RCHA - 3rd Regt G Bty firing 1959-60 105mm

[Jon McGrath]

I've uploaded an excerpt from a home movie of the 3rd RCHA, G Bty during a winter firing exercise sometime in 1959-60. While I believe the date and location are correct, I base this only the excerpt's placement within the larger amalgamated reels of home movies. It is possible that this could be 2nd RCHA, E Bty firing in Shilo (1958-59) or 3rd RCHA, G Bty firing somewhere in Germany in 1960-1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAYvGMxMQHk

Firing starts about 0:25. Coffee or meal break precedes.
Jon

[rob love]

If the date of the movie is correct, then it narrows down a question I have had about when the upper right shield was removed from the Canadian guns. They came with them, but in the 1963 manual, photos show the guns without that shield. Your movie, if the date is correct, also show that shield removed. Apparently the upper right shield did not stay on the guns very long in Cdn service, since the guns were built from about 1955 to 1957.

I suspect it was due to fouling the panoramic sight and mount. I was lucky in that I did find one upper right shield at the local scrapyard for my C1.

[John McGillivray]

Here's a photo of a C1 belonging to 5RALC in Valcartier in 1974. Note this was after their L5s were taken out of service due to cracks being found in their barrels.

[Jon McGrath]

Originally Posted by rob love

If the date of the movie is correct, .

I feel fairly confident that home movie was filmed in CFB Gagetown in 1959-60. My parents bought the camera about 1958. The 8 mm films were amalgamated into a video which appears to run chronologically. This clip immediately follows a clip of a huge snowfall in the Gagetown PMQ area. The winter of 1960-1 found the 3 RCHA in Germany. It is possible the clip was taken in Germany perhaps as late as 1962 by which time my parents were rarely, if ever, using the 8mm movie camera. The original 8mm films are long gone so I can't confirm the date. I have many 35 mm slides to sort through and think there might be more gun line photos, if people are interested. Jon

[rob love]

Early C1 photos are welcome, especially if you have any from Shilo. My gun is made up of parts from carriage Cdn5 and Cdn6. By the 60s, the number was painted on the trails just back from the tires. I would love to find a photo of either of these guns, especially to try and locate it's service history. Unfortunately, those records no longer exist with the LCMM.



At the museum have a very early photo of a 105. The photo is actually clear enough to see that it is one of the 36 US built guns brought in to service prior to Sorel building the Cdn model.

[John McGillivray]

This photo is from the book " The World's Armies" published in 1979. The photo predates the book by some years and is credited to the Canadian Armed Forces.

[rob love]

The bush dress would seem to signify pre-65.

The photo has the same thing I get from most C1 photos: lack of detail due to people standing in the way. I checked with the local mlitia artillery museum, and every photo they had of guns were blocked.

[Ed Storey]

Here is a CF photograph from Germany in 1960.