15th Brigade
Canadian Field Artillery
1921
Canadian Field Artillery
1921
as at 21 August 2020
Sub-units
31st Battery
68th Battery
85th Battery
Attached – 5th Siege Battery
Detached: 58th Battery CFA-Victoria; attached to 5th (British Columbia) Regiment Canadian Garrison Artillery
31st Battery
68th Battery
85th Battery
Attached – 5th Siege Battery
Detached: 58th Battery CFA-Victoria; attached to 5th (British Columbia) Regiment Canadian Garrison Artillery
Key Appointments
Promotions and Appointments
Warrant Officer 1 Charles Edward Minter was appointed Regimental Sergeant Major on 9 July 1921. He was born in Woolwich, England on 22 July 1884 and immigrated from England in 1908 with his wife and one daughter. A carpenter by trade, he had been attested into the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force on 14 June 1916 with 13 years experience in the Royal Garrison Artillery and the Royal Field Artillery. At the time of his appointment he was married to Elizabeth Minter, who was working as a tea blender, and had four daughters, Elizabeth, Lottie, Ada and Violet.
Warrant Officer 1 Charles Edward Minter was appointed Regimental Sergeant Major on 9 July 1921. He was born in Woolwich, England on 22 July 1884 and immigrated from England in 1908 with his wife and one daughter. A carpenter by trade, he had been attested into the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force on 14 June 1916 with 13 years experience in the Royal Garrison Artillery and the Royal Field Artillery. At the time of his appointment he was married to Elizabeth Minter, who was working as a tea blender, and had four daughters, Elizabeth, Lottie, Ada and Violet.
Organizational Changes
Ammunition Column-Vancouver; organized January 15th 1921
Ammunition Column-Vancouver; organized January 15th 1921
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Open House
About 300 citizens of Vancouver viewed the New Year's Day Open House at the Horse Show building. |
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Artillery Reunion
Veterans of the 5th Divisional Ammunition Column held a reunion at the Horsehoe building. Several were persuaded to rejoin by Captain Perry. |
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Recruiting
A constant theme throughout the history of the unit. |
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Training
Lecture by Major Goodeve from Victoria on the advances in artillery. Training times. |
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Unit Inspection
Major General Sir Henry Burstall stops by to inspect the unit. |
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Associations to be formed
A rifle association to take advantage of the opening of the Richmond ranges and a baseball team under Lieutenant McDougall. |
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Band News
The unit searches for a Sergeant-Trumpeter |
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Summer Training
200 horses required for training 4 to 9 July. Two days to ride the 30 miles to White Rock and two days back.
200 horses required for training 4 to 9 July. Two days to ride the 30 miles to White Rock and two days back.
Hastings Park
Recruiting, organizing batteries and a "happy go lucky sort of training" were to carry through to the spring of 1921. Hastings Park (the present Pacific National Exhibition Ground) was to be the site of the Brigade's first summer camp in July 1921. Whenever guns and ammunition limbers were to be moved horses had to be rented, as the Brigade was never to receive a permanent establishment of horses. Horses for this first move were to come from a local knacker (a trader in horses fit only for animal food) who had recently received a shipment of "meat" from the Prairies. Somehow by 0800 hours these nags were to be transformed into six-horse hitches to pull the guns to Hastings Park. The officers, accustomed to the smooth working of seasoned men and horses, found it necessary to turn the clock back as they wrestled with the problems of the one night a week soldier. The move did not take place until 1100 hours and only then with the aid of much bad language. The men were unused to the horses and the horses unused to men. "Granville Street was crossed at noon amidst an awe-struck populace", and by late afternoon the first gun and wagon arrived at the Park. Training was described as "cheerful and willing, rather than well-informed" as the men groomed their steeds to the best of their knowledge and then quickly asked for leave to ride on the nearby roller-coaster. By the week's end the drill and discipline had advanced considerably and the move home was in infinitely better style.
Vancouver Defended; Peter Moogk, page 5
Recruiting, organizing batteries and a "happy go lucky sort of training" were to carry through to the spring of 1921. Hastings Park (the present Pacific National Exhibition Ground) was to be the site of the Brigade's first summer camp in July 1921. Whenever guns and ammunition limbers were to be moved horses had to be rented, as the Brigade was never to receive a permanent establishment of horses. Horses for this first move were to come from a local knacker (a trader in horses fit only for animal food) who had recently received a shipment of "meat" from the Prairies. Somehow by 0800 hours these nags were to be transformed into six-horse hitches to pull the guns to Hastings Park. The officers, accustomed to the smooth working of seasoned men and horses, found it necessary to turn the clock back as they wrestled with the problems of the one night a week soldier. The move did not take place until 1100 hours and only then with the aid of much bad language. The men were unused to the horses and the horses unused to men. "Granville Street was crossed at noon amidst an awe-struck populace", and by late afternoon the first gun and wagon arrived at the Park. Training was described as "cheerful and willing, rather than well-informed" as the men groomed their steeds to the best of their knowledge and then quickly asked for leave to ride on the nearby roller-coaster. By the week's end the drill and discipline had advanced considerably and the move home was in infinitely better style.
