The British Royal Artillery

The Quebec Saturday Budget, 6 May 1893

The British Royal Artillery is a peculiar organization, constituting as it does only a single regiment. That regiment is, however, the largest in the world and comprises 1,700 officers and 35,400 men. From a lecture recently delivered by an officer of the Royal Artillery, I take the following interesting details concerning this arm of the service. It is divided into four branches, the Horse, Field, Mountain and Garrison Artillery. The Royal Horse Artillery has an establishment of 20 service batteries, the Field Artillery of 80, the Mountain of 10 and the Garrison of 72.

The role of the Horse Artillery is to operate in conjunction with cavalry, a part which it is well fitted to play by its great mobility; the role of Field Artillery is to operate with Infantry, whose movements being slower than the Cavalry, demand a less mobility from the Artillery that supports it. The Mountain Artillery as its name implies is for operation in mountainous or broken country unsuitable for horses or wheeled carriages.

The British Garrison Artillery has an establishment of 684 officers and 16,380 men stationed in every quarter of the globe, subdivided into three Grand Divisions, viz., the "Eastern," "Southern" and "Western." The strength of each company varies according to local requirements; the strongest is at Halifax, N.S., and consists of 316 of all ranks; the weakest consists of 99. Out of the Garrison Artillery a force of 1,200 are employed as Siege Artillery—four heavy Field Batteries for service in India and three companies as a Siege Train in England. The former are armed with 4 40-pounder R.M.L. Guns and 2 6.3" Howitzers, drawn by elephants and bullocks, the officers and some of the N.C.O's. Being mounted on horses, and such a diversity of animals has gained for them the nickname of "Menagerie Batteries." The Siege Train, it is observed, is a small one, consisting of only three companies. There have only been two important sieges undertaken by British arms in the last half of this century, viz: the sieges of Delhi and Sebastopol, and it is not considered necessary to maintain a large permanent Siege Train, but different companies are detailed to go through a course of practice in siege operations and bring at Siege camps of Instruction at Lydd and Chatham every year.

The Mountain Artillery are affiliated with the Garrison Artillery to the extent that the officers and men are appointed and drafted to it from the latter. It is a much coveted branch of the Artillery and special qualifications are required for it. It makes a valuable outlet for the Garrison Artillery and gives all ranks of this branch an opportunity of seeing active service which those employed exclusively in coast defence would otherwise not get. You will scarcely see an officer or man in a Mountain Battery who does not wear at least one war medal and often several, The same remarks applies in a less degree to the Heavy batteries in India.

The Field and garrison Artillery are not interchangeable, the authorities having come to the conclusion that an individual cannot be both an efficient Field Artilleryman and garrison Artilleryman at the same time, and that if he tries to, he will stand a good chance of resembling Dr. Johnson's Dragoon, who is defined by that great man in his dictionary as a "soldier who fights indifferently on horse and on foot!"

With regard to the Militia Artillery with Royal Artillery, the Irish and Scotch are affiliated with the Southern Division, and the Welsh to Western Division. They are under the General Officer Commanding and train in our forts with our guns. In 1885 the Hants Artillery Militia were embodied for nine months at Gosport and took over Fort Grange from the Royal Artillery.

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EST

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The Victoria Cross

The Daily Sun; St John, N.B.; 16 July 1892

The Case of Drummer Flinn —
Sergt.-Major McKenzie's Many Engagements

To the Editor of the Sun:

Sir—In the Fredericton Farmer of a late date there was published an item headed "Hero and Pauper," relating to Drummer Thomas Flinn, late of the 64th Regiment, and with reference to that item a Farmer reporter interviewed Sergt. Major McKenzie who served in that regiment, as to Flinn's heroism. In the life of Lieut.-General Sir James Outram, which I received from the legislative library, published by Major-General Sir F.J. Goldsmid, I find in a memoir in the Times of India, the following" His thoughts of and core for the soldiers, says one of his staff, was such as is not often felt by generals for their men. He had with him during the Persian campaign an orderly bugler, Thomas McKenzie, of the 64th. On the line of march, I have seen him looking down and say, 'McKenzie, you are not smoking,' 'No, sir,' would be the answer, 'I have no tobacco.' The general's cheroot case was at once at the bugler's disposal, and he would stop his horse and from his own cheroot give a light to McKenzie."

I have interviewed the sergeant major on this matter and he tells me the like often occurred, and in answer to questions the sergeant major tells me he was talking to Sir Henry M. Havelock Allen's servant on board the steamer Scindian, on the river Karoon, en route to Mohammerab, Persia, when the servant was struck with a round shot from the enemy's battery, about four hundred yards distant, and Sir James Outram was saved by being shot by a hookah (pipe) a friend of his was smoking on the same boat. The general's cool remark was, "they have out your pipe out."

Do you remember Sergt. Major, the night attack at Kooshab of Sir James falling and his horse rolling over him at that place which I also find in his life? "Yes, I remember the circumstance well. Fir when he fell, I immediately dismounted and out him in a doolah and remained bathing his head with water for about four hours until he was able to take command of the forces. For that service Sir James presented me with a silver watch and gold chain, and told me he would recommend me for the Victoria Cross, and he remarks, 'You saved my life at Kooshab.' "

Why did you not get the Victoria Cross? "After the Persian campaign our regiment was ordered home to Kurrachee, Bombay Presidency, but in place of going direct home the mutiny in Bengal Presidency had just broken out, and our regiment was ordered there and did not return to Kurrachee for two years afterwards, or until the Indian mutiny was over. If the regiment had returned to Kurrachee I would have been then recommended for the Victoria Cross, for several officers, as well as that commander of our regiment, knew of my action; but during the Indian mutiny we lost nearly all the regiment, as history tells, at Cawnpore and other places. I may further say regarding the Victoria Cross, the last time I saw Sir James was the day we buried Sir Henry Havelock at Alumbah, near Lucknow, when he again told me I would receive the award, but shortly after the mutiny our regiment was ordered home to England. Still, I may further say, regarding this medal for valour during war, that Sir James called to see me in Dover, England, but I was on furlough at the time and in my absence he stated to the officer, then commanding my regiment, I was entitled to the Victoria Cross. Unfortunately for me I was not there. A few days after I returned from furlough I volunteered (Trent affair, 1861) to Canada. Still after I arrived in New Brunswick I expected to receive the Victoria Cross, and after sufficient time elapsed I wrote to the officer commanding my regiment, but received no reply. In 1863 I wrote to Sir James on the matter, but my letter was returned with a note informing me that Sir James had lately died. I may say that I am still expecting to receive the Victoria Cross, for at present I am corresponding on the matter with the authorities in England."

You must have seen hard times during your service. How many actions have you been in and have you ever been wounded? "I have been in twenty-three general engagements, but have never been wounded. I took a rifle to fire a few shots at Kooshab in Persia, and was loading as a rear rank man, kneeling position, when the right heel of my boot was show off, which I did not know about until I raised to move on. Although I had seen many fall this was the nearest to myself during the many battles I was present at.

[signed] Militiaman. Sussex, N.B., July 7th

[In connection with the above it may be mentioned that Sergt. Major Mckenzie resided in this city [St John] for several years previous to his transfer to Fredericton. During his residence here he was captain and adjutant of the 62nd battalion as well as drill inspector.]

The article from the Farmer referred to is:

Arthur Hancock, late of the Canadian Royal Military School, deserves the thanks of every justice-loving Canadian and Britisher, for his letter which appears in an English paper under the heading of A Hero and a Pauper. The Farmer believes that it is possible, to save the hero referred to from the fate which threatens him. The letter is as follows:

The Victoria Cross

Drummer Thomas Flinn

Date of Act of Bravery, 28th November, 1857

For conspicuous gallantry, in the charge on the Enemy's guns on the 28th November, 1857, when, being himself wounded, he engaged in a hand to hand encounter two of the Rebel Artillerymen. - The London Gazette: no. 22248. p. 1483. 12 April 1859.

Lieutenant Henry Marshman Havelock, 10th Regiment

'In the combat at Cawnpore, Lieutenant Havelock was my Aide-de-camp. The 64th Regiment had been much under artillery fire, from which it had severely suffered. The whole of the infantry were lying down in line, when, perceiving that the enemy had brought out the last reserved gun, a 24-pounder, and were rallying round it, I called up the regiment to rise and advance. Without any other word from me, Lieutenant Havelock placed himself on his horse, in front of the centre of the 64th,oppositethe muzzleofthegun.MajorStirling,com- mandingtheregiment, was in front, dismounted, but the Lieutenant continued to move steadily on in front of the regiment at a foot pace, on his horse. The gun discharged shot until the troops were with in a short distance, when they fired grape. In went the corps, led by the Lieutenant, who still steered steadily on the gun's muzzle until it was mastered by a rush of the 64th.' (Extract of a telegram from the late Major-General Sir Henry Havelock to the Commander-in-Cheif in India, dated Cawnpore, August 18th, 1857.)

"The interesting research into the present whereabouts and of former services of the heroes decorated with the Victoria Cross has resulted in the discovery of the only holder of that medal who is ending his days in the workhouse. Drummer Thomas Flinn, late 64th regiment, is the only member of that regiment who has received a medal 'For valor,' and wears also the medals for 'Persia' and 'India.' he served in Persia, and afterwards, during the mutiny, being present, among other stirring events, at Cawnpore and Lucknow under Outram and Havelock. At Cawnpore he was one of the regiment commanded by Major Stirling and nobly led by Lieutenant H. Havelock, A.D.C., when on November 28th, 1857, they charged the rebel guns. Infantry charging guns was perhaps unheard of, but such men, so led, could do anything. Flinn, wounded in the charge, engaged to artillerymen at a gun, killed them and took the gun. Lieutenant Havelock (now Sir H. Havelock-Allen) and Flinn both received the Victoria Cross. Flinn is now, and has been for some years in Athlone workhouse—old, ill, and with but a few years to look forward to. General Havelock, in his address to the army said: 'Soldiers, your labours, your privations, your sufferings and your valour will never be forgotten by a grateful country;' yet Flinn, one of the bravest where all were courageous, has been forgotten (even his £10 a year is confiscated by the guardians), and presents a notable object lesson in national ingratitude. Surely someone, including the regiment he so distinguished, will do something for him, before—all too soon—the last words are told that one of Britain's "bravest brave" has been consigned to the grave of a pauper whom nobody owns. Little would save him from this sad fate, and the press may do what a cold officialdom denies."

