I just received a great set of 24" x 36" prints of Yorke Island. These will be going on display in the upstairs lecture room at the Armoury in the new year. You can check out the prints here. Would you like to assist us in our Yorke Island Project? Contact me at president.vcrgunners@gmail.com Check out the Ubique 150 Video Contest on the Ubique 150 page. The RCAA has just hosted a webinar on how to make your own video submission. Check out the details on their YouTube page here.
Uploaded the book Customs and Traditions of the Canadian Armed Forces by E.C. Russell in our Reference Page. The book was published in 1980 and contains some interesting traditions from those days as the Canadian Forces struggled with unification.
We have just come across the records for the earliest known fatality of those Gunners that signed up with the Vancouver Volunteer Reserve, Boorman's Battery in the First World War.
Gunner Walter Stanley Heslop was killed in action 11 September 1916 and is buried at the Blecourt Military Cemetery, Somme France. New Year's Day provides us a traditional opportunity to re-connect with friends and compatriots to ring in the new year while listening to their stories of 2020. The Vancouver Artillery Association is hosting a Virtual Levée on 1 January 2021 from 1000 hours until 1300 hours Pacific Time. We'll have 5 rooms set up on zoom
(Password - Ubique) for you to drop in and say hello! Stay for all three hours or just drop in for a quick hello. We are also encouraging other Associations and Regiments to set up a similar zoom page so that we can drop in and wish you a better year ahead. Send me an email with your coordinates and timings and I'll post it on our page here. Stay safe my friends, see you in the new year! Richard Van Slyke has discovered a YouTube documentary on Major Raymond Massey, a former Lieutenant in the 85th Battery, Canadian Field Artillery, Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Force. Check out the video on this page. A new page has been set up to capture all those in the Regiment that were acknowledged by being mentioned in despatches. This latest addition came about due to the online discovery of letters received by Sergeant Harold Percival Eldridge regarding the honour received.
Sergeant Percival's nominal roll entry can be found here and the Mention in Despatches can be found here. One of the Second Lieutenants from 1942 appears to have done quite well in his military career. He was Commanding Officer of the Anti-Aircraft School in Picton, Staff Officer Emergency Management in Ottawa and finally a full Colonel in NATO. Unfortunately, I have not found a direct connection with 15th Field Artillery Regiment. Was he one of ours at some time in his career?
New Artillery Officers
The Sun and Province newspapers provide a list of the latest artillery officers to graduate from BC. Second Lieutenants N C Gould, R R Johnson, E B Clarke, F C Garrett, E Green, C A Buchanan, A F Cade, T W Townrow, G L Vincent. Unfortunately they do not provide unit names. How many of them were members of 15th (Vancouver) Coast Brigade, RCA? See more in the 1942 Yearbook pages. |
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