1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery, RCA regiment

The official lineage of the 1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery, RCA regiment.

Lineage

This Reserve Force regiment originated on 10 September 1869 and incorporates the following regiments and artillery battery.

The 1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery Regiment, RCA originated in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 10 September 1869, when 'The Halifax Brigade of Garrison Artillery' was authorized to be formed.^{Footnote 1} It was redesignated: '1st "Halifax" Brigade of Garrison Artillery' on 9 December 1870;^{Footnote 2} 1st "Halifax" Battalion of Garrison Artillery' on 1 January 1893;^{Footnote 3} and '1st "Halifax" Regiment, CA' on 28 December 1895.^{Footnote 4} The regiment was reorganized into two divisions as the '1st Division, 1st "Halifax" Regiment, CA' (Nos. 1 to 4 Companies) and '2nd Division, 1st "Halifax" Regiment, CA' (Nos. 5 to 8 Companies) on 1 June 1899^{Footnote 5} (The 2nd Division was reorganized as a separate regiment designated '7th "Nova Scotia" Regiment, CA' on 1 May 1906^{Footnote 6}). It was redesignated: '1st (Halifax) Coast Brigade, CA' on 1 July 1925;^{Footnote 7} '1st (Halifax) Coast Brigade, RCA' on 3 June 1935;^{Footnote 8} and '1st (Reserve) (Halifax) Coast Brigade, RCA' on 7 November 1940.^{Footnote 9} On 1 April 1946, it was amalgamated with the '9th (Reserve) Heavy Battery (Howitzer), RCA' (see below) and redesignated the '1st (Halifax) Coast Regiment, RCA'.^{Footnote 10} It was redesignated: '1st (Halifax) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA' on 29 April 1948;^{Footnote 11} '1st (Halifax) Medium Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA' on 22 August 1955;^{Footnote 12} and '1st (Halifax) Medium Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment, RCA' on 12 April 1960.^{Footnote 13} On 1 November 1960, it was amalgamated with the '36th Medium Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA' (see below) and redesignated the '1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery Regiment, RCA'.^{Footnote 14}

Notes:

The 1st (Halifax) Regiment, CGA was authorized a Reserve order of battle counterpart on 1 November 1920 (GO 186/20). The reserve unit was disbanded on 14 December 1936 (GO 3/37).

The 1st (Halifax) Regiment, CGA was disbanded for the purpose of reorganization on 15 April 1921 and reorganized the same day (GO 155/21). This change was administrative and does not affect the lineage of the regiment.

The 9th (Reserve) Heavy Battery (Howitzer), RCA originated in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia on 5 March 1869, when a "Battery of Garrison Artillery at Mahone Bay" was authorized to be formed.^{Footnote 18} It was redesignated: 'Mahone Bay Company of Garrison Artillery' on 1 January 1893;^{Footnote 19} and 'Mahone Bay Company of Garrison Artillery, CA' on 28 December 1895.^{Footnote 20} The battery was incorporated into the 2nd Division, 1st "Halifax" Regiment, CA, as 'No. 5 Company' on 1 June 1899;^{Footnote 21} and on 9 May 1905 the company amalgamated with the 2nd Division's 'No. 7 Company' retaining the same designation.^{Footnote 22} On 5 June 1906 these two companies ceased to be amalgamated and the battery was redesignated 'No. 1 Company' of the newly formed '7th "Nova Scotia" Regiment, CA'.^{Footnote 23} It was redesignated 'No. 1 Battery' on 2 April 1907,^{Footnote 24} and on 1 February 1912 it became an independent company under the designation 'No. 1 Siege Company, CGA'.^{Footnote 25} It was redesignated '9th Siege Battery, CA' and attached to the 1st (Halifax) Regiment, CGA on 2 February 1920,^{Footnote 26} and on 1 July 1924 it was again made an independent battery.^{Footnote 27} It was redesignated: '9th Heavy Battery, CA (Howitzer)' on 1 July 1925;^{Footnote 28} '9th Heavy Battery (Howitzer), RCA' on 3 June 1935;^{Footnote 29} and '9th (Reserve) Heavy Battery (Howitzer), RCA' on 7 November 1940.^{Footnote 30} On 1 April 1946, it was amalgamated with the '1st (Reserve) (Halifax) Coast Brigade, RCA', as above.

Notes:

The 9th Siege Battery, CA was disbanded for the purpose of reorganization on 15 June 1921 and reorganized the same day (GO 9/22). It was disbanded again on 2 January 1936 and reorganized the next day (GO 14/36). These changes were administrative and do not affect the lineage of the battery.