Knowing that Sergt. Major McKenzie of the Infantry School Corps here has done duty at Cawnpore, Lucknow and elsewhere, the Farmer interviewed him in reference to the great deed performed by the herp refered to above. The sergt. major declined to speak of any achievement of his own in any of the great battles in which he figured, although those who know his record say that none who ever wore the Victoria Cross better deserved it than the same Sergt. Major McKenzie. Speaking of Flinn's heroism. the sergt. major said to the Farmer" 'I have seen a copy of the letter to which you refer. It was sent to me only the other day by Lieut. Col. Morris, who is now an inspector of the Northwest Mounted Police at Fort MacLeod. I well remember Flinn's heroism, although it is 35 years since the event which called it forth happened. Two of http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=37&dat=18920716&id=t5s1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=dygDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5105,1572648the great rebel guns were causing great destruction among our forces which were led by Gen. Havelock. I was then a sergeant and on Gen. Havelock's staff as field bugler. I heard the general say to his son, then his A.D.C. And now Sir H.M. Havelock-Allen, 'Go and tell the 64th to spike those two guns of the enemy.' Young Havelock did not, as he might have done, transfer the order to Major Stirling, but as quickly as a flash, led a company of the 64th out in face of the terrible danger, and Flinn won glory for himself, his regiment and his country by killing two artillerymen at one of the guns as the about applying the port fire to fire the gun, which if done would have meant disaster to Lieut. Havelock, Flinn and the other of the company of the 64th. The deed was regarded at the time as one of the most daring in the history of great battles of the world.

Whatever we may say about the bluster of the United States, one thing is greatly to their credit. They look after their heroes. In this respect Canada and England might learn a wholesome lesson.

The case of Flinn is one worthy of the attention of the British government, and the Farmer sincerely hopes that Arthur Hancock may be covered in glory for having called attention to it.

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EST

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Corporals N. Semchuk and A.A. Adams of the Canadian Army Pacific Force examining their boots, Brockville, Ontario, Canada, ca. June-July 1945. (L-R): Cpls. N. Semchuk, A.A. Adams. Location: Brockville, Ontario, Canada. Date: [ca. June-July 1945]. Photographer: Unknown., Photographer Mikan Number: 3404728. From the LIbrary and Archives Canada virtual exhibition Faces of War.

Canadian Army Pacific Force

The Maple Leaf; 11 June 1945

U.S. Organization, Canadian Uniforms for Pacific Force

Ottawa.—The Canadian Army Far East force, comprising the Sixth Canadian Division with its supporting armour and service troops, will be organized on lines similar to those of the army of the United States with which it will operate, it was announced today from the Department of National Defence. It was pointed out that this will involve certain differences in the designation of units to avoid confusion in operation, planning and orders. In the American Army the word "regiment" is applied to a formation normally known in Canada as a "brigade," while the units commonly known as "regiments" in the Canadian Army are called "battalions" in the United States.

Accordingly, infantry units in the new Canadian Army Pacific force will be known as Canadian infantry battalions and will be grouped in infantry regiments. Artillery batteries will be grouped into field artillery battalions instead of regiments. Infantry battalions in the force will be organized on a territorial basis with each unit representative of a military district and the appropriate numerical identification will be allotted to each.

Geographical

Each battalion will carry its geographical identification in its title. For instance, number one battalion will be the First Canadian Infantry Battalion (Western Ontario). Other units will be similarly representative of the various military districts and provinces. As far as possible, personnel will be posted to units representing their particularly territorial affiliation.

The Canadian force will use United States weapons and equipment with the exception of uniforms which will be Canadian with Canadian regimental badges and flashes, badges of rank and identifying battle patches. American-type steel helmets will be worn to avoid confusion in the heat of battle and because the bucket-type helmet has proven most adaptable to conditions encountered in the Pacific Theatre.

Battle patch for the force has been designed as a hexagonal form divided into six triangles which will be comprised of the colors of each of the five present devisions, plus one black triangle representing Canadian armoured brigades. When assembly of the force in Canada has been completed, it will move to the United States for advanced training prior to embarkation for the Pacific Theatre.

Within a few weeks of the above article being published, the naming scheme for the infantry battalions of the Sixth Canadian Division changed. Instead of being named and numbered for their respective military districts, they were assigned regimental affiliations. The First Canadian Infantry Battalion then became the "1st Canadian Infantry Battalion (The Royal Canadian Regiment)."

The war concluded before the Sixth Division moved to the United States for further training. When the overseas battalion of The RCR returned to Wolseley Barracks in London, Ontario, for demobilization and disbandment, the First Battalion training at Barriefield, Ontario, for the Sixth Division was redesignated "The Royal Canadian Regiment," becoming the sole Permanent Force battalion of The RCR in the post-war period.

The Maple Leaf; 23 June 1945

First Division Names Adopted By Canadian Far East Force

Ottawa—(CP)—Famous fighting names of 10 First Canadian Infantry Division units which served in the Mediterranean and Northwestern Europe will be perpetuated in the Sixth Division which Maj.-Gen. Bert Hoffmeister will lead against the Japanese, it is announced here.

Previously it had been announced the units would be designated by the numbers of their military districts.

They are:

• West Nova Scotia Regiment, Bridgewater, N.S.;
• Carleton and York Regiment, Woodstock and St. Stephen, N.B.;
• Royal 22nd Regiment, Quebec;
• Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment, Picton, Trenton and Belleville, Ont.;
• 48th Highlanders of Canada, Toronto;
• Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, Winnipeg, Vancouver and Victoria, B.C.;
• Loyal Edmonton Regiment, Edmonton;
• Saskatoon Light Infantry, Saskatoon;
• Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, Vancouver;
• Royal Canadian Regiment, London, Ont., St. John's Que., and Halifax.

Completing the Sixth Division will be the Royal Montreal Regiment and the Grenadier Guards, both of Montreal.

Serious training for the Pacific will begin early in September in Kentucky.

In a Washington interview, General Hoffmeister said 28,000 European veterans had volunteered to serve with the limited force of 30,000.

he would not say when the formation would be ready to rake on the Japs, but noted that the great majority of the men were experienced and they should complete their training quickly. He also said Canada would be paying for supplies, equipment and services received while the Sixth Division served under overall United States command.

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EST

Updated: Sunday, 12 February 2017 8:05 PM EST

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The Veteran on the Ten Dollar Bill - Fact Checking

It's one of those enduring bits of internet flotsam. Posted and reposted, it survives on blogs, websites and message boards. Even now, it may be in your facebook feed.

It has one thing in common with many copy-and-paste bits of electronic detritus, it doesn't hold up to scrutiny. Then why does it survive? It does so because it reads nicely, evokes favourable emotions, portends to inform and leave you wanting to share your new "knowledge" with others. And it survives because so few people question the things they read, especially when they might trust the surce the see if appear from.

The item I speak of is "The Veteran on the Ten Dollar Bill" and it can be found all over the net.

All. Over. The. Internet.

But what If It's Not True?

Some time ago, I was forwarded a copy of "The Veteran on the Ten Dollar Bill". The item just seemed a little too neat and I started to check a few facts that were presented:

1.Let's start with the real Robert Metcalfe. Mr. Metcalf's name has probably been used in the above piece of drivel because it provides one more recognizable element. If someone searches for him by name, he is easily found on the net. Once you wade through the many copies of the Ten-Dollar Bill text, you find that he was a real person and a real veteran. That, to many, would be enough for them to accept the remainder as sound.

2.The British Expeditionary Force in France did not total 400,000 men, but all of the Allies involved in the battle did---The Battle of Dunkirk.

3.The HMS Grenade itself was sunk during the evacuation at Dunkirk, and one of her sister ships was also sunk, the Grafton (they were among a total of 9 British and French destroyers sunk)---HMS Grenade at uboat.net and The Dunkirk Evacuation.

4.The Bismark was sunk on 27 May 1941, which was long before the landings in Northern Africa on 8 Nov 1942.

5.In the text, Metcalfe is described as a member of the British Expeditionary Force, which does make me wonder why the anonymous government official wouldn't have found a Canadian veteran for this supposed photo/art opportunity.

6.If the veteran wrote a book on his experiences, it is very unusual that the original reporter never mentions the book's title. Metcalfe did write a book, titled No time for dreams: A soldier's six-year journey through WW II (1997).

It's too bad this story doesn't "check out," because it does evoke all of the emotions we are supposed to feel at reading such a heart-warming tale. (Of course, that's the key to its survival.) It's just too bad that it's such a poor fabrication that does this to us. It would, however, be nice to know who the veteran on the bill really is (if a real person was even used as a model), and what his own story might be. Then again, who was the model for the peacekeeper? Or the artist?

It's too bad that Robert Metcalfe's name has been entwined with this artificial piece of internet fiction. Unfortunately, it remains a fact of human nature that it will probably continue to be shared as the likelihood of enough people checking the facts to stop its spread remains low.

