Canadian Expeditionary Force artillery from Prince Edward Island

A number of militia artillery batteries were raised in Prince Edward Island from 1875. When the First World War broke out, three battery-sized units were raised and deployed from the Island as part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force.

Garrison Artillery in Prince Edward Island from 1875
From 1763, with the close of the Seven Years' War, the British government began stationing ‘regular army troops’, and foreign troops in service, on the Island, for its defence. Artillery units on the Island of Saint John were a mix of Royal Regiment of (Garrison) Artillery British regulars, Island volunteers and then militia until 1871. In 1871, as British troops departed Canada, with the exception of small Halifax and Esquimault garrisons, the initial permanent active militia element of Canadian Artillery emerged, on 20 October 1871, with the formation of two batteries of garrison artillery in Kingston and Quebec City.

In 1875, having joined The Dominion, with most of the Island colonial units deactivated, as the ‘Canadian’ militia reorganized; new PEI ‘active militia’ units were authorized. In Military District No.12 (PEI), two batteries of Garrison Artillery were immediately authorized, the Charlottetown Battery of Garrison Artillery (OC Major J.B. Pollard) and the Georgetown Battery of Garrison Artillery (OC Captain C. Owen). Recognizing success in recruiting in the capital city, a second battery of ‘Garrison Artillery’ was authorized in Charlottetown, necessitating two re-designations: No.1 Charlottetown Battery of Garrison Artillery (GO 17 – 25 June 1875) and No.2 Charlottetown Battery of Garrison Artillery (OC Major Morris).

As reported by the Inspector of Artillery, Maritime Provinces, in his ‘District Report, and by Lieutenant Colonel J.H. Gray, on the state of the militia in PEI, they acknowledged the fourth Island garrison battery, the Summerside Battery (authorized MGO G.O. 21 No.1 – 13 August 1875). These previously ‘independent’ four county batteries were ‘gathered together’ in March 1882, when the ‘Prince Edward Island Provisional Brigade of Garrison Artillery’ was authorized. Initially composed of an establishment of three Batteries, No.1 and No.2 in Charlottetown and No.3 in Georgetown, the PEI Brigade soon added No.4 Battery in Souris (24 Jan 1884), and No.5 Battery in Montague (17 October 1884).

With the coming of the First World War, applying the lessons of South Africa, the ‘Canadian Permanent Force’ field gunners moved in adopting the British model of designating batteries as either ‘horse artillery’ or ‘field artillery’. Equipped with the Ordnance QF 13-pounder (quick firing) field gun, the newly designated 'Royal Canadian Horse Artillery' assumed the ‘highly mobile – light gun artillery’ task. Independent ‘Non-Permanent Active Militia’ gunner units, remained designated as 'Canadian Field Artillery', assuming the ‘field artillery’ task, equipped with the heavier Ordnance QF 18-pounder, or standing as a ‘garrison battery’ of 'Canadian Garrison Artillery'.

The 'PEI Brigade' ended an early history of re-designations, and re-arrangements, just before the War, in June 1912, when it was designated the ‘Prince Edward Island Heavy Brigade, Canadian Garrison Artillery’ composed of the 3rd and 4th Heavy Battery CGA, in Charlottetown. While in Prince County, the 'old' Georgetown, Souris and Montague 'garrison artillery batteries' converted and came together designated, in June 1912, as the 37th (Souris) Battery, Canadian Field Artillery, with Capt A.T. MacKay as A/OC.

The 1912 rearrangement of the 'Canadian Field Artillery' was accompanied by similar initiatives for the 'Canadian Garrison Artillery' as it was rearranged and subdivided into - Heavy, Movable, Coast Defence or Siege Batteries or Companies. Less two batteries, not yet equipped in Canada, in Britain, Royal Garrison Artillery Heavy and Siege batteries were equipped with howitzers, designed and engineered to fire large calibre high explosive shells in high trajectory, (down) plunging fire. For Siege Batteries, the usual armaments were one of six inch, eight inch or 9.2 inch howitzers, although some RGA batteries had railway–mounted or road-mounted twelve-inch howitzers. As WWI artillery tactics developed, Siege Batteries were most often employed in destroying or neutralizing enemy artillery units (firing at unseen targets in counter-battery fire), as well as putting destructive fire down on strong-points, dumps, stores, roads and railways.