The 1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery Regiment's date of origin is not traced to the formation date of the Battery of Garrison Artillery at Mahone Bay as lineage is traced from the formation of unit not sub-unit sized organizations, ie. regiments and battalions.

The 36th Medium Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA originated in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia on 1 April 1942, when the '36th (Reserve) Field Regiment, RCA' was authorized to be formed.^{Footnote 31} It was redesignated: '36th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA' on 1 April 1946^{Footnote 32} '36th Medium Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA' on 22 August 1955^{Footnote 33} and '36th Medium Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment, RCA' on 12 April 1960.^{Footnote 34} On 1 November 1960, it was amalgamated with the '1st (Halifax) Medium Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment, RCA', as above.

Perpetuations

'No. 9 Canadian Siege Battery, CEF'

Headquarters Location

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Allocated Batteries

51st Field Battery, RCA
87th Field Battery, RCA

Operational history

The First World War

The 1st "Halifax" Regiment was mobilized for active service on 6 August 1914 to provide coastal artillery support at the Citadel in Halifax.^{Footnote 35}

No. 9 Canadian Siege Battery, CEF was authorized on 15 July 1916 as 'No. 8 "Overseas" Battery Siege Artillery, CEF'.^{Footnote 36} It was redesignated: 'No. 273 (Canadian) Siege Battery, CEF' on 15 October 1916;^{Footnote 37} and 'No. 9 Canadian Siege Battery, CEF' on 24 January 1917.^{Footnote 38} It embarked for Britain in September 1916.^{Footnote 39} The battery disembarked in France on 22 March 1917,^{Footnote 40} where it provided siege artillery support as part of the 1st Brigade, CGA, CEF in France and Flanders until the end of the war.^{Footnote 41} The battery was disbanded on 23 October 1920.^{Footnote 42}

The Second World War

The 1st (Halifax) Coast Brigade, RCA was called out on service for local protection duties on 26 August 1939.^{Footnote 43} Details from the brigade were also mobilized for active service under the designation '1st (Halifax) Coast Brigade, RCA, CASF (Details)' on 1 September 1939.^{Footnote 44} The details called out on active service were disbanded on 31 December 1940 and the brigade mobilized an active service unit designated '1st (Halifax) Coast Brigade, RCA, CASF' on 1 January 1941.^{Footnote 45} It was redesignated '1st (Halifax) Coast Regiment, RCA, CASF' on 1 August 1942.^{Footnote 46} The regiment provided coastal artillery support as part of the defences of Halifax, Nova Scotia.^{Footnote 47} The regiment was disbanded on 15 August 1945.^{Footnote 48}

The 9th Heavy Battery (Howitzer), RCA was called out on service for local protection duties on 26 August 1939.^{Footnote 49} Details from the battery were also mobilized for active service under the designation '9th Heavy Battery, RCA, CASF (Details)' on 1 September 1939.^{Footnote 50} The details called out on active service were disbanded on 31 December 1940 and the battery mobilized an active service unit designated the '9th Heavy Battery, RCA, CASF' on 1 January 1941.^{Footnote 51} It was redesignated '9th Coast Battery, RCA, CASF' on 1 May 1942.^{Footnote 52} The battery provided coastal artillery support in the defences of Halifax, Nova Scotia.^{Footnote 53} The battery was disbanded on 31 October 1945.^{Footnote 54}

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Footnotes

Footnote 1

MGO of 10 September 1869. Formed from five existing and one newly organized Halifax garrison batteries authorized on the following dates: 'No. 1 Battery' (16 July 1869), 'No. 2 Battery' (16 July 1869), 'No. 3 Battery' (23 July 1869), 'No. 4 Battery' (23 July 1869), 'No. 5 Battery' (23 July 1869) and the newly authorized 'No. 6 Battery' / MGO du 10 septembre 1869 / Formé de cinq batteries de garnison de Halifax existantes et d'une batterie nouvellement organisée selon les dates suivantes : « No. 1 Battery » (16 juillet 1869), « No. 2 Battery »(16 juillet 1869), « No. 3 Battery » (23 juillet 1869), « No. 4 Battery » (23 juillet 1869), « No. 5 Battery » (23 juillet 1869) et, nouvellement autorisée, « No. 6 Battery ».

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Footnote 2

MGO 35/70.

