Congratulations to Bombardiers Alikhani, LaHaye, Cavanagh, Guan and Findlay who just completed their gunner's junior leadership course in Shilo. Great job! Check out the other stories from 2023 here.

Peter Moogk has forwarded a photo from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) annual dinner in the Officers' Mess on 28 September 2019.​ It shows George Chow, Ted Hawthorne, and Edmund Wu preparing to sit for the dinner.

Gunner Hugh Miller, MM with bar was a member of 31st Battery, 8th Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery, CEF and remained with the battery as it was reorganized with 9th Brigade. His citation reads:
On November 6th. 1917. At Mosselmarkt, d.6.a. this man set up his lamp on the roof of a pillbox and flashed back important messages dealing with the tactical situation, under heavy shell fire, until a splinter from a heavy shell, bursting very close, struck his steel helmet, stunning him. On coming to he carried on until visibility stopped further messages being sent. While there he noticed several of our wounded lying out in the open and being unable to carrying on further with his lamp, he proceeded through a heavy enemy barrage and machine gun fire and bandaged them up and assisted them to a place of safety.
Bar to Military Medal – Circumstances for this award are yet to be discovered.
Gunner Miller survived the war and moved to New York State, USA.
More Military Medal awards can be found here.

Doug Knight​'s "The 18-pounder Field Gun in Canadian Service" has been uploaded to our reference page here. The gun at Bessborough Armoury is listed as a Gun Mark II, Registration Number 9121, Manufacture and date WBC 18, Carriage Mark II, Registration Number C871, Manufacturer and date  WBC 18. In 1933 it was located at the Royal Military College Artillery Department in Kingston.

Corporal Oswald Reid, MM with 2 bars was a member of the 31st Battery, Canadian Field Artillery, CEF during the First World War.  The citation for the Military Medal reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. On Oct 31st/17 while the battery was heavily shelled, telephone communications was broken. At great personal risk, Bdr. REID repeatedly repaired the lines under the most trying conditions and it was only by his great devotion to duty that the battery was successful in carrying on until the order “CEASEFIRE” was given.
Circumstances for the awaring of the two bars are yet to be discovered.
Check out the other Military Medal recipients here.

The Shilo Artillery reunion is officially a GO for 2023. Here's a list of the events:

• Thursday June 29 - Registration, Camp Ground open, BBQ and Meet and Greet 1600-2200
• Friday 30 June - 1 RCHA Fire Power Demo, Museum and Regt lines open for touring, 1800-0100 Banquet and Dance with DJ and Featuring the GUNNER band STEELE RAIN from Gagetown.
• Saturday 01 July - Golf Tournament, Base Canada Day festivities, Fire Works at 2200
• Sunday 02 July - GUNNERS memorial service, departure coffee and reunion ends 

Download the Joining Instructions 
Catherine and I will be there. Anyone else from Vancouver planning on attending? Drop me a line at president.vcrgunners@gmail.com

I'm attempting to gauge the interest for a one day tour of Yorke Island on a Saturday in the summer. It would start with a regularly scheduled flight to Campbell River Airport (1 hour), a rental car to Sayward (1 hour), a boat ride to Yorke Island (20 minutes), tour the Fort and other artefacts on Yorke (4 hours), boat to Sayward (20 minutes); rental car to Campbell River Airport (1 hour), fly back to Vancouver, (1 hour) basically leave at 0745 on a Saturday morning, arrive back at Vancouver at 1830 hours. The cost would be about $500.00 including all transportation and a picnic lunch at Yorke. Interested? Send me an email at president.vcrgunners@gmail.com

The September 2003 Officers' Mess newsletter has been uploaded to the website. Check out the news that Bob Mugford was writing about twenty years ago! It's not the best copy and we would certainly appreciated if you had a cleaner one you could send us.