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EST

Updated: Wednesday, 19 February 2014 6:38 PM EST

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The RCR; A Question of Legal Existence
A Rebuttal (1894)

On 20 Nov 1894, the Toronto Daily Mail published a letter by Lieut.-Col. William E. O'Brien, of the 35th Bn "The Simcoe Foresters," in which he claimed "the Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry had no legal status." (Read his letter here on the Minute Book.) The following article, published in the same paper two weeks later, constitutes a rebuttal by a Militia subaltern to Col. O'Brien's views.

Royal Canadian Infantry

The Toronto Daily Mail, 8 December 1894

To the Editor of The Mail:

Sir.—In a somewhat bitter letter which appeared in your columns recently, Lieut.-Col. O'Brien, 35th Battalion, makes a strong attack on the Royal Regiment of Canadian Infantry with reference to the offer by our Government of that regiment in case of need. We will not stop here to reflect on the spirit of hostility to the permanent corps with which Col. O'Brien's letter abounds, though to any true soldier it is a most regrettable thing that men in high military and official positions should take such ground, but will deal with one or two statements which appear strongly in the foreground.

Col. O'Brien speak of the "Royal Regiment Canadian Infantry," as a legal myth existing in the minds of the Dominion Government, and he further states that money is granted not for a royal regiment but for schools of instruction. Let us review the situation from the inception of these schools, and we will see that the Government is pursuing exactly the same policy as it did ten years ago. When these schools were established they were then, as now, in connection with a permanent body of men enlisted for continuous service under the Queen's Regulations, and even then were intended not only for instruction but as a nucleus for a force which should be better able to take the field at a moment's notice than the militia. These bodies of men were not, as Col. O'Brien would suggest, independent, unorganized companies. On the contrary, their title was that of the "Infantry School Corps," in which the permanent officers, whether at Fredericton or Toronto, held rank and precedence. A subaltern at St. John's or London was then a lieutenant in the Infantry School Corps, as he is to-day in the Royal Regiment of Canadian Infantry, and the body of men who constituted the Royal School of Infantry at Toronto were then "C" Company, Infantry School Corps, as they now are No. 2 Company, R.C.R.I. In 1891 the name was changed to that of the Canadian Regiment of Infantry, the different companies, as before, constituting schools of instruction for the various districts, and shortly afterwards her Majesty was graciously pleased to allow them the title "Royal" and the imperial cypher, an act of no little significance. No doubt it is sad to think that no such regiment really exists, and that her Majesty has been deluded by a "legal fiction," but we wil hope that she will not see Col. O'Brien's letter.

By the way, what about the Regiment of Royal Canadian Artillery and the Royal Canadian Dragoons? Do they not exist either? Col. O'Brien sneers at the idea of a comparatively few men presenting themselves as the Canadian contingent, I would call his attention to the fact that when, two years ago, a mere handful of officers and men from the permanent corps presented themselves in England they got a reception that could not be excelled; and if Canada did send men to the help of the Mother Country it would be as a regiment of not less than five hundred men. Yet the spirit that prompts, and not the number sent, is what counts. There are, indeed, in the militia, of which I have the honour to be a subaltern, many thousand who would gladly respond to the call of the Mother Land for help, but obviously the ones first to go are those without responsibility as private citizens and who are also so perfect in drill, equipment, and clothing.

But, after all, Col. O'Brien might have spared himself the trouble, for second and more authentic reports are to the effect that the Canadian Government offered the R.R.C.I. To the Imperial Government to garrison Halifax citadel. This would have allowed the King's Liverpool Regiment, now quartered there, a start of at least six days over their comrades from England in their race to the Orient. Also, the R.R.C.I. Could still have performed their duties of imparting military instruction while at Halifax.

One question more. The Government has made arrangements whereby officers may take a course of instruction at the citadel in Halifax with the King's Regiment. Does this arrangement invalidate the claim of the British troops there to be called a regiment?

Yours, etc.,
Infantry Officer
Eastern Ontario, Dec. 1, 1894

Lieut.-Col. William E. O'Brien was a provisional Major in the 35th Bn "The Simcoe Foresters" in 1869. By 1882 he was that regiment's Lieutenant Colonel. He served in the Northwest Rebellion of 1885 with the "York and Simcoe" Battalion, by which time he was also a member of Parliament. In 1898 Lieut.-Col. O'Brien was permitted to resign his commission and to retain the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel on retirement.

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EST

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Sign at Wolseley Barracks commemorating the beginning of the Armoured School (erected 1986).

Tank School is Established

Is Canada's First
Training Will be held At London Barracks

The Windsor Daily Star, 16 Dec 1936

London, Ont., Dec 16.—Canada's first tank school opened at Wolseley Barracks here yesterday [15 Dec 1936].

Practically all officers and non-commissioned officers who are to constitute the staff of the army school arrived in the city and have taken up quarters at Wolseley Barracks.

Yesterday officers paid their official visit to district headquarters and Brigadier J.C. Stewart, officer commanding military district No. 1.

Major F.F. Worthington, M.C., M.M., of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, chief instructor to the new school, will arrive within a day or so.

The staff will be occupied with the work of organizing the school, preparing themselves as instructors for the next few months.

After organization has been set up, prepared candidates from the non-permanent active militia, especially the newly authorized Essex Regiment (Tank) and other tank units, will be permitted to attend.

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EST

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Canadian Navy Get New 'Jack'

The Montreal Gazette, 13 March 1968

Ottawa—(CP)—A new naval jack has been approved for Canadian warships, the Defence Department announced yesterday.

The jack, smaller than the national flag, flies from a jack-staff on the bow of a warship. The national flag flies from the ensign staff on the stern.

The new jack is a white flag incorporating Canada's flag in the upper quarter next to the hoist or staff, with the naval crown, fouled anchor and eagle combined in dark blue on the fly.

Gen. Jean. V. Allard, chief of the defence staff, will present the first new jack to the fleet in a ceremony on board the aircraft carrier Bonaventure today during the annual winter exercises in the Caribbean.

Until 1965, Canadian warships flew the blue ensign as the jack showing the union flag in the upper quarter next to the hoist and the shield of Canada's coat of arms in the fly. Subsequently, the Canadian flag was also Canadian Naval Ensign used as a jack.

The jack is normally flown by ships in harbour during the daytime. It is also flown when a warship is under way and dressed with masthead flags for ceremonial occasions, flying the flag of royalty, or escorting a warship that has royalty on board.

Use of a jack is widespread among navies of the world. When warships and merchants ship looked much alike and flew the same ensign, the jack was flown exclusively by warships.

Everything Old is New Again

In 2013, the 1968 version of the Naval Jack was adopted as The Navy Ensign:

On May 5, 2013, the Government of Canada restored a standard Commonwealth naval practice by authorizing RCN vessels to fly a distinctive Canadian Naval Ensign and fly the National Flag as the Naval Jack. Essentially, the flag previously known as the Canadian Naval Jack became the Canadian Naval Ensign, whereas the National Flag became the Canadian Naval Jack.

• Navy News - Royal Canadian Navy adopts new Naval Ensign
• New Canadian Naval Ensign Adopted By Royal Canadian Navy

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EST

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A modern mess table laid for formal dining an an Officers' Mess.

An Officers' Mess

Dinner in a Dug-Out

The Glasgow Herald, 25 June 1915

The Press Association's special correspondent at British Headquarters in France sends the following despatch, dated June 22:—

The ingenuity displayed in making the dugout that served for the officers' mess as comfortable and home-like as possible was remarkable. The apartment was comparatively roomy and some six feet high. The window boasted an uncracked pane of glass, before which stood a table covered with the latest papers and bearing a jug of wild flowers gathered from the fields behind. In one corner stood a well-made bookcase, constructed from a packing case, filled with novels. The dining table in the centre was amply sufficient for eight of us who sat down to dinner, which was served by two orderlies. Though the dinner service was somewhat of a rough nature, the food was of the best. Soup was followed by chops, with beans and potatoes, while tinned fruit and cream were succeeded by coffee and some excellent Benedictine. The company was of a most varied description. The chaplain was seated next to the medical officer, while the commanding officer of the battalion was engaged in earnest conversation with the machine-gun officer, a keen-faced young soldier with the eternal eye-glass. They were discussing new schemes for worrying the enemy, the main object of those in the trenches when there is a lull in the actual fighting.

Dinner over, we went for a stroll round the lines. The moon had risen by this time, and by its clear light everything could be seen with great clearness. The sentries were still at the parapet, ever on the watch for a human target, while a dozen rifles with gleaming bayonets, rounds of ammunition lying beside each, stood leaning against the parapet, ready to be grasped at an instant's notice by the men resting in their dug-outs. The far-away splutter of a machine gun somewhere down the line showed that some movement in the enemy's line had been detected, or perhaps it was some German working party that had been discovered digging a saphead under the cover of darkness. At the back of the trenches stood some shattered cottages and farmhouses, the moonlight making strange shadows through the gaping holes and jagged crevices in the masonry. In one corner we came across a large pool, the result of a heavy German shell some weeks ago, Occasionally during our round a flare rocket was sent up from the German trench. For a minute or so the whole area between the trenches was brilliantly lit up—the tangle of grass and weeds, the few dead bodies lying out in the open, the long stretch of the enemy's parapet—then the flare fell and burnt itself out in the grass.

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EST

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The three surviving Martello Towers at Quebec City. This composite image shows the thumbnail images at the HistoricPlaces.ca website, where full images can be seen linked from each thumbnail.