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Footnote 3

No authority for a change of designation of artillery brigades in 1892 is contained within the applicable Militia General Orders or Annual Militia Report sessional papers. However, the date of 1 January 1893 is consistent with the nomenclature used in the aforementioned sources of 1893 and the Department of Militia and Defence, The Militia List of the Dominion of Canada, 1893. (GO 21/93 - Establishment Lists of the Active Militia of the Dominion of Canada for the Financial Year 1893-94).

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Footnote 4

GO 58/95.

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Footnote 5

GO 59/99.

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Footnote 6

GO 71/06; and/et GO 76/06. It was redesignated '7th "Nova Scotia" Regiment (Heavy Brigade), CA' on 2 April 1907 (GO 58/07). The regiment ceased to exist when its four batteries were reorganized as the 27th, 28th and 29th Batteries, CFA, and the No. 1 Siege Company, CGA on 1 February 1912 (GO 24/12). The '1st Division' nomenclature was automatically dropped when the new regiment was formed.

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Footnote 7

GO 82/25.

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Footnote 8

GO 58/35.

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Footnote 9

GO 273/40.

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Footnote 10

GO 115/46 (redesignated the regiment '1st Coast Regiment, RCA'; and/et GO 161/46 (redesignated the regiment '1st (Halifax) Coast Regiment, RCA' with the same effective date)

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Footnote 11

CAO 76-3, Supp Issue No. 74/48.

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Footnote 12

CAO 76-3, Pt 'B', Supp Issue No. 458/55.

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Footnote 13

CAO 76-3, Pt 'B', Supp Issue No. 670/60.

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Footnote 14

CAO 76-2, Pt 'B', Supp Issue No 682/60. The regiment with its 51st, 52nd and 53rd Batteries amalgamated with the 36th Medium Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA, and its 87th, 201st and 205th batteries. The new regiment retained only four batteries, the 53rd and 205th Batteries being absorbed by the regiment as a whole.

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Footnote 15

CFOO 3.310, 3 May 79

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Footnote 16

CFOO 3.310, 1 Jan 81

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Footnote 17

MOO 97170, 14 Aug 85

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Footnote 18

MGO 5 March 1869. Although the MGO did not provide a specific title for the unit, subsequent orders referred to the unit as the 'Mahone Bay Battery of Garrison Artillery'

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Footnote 19

No authority for a change of designation of artillery batteries in 1892 is contained within the applicable Militia General Orders or Annual Militia Report sessional papers. However, the date of 1 January 1893 is consistent with the nomenclature used in the aforementioned sources of 1893 and the Department of Militia and Defence, The Militia List of the Dominion of Canada, 1893. (GO 21/93 - Establishment Lists of the Active Militia of the Dominion of Canada for the Financial Year 1893-94)

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Footnote 20

GO 58/95.

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Footnote 21

GO 59/99.

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Footnote 22

Special GO of 9 May 1905.

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Footnote 23

GO 105/06.

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Footnote 24

GO 58/07.

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Footnote 25

GO 24/12.

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Footnote 26

GO 13/20.

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Footnote 27

GO 91/24.

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Footnote 28

GO 82/25.

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Footnote 29

GO 58/35.

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Footnote 30

GO 273/40.

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Footnote 31

GO 241/42.

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Footnote 32

GO 115/46.

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Footnote 33

CAO 76-3, Pt 'B', Supp Issue No. 458/55.

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Footnote 34

CAO 76-3, Pt 'B', Supp Issue No. 670/60.

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Footnote 35

GO 142/14; and G.W.L. Nicholson, The Gunners of Canada. The History of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, vol. 1 (Toronto,1967), p.217.

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Footnote 36

GO 69/16.

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Footnote 37

CRO 602 29 Nov 16; and/et List of Canadian Artillery units during the First World War. Compiled from ledger of C.E.F. Units (Mr. Pye) for Col. Nicholson, Sep 63, Kardex file 112.3H1.005 (D4).

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Footnote 38

CRO 334, 29 Jan 17.

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Footnote 39

CEF Sailing List, vol. XII.

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Footnote 40

War Diary, 9th Canadian Siege Battery, 22 March 1917/22 mars 1917, NAC/AN, RG/GE 9, Series 111-D-3, Vol. 4977, File/dossier 576.

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Footnote 41

G.W.L. Nicholson, The Gunners of Canada. The History of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, vol. 1 (Toronto, 1967), p.403; and/et Edwin Pye Papers, Summary of History of C.E.F. Units - No. 9 Siege Battery, Document Collection.

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Footnote 42