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 , 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 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 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 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. 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==