No.2 Canadian (Overseas) Siege Artillery Battery, CEF
‘Created’ through Order-in-Council PC 2831, in November 1914, Militia Headquarters (Ottawa) authorized, on 20 April 1915, the organization of No. 2 Heavy Battery Depot, as it was first designated. What was to become a PEI recruited Canadian Garrison Artillery: Siege Battery, mobilized at Charlottetown, it started with a strength of 5 Officers and 161 Other Ranks. "Most of the officers, and many of the men, who joined the battery,had served in the PEI Heavy Brigade ...", "... with a few from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Great Britain and the United States." The unit was first quartered in the Agricultural Building, in Charlottetown, and until late fall the battery was stationed in tents on the Armoury grounds, on Brighton Road, first commanded by Major A.G. Peake, who took it to England.

"By 1 September there were enough volunteers to begin training at Brighton Camp, although only 200 strong; the Battery was a cross-section of the Island’s population ...", though just before leaving for overseas a draft of regulars from the Royal Garrison Artillery were attached to the unit. On 25 September 1915, it was authorized to recruit an ammunition party and base details, which brought the strength of the unit to 218 all ranks, and on 29 September, the battery was re-designated as No. 2 Overseas Battery, Canadian Siege Artillery. On 26 November, the Battery moved out of Charlottetown, on the "HOCHELAGA" to Pictou, NS and Halifax and embarked on the "SS Lapland" sailing on 28 November, it arrived at Plymouth Sound, on 5 December, with a strength of 6 officers and 273 other ranks.

It proceeded immediately to Roffey Camp, at Horsham Siege Artillery School, in West Sussex, and was in training there, for four months, until 12 April 1916, when it moved to a second RGA School and Ranges in Lydd, Kent. Still under training, and not yet assigned to a Canadian formation, to conform to the system of numbering British heavy RGA batteries, the battery was re-designated as No. 98 (Canadian) Siege Battery, Canadian Siege Brigade, from 24 February 1916.

Prior to proceeding to France, Major W.B. Prowse was selected and appointed Officer Commanding, leaving France in late 1917, Major S.T. Layton and then Major H.R.N. Corbett, as the Officers Commanding, succeeding him. On 18 May, it moved to Stockcross, in Berkshire, where it sourced four of the newly produced BL 6-inch 26 cwt howitzer. On 31 May, the Battery crossed the Channel from Southampton on board the S.S. "KING EDWARD", disembarking at Le Havre.

The battery moved forward and formed part of the 2nd Brigade, CGA, quickly coming into service, at Sailly-au-Bois, firing its first rounds on 16 June 1916. Reflecting the 'Ubiquitous' nature in the employment of all artillery, first at Verdun, as successive BEF Corps' were engaged or moved, the battery remained actively engaged: from 5th June to 4th July 1916, it was detailed to VII Corps(UK) Heavy Artillery; from 4 July to 3 September 1916, it was detailed to XV Corps (UK) Heavy Artillery; as from 4 September to 11 December 1916, it was detailed to a third Corps (UK) Heavy Artillery Group.

"Before the Somme Offensive ended in the fall of 1916, (were it had been continuously engaged), the battery would lose five killed and ten wounded, and before the War was over it would bury over 30 men". In January 1917, when the Battery became part of the Canadian Corps Heavy Artillery, it was renamed No. 2 Canadian Siege Battery, Canadian Garrison Artillery, on (24) 29 January 1917. The battery was engaged in the Battle of Vimy Ridge as part of Counter-Battery (Fire) Group No.3, 2nd Canadian Heavy Artillery Group, before soon being moved to 57th Heavy Artillery Group. At Vimy Ridge, the Canadian Corps Heavy Artillery consisted of eighteen heavy, twenty-six medium, nine 60-pounder, and two BL 6-inch Mk VII naval gun batteries, formed into eight siege and three counter-battery fire groups. Having been detailed to the Canadian Corps Heavy Artillery, at Angres on 12 December 1916, it remained with the Canadian Corps until 11 October 1917. Firing at Levin, from 12 to 20 October 1917, it was detailed to V Corps (UK) Heavy Artillery; confirmed at Ypres, from 21 October to 19 November 1917, it was detailed to first the 48th and then the 68th Group Canadian Corps Heavy Artillery; and remaining at Ypres, from 20 November to 10 December 1917, it was detailed to VIII Corps (UK) Heavy Artillery.

