1.
Canadian Army
–
The Canadian Army is one of three environmental commands within the unified Canadian Armed Forces. As of September 2013 the Army has 21,600 regular soldiers, about 24,000 reserve soldiers, the Army is supported by 5,600 civilian employees. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is responsible for the Army Reserve. The Commander of the Canadian Army and Chief of the Army Staff is Lieutenant-General Paul Wynnyk, the name Canadian Army only came into official use beginning in 1940, from before Confederation until the Second World War the official designation was Canadian Militia. On 1 April 1966, as a precursor to the unification of Canadas armed services, Mobile Command was renamed Land Force Command in the 1993 reorganization of the Canadian Armed Forces. In August 2011, Land Force Command reverted to the title of the Canadian Army. Some current regiments of the Canadian Army trace their origins to these pre-Confederation militia, Regular Canadian troops participated in the North West Rebellion in 1885, the South African War in 1899, and, in much larger numbers, constituted the Canadian Expeditionary Force in First World War. In 1940, during Second World War, the Permanent Active Militia was renamed the Canadian Army, supplemented by the non-permanent militia, the Army participated in the Korean War and formed part of the NATO presence in West Germany during the Cold War. Despite Canadas usual support of British and American initiatives, Canadas land forces did not directly participate in the Vietnam War or the Iraq War, Command of the Army is exercised by the Commander of the Canadian Army within National Defence Headquarters located in Ottawa. It serves as a headquarters to command a divisional-level deployment of Canadian or allied forces on operations. It includes a number of schools and training organizations, such as the Combat Training Centre at CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick, the position was renamed Chief of the Land Staff in 1993. Following the reversion of Land Forces to the Canadian Army in 2011, officers are selected in several ways, The Regular Officer Training Plan, where candidates are educated at the Royal Military College of Canada or at civilian Canadian universities. Direct Entry officer Plan, for those who hold a university degree or technology diploma. Candidates complete their degrees while serving in the Army, university Training Plan, designed to develop selected serving non-commissioned members for service as career officers in the Regular Force. Normally, candidates selected for this plan will attend RMC or a university in Canada. Special Requirements Commissioning Plan, is designed to meet the needs of the officer occupations, subsidized special education, which includes the Medical Officer Training Plan or Dental Officer Training Plan. In addition there were other commissioning plans such as the Officer Candidate Training Plan, Canadian infantry and armoured regimental traditions are strongly rooted in the traditions and history of the British Army. Many regiments were patterned after regiments of the British Army, other regiments developed independently, resulting in a mixture of both colourful and historically familiar names
Canadian Army
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Coyote Reconnaissance Vehicle from the
12e Régiment blindé du Canada
Canadian Army
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Badge and flag of the Canadian Army
Canadian Army
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Soldiers of the
12e Régiment blindé du Canada armoured reconnaissance regiment
Canadian Army
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Members of the Canadian Grenadier Guards on parade in Ottawa
2.
Line infantry
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Line infantry is the type of infantry that composed the basis of European land armies from the middle of the 17th century to the middle of the 19th century. For both battle and parade drill it consisted of 2 to 4 ranks of soldiers drawn up side by side in rigid alignment. By extension, the term came to be applied to the regiments of the line as opposed to skirmishers, foot guards, militia. Line infantry mainly used three formations in its battles, the line, the square and the column, a line consisted of 2,3 or 4 ranks of soldiers. During the time period that line infantry were prevalent, the object was to cause the formation to rout, which was done by breaking it. The line was considered as the battle formation as it allowed for the largest deployment of firepower. Troops in skirmish formation, though able to cover and use initiative, were highly vulnerable to cavalry. Line infantry provided an anchor for skirmishers and cavalry to retreat to if threatened, against surrounding enemy cavalry, line infantry could swiftly adopt square formations to provide protection. Such squares were hollow, unlike the pikemen and old-style musketeers square, movement in line formation was very slow, and unless the battalion was superbly trained, a breakdown in cohesion was virtually assured, especially in any kind of uneven or wooded terrain. As a result, line was used as a stationary formation, with troops moving in column formations. Usually, columns would be adopted for movement and melee attacks, line infantry was trained in the manual of arms evolutions, the main objectives of which were fast deployment of a line, rapid shooting and manoeuvre. Line tactics required a strict discipline and simple movements, practiced to the point where they became second-nature, during training, the drill and corporal punishments were widely used. Line infantry quickly became the most common type of infantry in European countries, musketeers and grenadiers, formerly elite troops, gradually became part of the line infantry, switching to linear tactics. In the middle of the 17th century, the muskets of some line infantry were equipped with bayonets. Bayonets were attached to the muzzles of muskets and were used when line troops entered melee combat and they also helped to defend against cavalry. In many countries, the new fusils retained the name musket, both muskets and fusils were smoothbore, which lessened their accuracy and range, but made for faster loading, lesser amount of bore fouling and more robust, less complicated firearms. The bulk of the infantry had no protective equipment, as armor that could provide protection from musket fire were considered too expensive. Only the former elite troops could keep by tradition some elements of protection, for example, initially, soldiers equipped with firearms formed only a small part of the infantry branch of most armies, because of their vulnerability to hostile cavalry
Line infantry
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Prussian line infantry attack at the 1745
Battle of Hohenfriedberg.