Québec City's Martello Towers

The Québec Saturday Budget; 10 February 1906

A correspondent writes to the Canadian Military Gazette as follows:—

"Quebec is in danger of losing another of its Martello towers. There was originally a line of four of these towers, stretching across the neck of land between the St. Lawrence and the St. Charles Rivers, at a distance of about a half mile from the city walls, and intended to serve as outposts to the city. Their utility from a military point of view has log since passed, but historically they are of considerable interest. No. 1 has been given over to the Ross Rifle factory, and they have erected a water tower on top of it. No. 2 is still intact, but as houses have been built round it right up to its walls, it is hardly now visible. No. 3 was demolished to make way for an extensions to the Jeffery Hale Hospital, and No. 4, which overlooks the St. Charles Valley, is now wanted for street widening purposes. Looking at the matter from the merely commercial point of view, Québec's historic walls and streets are of such value to the city, on account of the crowds of tourists they attract, that our civic authorities should hesitate and weigh well before demolishing further historical landmarks."

Demolition of Tower No. 3, showing the thickness of the walls in thse fortified towers. (Image source - Wikipedia.)

More on Québec City's Martello Towers:—

• Québec Martello Towers National Historic Site of Canada
• Fortifications of Québec National Historic Site of Canada - The Martello Tower
• The National Battlefields Commission; Plains of Abraham - Martello Tower 1
• Québec City Sights - Tours Martello (Martello Towers) Review
• Martello Towers in Canada - Wikipedia
• Martello Towers, Québec City, Canada.MP4 - YouTube
• Fortwiki
  • Fortwiki - Québec Martello Tower 1 History
  • Fortwiki - Québec Martello Tower 2 History
  • Fortwiki - Québec Martello Tower 3 History
  • Fortwiki - Québec Martello Tower 4 History

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EST

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12,000 N.R.M.A. Troops Went Overseas

Hamilton Spectator, 9 July 1945

Ottawa, July 9.—(CP)—Defence headquarters said to-day that approximately 12,000 national resources mobilization troops were overseas when V-E day came and of that number more than 4,000 were serving in northwest Europe at the cessation of hostilities.

Fifty-five of the N.R.M.A. men were killed in action, 10 died of wounds, six were listed as missing and 226 were listed as wounded.

The troops were dispatched overseas a few weeks after the Government passed an order-in-council last November authorizing the sending to Europe of home defence personnel, originally mobilized for service in Canada and adjacent territories.

A total of 12,736 N.R.M.A. men had been dispatched of overseas service by May 7, the day the war in Europe was declared ended. Of the total, 682 became general service soldiers after dispatch and 21 were returned to Canada on medical grounds.

The conversions to general service, the return of men to Canada on medical grounds and the fatal casualties reduced the original total of 12,736 N.R.M.A. men overseas to 11,968 by V-E day.

Of the 11,968, 4,081 were serving in northwest Europe and 7,655 outside the battle zone. Six of the remainder were missing and 226 were wounded.

N.R.M.A. strength in Canada at the cessation of hostilities was 38,500, including 6,500 on extended compassionate, farm or industrial leave.

No Recent Figures

The 32,000 on active strength included 16,000 of infantry combat category, and of these 9,000 were in the training stream, 3,000 in operational units and 2,000 employed in home establishment. The remaining 2,000 were in depots for allocation.

Of the 16,000 troops who were in categories not suitable for infantry, 5,000 were employed in home war establishments and 3,000 in operational units. There were 3,000 in training for corps requiring lower categories than infantry, and a further 3,000 were employed in duties at training centres. Some 2,000 were in depots awaiting reposting or disposal on medical grounds.

When the N.R.M.A. troops were ordered to report for overseas embarkation more than 6,000 of them went absent without leave. A total of 6,311 were unaccounted for on January 16 and 4,082 were still not accounted for by the end of March.

No recent figures on the number of men still unaccounted for have been released.

The National Resources Mobilization Act

• Canadian War Museum Politics and Government: Conscription
• Zombies strike back: Canada's largest military mutiny

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EST

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The Canadian Militia

Some Reasons Why It Costs So Much and Is Not Better Than It Should Be

The Montreal Gazette, 20 July, 1908
(Ottawa Citizen)

The report of the Civil Service Commission on the militia laid itself peculiarly open to the sort of attack which Sir Frederick Borden delivered with considerable effect of Thursday last. The task of three able and conscientious civilian who undertook to probe a department which, besides being highly technical, is more or less of a close corporation, must needs be one of extreme difficulty. The amusing feature of their report was that the commissioners seemed to have an astute knowledge of what was wrong with the militia department, but their technical knowledge was not equal to extracting the necessary evidence to support their deductions. An extensive knowledge of the militia of Canada and of the inner workings of the militia department would be a necessity in order to carry out such an investigation properly. This the commissioners apparently had not, nor did they have any capable adviser to direct their probing operations. With a brief composed of newspaper extracts, which were not always intelligible to the investigators, and a mass of data composed largely of ex-parte statements and rumors, they endeavoured to secure evidence corroborative of abuses known to exist. The results did more credit to their spirit of enterprise than their capacity for a task which required wide technical knowledge. Nothing daunted, they brought in a report which in a general way touched the sore spots most effectively, but which the record of evidence as adduced rather vaguely justified.

Sir Frederick Borden, aided by copious memoranda prepared by the inspector-general and late chief-of-staff, strategically ignored the findings of the commission, but riddled the evidence as the assumed basis for the findings. It was cleverly done, but it left the main points of attack, by the commissioners unanswered. Chief among these were the charges that while the expenditure of the militia of Canada had increased from $1,500,000 to $6,500,000 this country has not got a return for the money of anything like the relative value. The actual numbers of effective troops has increased, on the minister's own showing, only about 30 per cent, which the expenditure has increased over 400 per cent. There has been an enormous increase of expenditure on the upper works of the militia organization with no commensurate addition to the real fighting strength of the force. But it would be nonsense to say that the militia of Canada has not greatly increased during the past ten years. Why should it not, with an expenditure four times as great as formerly" Excellent work has been done in the organization of the auxiliary services, which previously did not exist, that does not begin to account for a tithe of the additional expenditure. The personnel of the artillery has been increased one-third, but the actual effective armament has not been increased at all, because the new batteries were created by cutting down by one-third the number of guns in the existing batteries.

The explanation put forward as to where the money has gone is that Canada has taken over Esquimalt and Halifax. While that is true, it did not necessitate keeping up the number of regular troops that Great Britain maintained in North America. Canada has also taken over the dockyards, but it has not been deemed necessary to maintain a North Atlantic squadron equal to the one which Britain withdrew. Halifax and Esquimalt could be maintained quite as effectively with much smaller garrisons, and the money thus saved would maintain a very large additional number of militia troops. At a rough computation, twenty militiamen can be maintained at the same cost as one regular, and in those figures lies the kernel of the whole difficulty. For a country like this it requires no particular knowledge of military matters to appreciate that 20,000 efficient militia would be a far better asset than 1,000 regular soldiers, which is their financial equivalent. For the current year the expenditure on the active militia for training, clothing, grants, etc., was only $1,500,000, which means that $5,000,000 is being spent on the permanent corps, headquarters staff, and for all other purposes. On the face of it this division of expenditure would demand extensive explanation to Parliament as an answer to the general allegation that the militia administration is not as effective in results the money spent on it should justify. This is what the Civil Service Commissioners were trying to get at. But the speech of the Minister was chiefly taken up with reflecting upon them personally, ridiculing such obviously impracticable suggestions as that the militiamen should be paid by cheque like civil servants; that an individual in the department was treated "brutally" because he was retired on $1,350 a year, and in rebutting the allegation that an old officer employed as a paymaster in Halifax was incapable of discharging the duties of his position. There were sundry other matters of relative unimportance, which were triumphantly repudiated to the satisfaction of the Minister and his advisers. But Parliament and the people of Canada are still uninformed why an expenditure of $6,500,000 only produces a few thousand more trained militia than an expenditure of $1,500,000 produced twelve years ago.

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EST

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The Minute Book; after one year

With a year's worth of daily posts in the Minute Book, here's how the top ten most visited posts and topics line up:

Ten most popular posts:

• High Seas in a Melmac Cup
• Pips and Crowns and Politics
• Rolls of Honour
• The Canadian Guards Kit Inspection (1966)
• Field Punishment No. 1
• Guardians of Peace
• Wolseley Barracks, London, Ontario, the 1940s
• Ghost Officer of the RCR
• Murphy's Laws of Combat Operations
• Changes at Wolseley Barracks

Ten most popular topics:

• Army Rations
• Wolseley Barracks
• Halifax
• The RCR
• Medals
• Militaria
• Drill and Training
• CEF
• Soldiers' Load
• Cold War

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McDonnell Douglas Air-2A Genie Rocket on display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
(U.S. Air Force photo)

Canada Quietly Gives Up Last Nuclear Weapons

The Montreal Gazette, 15 November, 1984

The last nuclear weapons on Canadian soil were removed without fanfare in July [1984], the Department of Defence confirmed yesterday.

"These weapons were no longer required," said Lieut. Jill Robinson, a department official. The return to the United States of an estimated 55 nuclear-tipped was not publicly announced.

Robinson said the department simply followed up on a commitment made by former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to strip the Canadian Forces of any nuclear role.

An official of the Department of External Affairs was there was "no great foreign-policy implications: in the removal, because Canada still remains a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the North American Aerospace Defence Command.

"We haven't completely disassociated ourselves:" said Louise de Lafayette. "We just don't have (nuclear weapons) and we won't use them."

Trudeau told the House of Commons in March that, with the introduction of the new CF-18 fighters, the Genies would be sent back to the United States.

The air-to-air missiles were located at Canadian Forces bases in Bagotville, Que., Comox, B.C., and Chatham, N.B.

The missiles were under U.S. control and, in the event of an attack on Canada by manned bombers, they were to be fitted to Canada's CF-101 Voodoo interceptors.

The aging Voodoos are being placed by CF-18s.

The Trudeau government made a commitment to equip the CF-18 with conventional weapons when it was chosen in 1981 as the main combat aircraft of the Canadian Forces.

Trudeau had frequently called on the western alliance to commit itself not to be the first to use nuclear weapons.