Ever flexible, it rejoined the Canadian Corps on 16 December 1917, first engaged at Artois, the Battery continued with the Corps Heavy Artillery until the termination of the war, initially assigned to the 1st Canadian Heavy Artillery Group and, then on 22 December, it joined 2nd Canadian Heavy Brigade. In January 1918, two additional howitzers were received, bringing the Battery's establishment to six guns. Not directly engaged, positioned on one flank of the battle, in responding to the 1918 German Spring Offensive in West Flanders, the battery was in action in the Hundred Days Offensive starting in August, moving frequently, through the Hindenburg Line, and attacking north during the Battle of Cambrai (1918) into October. No. 2 Canadian (Overseas) Siege Battery, 2nd Heavy Brigade, was in readiness ten miles west of Mons, in Thuin, when the Armistice was declared.

It moved into Germany, ready for engagement, during the initial stage of the Occupation of the Rhineland, crossing the German frontier on 9 December. On 12 December, it went into position on the west bank of the Rhine at Cologne protecting the crossing of the 1st Canadian Division, over the new south bridge on 13 December 1918. The Battery left the continent from France on 30 March 1919, via Le Havre and into the UK at Weymouth.

It remained based at Witley Camp, until it sailed from Southampton on board the “RMS Mauretania (1906)" on 3 May 1919. It arrived at Halifax, NS, on 9 May and was demobilized at Charlottetown (and Kingston, ON) in May 1919, now under Major J.P. Hooper MC, as Officer Commanding. As all CEF active service units were administered on paper, as No.2 Heavy Battery Depot, it was disbanded on 1 November 1920.

No. 8 Canadian (Overseas) Siege Artillery Battery, CEF
On 1 March 1916, instructions were issued from Militia Headquarters at Ottawa authorizing the organization of a “Depot” Battery, Siege Artillery, to be mobilized in Charlottetown, PEI. With an establishment of six Officers, one Warrant Officer and 152 Other Ranks, quartering in the Connolly Building, on Queen Street, it had the task of supplying drafts of reinforcement PEI's No. 2 Overseas Battery Siege Artillery, which was then overseas. The title of the unit was changed to No. 5 Overseas Battery (Canadian) Siege Artillery, by authority of Militia HQ Ottawa, dated 12 April 1916, and on 15 July 1916, and it was placed on active service, now commanded by Major A.G. Peake, who had returned from England.

It moved out of Charlottetown at full strength on 25 September 1916, embarked on board S.S. "SOUTHLAND" (SS Vaderland (1900)), and sailed from Halifax on 27 September. It arrived at Liverpool in England on 6 October 1916, and disembarked the next day, with a strength of 6 Officers, 132 Other Ranks. On 15 October 1916, the War Office ordered a change of name to (No. 272) – 272nd (Canadian) Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery when assigned to a Royal Artillery formation, as it continued in its training. On (24) 29 January 1917, in the renumbering of Canadian units, its final designation, No.8 Canadian Siege Battery, Canadian Garrison Artillery was authorized.

In England the Battery received its initial training at Witley Camp, and then followed a path through Ewshot Camp: Artillery School in Hampshire, in Aldershot at the RGA Siege Artillery School, at Lydd Training Camp: RGA Siege Artillery School and Ranges, and finaly at Woolwich Common: RA Barracks. In February 1917, the unit was changed from a four to a six BL 8-inch howitzer Mk VI – VIII battery. Leaving from Woolwich Common, for Folkestone, on 31 March, 1917, it crossed to Boulogne the following day. It first went into action near Festubert, in NE France, on April 15th with XI Corps (UK) Heavy Artillery, RGA, first seeing action during the Battle of Arras (1917) and subsequently engaged supporting the BEF in the Second Battle of Flanders.

