The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery (), formerly and commonly known as the Royal Canadian Artillery, is the artillery personnel branch of the Canadian Army.

History

Many of the units and batteries of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery are older than the Dominion of Canada itself. The first artillery company in Canada was formed in the province of Canada (New France) in 1750.

Volunteer Canadian artillery batteries existed before 1855 but their history is mostly unknown. Seven batteries of artillery were formed after the passage of the Militia Act of 1855 which allowed Canada to retain a paid military force of 5,000 men. One of the pre-1855 volunteer batteries formed in Saint John, New Brunswick, in 1793 was called the "Loyal Company of Artillery" and exists today as the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, RCA.

After Confederation

On 20 October 1871, the first regular Canadian army units were created, in the form of two batteries of garrison artillery; thus, that date is considered the regiment's birthday. "A" Battery in Kingston, Ontario, and "B" Battery in Quebec City, Quebec, became gunnery schools and performed garrison duties in their respective towns. They are still active today as part of the 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (RCHA).

The Royal Canadian Artillery was granted its 'Royal' prefix by Queen Victoria on May 24, 1893.

The Royal Canadian Artillery has participated in every major conflict in Canada's history.

Riel Rebellions

In 1870, in response to the Red River Rebellion led by Louis Riel, Colonel Garnet Wolseley led a force of British regulars and Canadian Militia across Northern Ontario to quell the uprising. The force never partook in any combat. Following the establishment of Manitoba in May 1870, the militia portion of the force was garrisoned along the Red River. After 1872 this included the newly formed Manitoba Demi-Battery, which was composed of Regular gunners of "A" and "B" Battery.

In 1885, when Riel led the North-West Rebellion in the District of Saskatchewan, A and B Batteries, as well as several militia batteries, including the Winnipeg Field Battery, were dispatched to quell the uprising. Upon arriving in Saskatchewan, "A" Battery and Winnipeg Field fought at Fish Creek and Batoche. "B" Battery moved west to Swift Current where they participated in the Battle of Cut Knife, which saw the first use by Canadian soldiers of the machine gun, and the last time in Canadian history that bows and arrows were used in battle.

In 1886, the Regular Gunners of A & B Batteries returned east, transferring their guns to the North-West Mounted Police.

Boer War

thumb|left|A 12-pounder gun at the [[Royal Artillery Park (Halifax)|Royal Artillery Park, Halifax, Nova Scotia]]

During the war in South Africa, Canada contributed the Brigade Division of the Canadian Field Artillery. It consisted of three batteries, named "C", "D" and "E", each of six 12-pounder field guns. Each battery consisted of three sections of two guns each, and was manned by a core of Permanent Force soldiers, with additional members from the Militia. The militia for "C" and "D" batteries came from Ontario and Winnipeg, while "E" battery had militia from Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.

"D" and "E" Batteries arrived in Cape Town aboard the SS Laurentian in February 1900,

In July 1900 "D" Battery moved to Pretoria to operate in the Transvaal in a column commanded by Colonel Ian Hamilton,

"C" Battery arrived at Cape Town aboard the SS Columbian in March 1900, but within two weeks were re-embarked to sail to Beira, from where they travelled by train, cart, and forced march to join Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert Plumer's column south of Otse by mid-April to take part in the relief of Mafeking. Colonel Baden-Powell, the garrison commander at Mafeking, sent a telegram to the Canadian Government stating : Mafeking relieved today, and most grateful for invaluable assistance of Canadian Artillery, which made record march from Beira to help us. From the end of May the battery operated with Plumer's column in the Zeerust district until November, seeing action regularly. was deactivated in 1958.

A list of forts and gun positions on the West Coast section

Korean War

<!-- thumb|right|Canadian artillery during the [[Korean War.]] -->

Cold War

The Regular and Reserve components of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, Royal Canadian Artillery and Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery were collectively re-designated the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery on 29 October 1956.

Afghanistan

"F" Battery, 2nd Regiment, RCHA, fired the first Canadian artillery rounds in Afghanistan in February 2004 as part of Operation Athena's first rotation. The mission was shot with a 105&nbsp;mm LG1 and consisted of illumination rounds shot in a range spread to identify a potential rocket launching site used by insurgents.