NATO policy now envisages use of tactical "battlefield" nuclear weapons to stop an attack by Soviet bloc conventional forces on Western Europe.

In 1963, as a law professor at the University of Montreal, Trudeau was sharply critical of Lester Pearson's policy reversal in allowing nuclear warheads for Canada's Bomarc anti-aircraft missiles.

After he succeeded Pearson as leader of the Liberal party and Prime Minister, Trudeau oversaw the phase-out of the Bomarcs in 1971 and gradually changed Canada's NATO role.

The Honest John short-range nuclear missiles were taken away from Canada's ground forces in Europe and the CF-104 Starfighters based at Lahr, West Germany, were given a low-level ground-support and reconnaissance role, using conventional weapons.

While there are no nuclear weapons stationed in Canada now, U.S. bombers armed with nuclear weapons regularly fly in Canadian space and the U.S. Air Force uses Canada for cruise missile tests.

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EST

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Preference Over Jack

Canadian Red Ensign To Be Used By Army

Ottawa Citizen, 18 May, 1955
By: Franck Swanson, Canadian Parliamentary Writer

The army has decreed that the use of the Union Jack at defence headquarters, armories, forts, drill halls and other army buildings will be the exception and that the Canadian Red Ensign be flown in preference.

A May 6 [1955] order by National Defence Headquarters has instructed commands across the country that the flying of the Union Jack should be the exception and not the rule.

The order on "the flying of flags" was issued by Major-General Leo Brennan, adjutant-general. It specifies that the Union Jack or the Canadian Red Ensign, at the discretion of the commanding officer, may be flown at military establishments in or outside Canada.

Leaves No Doubt

It left no doubt, however, the Canadian Red Ensign is the flag that should be flown.

This is what the adjutant-general's order said:

"The Canadian Red Ensign or Union Jack will be flown at army headquarters, armories, forts, drill halls and other buildings within commands at the discretion of the officer commanding the command and by the Canadian Army when stationed outside Canada. The use of the Union Jack should be the exception and not the rule."

"At camps and station in Canada and the United States where both the Stars and Stripes and the Canadian Red Ensign or Union Jack are flown, the Canadian Red Ensign or the Union Jack should be half-masted on such occasions as the Stars and Stripes are half-masted."

Defence headquarters said today the new order does not break new ground but rather is the "official affirmation" of the army custom of flying the Red Ensign. The Royal Canadian Navy has adopted a blue ensign as its flag and the Royal Canadian Air Force as flag of air force blue.

The Red Ensign was proclaimed in an official government publication recently as the "distinctive Canadian flag" which Parliament has argued about for so long.

The Trades mark Journal carried the proclamation. It was stated in the Commons following publication of the notice that the action was taken to restrict the commercial use, without permission, of the Red Ensign.

Evolution of the Canadian Red Ensign

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EST

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The Marine Tradition

"Such as regiments hand down forever." The individual Marine, recruit and officer candidate training, "every Marine a rifleman," and our maritime character contribute to our heritage. Separately and collectively, they set us apart from other fighting forces and are the cement that glues the Marine Corps together and gives Marines a common outlook that transcends their grade, unit, or billet. Self-image is at the heart of the Marine Corps–a complex set of ideals, beliefs, and standards that define our Corps. Our selfless dedication to and elevation of the institution over self is uncommon elsewhere.

Ultimately undefinable, this self-image sets Marines apart from others and requires a special approach to leading. Consequently, Marine leaders must be forged in the same crucible and steeled with the same standards and traditions as those placed in their charge–standards and traditions as old as our nation itself.

Those who know Marines give many reasons why America needs a Marine Corps, but first and foremost, Marines exist to fight and win. From this duty, from this reason for being, everything else flows. If it doesn't, it is meaningless. This spirit is the character of our Corps. It is the foundation of our cohesion and combat effectiveness, and it gives Marines that "swagger, confidence, and hardness" necessary for victory–qualities seen in the hills of Korea and in hundreds of other engagements before and since.

Marines believe that to be a Marine is special; that those good enough to become Marines are special; and that the institution in which they are bonded is special. That is why the legion analogy is so appropriate for the Corps. Marines, far flung, performing dangerous–sometimes apparently meaningless and often overlooked missions–find strength and sense of purpose simply knowing that they are Marines in that mystical grouping they know as the Corps.

Among the five Armed Services of our nation, four have Service songs; only the Marine Corps has its Hymn. For scores of years before it became recently fashionable to stand for all Service songs, Marines always stood when our Hymn was played. And to this day, while others stand with cheers and applause to their Service song, Marines stand quietly, unwaveringly at attention, as the Hymn of their Corps is played. Marines are different.

"The 1st Marine Division, fighting its way back from the Chosin Reservoir in December 1950, was embattled amid the snows from the moment the column struck its camp at Hagaru. By midnight, after heavy loss through the day, it had bivouacked at Kotori, still surrounded, still far from the sea." The commanding general was alone in his tent. It was his worst moment. "The task ahead seemed hopeless. Suddenly he heard music." Outside, some Marines, on their way to a warming tent, were softly singing the Marines' Hymn. " 'All doubt left me,' " said the general. " 'I knew then we had it made.' "

For more than 200 years, the steady performance of the Marine Corps has elevated it to the epitome of military excellence. It is an elite fighting force renowned for its success in combat, esprit de corps, and readiness always to be "first to fight." "More than anything else, Marines have fought and … won because of a commitment–to a leader and to a small brotherhood where the ties that bind are mutual respect and confidence, shared privation, shared hazard, shared triumph, a willingness to obey, and determination to follow."

"The man who will go where his colors go, without ask ing, who will fight a phantom foe in jungle and mountain range, without counting, and who will suffer and die in the midst of incredible hardship, without complaint, is still what he has always been, from Imperial Rome to sceptered Britain to democratic America. He is the stuff of which legions are made.

"His pride is in his colors and his regiment, his training hard and thorough and coldly realistic, to fit him for whathe must face, and his obedience is to his orders. As a legionary, he held the gates of civilization for the classical world; … he has been called United States Marine."

The Marine Corps' vision of leading is less concerned with rank, self-identity, recognition, or privilege than the essence of our Corps: the individual Marine and the unyielding determination to persevere because Marines and the Corps do not fail.Our vision of leading is linked directly to our common vision of warfighting, which needs leaders devoted to leading, capable of independent and bold action, who are willing and eager to assume new and sometimes daunting responsibilities, willing to take risks–not because they may succeed, but because the Corps must succeed.

This always has been, and always will be, what leading Marines is all about.

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EST

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Military News

Comparison of Rifles Used by Standing Armies

The Daily Mail and Empire, 7 May 1895

The following lengthy, but clear and interesting, letter on the "rifle question" from an Ottawa corespondent, together with the tabulated statement attached, is worthy the attention of every military man:—

With reference to the adoption of a new rifle by Canada, there is much to be said pro and con. All countries which maintain a military or military and naval organization have within the past decade provided a new rifle, each adopting that which to them seemed the best and most effective, and all chose one with a small calibre and a magazine attachment, as may be seen in the statement attached, which has been compiled from the latest information. England has adopted the type known as the Lee-Metford, by which it is understood that a barrel grooved in accordance with the system used in the Metford long range rifle has been added to a breech action the invention of Mr. Lee. The object of these new arms is to obtain a weapon which is more deadly in its results and will kill at greater distances than the arms in stock in Canada, which elsewhere have become obsolete. The old Brown Bess could be depended upon up to 200 or 300 yards, and the percussion musket was but little better. Then came the Enfield rifle, with a reduced calibre and elongated bullet (and in a converted state, the Snider-Enfield), which was uncertain over 700 yards, and it gave place to the Martini-Henry with its further reduction in calibre and change in the bullet; a rifle which is uncertain beyond 900 yards, besides possessing defects—notably that of excessive recoil—which led to its abandonment and the adoption of the Lee-Metford, with its small calibre of .303-inch, and its certainly in firing up to 1,500 yards.

With the adoption of this rifle came a change in the ammunition; black powder had to give way to a smokeless explosive, and a bullet with a hard envelope or shell took the place of the soft leaden bullet of the Snider and the hardened one of the Martini-Henry; and so powerful is the explosive (cordite) used that the rifle is sighted to 2,900 yards, or nearly 1 2/3 miles It may be remarked that the magazine contains ten cartridges, which may be discharged continuously, or, by the action of a 'cut-off,' the supply from the magazine ceases, and the arm can be used as a single loader. The weight of ammunition a soldier can carry in the field is six pounds. With the Martini-Henry he could only carry sixty rounds, but with the Lee-Metford he is supplied with one hundred rounds. With the adoption of the Lee-Metford many thousands of martini-Henry rifles became dead stock, to utilize which it was suggested that those of the most improved type should have attached a barrel of .303-inch, and the breech action altered to suit the smaller cartridge. This was done to a limited extent and it is maintained that three different types of barrels have been supplied—(1) that the original Martini-Henry barrels were reamed out and lines with a tube carrying the .303 bore; (2) that billets of steel of the same external dimensions as the Martini-Henry barrel were bored out and rifled to .303-inch; and (3) that barrels similar to those in the Lee-Metford are used.

