Battery and the formation of the Air Defence Artillery School at CFB Chatham. 1987, 4th Air Defence Regiment RCA, incorporating 127, 128 and 129 AD Batteries, was formed and headquartered in Lahr, Germany. The two airfield defence batteries were each equipped with four Skyguard sections (a Skyguard fire control radar and two twin 35mm Oerlikon GDF-005 gun systems each), and a troop of four ADATS SHORAD missile systems. 127 AD Battery, tasked with AD protection of 4 CMBG, was equipped with 12 ADATS. 119 AD Battery was also re-equipped with ADATS. During this period three Militia units were re-equipped as air defence artillery: 18th AD Regiment in Lethbridge, 1 AD Regiment in Pembroke and 58e Batterie d’artillerie antiaérienne, 6 RAC in Levis, Quebec. Each unit received Javelin S-15, the replacement for Blowpipe.

13. In 1992 as part of the reduction of forces and the return of units from Germany, 4th AD Regiment RCA was reduced to nil strength. It was raised again with a smaller establishment on 21 July 1996 as a Total Force unit, with a high ratio of reservists. The HQ and 128 AD Battery were located in Moncton, with 119 AD Battery and 210 AD Workshop located in Gagetown. A third battery’s worth of equipment was positioned at Cold Lake, Alberta with a small caretaker staff.

14. 19 September 1981 saw the formation of the RCA Battle School in Shilo, Manitoba. This much-needed school gave The Royal Regiment a steady supply of trained soldiers and more time to train for individual unit tasks. It would remain active until June 1997, when it was disbanded and replaced by a much smaller artillery detachment of the Western Area Training Center.

15. In 1995, the Air Defence Artillery School and 119 AD Battery were moved to CFB Gagetown, and in 1996 the Field and Air Defence Artillery Schools were amalgamated to form the Royal Canadian School of Artillery (RCSA).

16. As a result of the downsizing of the Canadian Forces in 1992, 3 RCHA was reduced to nil strength. 1 RCHA moved from Germany, on the disbandment of 4 CMBG, to replace 3 RCHA in Shilo. At the same time, the weapon resources of the three remaining Regular Force Field Units were re-distributed, giving each Regiment a mix of M109s and 105mm C1 Howitzers. In 1997, the C1 howitzers in the Regular Force units were replaced by a new, longer range, light 105mm gun, the French LG1.

1019. Operations Other Than War

1. Members and units of The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery have served in virtually every peacekeeping mission that Canada has been involved in since the early 1950’s. Individual soldier commitments to the United Nations over the last two decades have been numerous. Gunners have served in the Congo, Egypt, Golan Heights, Hanoi, Saigon, Laos, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Namibia, South Africa, Central America, Mozambique, Croatia and Bosnia to name a few. In addition, The RCA has been involved in over twenty years of sending batteries and regiments in rotation with other Army units to Cyprus. It has also provided both individual and sub-unit deployments to Bosnia and Haiti for the NATO peace enforcement missions of recent years.

2. In the summer of 1991, 5 RALC was deployed to Montreal in aide of the civil power as part their parent brigade’s involvement in the Oka Crisis. Elements of the 4th AD Regiment also participated. In the Spring of 1997, all artillery regiments were involved in the flood fighting in Manitoba, and in January 1998 provided aid in the aftermath of the Century’s worst ice storm in Ontario and Quebec.

3. Since 1962, RCHA Gunners from Shilo have been involved in avalanche control duties at Roger’s Pass, British Columbia. Under an agreement with the Department of Northern Affairs and Natural Resources, the regiment based in Shilo provides a 105mm C1 Howitzer detachment from 1 December to 1 April each year. High explosive rounds are fired at critical trigger points along 27 miles of highway in Glacier National Park in order to bring down snow build-up before it can trigger a major avalanche.

4. In the spring of 2000, 1 RCHA became the first Canadian field artillery unit to deploy its guns into an operational theatre since the Korean War. With C Battery deployed as an infantry company as part of the 2 PPCLI Battlegroup on OP PALLADIUM in Bosnia, A Battery followed shorty afterwards with six LG1 105mm howitzers, replacing a British light gun battery. A Battery would in fact operate as both a gun battery, and provide infantry patrols as required. A Battery was replaced in October 2000 by B battery, which in turn will be replaced in March 2001 by a battery from 2 RCHA.