It remained for a period in this area and and subsequently went into action at Vielle Chapelle, then Fleurbaix and LePreol, and Armentieres, from June, until October 1917, suffering the noted loss of one gun on 20 August. The Battery Commander, Major A.G. Peake was wounded on 16 June 1917, and Captain J.S. Bagnall assumed temporary command of the Battery. Captain R.A. Ring took over the Battery in July 1917, confirmed in the appointment on 25 August 1917, with the rank of Major.

Engaged, having moved to the Canadian Corps, it joined the 3rd Brigade Heavy Artillery, for the second stage and third stages of the Second Battle of Passchendaele, at Ypres, on 1 November 1917. On 18 January 1918, it moved into the Vimy-Lens front, and when the Canadian Corps moved back, for re-training, in May 1918, the battery remained in action under XVII (UK) Corps Heavy Artillery.

After a short period of rest at the end of June, it rejoined the Canadian Corps, taking over gun positions east of Arras, on 16 July 1918. It moved to the Amiens front, with the 3rd Canadian Division, coming engaged in the Battle of Amiens (1918), commencing on 8 August 1918, operating now with an establishment of 8 Officers and 215 Other Ranks. It moved forward during the Hundred Days Offensive, taking up successive positions at Rosieres and Cagnicourt (Arras Front), supporting the Battle of Canal du Nord, and continued north for engagements during the Capture of Cambria, into October 1918. No.8 Canadian (Overseas) Siege Battery, 3rd Brigade Canadian Garrison Artillery and was at Hérin near Valenciennes, France, on 11 November when the Armistice was declared.

The Battery went into Germany for the initial stages of the Occupation of the Rhineland, crossing the German frontier on 9 December, taking up a position on the left bank of the Rhine near the Hohenzollern Bridge, at Cologne. It was moved several times in Germany until the end of January 1919, beginning its trip home from Mehlen in Hesse. The Battery returned to England on 28 January 1919, and was based at the CEF run Witley Camp, in Surrey, where it was deactivated on 2 April 1919.

It returned to Canada on board the "RMS Mauretania (1906)" sailing from Southampton on 3 May, arriving at Halifax, NS, on the 9th. I was demobilized at Charlottetown, PEI (and Halifax), with Major R.A. Ring continuing in command until demobilization. In a paper exercise, as for all CEF active service units, it was disbanded on 1 November 1920.

11th Canadian Field Artillery (Howitzer) Brigade Ammunition Column, CEF
From the start of the War, as they were established, CEF Canadian Divisions had assigned three Field Artillery Brigades and one (Field) Howitzer Brigade, each of the four Brigades having an integral ‘Brigade Ammunition Column’. Mobilized for the new 3rd Canadian Division, 11th Field Artillery (Howitzer) Brigade, with its Headquarters Battery (Guelph, ON), its 29th (Guelph), 35th (Montreal), 36th (Sydney), and 43rd (Guelph) Batteries, and Ammunition Column, sailed to Plymouth, from St. John NB, on 26 February 1916.

For assignment to 11th Field (Howitzer) Brigade, its organic unit, the 11th (Howitzer) Brigade Ammunition Column was organized, as a unit of the active militia, in December 1915, under the command of Captain Daniel Albert MacKinnon (of Highfield, PEI). Recruited, mainly on the Island, over two months, in January and February 1916, to an established strength of 3 Officers and 107 other ranks, it sailed from Halifax on the (Canadian Pacific Ocean Services Limited owned) “S.S. MISSANABIE (1914)" on 26 February 1916.

Arriving at Plymouth on 12 March, its vehicles comprised sixteen General Service (GS) ammunition wagons (with limber), one wagon per gun, and one GS wagon for stores. The Column’s task was to have available (carry) and bring forward (on-call), forty-eight rounds per gun, to a Firing Battery’s gun position, or to supply it to the Battery’s wagon lines. It picked-up its ‘own’ first-line resupply at a Refilling Point, as set up by their supporting Division Ammunition Column (DAC). As for the Division Artillery, a supporting DAC was organized around three 'Field Artillery' sections, and a fourth 'Howitzer' section, which supplied scaled levels of field artillery or howitzer, second line, ammunition.

