Vancouver Defences
1945
1945
as at 4 March 2016
Sub-units
58th Coast Battery, RCA
85th Coast Battery, RCA
Band
58th Coast Battery, RCA
85th Coast Battery, RCA
Band
Command Team
|
Battery Commander
58th Coast Battery, RCA Major HW Selbie |
Battery Commander
85th Coast Battery, RCA Major AG Macdougall |
Regimental Headquarters
Honorary Colonel William Culham Woodward, ED
Honorary Colonel William Culham Woodward, ED
Awards
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
The silver-gilt badge (2 inches wide) is gold in appearance with no enamels and is worn on the left breast. the obverse of the original badge had a cross patonce (four arms with three points on each arm) of silver-gilt with the arms enamelled pearl-grey, surmounted by an Imperial Crown. The circular centre, in gold, shows the figure of Britannia, holding a trident and seated beside a shield bearing the national flag. The centre is surrounded by a circular band, enamelled crimson and bearing the motto FOR GOD AND THE EMPIRE in gold.
Current Badge (after 1937): As above except that in the centre, in gold, are the crowned effigies of King George V and his consort Queen Mary. Neither the original nor the current OBE and MBE badges are enamelled.
on the reverse a rope circle with the current Royal Cypher, surmounted by an Imperial Crown and with a hallmark on the lower limb.
A silver emblem of two oak leaves is worn on the riband when the appointment to the order is for gallantry. A ring is attached to the top of the crown through which a larger ring passes.
Original: The civil ribbon was purple (1.5 inches wide). The military ribbon had a narrow central stripe of scarlet added. Current (after 1937): The civil ribbon is rose-pink with pearl grey edges. The military ribbon has a narrow central stripe of pearl grey added.
The order was established in June 1917. In December 1918, military and civil divisions were established.
On 09 March 1937, the insignia and ribbon were changed. After 01 January 1958, gallantry awards were recognized with silver oak leaves.
There have been a total of 1,671 OBEs issued to Canadians; 599 civil and 1,072 military.
http://thercr.ca/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=90&Itemid=200
Colonel William Allen Townsley OBE MC ED Awarded 1 June 1945
Major Gordon Younghusband L. Crossley OBE ED Awarded 16 June 1945
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
The silver-gilt badge (2 inches wide) is gold in appearance with no enamels and is worn on the left breast. the obverse of the original badge had a cross patonce (four arms with three points on each arm) of silver-gilt with the arms enamelled pearl-grey, surmounted by an Imperial Crown. The circular centre, in gold, shows the figure of Britannia, holding a trident and seated beside a shield bearing the national flag. The centre is surrounded by a circular band, enamelled crimson and bearing the motto FOR GOD AND THE EMPIRE in gold.
Current Badge (after 1937): As above except that in the centre, in gold, are the crowned effigies of King George V and his consort Queen Mary. Neither the original nor the current OBE and MBE badges are enamelled.
on the reverse a rope circle with the current Royal Cypher, surmounted by an Imperial Crown and with a hallmark on the lower limb.
A silver emblem of two oak leaves is worn on the riband when the appointment to the order is for gallantry. A ring is attached to the top of the crown through which a larger ring passes.
Original: The civil ribbon was purple (1.5 inches wide). The military ribbon had a narrow central stripe of scarlet added. Current (after 1937): The civil ribbon is rose-pink with pearl grey edges. The military ribbon has a narrow central stripe of pearl grey added.
The order was established in June 1917. In December 1918, military and civil divisions were established.
On 09 March 1937, the insignia and ribbon were changed. After 01 January 1958, gallantry awards were recognized with silver oak leaves.