The objections to the first type of barrel are so serious that its consideration may be dismissed. With respect to the second type, it may be said that the rifle is too heavy and badly balanced. In the third type we have a rifle whose ballistic properties are identical with the Lee-Metford and less liable to damage from usage and neglect, and though only a single loader, as many shots can be fired from it in two minutes as from the Lee-Metford. But there are objections to both the Lee-Metford and the Martini-Metford, due to the erosion of the bore caused by the intense heat generated by the explosion of the charge and the high velocities of the gases generated, and , as claimed, the inability of the had bullet to form a perfect gas check, unless which is done a portion of the gases must escape between the bullet and the bore, to the detriment of the latter. In the Snider the soft leaden bullet is expanded, and the harder bullet of the Martini-Henry is 'set-up,' and fills the grooves, thus making a perfect gas check. Not so the Lee-Metford bullet. In the bore of the Lee-Metford are seven grooves, the spaces between which are portions of a cylinder .303-inch diameter. The grooves are .004 -inch in depth, and this the width from the bottom of a groove to that of the opposite one is .311 inch, and that dimension is the diameter of the bullet, which when fired is compressed to fit the grooving; and it is stated that this is not done to the extent required to form a perfect gas check, the opinion being based on an examination of fired bullets. It is said, and on good authority, that with black powder a rifle would stand some 12,000 rounds, but that with smokeless powder (cordite) 3,000 to 4,000 would be the limit of the Lee-Metford and Martini-Metford barrel.

The question what explosive shall be used is engaging the attention of the military and naval authorities in the United States, who have the advantage of the experience of those countries which have adopted a smokeless explosive, and yet after three years of trial and research the army department has not settles upon a powder to use in the magazine rifle which has been adopted. What is required of a suitable powder is that it shall give a high muzzle velocity, with a minimum of pressure on the barrel; quick ignition, and be smokeless, leaving but little if any residue or fouling in the bore; possessing good keeping qualities under all atmospheric changes; be safe to handle; easy to load into shells; comparatively safe to manufacture, and reasonable in cost. There are two classes of smokeless powders which can be used in rifles arms, viz.: those which are composed of nitro-glycerine and gun-cotton, like cordite, baltestite, maximite, and the Peyton and Leonard powders, with which the United States army authorities have been for some time experimenting; and those having gun-cotton or other nitro-products as their base, in which class we have rifleite, cannonite, etc. It is true that with the adoption of the .303 rifle a cartridge was made containing a charge of black powder compressed into a cylindrical pellet, but the service ammunition is filled with cordite, for which the rifle is sighted and adjusted; and though this subject is foreign to that of the rifle, yet it has an intimate connection therewith, sufficient at least to demand consideration when viewed from the standpoint of supply. If a .303 rifle be adopted by Canada, then provision must be made to obtain ammunition for it in such quantities as would create and maintain a reserve stock, and meet the yearly expenditure. Granted that the shells, etc., and completion of the cartridges can be done in Canada, the question arises, what explosive shall be used? Black powder in pellet form, or a smokeless powder? And if the latter, which class or kind shall be adopted? Black power of a quality suitable for a military rifle cannot—for the want of a proper charcoal—be made in Canada, high explosives for firearms of any kind are not manufactured here, and though we can in peaceful times obtain a supply from the British Government, yet a time when might arrive when that supply would be limited, if not entirely cut off. At present we obtain from England the powder for the M.-H. Cartridges made at Quebec; and in case of need could fall back on powder made in Canada. This question of ammunition should be considered in connection with that of the adoption of a small bore rifle.

There is a difference of nearly $10 between the prices of the L.-M. And the M.-M., the difference being in favour of the latter. If Canada should adopt either the Lee-Metford or the Martini-Metford—preferably the former—it would not be wise to issue them to the active militia for drill purposes, for the reason that they are not fitted to withstand the usage and treatment they would receive during camps of instruction, or in company armouries; nor are they as suitable as the Snider for recruit drill and instruction, for the latter is good enough for the 'twelve days' drill,' which the force is required to undergo. To improve the military rifle is the aim of to-day, and the tendency is towards an arm which, like the Maxin gun, will, on one pull of the trigger, act automatically, and maintain a continuous fir, only ceasing when purposefully stopped, or when supply of cartridges has failed, and such a rifle has been patented by Herr von Mannlicher, of Vienna. If such a rifle should be a marked success, it follows that the rifles of to-day will have to give place, and, like the Snider and the Martini-Henry, become obsolete. The L.-M. Is not a perfect rifle, for it has not held its own when compared with other systems, notably that Krag-Jorgensen; and much fault is found with the mode of rifling adopted, which, whilst it may have given excellent results with black powder and an expended or 'set-up' bullet, it is not suitable for a high explosive and a hard, compound, bullet, which has to be compressed; and there is a possibility that a new barrel of a harder material than ordinary steel, with a different system of rifling, will ultimately be adopted. The Martini-Metford is not a service rifle, and therefore very little is known respecting it. A few were distributed last year after the shooting season had practically closed, evidently without any defined conditions under which they were to be fired; and, according to the public press, the results obtained were not satisfactory, which may this be accounted for:—(1) The rifles were either of the first or second type stated herein; (2) that black powder cartridges were used, whereas the rifle is sighted for cordite, which gives a much higher muzzle velocity, and requires less elevation; and (3) the unfavourable season of the year, the want of practice and knowledge on the part of those using them, and the absence of rules and conditions under which a similarity of firing would be obtained, and the results compared and considered.

There is apparently a movement on foot to interview the Minister of Militia relative to a new rifle for the militia, and to suggest that such be procured with a little delay as possible. In view of existing circumstances and the probability that, whatever the kind of rifle procured, they will not be issued to the force, but remain in store undistributed, it would appear that action is nor desirable at present, and that Canada can afford to wait a further period, until it has been demonstrated by actual use that the L.-M. Is a serviceable weapon, and whether the experience gained warrants its detention in its present shape, or justifies changes and modifications to make it a more perfect weapon.

H.F.P.

Statement of rifles which have been adopted:—

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Canadian Army Asks for Awesome A-Arsenal (1958)

The Ottawa Citizen, 6 December, 1958
By: Charles Lynch, Southam News Services

The Canadian Army is making a double-barrelled pitch for a hefty share of the defence budget for the coming year.

In the jockeying now going on between the three services while the defence estimates are being prepared, the army's case is based on these two points.

1.—A whole new family of weapons and vehicles is needed to implement the new tactical concept for atomic warfare.

2.—In the event of a nuclear stalemate, the army would provide the backbone of conventional forces that would be required. The value of conventional forces in special operations such as the United Nations Emergency Force also is being stressed.

The list of new equipment being requested by the Army is headed by an amphibious vehicle known as the "Bobcat," the Canadian answer to the problem of troop mobility on the atomic battlefield.

It's Army's Arrow

The Bobcat is to the Army what the Avro Arrow interceptor is to the RCAF. Army officials believe it is the most versatile military vehicle yet devised, and they are confident that if it is ordered into production here in Canada, it can be sold to other NATO countries.

It is a tracked vehicle capable of carrying infantry, signals, headquarters, radars and engineers. It can also be used as a gun mount and a supply vehicle. Its machine gun can be used in support of infantry.

In the words of Major-General Jean Allard, vice-chief of the General Staff, "the army's expenditures which will be asked for in the years ahead are essential from the operational standpoint, and have been planned in accordance with those commitments which the Government of Canada has already made and is most likely to make in the future."

The list of army requirements as set forth in September by Col. Norman G. Wilson-Smith, Director of Combat Development. is an impressive one.

Then comes the Bobcat, the basic vehicle known in army parlance as "Chassis Tracked Light." Various forms of this are needed for various tasks.

Wanted

Next, a family of tactical air vehicles for troop movement and supplies—Helicopters.

The list continues:

• Improved anti-tank weapons.
• Improved tanks.
• Improved small arms.
• Reconnaissance aircraft, including helicopters.
• Reconnaissance drones "unmanned aircraft" bearing special cameras.
• Ground reconnaissance vehicles.
• Battlefield surveillance devices (radar, infra-red cameras, television cameras).
• Improved wireless equipment.
• Harnessing of micro-wave and radio relay to replace land lines in battlefield communications.
• Liaison aircraft.
• Load carrying aircraft, and tracked vehicles for load carrying on the ground.
• New rations, clothing and other equipment to meet the problems of widespread troop dispersal on atomic battlefields.

Spread Out

These things are needed to fulfil what General Allard calls "our agreed tactical concept and the basis for all our future military thinking."

Commenting on the army's requirements last September, he said: "It will cost money, but with a firm concept you can be assured that the money will not be misspent of wasted.

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EST

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HMCS Niobe Grounding and Court Martial;
Part 4: The Courts Martial, Day 3 of 3, Nov 1911

The Officer of the Day reprimanded, and the Navigating Officer dismissed from the ship, it is now Commander Macdonald who stands before the court. he too is charged with the grounding of HMCS Niobe. Today's report on the third day of the court martial is followed by an opinion article that was printed the same date, exploring the political machinations which caused HMCS Niobe ro be in Yarmouth in the first place.

The Montreal Gazette, 20 November, 1911

End of Niobe Court-Martial

Decision Reached that Charge Against Commander Macdonald is Not Proven
Sword Returned to Him
Accused Man Personally Asked to Admiralty to Make the Enquiry.

Halifax, N.S., November 18.—(Special) The court-martial on the Niobe this afternoon concluded the series of court trails which has engaged its attention, by giving a decision that the charge against Commander W.B. Macdonald, of the Canadian cruiser Niobe, was not proven. The president of the court, in rendering this judgment and handing back his sword to the commander, stated that it gave him great pleasure to state that Commander Macdonald was honourably acquitted. It came out in the defence of Commander Macdonald that the court-martial had been personally asked for by him. The commander explained this in the following terms:

On October 19, not having heard that any steps had been taken by which I could vindicate my conduct, and realizing that it was a critical time in my Imperial service career, I sent the following telegram:

'Admiralty, London.—Respectively submit convenience of service admits Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty may be pleased to try me at court-martial grounding Niobe.' "

Commander Macdonald, in the course of his defence, submitted a statement of what occurred from the time of leaving Yarmouth up to the time of grounding, and the subsequent steps that were taken to salve the ship.