On 13 May 1916, BEF GHQ, orders were issued for the reorganization of Royal and Imperial Divisional Artillery, for reasons of operational effectiveness, to be restructured having four generic ‘mixed’ artillery brigades, each brigade allocated three field batteries and one howitzer battery. Consequently, the 11th Field Artillery (Howitzer) Brigade was transformed, and rearranged, gaining three field batteries, while three of its howitzer batteries were reallocated. This ‘efficiency’ additionally lead to the abolition of the four organic ‘Brigade Ammunition Columns’ and their being absorbed into their supporting ‘Divisional Ammunition Column’

Consequently, while still in England, on 25 May 1916, the 11th (Howitzer) Brigade Ammunition Column was absorbed into the 3rd Canadian Divisional Ammunition Column (DAC). Originally organized in December 1915, the 3rd Canadian Divisional Artillery Column had arrived in England in March 1916, initially with only three 'field artillery' sections, they having been recruited in Kingston, Toronto and Winnipeg. Each of these 3rd DAC Section's had an authorized establishment of 3 officers and 170 other ranks, and as established for four sections, it gained its fourth (howitzer) section (The 11th BAC) in England. Standing in England, leaving for France, the 11th BAC was placed on active service on 15 July 1916, as a CEF unit.

Having to absorb four BACs, the 3rd DAC may have broken-up the 11th BAC and its howitzer artillery wagons, horses and personnel being dispersed with the howitzer batteries, or its personnel transferred as artilleryman to the gun batteries, of the Division. This ‘internal’ reassignment of BAC personnel was consistent with past practices, as since 1906, it was an established routine to use ‘ammunition column’ personnel as a source of replacements for ‘causalities’ in the batteries. The OC 11th BAC, Captain (later Major, DSO) MacKinnon was eventually transferred to the 9th Bde CFA, and on promotion he assumed command of 36th Howitzer Battery.

In the ‘new’ Division Artillery ‘mixed brigade’ structure, the Divisional Ammunition Columns were also reorganized, adapted to a new supporting model, devised around a dedicated ‘A’ Echelon, and a supporting ‘B’ Echelon. The ‘A’ Echelon was to comprise four ‘new’ Sections, one for each of the Division’s four 'generic' artillery Brigades. Each Section, again tasked with bringing forward ‘first-line’ artillery ammunition to an affiliated artillery brigade and also small arms ammunition an associated infantry brigade.



Now reorganized, under command of Lt-Col W.G. Hurdman, the 3rd DAC landed in Le Havre, France, on 15 July 1916, and with its four sections went on to serve, engaged, continuously in France and Flanders, up to the Armistice, and until 12/13 February 1919 at Renaix, in East Flanders. Billeted in Barlin, France, during the Canadian Corps April 1917 action at Vimy Ridge, it calmly documents "Sections busy hauling ammunition and Engineer material (day and night) to Gun positions". Reorganized once while in France, it ended the War with three sections, as its No. 3 (Winnipeg) Section’s personnel, wagons and horses had been transferred to the newly arrived 4th Cdn Division Artillery, on 25 June 1917.

For two and a half years, after five months training in PEI and England, the Islanders went about their primary task: hauling, packing or supplying to their guns, or in stables and on watering parade. With their horses and mules, they ‘hauled’ ammunition to their firing batteries, or they 'hauled' material for their Canadian Engineers. When the roads were impassable, they ‘packed’ ammunition forward on their mules; or when available to assist, with their wagons, to the rear, they ‘supplied’ ammunition to flanking or supporting divisions. When not drawing or supplying ammunition to affiliated battery wagon lines, the Islanders had to go forward and ‘collect’ empty cartridge cases, or ‘salvage’ ammunition left at vacated battery positions and on occasion found at abandoned enemy artillery positions.

Just after the armistice, in December 1918, the unit reported an effective and attached strength of 22 officers and 626 other ranks. The unit returned to England on 19 February 1919, barracked first at Witley Camp, until broken up at Bramshott Camp, near Aldershot, in Hampshire, in March 1919. A first detachment of 3 Officers and 122 Other Ranks returned to Canada on the “SS Olympic (1911)" out of Southampton on 18th March. A second detachment of 8 Officers and 379 Other Ranks departed on the “RMS Cedric" sailing from Liverpool on 19th March. Subsequent to demobilization in Canada in March 1919, the 11th Field Artillery (Howitzer) Brigade Ammunition Column was disbanded on 1 November 1920.