1020. The Gulf War – 1991

1. On 9 August 1990 the 119th Air Defence Battery RCA deployed a 36-member Troop of Javelin VSHORAD missile systems to provide extra air defence protection for the three Canadian Naval ships as part of Canada’s commitment to UN forces during the Gulf War. Javelin had been procured in a very short span of time for this operation in order to replace the obsolete Blowpipe missile. Due to the two weapons’ general similarities, detachments were trained in a matter of two weeks while they were in transit to the Gulf. The Royal School of Artillery, Larkhill, UK provided an Instructor-in-Gunnery (IG) team, which conducted weapon training while crossing the Atlantic. A successful live fire practice was held when the ships reached the Azores in early September.

2. Each ship was provided a section of Javelin, with HMCS Athabaskan and HMCS Protecteur each receiving four detachments while HMCS Terra Nova received three. The ships arrived in the Central Persian Gulf on 23 September 1990, and commenced UN Patrol duties, including the halting and boarding of ships in day and night as part of the embargo placed on Iraq. In January 1991 the ships were placed in charge of organizing re-supply for the Multi-National force. HMCS Protecteur was the only supply ship to remain in theatre for the entire operation.

3. During their tour, the Javelin troop did not have to fire a shot in anger, as the allies quickly grounded the Iraqi Air Force. The operation did allow the Troop to hone their aircraft recognition skills and practice command and control procedures in a highly charged operational setting unlike they had ever been previously trained for. They returned to Canada with the ships on 13 March 1991.

4. Three Canadian Gunner officers saw active service as exchange officers with the British Army in the Gulf war. Major Dave Marshall commanded 127 (Dragon) Field Battery RA, an eight-gun M109 battery that was part of the composite 2 Field Regiment RA. 2 Field Regiment supported the 4th Armoured Brigade, 1st British Armoured Division. During the four days of fighting, Major Marshall’s battery fired over 2500 rounds of 155 mm ammunition at Iraqi second echelon armoured divisions. Major Marshall is the only Canadian to have fired a Fire Mission Division in anger since Korea. Captain Brian Travis was employed in the Divisional Artillery Headquarters as a liaison officer to the 7th US Corps Artillery, and Captain Jeff Willis served as a staff officer in the Divisional Artillery Headquarters.

1021. The Artillery Bands

1. While there have been numerous bands associated with the RCA, most have been raised by individual regiments and will not be discussed here. Two artillery bands, however, were units in their own right, and one is still perpetuated today.

2. The Royal Canadian Artillery Band traces its roots to Quebec City. In 1879, the B battery Band of the Royal Canadian Artillery became the first permanent military band in Canada. This band was composed of many professionally trained musicians from France and England and it was a concert favorite in Quebec. In 1899 this band became The Royal Canadian Artillery Band of Canada. It was reformed in 1947 and 1968, as well as in 1994 as a result of the Force Reduction Plan. In 1994-95, the RCA Band joined the “Canada Remembers” program, which sought to underscore Canada’s contribution in the Second World War. This participation took the band to Asia, England, Belgium, and Holland, as well as France, where the band represented Canada at the D-Day celebrations. In 1996 the RCA Band played a central role in the 125th Anniversary celebrations of the Royal Regiment, traveling across the country, playing at unit ceremonies and giving public concerts. That same year, the band moved from CFB Montreal to CFB Valcartier. The RCA Band is one of six military bands in the Regular Force. It is a brass and reed band and has a complement of thirty-five professional musicians. In a ceremony held on 4 December 1997 (St. Barbara’s Day), the RCA Band marked its move to its present location at Edmonton Garrison.

