The 1990s were filled with talk of armoury closures. The Beatty Street Armoury and Bessborough were at the top of the list. I've found a few clippings from that era and placed them in their respective yearbooks:
1990 - The Arbutus Industrial Area Sub-committee of the Kitsilano citizens' group
1995 - The "wolves are at the door" comment
1998 - Defence Department plans to close two B.C. armouries
The work of many of our retired and serving members at the time managed to stave off the closure. Then Major Jim Barrett is featured in one article in 1998. It may also have helped that a certain 39 Brigade Group member working in Ottawa in the early 2000 period drafted an LFRR infrastrucure planning document that suggested that armoury closures should be held in abeyance until the units have an opportunity to expand into the suburbs and validate the wisdom of such moves. That document was never signed off but it did keep the wolves from the doors. To my knowledge, no units have successfully transitioned out to the suburbs.

Canada Day 2010 - The Honorary Colonel has passed on some additional photographs from our parade exercising the Freedom of the City.

I came across a wonderful booklet in the Regimental Museum, Yorke Island:Then and Now that was written by Ronald H Pugh in 2003. He was a small child when his brother George William Pugh served in the Regiment at Yorke Island. George passed away in 1991 and Ronald set out on a journey to understand more of George's experience during the Second World War. This journey included a visit to Yorke Island and a brief study of the Coastal Artillery history in BC. I've scanned the booklet and placed it in the reference section of the website. Take a look, it's a great read.
Ronald; I've tried to track you down with no success. If you happen to read this, or a member of your family does, drop me a line at [email protected]

This one is for the Stanley Park history buffs. More than 50 photos of the Stanley Park Battery position on Ferguson Point have been put on line in the 1945 yearbook.

An additional resource for the Coastal Artillery Buffs is a pdf file titled Photographic Record of the Historical Remains of Vancouver and Yorke Island Coast Artillery Fortifications 1914-1950.
Whew! Not that many photographs (unless the ones from 1945 were supposed to be included) but a good source of information of the sites in the Vancouver area during World War II.

Two additional names for the nominal roll. Both enrolled in 15th (Vancouver) Coast Brigade before transferring to 16th Battery, 3rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment RCA. Quite possibly they knew each other while they served in that unit.
​Sergeant Rogers was tragically shot in a weapons mishap.
​Bombardier Sheldon had survived Dieppe but was killed by a bomb when the Canadians returned to France. His file contains a letter written while on duty at night in England manning the anti-aircraft defences. He's not too impressed with his situation and sends his complaints to his wife in the United States through the civilian British Post where the it is discovered and returned to the Canadian Army. His charge report for sending the letter is also in the file....

​I've shown Bombardier Sheldon's file twice using two different formats. the first is a Gallery arrangement and the second is a Slideshow format. Which is best for viewing?

Three additional names for the nominal roll from the World War 2 period. Two were overcome by illness and the third lived through the Italy campaign before being transferred to the "Tin Hats Concert Party" entertainment troupe where he was listed as killed in action enroute to France. There's a story there that still needs to be found.

Two new additions to the nominal roll complete with documentation posted in the yearbook.

Sergeant Charles Low McIntosh,
​​Taken on strength with 58th Heavy Battery 15th (Vancouver) Coast Brigade RCA on 22 September 1939, appointed Provisional Sergeant on 25 October 1939 and Provisional Battery Sergeant Major on 1 December 1939, reverts to substantive Sergeant on 6 February 1940,  reverts to rank of Gunner on 10 April 1942, taken on strength with 5th Medium Battery RCA, appointed Acting Sergeant 11 April 1942, disembarked United Kingdom on 24 June 1942 with 3 Medium Regiment RCA, deceased 5 January 1943 from gas gangrene, buried in Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey England .
DM, 39/45, CVSM1

Bombardier James Jeffery McCardell
Taken on strength 1st Searchlight Regiment RCA on 14 September 1939, posted to 58th Heavy Battery 15th (Vancouver) Coast Brigade RCA on 2 August 1940, appointed Acting Lance Bombardier on 1 May 1941, promoted Acting Bombardier on 1 June 1942, posted to 85th Heavy Battery 15th (Vancouver) Coast Brigade RCA on 8 February 1943, deceased 31 May 1947 from pulmonary tuberculosis, buried at Mountain View Cemetery.
CVSM, WM

Lieutenant Edward Frank Mantle was a Gunner with ​the 31st Battery, 15th Brigade, Canadian Artillery in 1934 for three years before retiring to pursue his civilian career. He re-enrolled in the 85th Heavy Battery in 1940 as an Acting Sergeant which was confirmed in 1941. He was taken on strength Active Service on 15 October 1941 as a Gunner, but appointed Acting Sergeant with pay on the following day. Commissioned as Second Lieutenant on 5 December 1941 he was promoted to Lieutenant in 1942. He was transferred to 5th Anti-Tank Regiment RCA on 23 April 1942, dying of wounds on 2 August 1944. He is buried at Beny-sur-Mer Canadian Military Cemetery Grave 13 Row A Plot 7.

Lance Sergeant Leslie Howard Holtby has been added to our Nominal Roll and to our Memorial Page. Lance Sergeant Holtby was sworn into 58th Heavy Battery, 15th (Vancouver) Coast Brigade RCA on 1 October 1939 by Captain Theodore Robert Dumoulin who later went on to become the Commanding Officer and Honourary Colonel.
​Lance Sergeant Holtby did not stay long in the Regiment, quickly transferring to the 8th Army Field Regiment RCA and subsequently the 4th Anti-Tank Regiment RCA in Italy where he was wounded and died.
​His history of service can be found in the 1944 yearbook complete with copies of his paybook and inventory of personal effects.
​Should you be planning a visit to Italy, it would be appreciated if you could stop by his grave and pay our respects as well as taking a photo of his grave for the yearbook.
​Ubique.

Eleven new names added! These include Brigade Sergeant Major William Jephson who may well be the first Sergeant Major of 15th Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery. We also have Gunner Joseph Dessureault who started his career with 15th (Vancouver) Coast Brigade and tragically came to an end on the beaches of Dieppe with the 3rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment.
Gunner Philip Archibald Gibbs 
Gunner John Stanley Gill 
Gunner Athol Reginald Green
Driver Walter Grimes 
Farrier Sergeant Hedley Hawkins 
Orderly Room Sergeant Sydney Hodgkinson
Pay Sergeant Christopher William Hollyer 
Bombardier John Cannon Hutchins 
Brigade Sergeant Major William J Jephson 
Corporal John James Lawson 
Gunner Joseph Camile Dessureault

Another 18 names from the 15th Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery have been added to the nominal roll. Only one has a photograph but the list does include the recipient of a Distinguished Conduct Medal and a Military Medal.
​Aird, Arthur William; Anderson, Ludwig; Angus, Thomas Florence; Armstrong, William Arthur Laird; Bamford, Harold George; Bamford, Thomas Harvey; Beveridge, Thomas Ernest; Breach, Arthur; Bryant, Charles Alfred; Clark, Robert Scott; Coldwell, Frederick William; Davidson, Robert Foster; Dawson, Lloyd Lester; Dunlop, Thomas William; Dunn, John; Fawcett, Edgar Lionel; Fleming, Charles Sandford; Ringwood, Thomas Duncan.

The nominal roll now sits at 1,362 names of members that have served with our Regiment!