"At 9.58, after getting away from Yarmouth, I rounded Blonderock bouy," he said, "and shaped course S. 74 E. The night was very clear. Up to this time no abnormal tide had been encountered, and nothing to lead me to suppose that any corrections other than those allowed fir in tide tables would be necessary, I am firmly of the opinion that Lieut. White's computation of tides was the correct one, which the point of our, which the point of our stranding proves, and that had there not been an abnormal tide the ship would have made the southwest ledge bouy even in thick weather. About 10.15 p.m. I gave my night order book to the officer of the watch on the forebridge and pointed out to him that the ship was making the southwest ledge bouy, to see that the ship was not set in to northwards, and on no account to get to port of his course, but to keep generously to starboard. At this time the night was extremely fine and starry, I then went into my cabin on the forebridge. On being called at midnight, I came out of my cabin and found that the ship had run into a fog. I called out Lieut. White's name, and was informed that he was not on the upper bridge. I sent for him. As my reduced speed had not enabled me to hear the southwest ledge bouy's whistle, I determined to haul out, and went into the chart house to determine a course, and had just leaned over the chart when the ship took ground. The time from my first being informed that the southwest ledge bouy was sighted to the time of grounding was about 20 minutes. I beg to state that the cause of our grounding was an abnormal tide, due either to the gale, the previous night in the Bay of Fundy, or to perhaps a hurricane in the West Indies. I would ask the members of the court to place themselves in my position on the night in question, to remember that at 10.25, when I gave the order book and instructions to the officer of the first watch, the night was exceptionally fine, exceptionally clear; that no abnormal tide had been experienced, and that I was kept in ignorance of the fact that Cape Sable light had not been seen when we were closely approaching it ; that when I was called about the time I expected to be, I was definitely informed that the buoy had been seen and heard immediately before the fog closed down in the position I expected it to be seen. I am of the opinion that neither the charts, tide tables nor sailing directions give the seaman, not possessed of local knowledge, any idea of the danger of the locality. I am not claiming to have grounded on an uncharted rock, though this may well be the case, and I think that this locality probably abounds in uncharted rocks, which only ships of deep draught discover."

The squadron sailed this afternoon for Bermuda.

The Montreal Gazette, 20 November, 1991
(Ottawa Citizen)

The Niobe's Mishap

What Preceded the Sending of the Ship to Yarmouth

The court martial at Halifax has already found one victim for the disaster to the Niobe off Cape Sable last July in the person of Lord Allister Graham, who was officer of the watch up to a quarter of an hour before the ship stranded on the rocks. From a naval viewpoint, from the technical viewpoint of marine navigation the decision may be quite correct. The British Admiralty is rather strict and severe in such cases, as may be imagined. But the average Canadian cannot help feeling that the whole affair has been one for which the country should feel heartily ashamed. Lord Graham is virtually made a scapegoat for an amateur naval department's rank blunders and a resume of the facts will show that the officials of the Niobe were practically ordered to go to dangerous localities whenever the presence of the ship as an attraction to local celebrations being held at the time was deemed necessary.

The Niobe, a training ship, was sent to the Yarmouth, N.S., old home week celebration on the order of Hon. L.P. Brodeur, who acted on the request of Mr. B.B. Law, M.P. But before Mr. Brodeur fulfilled his promise he had left for the Imperial Conference and, the celebration approaching, Mr. Law wrote to Commander C.D. Roper and Mr. P.J. Ling, of the Naval Department at Ottawa, on the matter. Both these officials refused to send the Niobe to Yarmouth as a civic attraction. In this the officials were justified, as it meant the disarrangement of training exercise on board the vessel. But Mr. Law persisted and again requested that the ship be sent. Once more the department refused. And once again Mr. Law came back by letter requesting the department cable Mr. Brodeur in London and remind him of his promise. Quite rightly the department refused to do any such thing.

Mr. law, whose prestige as a political advertiser was evidently in danger among his townfolk, therefore fell back upon the hope of the Maritime provinces when something was wanted—Hon. Mr. Fielding. Mr. Fielding was in London, but he cabled the naval department at Ottawa asking that Mr. Law's request be granted. Just why the minister of finance was allowed to dabble inj the administration of naval affairs is not quite clear, but Mr. Fielding took the chance without any hesitation. Mr. Law, encouraged by this acquiescence, got after Mr. Brodeur again on the latter's return to Canada on July 11, and extracted his signed promise that the Niobe would positively be at Yarmouth.

In the meantime, however, it is interesting to learn that Commander Roper only July 14, the day previous to the receipt by Mr. Law of Mr. Brodeur's definite promise, had written a memorandum, strongly protesting against the proposal. The commander made the significant remark that he considered that the opinion of the technical officers should be obtained before any promise was made as to the vessels of the department visiting any particular port, at given date. Admiral Kingsmill, on forwarding this memorandum, commented upon it favourably and endorsed its objection to the proposal. The admiral added that it would be impossible to carry out the training objects of the vessel if the visiting of the ship to ports where celebrations were being held was to become a recognized custom.

Notwithstanding the objections of the qualified officials of the department, Mr. Brodeur confirmed his promise to Mr. Law and on July 14 the Niobe reached Yarmouth. The men were landed to participate in the parade, some 4,000 visitors inspected the ship, a grand ball took place and other entertainments were given with the vessel as a center of social activity. On July 19 the disaster occurred when a gale sprung up in the harbour. Of the good seamanship and devotion of the officers on this occasion much has been written and deservedly so.

In view of all the facts the present court martial seems to be shaped in the wrong direction. It is quite true that the admiralty must enforce its Spartan regulations, but it is unfortunate that Canada is to receive advertising of this sort. The fact that the naval department was used as an advertising adjunct to please political friends of the recent administration, and that such action cost the country nearly a quarter of a million dollars in money and incalculable amount in prestige, is enough to make the man in the street feel hot under the collar.

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HMCS Niobe Grounding and Court Martial;
Part 3: The Courts Martial, Day 2 of 3, Nov 1911

With the first day of trials concluded, and the Officer of the Day, Lieut. Lord Allister Graham, having received a reprmand, the court martial contines its second day. On this day the navigating officer, Lieut. White, presents his defence.

The Montreal Gazette, 18 November, 1911

Navigator is Found Guilty

Lieut. White Suffered, Through Negligence, the Niobe to Strand.
Dismissed from the Ship.
Commander Macdonald Placed on Trial Following the Judgment.

Halifax, N.S., November 17.—Lieut. Charles White, navigating officer on board H.M.C.S. Niobe, was found guilty by court-martial here at noon today of suffering, through negligence, the Niobe to strand on the treacherous ledges off Cape Sable on July 30 last, and, in spite of a high tribute paid him by his commander, and his previous good record, he was severely reprimanded and dismissed from the ship.

The finding of the court came as a surprise to most of those who had followed the intricate case. It was felt by some that Lieut. White had made out a much better case than did Lord Allister Graham, who faced the same charge and got off with a reprimand. It had been clearly shown that Lieut. White had been overworked previous to the stranding. The night of the 29th he had gone to his room for a much needed rest, leaving word with the officer of the watch to be called when the Cape Sable lights were sighted and if he had known, he said, that the officer of the watch would not call him should the Cape Sable light, when within reasonable range, not be sighted, he would not have left the bridge.

Moreover, according to Lieut. White's reasoning, and his reasoning was borne out by the evidence of his witnesses, the stranding was due either to an abnormal tide, which it was impossible to foresee, or to an uncharted rock, the existence of which rocks having been amply proven by the grounding of H.M.S. Cornwall. Lieut. White also maintained he had not been informed of the facts as he should have been. In spite of all this, however, he was adjudged guilty and sentences as stated.

Lieut. White divided his defence into five points as follows:

1.     To prove that in the passage from Yarmouth to Shelburne, it was absolutely necessary to make the outlying bouy.

2.     That in shaping the course S 74, E, I allowed for tides estimated to the best of my ability, using the information contained in the chart set supplied by the Hydrographic Department of the Admiralty at London and Ottawa.

3.     That before I left the bridge, at 10 p.m. on the 29th of July, I turned over an exact position of the ship to the officer of the watch, and saw the ship steady on her course.

4.     That at 10. p.m., the time I left the bridge, the weather was fine, the Blonde Rock bouy and Seal Island light were in sight, and consequently I was entitled to leave the bridge for a couple hours, leaving the officers of the watch in charge, as the state of affairs at that time was absolutely normal.

5.     That when there is any doubt as to the ship's position I invariably remain on the bridge until the exact position is found, keeping the Thompson sounding machine going until this position is found.

Lieut. White then dealt with each of his points in turn, elaborating on them with great care and attention.

"The Niobe went ashore and someone had to suffer for it," said Lieut. White, shortly after the sentence had been pronounced.

He declined, however, to comment further on the decision. The fact, however, that Lieut. White was convicted of suffering the Niobe to be stranded does not necessarily mean that the court considered that he had mapped out a wrong course for the Niobe. It may only mean that the court felt that Lieut. White should have been on deck at certain times when he wasn't there. The court makes no comment on its decision. There is no appeal from its findings.

The evidence is sent, however, to the judge advocate of the fleet in London, who examines it thoroughly. If he finds anything irregular or illegal in the proceedings, he quashes the whole case and it cannot be reopened.

Two years ago the British Admiralty found that there were more senior Lieutenants than there were ships for them, and invited resignations. Lieut. White was one of several who took advantage of the opportunity to retire. Almost immediately he applied to the Canadian Government for the berth on the Niobe and was readily accepted, as he was highly regarded as a navigator. He has a two years' contract with the Canadian Government, but just what will transpire now no-one seems to know. The sentence of the court went into effect immediately after it was pronounced, but Lieut. White is still on the ship and will remain a few days.