In December 2005, 1st Regiment, RCHA, conducted an inaugural firing of its first 155&nbsp;mm M777 towed howitzers. The first six guns delivered were supplied by the United States Marine Corps under a foreign military sales (FMS) contract between the U.S. and Canada. The Canadian guns were first fired by "A" Battery, 1 RCHA, at CFB Shilo and then were deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Archer, and were put into service in the Canadian theatre of operations around Kandahar in early 2006. This marked the first use by any nation of the M777 in combat operations. Regular RCHA units, reinforced by volunteers from Reserve units, continued to support operations until Canada completed its combat mission in Afghanistan in March 2014.

thumb|left|Canadian soldiers fire an [[M777 howitzer in Afghanistan.]]

Since Afghanistan

In June 2017, the Royal Canadian Artillery Band, one of only two Regular bands in the Canadian Army, provided musical support for a contingent of the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry which provided the Queen's Guard at Buckingham Palace, St James's Palace and the Tower of London, as well as Windsor Castle.

In October–November 2018, the Band again deployed to England to provide musical support for a contingent from the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, which provided the Queen's Guard.

Units

The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery is composed of both regular and reserve (militia) forces. The regular force component is composed of five units, four of which are front line operation units; of these, three are field artillery regiments while the fourth is a low level air defence unit. The fifth regular unit is the Royal Canadian Artillery School. Additionally, while the three field artillery regiments are on the RCA's order of battle, they are badged as regiments of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery.

Regulars

{| class="wikitable"

|+

!Regiment

!Headquarters

!Batteries

|-

|1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery

|CFB Shilo

|

  • "A" (The Queen's) Battery
  • "B" Battery
  • "C" Battery
  • "Z" Battery
  • Headquarters and Services Battery

|-

|2nd Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery

|CFB Petawawa

|

  • "D" Battery
  • "E" Battery
  • "F" Battery
  • "Y" Battery
  • Headquarters and Services Battery

|-

|4th Artillery Regiment (General Support), RCA

|CFB Gagetown

|

  • 127th Battery – airspace coordination centre (ASCC)
  • 129th Battery – CU-172 Blackjack small unmanned aircraft systems (SUAS).
  • Headquarters and Services Battery

|-

|5<sup>e</sup> Régiment d'artillerie légère du Canada.

|CFB Valcartier

|

  • "X" Battery – howitzer battery
  • "Q" Battery – surveillance and target acquisition battery
  • "R" Battery – howitzer battery
  • "V" Battery – forward observation battery
  • Headquarters and Services Battery

|-

|The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery School

|CFB Gagetown

|

  • "W" Battery (Formerly of the presently stood-down 4th Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery)
  • 45th Depot Battery, RCA (Fire Support)
  • 67th Depot Battery, RCA (The Gatekeepers)
  • Headquarters Battery

|}

Reserves

Regiments

{| class="wikitable"

|+

!Regiment

!Headquarters

!Batteries

|-

|1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery Regiment, RCA

|Halifax, Nova Scotia

|

  • 51st Field Battery, RCA
  • 84th Field Battery, RCA (Yarmouth, Nova Scotia)

|-

|2nd Field Artillery Regiment, RCA

|Montreal, Quebec

|

  • 7th Field Battery, RCA
  • 50th Field Battery, RCA
  • 66th Field Battery, RCA

|-

|3rd Field Artillery Regiment, RCA

|Saint John, New Brunswick

|

  • 89th Field Battery, RCA
  • 115th Field Battery, RCA (The Loyal Company)

|-

|5th (British Columbia) Field Artillery Regiment, RCA

|Victoria, British Columbia

|

  • 155th Field Battery, RCA (Victoria, British Columbia)
  • 156th Field Battery, RCA (Nanaimo, British Columbia)
  • The Band of the 5th (BC) Field Regiment, RCA (Victoria, British Columbia)

|-

|6th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA

|Lévis, Quebec

|

  • 57th Field Battery, RCA
  • 59th Field Battery, RCA
  • 58th Field Battery, RCA