There have been a total of 1,671 OBEs issued to Canadians; 599 civil and 1,072 military.
http://thercr.ca/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=90&Itemid=200
Colonel William Allen Townsley OBE MC ED Awarded 1 June 1945
Major Gordon Younghusband L. Crossley OBE ED Awarded 16 June 1945
Yorke Island
Twenty-four hour manning of the guns and lights continued along with regular firing practices, the last of which took place August 10th, 1945. By this time an air of expectancy hung over the Island as the war drew to a close and their release from "confinement" on the Island was at hand. During the daily inspection of quarters by the Battery Captain on August 14th, he found all available radios turned on in hope of catching the news of the impending surrender. At 4:00 p.m. the BBC radio announced Japan's acceptance of surrender and the General Alarm siren was blown and an order was issued that Sunday routine would follow the next day. The moment they had been waiting for had arrived at last. However, it would be another 12 days before the Examination Service would cease its operational role and one more day before orders would relieve the gunners from their watches. Yorke Island had come to the finale of its operational role almost six years from its beginnings as the northern anchor to the Vancouver defences.
Almost immediately procedures for disbanding the battery and the return of equipment and stores to Vancouver were prepared. Guns were cleaned for the last time and put in maintenance. On October 17th, 1945, at 11:00 a.m. the last of the battery personnel with Major A.G. Macdougall left the Island aboard the Army Service Corps boat General MacKenzie, ending the longest occupation of a fort by a battery of the 15th Coast Regiment. Thankless but vital, the task was well done.
Vancouver Defended, Peter Moogk, page 93
Twenty-four hour manning of the guns and lights continued along with regular firing practices, the last of which took place August 10th, 1945. By this time an air of expectancy hung over the Island as the war drew to a close and their release from "confinement" on the Island was at hand. During the daily inspection of quarters by the Battery Captain on August 14th, he found all available radios turned on in hope of catching the news of the impending surrender. At 4:00 p.m. the BBC radio announced Japan's acceptance of surrender and the General Alarm siren was blown and an order was issued that Sunday routine would follow the next day. The moment they had been waiting for had arrived at last. However, it would be another 12 days before the Examination Service would cease its operational role and one more day before orders would relieve the gunners from their watches. Yorke Island had come to the finale of its operational role almost six years from its beginnings as the northern anchor to the Vancouver defences.
Almost immediately procedures for disbanding the battery and the return of equipment and stores to Vancouver were prepared. Guns were cleaned for the last time and put in maintenance. On October 17th, 1945, at 11:00 a.m. the last of the battery personnel with Major A.G. Macdougall left the Island aboard the Army Service Corps boat General MacKenzie, ending the longest occupation of a fort by a battery of the 15th Coast Regiment. Thankless but vital, the task was well done.
Vancouver Defended, Peter Moogk, page 93
Narrows North / Ferguson Point
The surrender of Japan on August 74th, 1945 forced a decision on the fate of Vancouver's coastal defences. Narrows North was abandoned immediately. The guns at Stanley Park were removed in September 1945 and though most of the huts there were demolished, the army did not vacate Ferguson Point. The officer's mess became a residence for the district commander. The Vancouver Parks Board objected to this and demanded the removal of the fence and the restoration of the point as parkland.
Vancouver Defended, Peter Moogk, page 11
The surrender of Japan on August 74th, 1945 forced a decision on the fate of Vancouver's coastal defences. Narrows North was abandoned immediately. The guns at Stanley Park were removed in September 1945 and though most of the huts there were demolished, the army did not vacate Ferguson Point. The officer's mess became a residence for the district commander. The Vancouver Parks Board objected to this and demanded the removal of the fence and the restoration of the point as parkland.
Vancouver Defended, Peter Moogk, page 11
Stanley Park Fort on Ferguson Point
The Stanley Park Battery was the first of Vancouver’s Second World War coastal batteries. Although the peninsula had been reserved for the defence of the First Narrows and Burrard Inlet in the nineteenth century, this federally-owned land had been leased to the city for a nominal sum since 1887. Most people knew it only as a public park. In 1914 the point of land near Siwash Rock had been occupied by a temporary gun battery when an attack by Germany’s East Asia naval squadron was considered likely. In the Second World War the Japanese navy was regarded as the greatest threat. A concrete, two-gun battery emplacement with supporting structures on Ferguson Point was planned in February 1938, after Parliament approved the establishment of permanent coast defences in early 1937. Vancouver’s role as Canada’s principal Pacific Coast port and as the transcontinental railway’s terminus justified this extra protection from hostile warships.