It is possible that the Canadian Government will see fit to appoint him to another position at once. It could even reinstate him as navigating officer on the Niobe, but it is scarcely likely that such a step will be taken. Until he secures another position Lieut. White remains on half pay. He is not a man of independent means. Lieut. White took his medicine with good grace, although feeling keenly the humiliation it meant to him. He is extremely popular with both the officers and men on board the Niobe and all feel deeply for him in his misfortune.

His wife and two children reside in Halifax. He is about 24 years old.

There was the utmost stillness in the little court room as the judge advocate arose to pronounce the sentence. All the witnesses in the case were there, as well as the newspaper writers, court officers, etc., and when the sentence had been pronounced there wasn't a man present who didn't feel sorry for the young Lieutenant. "But," as one of his fellow officers put it, "it might have been worse."

Lieut. White asked Commander Macdonald to make statement as to his character as navigating officer on the Niobe.

"Up to the night in question," said Commander Macdonald, "I have had the highest opinion of you as a navigating officer. You have always been most careful, conscientious and exact, and I have complete confidence in you as a navigating officer. I also consider you an excellent pilot."

Immediately on the close of Lieut. White's case Commander Macdonald was placed on trial by the same court-martial. He, too, is charged with negligence or by default stranding or suffering to be stranded the cruiser Niobe on July 30 last.

Captain Macdonald has as his advisor Commander martin of the Dick Yards. At 12.45 the court adjourned, and it wasn't until the court reassembled in the afternoon that the examination of witnesses was begun. The witnesses so far examined in this case are the same as in the two previous cases, and little that is new or important has developed. At 6.45 court adjourned until 9.30 tomorrow morning. Commander Macdonald's case is somewhat more thorough than the others, and will likely last all day tomorrow.

The Toronto Globe, 18 Nov 1911

The Toronto Globe headlines for this story (18 Nov 1911), although presented in a shortened length, were:

Niobe Officer is Dismissed

Sentence Meted Out to Lieut. White a Surprise,
Following Previous Light Penalty—
Officer Overworked.

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HMCS Niobe Grounding and Court Martial;
Part 2: The Courts Martial, Day 1 of 3, Nov 1911

Three officers will be court-martialed for the grounding of HMCS Niobe in July, 1911. It's now over three months later, early November, and a Royal Navy cruiser squadron arrives at Halifax to provide the necessary senior officers for the court. Over three days the trials will take place, these are reports of the first day.

The Montreal Gazette, 11 November, 1911

Fourth Cruiser Squadron at Halifax

Halifax, N.S., November 10.—The fourth cruiser squadron arrived today and came to mooing off the dockyard. Rear Admiral Kingsmill arrived from Ottawa this evening in connection with the court-martial which is to be held by Rear Admiral E.E. Bradford, C.V.O., into the stranding on the warship Niobe at the end of last July.

Admiral Kingsmill will have a conference with Admiral Bradford tomorrow morning, when arrangements for the court-martial will be finally made. It will probably begin on Monday forenoon aboard the Niobe, and will be open to the public.

It has not yet been decided whether there will be be three separate trials or one. Three men are to be tried, the commander of the ship, the navigating lieutenant, and the officer of the watch. The court may decide to make one inquiry to cover the three cases or a separate court-martial may convene for each officer.

The squadron had a good voyage across. The ships called at the Azores but did not stay there long. The squadron will coal at the dockyard, two ships coming in at a time. The squadron consists of H.M.S. Leviathan, flagship; Berwick, Essex and Dongal.

Lewiston Evening Standard, 15 November, 1911

Naval Court Martial

Being Held Because of Standing of Canadian Cruiser Niobe Last July

Halifax, N.S., Nov 15.—A naval court martial convened here today to investigate the responsibility for the stranding of the Canadian cruiser Niobe near Cape Sable, last July. Commander Macdonald of the Niobe and two of his officers are on trial. In order to provide the officers of necessary rank for the court, the British Atlantic Squadron, consisting of Leviathan, Essex, Donegal and Berwick was sent here. Capt Baker of the Berwick is presiding over the court.

Commander Macdonald was examined today. In the course of his testimony he said that he was in his cabin at the time the ship struck the ledges. He said that he considered that the officer of the watch was responsible for the safety of the ship while the commander was in the cabin. The officer on watch at the time of the accident was Lieut. Lord Allister Graham, one of the officers under court martial.

The Montreal Gazette, 16 November, 1911

Blamed for Niobe Stranding

Lord Allister Graham Declared Guilty by the Court-Martial
Will Be Reprimanded
Was Officer of the Watch up to Fifteen Minutes of the Accident.

Halifax, November 15.—Lieut. Lord Allister Graham was found guilty today by court martial of causing, or suffering to be caused, the stranding of H.M.C.S. Niobe on July 29 last on the dangerous ledges of Cape Sable. He was sentenced to be reprimanded. Lord Allister Graham was officer of the watch up to fifteen or twenty minutes of the time the cruiser went ashore.

The proceedings began at 9.30 this morning and went until 6.30 this evening. The witnesses included Commander W.B. Macdonald, of the Niobe, and Navigating Lieut. James White, both of whom are charged with the same offence as Lieut. Graham. While the evidence seemed to show an absence of any deliberate negligence on the part of the accused, it developed the fact that he had not been as attentive to duty as he should have been. He was well aware of the existence of the Cape Sable lights, and the time they should have been discernible from the ship, but when this time passed and the lights were not seen he did not immediately report the fact to Commander Macdonald or the navigating officer.

Lord Allister Graham in presenting his defence maintained that hit was unfair to hold him responsible for the stranding of the ship when he had been relieved of the watch about twenty minutes before the accident occurred. Lieut. Graham's reprimand means nothing more than a black mark for him. Nevertheless he feels keenly his position in the matter, for up to the present time he has held an enviable record as an officer.

When the court opened the charge was read by the deputy judge advocate. Lord Allister Graham was specifically charged with the causing of the stranding of the Niobe while he was officer of the watch. Lieutenants Campbell and Cunningham of the flagship were instructed by the court to work out the course and position of the Niobe on the night of the stranding.

Commander Macdonald was the first witness called. Questioned by the court he said that Lieut. Lord Allister Graham was officer of the first watch when the ship grounded on Blonde Rock bouy on the morning of July 29 last. He (the commander) was on deck when the ship was stranded. The weather was clear before the ship passed Blonde Rock buy. He had not expected to see Cape Sable light almost immediately after passing the Blonde Rock bouy, returning twenty minutes later. The accused had not sent down a report that Cape Sable light was in sight. He had come up about 10.15. He considered that the accused should have notified that the light had been sighted when it became clearly visible. With a clear night, and under conditions then prevailing, he did not consider the soundings would have been of any use. There were very few soundings on the chart, in the position in which they were. When he returned to the bridge at 10.15 Cape Sable light was not in sight. It was not sighted at all. The ship was on her proper course when she grounded. The course by standard compass was south 74 east. Orders had not been given to the officer of the watch to frequently steady the ship on her course by standard compass. He expected the officer of the watch to fix the position of the ship on the chart when the navigating officer is below. The ship's position had been fixed by the accused after passing Blonde Rock bouy. Twenty minutes after passing Blonde Rock bouy witness told the officer of the watch the tide was expected. It was almost parallel of the course, but highly on the starboard bow. The direction of the wind was southwest force three. It was the duty of the accused to place lookouts above and below, but he did not think he had a chance, as the fog came on very quickly. The fog came on in a few seconds, and he placed lookout himself.

On cross-examination the witness said that the Niobe struck between 12.25 and 12.20. His written orders that night were: "Course south, 74 east; call me when required; when south-west ledge and Brazil Rocks are sighted at midnight and at daylight."

He showed the accused the ship's course, and warned him not to get set in on port to get off his course, but to keep generously to starboard.

Witness heard him repeat orders to the quartermaster to keep to starboard. This was about 10.15. He gave accused no extra orders as to speed. Accused called him shortly before midnight. Accused reported then that the southwest ledge light had been seen and its whistle heard on the port bow, and that a slight mist was drifting across the steaming light and that he thought a fog was coming on. He expected to sight the southwest ledge bouy light about 11.20 roughly. He considered accused an exceptionally trustworthy officer of the watch.

ON re-examination, witness said that Seal Island light and Blonde Rock light should have been sighted for at least an hour after rounding Blonde Rock. He was under the impression that Seal Island light was in sight. The officer of the watch, as far as he knew, did not fix then position of the ship by cross bearings of these two lights. He thought that if accused had got a correct fix at 11 o'clock it would have shown him that the ship had been set off her course. He could not say when the tide first made its effect on the ship. The speed of the ship was 45 revolutions, 7 ½ knots.

There was a southwesterly swell, but no sea on. Witness was in his fore cabin, which is on the bridge, that night. He considered that the officer of the watch was entirely responsible for the safety of the ship while he was in his cabin. He considered that the officer of the watch should have called him earlier than he did.

Navigating Lieutenant White was the second witness. He testified to the position of the ship and the orders given before going ashore.

Immediately on the conclusion of the first case, that against Lieut, White, navigating officer, was called, but was adjourned until tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock. This case will likely occupy a whole day also, as will the case of Commander Macdonald, which follows. The court martial was conducted with all the old time ceremony of naval affairs of its kind. The members of the court as well as all the witnesses were attired in full dress uniform. The court consisted of: President of court, Capt. Lewis C. Baker, H.M.S. Berwick; Capt. John F.A. Green, H.M.S. Essex; Flag Captain Erick P.C. Bask; Commander Truesdale, H.M.S. Donegal; Commander Lancelet N. Tuston, H.M.S. Leviathan; prosecuting officer, Commander Albert C. Scott.

Lord Allister Graham, who is tall and spare with an exceptionally high and broad forehead and clear blue eyes, sat beside his counsel throughout the proceedings.

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