|-

|7th Toronto Regiment, RCA

|Toronto, Ontario

|

  • 9th Field Battery, RCA
  • 15th Field Battery, RCA
  • 130th Field Battery, RCA
  • The Band of the 7th Toronto Regiment, RCA

|-

|10th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA

|Regina, Saskatchewan

|

  • 18th Field Battery, RCA (Regina, Saskatchewan)
  • 64th Field Battery, RCA (Yorkton, Saskatchewan)

|-

|11th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA

|Guelph, Ontario

|

  • 11th Field Battery (Hamilton-Wentworth), RCA
  • 16th Field Battery, RCA
  • 29th Field Battery, RCA

|-

|15th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA

|Vancouver, British Columbia

|

  • 31st Field Battery, RCA
  • 68th Field Battery, RCA
  • The Band of the 15th Field Regiment, RCA

|-

|20th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA

|Edmonton, Alberta

|

  • 61st Field Battery, RCA (Edmonton, Alberta)
  • 78th Field Battery, RCA (Red Deer, Alberta)

|-

|26th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA

|Brandon, Manitoba

|

  • 13th Field Battery, RCA (Portage la Prairie, Manitoba)
  • 71st Field Battery, RCA (Brandon, Manitoba)

|-

|30th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA

|Ottawa, Ontario

|

  • 1st Field Battery, RCA
  • 2nd Field Battery, RCA

|-

|42nd Field Artillery Regiment (Lanark and Renfrew Scottish), RCA

|Pembroke, Ontario

The museum is affiliated with: CMA, CHIN, OMMC and Virtual Museum of Canada.

Memorials

A memorial wall and an artillery field gun, were erected on 21 September 1959 by the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, which is dedicated to the memory of the members of the regiment killed in the service of Canada. It was relocated from its original location at Major's Hill Park to Green Island Park in Ottawa, Ontario and rededicated on 24 May 1998.

Recognition

The freedom of the city was accepted by the 5th (British Columbia) Field Battery, Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery in Victoria, British Columbia on 4 November 1979.

Armoury

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%"

|-

! Site

! Date(s)

! Designated

! Location

! Description

! Image

|-

|Colonel D. V. Currie VC Armoury, 1215 Main Street North.

|1913–14

|1998 Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings

|Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

|

  • large, low-massed brick structure in the north end of Moose Jaw in a mixed commercial, recreational and residential neighbourhood.
  • Currently the home of the Saskatchewan Dragoons; it has housed 95th Saskatchewan Rifles, the 60th Rifles, the King's Own Rifles of Canada, the 77th Battery, Royal Canadian Artillery, the 19th Medical Company, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, and the 142nd Transport Company, Royal Canadian Army Service Corps

|

|}

  • James Doohan was a lieutenant in the 14th Field Regiment, RCA, during World War II. During D-Day he was wounded by friendly fire, and his right middle finger was amputated. He later played Montgomery Scott on Star Trek.
  • The Royal Canadian Artillery is playable force featured heavily in the video game Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts.
  • The Royal Canadian Horse Artillery are playable units in the Wargame franchise in "Wargame: Airland Battle" and "Wargame: Red Dragon" by Eugen Systems.
  • The Royal Canadian Artillery are also playable unites featured in both Steel Division: Normandy 44 and its sequel Steel Division 2 by Eugen Systems.

See also

thumb|Plaque in commemoration of the friendship given to the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery while stationed in [[Hemer-Deilinghofen in the service of NATO. 1953–1970]]

  • Canadian Forces
  • Canadian Forces Land Force Command
  • History of the Canadian Army
  • List of armouries in Canada
  • List of Canadian organizations with royal patronage
  • Military history of Canada
  • Monarchy of Canada
  • Organization of Military Museums of Canada
  • Supplementary Order of Battle

Notes

References

;Bibliography

  • "11th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery : Canada's oldest artillery regiment." (Guelph, Ontario : The Regiment), 1966.
  • "Presence of the Royal Artillery regiment at Quebec from 1759 to 1871" (Canada. Dept. of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. National Historic Parks and Sites Br. National government publication 1978.)
  • Canadian Forces and Department of National Defence
  • History and Uniform of the 3rd "Montreal" Field Battery, 1855 to 1970
  • 4th Artillery Regiment (General Support)