The Town Planning Commission, however, did not approve of the use of Ferguson Point for the battery, calling it “a favourite beauty spot in the park.” The Vancouver Sun joined the opposition and stated that the gun battery could become “a permanent blot on the scenic beauty of the area.” However, because the Parks Board had consented to the new construction, and the land really was federal government property, and the battery was deemed “essential” for strategic reasons, construction work there began in mid-February, 1938.
Vancouver’s fixed, coastal defences were to be manned by the 15th Coast Brigade of artillery, a local militia regiment. In anticipation of war, the brigade’s 31st Battery occupied the site on 27 August, 1939. The Fire Commander’s Orders of October 1942 stated that the Stanley Park Battery was to guard “English Bay and the First Narrows entrance to Burrard Inlet”, and also to act as a detaining battery for ships awaiting inspection and clearance before entering the Port of Vancouver. Like the smaller battery on the north side of the First Narrows, the Stanley Park Battery was authorized to fire on ships that refused to submit to inspection and which sailed on into the port without stopping. An examination vessel [X-Vic] was stationed two kilometres west of Ferguson Point to inspect incoming ships. After Point Atkinson’s signal station had identified arriving vessels, they proceeded to the X-Vic to be cleared for entry into the port. Large ships flew recognition signals that identified them as friendly.
The Stanley Park Battery originally consisted of two breech-loading, 6-inch calibre guns on circular, pedestal mounts. The gun emplacements were placed in from the edge of the cliff. Ammunition was stored in an underground magazine behind the guns. A concrete, three-storey, battery observation post [BOP] directed their fire. A soldiers’ camp occupied the present Third Beach parking lot. All the buildings and emplacements were camouflaged; even an evergreen tree was painted on the BOP’s front. Personnel in the BOP directed the guns and co-ordinated the two 5-foot diameter, searchlights, placed close to the water. They illuminated English Bay at night. These searchlights were maintained and operated by the 1st Searchlight Regiment’s 3rd Battery.
With the destruction of most of Japan’s major warships in 1942-43, the prospect of a seaborne attack on Vancouver diminished. Japanese submarines still torpedoed ships and shelled sites along the West Coast. Vancouver’s defences were gradually reduced to maintenance status in 1944. Stanley Park’s guns and most of the buildings were removed in September 1945. The Vancouver District’s army commander, however, continued to occupy the former officers’ mess as his home. The Vancouver Parks Board demanded Ferguson Point’s complete restoration to parkland. In April 1948 the board won this battle. The gun emplacements were levelled and buried. The BOP was demolished. The searchlight position at Siwash Rock became the base for a viewing platform. On Ferguson Point, only the old officers’ mess survives as a part of today’s Teahouse in Stanley Park.
Major [ret’d] Peter Moogk, CD, Ph.D. Museum Curator 15th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA
Note: Some of the following photographs were taken prior to 1945 as can be seen in the developing structure over the gun area.
The Stanley Park Battery was the first of Vancouver’s Second World War coastal batteries. Although the peninsula had been reserved for the defence of the First Narrows and Burrard Inlet in the nineteenth century, this federally-owned land had been leased to the city for a nominal sum since 1887. Most people knew it only as a public park. In 1914 the point of land near Siwash Rock had been occupied by a temporary gun battery when an attack by Germany’s East Asia naval squadron was considered likely. In the Second World War the Japanese navy was regarded as the greatest threat. A concrete, two-gun battery emplacement with supporting structures on Ferguson Point was planned in February 1938, after Parliament approved the establishment of permanent coast defences in early 1937. Vancouver’s role as Canada’s principal Pacific Coast port and as the transcontinental railway’s terminus justified this extra protection from hostile warships.