Vancouver Defended; Peter Moogk, page 5
Sarcee Camp
Later in August the first live firing camp was held at Sarcee, on the outskirts of Calgary, Alberta. This camp was to become a familiar one to many gunners over the next decade. With the duties of the day completed, a visit to Calgary was in order. Prohibition was in effect in Alberta, so to quench one's thirst it was the custom:
To call upon a gentleman, who maintained the outward appearance of a drug store by a visible display of tooth brushes, - this was in front, business being done in the rear only . Reaching up between two bottles labelled " Cyanide of Potassium" he would pour out a Homoepathic drachm at a charge warranted neither by the quantity nor quality, and at least make one glad of his escape. It was harder to obtain beer. You had to join a club - in this manner: From the street you walked into an old fashioned brass-railed affair, where the lad-in-the-white-apron would serve some fearful compound known unto the Law as Foamo or Prairie Fluid. Moved by the look of agony on one's face he would indicate the-little-door-to-the-side. This was the club, but the rules were strict you had to sign a book agreeing to uphold the constitution. It was a very hot summer and the pace of training was slow. Batteries were low in numbers and only very simple firing practices were carried out. This was in contrast to future camps when units vied for the many trophies sponsored by the Canadian Artillery Association.
Vancouver Defended; Peter Moogk, page 5
Later in August the first live firing camp was held at Sarcee, on the outskirts of Calgary, Alberta. This camp was to become a familiar one to many gunners over the next decade. With the duties of the day completed, a visit to Calgary was in order. Prohibition was in effect in Alberta, so to quench one's thirst it was the custom:
To call upon a gentleman, who maintained the outward appearance of a drug store by a visible display of tooth brushes, - this was in front, business being done in the rear only . Reaching up between two bottles labelled " Cyanide of Potassium" he would pour out a Homoepathic drachm at a charge warranted neither by the quantity nor quality, and at least make one glad of his escape. It was harder to obtain beer. You had to join a club - in this manner: From the street you walked into an old fashioned brass-railed affair, where the lad-in-the-white-apron would serve some fearful compound known unto the Law as Foamo or Prairie Fluid. Moved by the look of agony on one's face he would indicate the-little-door-to-the-side. This was the club, but the rules were strict you had to sign a book agreeing to uphold the constitution. It was a very hot summer and the pace of training was slow. Batteries were low in numbers and only very simple firing practices were carried out. This was in contrast to future camps when units vied for the many trophies sponsored by the Canadian Artillery Association.
Vancouver Defended; Peter Moogk, page 5
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Armstice Day 1921
All activities to cease at 11 a.m. for 2 minutes of silence for soldier dead. Flags to be flown at half mast until the Brockton Point gun sounds at 11 o'clock when all flags will be mastheaded. When the gun is again fired, after two minutes, the bells of the Pro-cathedral will ring with muffled clappers for 15 minutes. Whistles will be blown as they were blown on Armstice Day three years ago. |
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Captain Richard Thomas Perry - Vimy Ridge
Captain Perry, a future Commanding Officer and architect of Bessborough Armoury, submitted a proposal for the Vimy Ridge National Memorial. His submission was one of the 17 selected to submit a model for judging, but he was, unfortunately, not the final chosen design. |
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15th Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery,
Canadian Expeditionary Force Reunion Former Members to gather at the Dominion Hotel in Victoria. |
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Decoration Day
A large parade is mustered for the annual Decoration Day on 5 June which includes a large memorial Parade. to Mountain View Cemetery to decorate the Veteran's graves. |
Officers' Mess
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Regimental Officers' Weddings
Lieutenant Frank Duff-Stuart weds Ms Maud Beveridge and invites the Brigade. Two hundred expected to attend. |
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Lieutenant Frank Whitehead MC weds Miss Marjorie Bradford.
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Sergeants' Mess
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Sergeants Mess organized
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Obituaries
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Gunner George William Blake
On Dec. 30th, 1921, at the Residence, 5051 Chester Stree, South Vancouver, George William Blake, aged 39 years. He leaves to mourn his loss his sorrowing wife, father and mother and two sisters in Vancouver and a brother in Toronto. The funeral will take place on Monday, Jan. 2nd, at 2:30 p.m., from Harron Bros.’ parlors, 2123 Main Street, Rev. Mr. Jackson officiating. Internment in Mountain View cemetery. |
Lists
The following pages contain additional information relating to the 15th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA
Honours and Awards
Trophies
Commanding Officers and Regimental Sergeants Major
Honoraries
Battery Commanders and Battery Sergeants Major
Band Appointments
Nominal Roll
Guns of the Regiment
Memorial Page
The following pages contain additional information relating to the 15th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA
Honours and Awards
Trophies
Commanding Officers and Regimental Sergeants Major
Honoraries
Battery Commanders and Battery Sergeants Major
Band Appointments
Nominal Roll
Guns of the Regiment
Memorial Page