3. The RCHA Band was authorized at Kingston in October 1905 with an initial establishment of 25 members as a vehicle to attract recruits for the RCHA. For the next twenty years, the band flourished under the accomplished baton of Bandmaster A.L. Light, late of the British Imperial Army. During the First World War, the band’s contribution to recruiting was considered so valuable that its members were denied the opportunity to serve overseas. The band was present at the unveiling of the Vimy Memorial in 1936, and in the course of that European tour, it played at Buckingham Palace before King Edward VIII. After the war it was moved to Winnipeg, and in the last dozen years of its existence, the RCHA Band traveled extensively in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Lakehead area, performing at military and civic functions and giving numerous public concerts. The Band played its swan song at the Centennial Tattoo in 1967, and was disbanded on integration of the Canadian Forces the next year.

1022. The 125th Anniversary Celebrations – 1996

1. 1996 marked the 125th Anniversary of the formation of the Permanent Force component of The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery and the Canadian Armed Forces through the creation of A and B Batteries in 1871. The Royal Regiment celebrated this historic occasion through activities carried out across the country by the Regular Force artillery units, the RCSA and The RCA Band. Regional celebrations took place in Brandon, Manitoba (1 RCHA), Kingston, Ontario (2 RCHA), Quebec City (5 RALC), Moncton, New Brunswick (4 AD Regt) and Oromocto, New Brunswick (RCSA). The RCA Band provided public concerts at each location, and helped each unit conduct a Freedom of the City ceremony at their respective locations. C Battery renewed its ties to Esquimalt with excellent support from the 5th Field Artillery Regiment. Headquarters and Services Battery 1 RCHA renewed The Royal Regiment’s ties with the NWMP (RCMP) through a visit to Regina and a commemorative march along General Middleton’s route from Fort Qu’Appelle to Batoche. 2 RCHA formed two gun race teams, which participated at the Nova Scotia Tattoo to the delight of the crowds. In Moncton, a parade was held to re-activate the 4th Air Defence Regiment RCA.

2. The centerpiece events for the Anniversary were the National Ceremonies held in Ottawa, Ontario during the period 6-7 July 1996, in which all the Regular Force artillery units participated. On 6 July four 100-man guards representing the four Regular Force artillery units paraded on the grounds of Parliament Hill. The event included a mounted RCMP detachment honouring our close historical links. The parade concluded with a 125-round feu de joie fired by 105mm howitzers, followed by a roll-past of artillery equipment from past to present, beginning with a 9-pounder RML gun circa 1873. From Parliament Hill, a portion of the dismounted troops, the RCMP detachment and an artillery veteran’s contingent proceeded to the National War Memorial for a ceremony of remembrance for fallen comrades. The remembrance ceremony was followed by an all ranks reception at the Cartier Square Drill Hall. That evening, the Colonel Commandant, Brigadier-General Robert P. Beaudry, hosted a formal dinner at the Chateau Laurier, followed the next day by a brunch. During both days, equipment displays and demonstrations were provided to the public in Festival Plaza. These included a special display of historical and modern artillery equipment sponsored by the Canadian War Museum. The celebrations were a great success, and were a reminder to all of the rich history and traditions of The Royal Regiment. To paraphrase the message from the Colonel Commandant in honour of the Anniversary, we must remember the foundations of our history with pride and go forth armed with the same dedicated and professional spirit of those who served before. Their memory is well served by the Gunners of today.

1023. Conclusion

This volume is but a small slice of what The Royal Regiment has accomplished. Colonel Nicholson’s, The Gunners of Canada, will fill many of the gaps. It will be apparent, however, that the motto “Ubique” is truly well deserved. The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery can be proud of its past and can look to the future with confidence.

1024. References

This short history was drawn extensively from four publications:

a. Canadian Army Publication, 1953 Titled The Royal Canadian Artillery by Edmond Cloutier, C.M.G., O.A., D.S.P., Queen’s Printer and Controller of Stationery;

b. Canadian Army Journal, April and July issues, 1955, A Gunner Centennial - A Short History of the Royal Canadian Artillery, 1855-1955;

c. The Gunners of Canada, Volumes I & II by Colonel G.W.L. Nicholson, CD, published 1967 by the Royal Canadian Artillery Association; and

d. RCHA - Right of the Line by Major G.D. Mitchell, MC, CD, published by the RCHA History Committee, 1987.

• Annex A to Chapter 10 RCA Unit Histories