The Town Planning Commission, however, did not approve of the use of Ferguson Point for the battery, calling it “a favourite beauty spot in the park.” The Vancouver Sun joined the opposition and stated that the gun battery could become “a permanent blot on the scenic beauty of the area.” However, because the Parks Board had consented to the new construction, and the land really was federal government property, and the battery was deemed “essential” for strategic reasons, construction work there began in mid-February, 1938.
Vancouver’s fixed, coastal defences were to be manned by the 15th Coast Brigade of artillery, a local militia regiment. In anticipation of war, the brigade’s 31st Battery occupied the site on 27 August, 1939. The Fire Commander’s Orders of October 1942 stated that the Stanley Park Battery was to guard “English Bay and the First Narrows entrance to Burrard Inlet”, and also to act as a detaining battery for ships awaiting inspection and clearance before entering the Port of Vancouver. Like the smaller battery on the north side of the First Narrows, the Stanley Park Battery was authorized to fire on ships that refused to submit to inspection and which sailed on into the port without stopping. An examination vessel [X-Vic] was stationed two kilometres west of Ferguson Point to inspect incoming ships. After Point Atkinson’s signal station had identified arriving vessels, they proceeded to the X-Vic to be cleared for entry into the port. Large ships flew recognition signals that identified them as friendly.
The Stanley Park Battery originally consisted of two breech-loading, 6-inch calibre guns on circular, pedestal mounts. The gun emplacements were placed in from the edge of the cliff. Ammunition was stored in an underground magazine behind the guns. A concrete, three-storey, battery observation post [BOP] directed their fire. A soldiers’ camp occupied the present Third Beach parking lot. All the buildings and emplacements were camouflaged; even an evergreen tree was painted on the BOP’s front. Personnel in the BOP directed the guns and co-ordinated the two 5-foot diameter, searchlights, placed close to the water. They illuminated English Bay at night. These searchlights were maintained and operated by the 1st Searchlight Regiment’s 3rd Battery.
With the destruction of most of Japan’s major warships in 1942-43, the prospect of a seaborne attack on Vancouver diminished. Japanese submarines still torpedoed ships and shelled sites along the West Coast. Vancouver’s defences were gradually reduced to maintenance status in 1944. Stanley Park’s guns and most of the buildings were removed in September 1945. The Vancouver District’s army commander, however, continued to occupy the former officers’ mess as his home. The Vancouver Parks Board demanded Ferguson Point’s complete restoration to parkland. In April 1948 the board won this battle. The gun emplacements were levelled and buried. The BOP was demolished. The searchlight position at Siwash Rock became the base for a viewing platform. On Ferguson Point, only the old officers’ mess survives as a part of today’s Teahouse in Stanley Park.
Major [ret’d] Peter Moogk, CD, Ph.D. Museum Curator 15th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA
Note: Some of the following photographs were taken prior to 1945 as can be seen in the developing structure over the gun area.
Fort Record Book - Stanley Park
The Fort Record Book contained the technical information for the fort. Armament, personnel and equipment are listed.
The Fort Record Book contained the technical information for the fort. Armament, personnel and equipment are listed.
Point Grey
At Point Grey, on land that was reserved in the nineteenth century for the protection of the harbour, are the extensive remains of what was Vancouver's largest and longest-used coastal fort. At the end of the war in 1945 the camp area was given to the University of British Columbia which added huts from Tofino air base to the existing buildings. Fort Camp, as the area was called, provided additional lecture halls and quarters for a student body that had trebled with the arrival of former members of the armed services as government-assisted students. The guns of the battery - No.3 seems to have been replaced - were maintained by the army for training the revived 15th Coast Regiment (Reserve), R.C.A.
Vancouver Defended, Peter Moogk, page 111
At Point Grey, on land that was reserved in the nineteenth century for the protection of the harbour, are the extensive remains of what was Vancouver's largest and longest-used coastal fort. At the end of the war in 1945 the camp area was given to the University of British Columbia which added huts from Tofino air base to the existing buildings. Fort Camp, as the area was called, provided additional lecture halls and quarters for a student body that had trebled with the arrival of former members of the armed services as government-assisted students. The guns of the battery - No.3 seems to have been replaced - were maintained by the army for training the revived 15th Coast Regiment (Reserve), R.C.A.
Vancouver Defended, Peter Moogk, page 111
Gunner Wallace Reece Brunt
Mrs. Anne Brunt receives War Service Gratuity payment
Mrs. Anne Brunt receives War Service Gratuity payment
Obituary
Captain A.R. Townsley 29 March 1945
Son of Lieutenant Colonel William Allen and Elizabeth Lilian Townsley, of Vancouver, British Columbia. Husband of Helen Ruth Townsley (nee Plomb), of South Kensington, London, England. Brother of David Strawson Townsley, Mary Ann Townsley and Philip McNair Townsley. Captain Townsley is commemorated on the North Vancouver Cenotaph, Victoria Park, North Vancouver, British Columbia.
On D-Day, the 6th of June 1944, the 3rd Canadian Anti-Tank Regiment R.C.A. landed in France on Juno Beach as part of the Third Canadian Infantry Division. The regiment consisted of four batteries: the 4th from Peterborough, Ontario, the 52nd from Weymouth, Nova Scotia, the 94th from Quebec City and the 105th from St. George, New Brunswick, along with a headquarters from Toronto.
Originally trained as field artillery, the regiment had been converted to anti-tank. Each battery had two troops of four 6-pounders anti-tank guns and one of four M 10s, the latter being Sherman tanks with a 3-inch gun and an open turret with a 50- calibre machine gun mounted on the side. The troops were identified in the batteries as follows: 4th Battery, ABC; 52nd Battery, DEF; 94th Battery, GHI, 105th Battery, JKL; with C, F, I and L being the M10 troops.
The regiment was responsible for coordinating the anti-tank defences of the division, and the individual troops were generally assigned in support of an infantry battalion where they supplemented the battalion’s own 6-pounders. The troop commander worked closely with the battalion commander and anti-tank platoon commander.
Captain A.R. Townsley 29 March 1945
Son of Lieutenant Colonel William Allen and Elizabeth Lilian Townsley, of Vancouver, British Columbia. Husband of Helen Ruth Townsley (nee Plomb), of South Kensington, London, England. Brother of David Strawson Townsley, Mary Ann Townsley and Philip McNair Townsley. Captain Townsley is commemorated on the North Vancouver Cenotaph, Victoria Park, North Vancouver, British Columbia.
On D-Day, the 6th of June 1944, the 3rd Canadian Anti-Tank Regiment R.C.A. landed in France on Juno Beach as part of the Third Canadian Infantry Division. The regiment consisted of four batteries: the 4th from Peterborough, Ontario, the 52nd from Weymouth, Nova Scotia, the 94th from Quebec City and the 105th from St. George, New Brunswick, along with a headquarters from Toronto.
Originally trained as field artillery, the regiment had been converted to anti-tank. Each battery had two troops of four 6-pounders anti-tank guns and one of four M 10s, the latter being Sherman tanks with a 3-inch gun and an open turret with a 50- calibre machine gun mounted on the side. The troops were identified in the batteries as follows: 4th Battery, ABC; 52nd Battery, DEF; 94th Battery, GHI, 105th Battery, JKL; with C, F, I and L being the M10 troops.
The regiment was responsible for coordinating the anti-tank defences of the division, and the individual troops were generally assigned in support of an infantry battalion where they supplemented the battalion’s own 6-pounders. The troop commander worked closely with the battalion commander and anti-tank platoon commander.
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