3.
Light infantry
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Light infantry are soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. Light infantry was distinct from medium, heavy or line infantry, heavy infantry were dedicated primarily to fighting in tight formations that were the core of large battles. Heavy infantry originally had heavier arms and more armour than light infantry, as with so called light infantry of later periods, the term more adequately describes the role of such infantry rather than the actual weight of their equipment. Peltast equipment, for example, grew steadily heavier at the time as hoplite equipment grew lighter. It was the fact that peltasts fought in order as skirmishers that made them light infantry. Early regular armies of the era frequently relied on irregulars to perform the duties of light infantry skirmishers. In the 18th and 19th centuries most infantry regiments or battalions had a company as an integral part of its composition. Its members were often smaller, more men with high shooting ability and capability of using initiative. They did not usually fight in disciplined ranks as did the infantry but often in widely dispersed groups. They were expected to avoid melee engagements unless necessary, and would fight ahead of the line to harass the enemy before falling back to the main position. Light infantry sometimes carried lighter muskets than ordinary infantrymen while others carried rifles and these became designated as rifle regiments in Britain and Jäger regiments in German speaking Europe. In France, during the Napoleonic Wars, light infantry were called voltigeurs and chasseurs, the Austrian army had Grenzer regiments from the middle of the 18th century, who originally served as irregular militia skirmishers recruited from mountainous frontier areas. Light infantry officers sometimes carried muskets or rifles, rather than pistols, orders were sent by bugle or whistle instead of drum. Some armies, including the British and French, recruited whole regiments of light infantry, by the late 19th century the concept of fighting in formation was on the wane due to advancements in weaponry and the distinctions between light and heavy infantry began to disappear. Essentially, all infantry became light infantry in operational practice, some regiments retained the name and customs, but there was in effect little difference between them and other infantry regiments. On the eve of World War I the British Army included seven light infantry regiments, today the term light denotes, in the United States table of organization and equipment, units lacking heavy weapons and armor or with a reduced vehicle footprint. At its height, this included the 6th Infantry Division, 7th Infantry Division, 10th Mountain Division, 25th Infantry Division, operation Just Cause is often cited as proof of concept. Almost 30,000 U. S. Forces, mostly light, during the 1990s, the concept of purely light forces in the US military came under scrutiny due to their decreased lethality and survivability
Light infantry
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Portuguese Army light infantry (caçador) of the
Peninsular War
Light infantry
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Chasseurs from a light infantry regiment of Napoléon's
Grande Armée
Light infantry
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A historical reenactment with the British
95th Rifles regiment.
4.
Battalion
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A battalion is a military unit. The use of the term varies by nationality and branch of service. Typically a battalion consists of 300 to 800 soldiers and is divided into a number of companies, a battalion is typically commanded by a lieutenant colonel. In some countries the word battalion is associated with the infantry, the term was first used in Italian as battaglione no later than the 16th century. It derived from the Italian word for battle, battaglia, the first use of battalion in English was in the 1580s, and the first use to mean part of a regiment is from 1708. The battalion must, of course, have a source of re-supply to enable it to sustain operations for more than a few days, the battalion is usually part of a regiment, brigade, or group, depending on the organizational model used by that service. The bulk of a battalions companies are often homogeneous with respect to type, a battalion includes a headquarters company and some sort of combat service support, typically organized within a combat support company. The term battalion is used in the British Army Infantry and some including the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. It was formerly used in the Royal Engineers, and was used in the now defunct Royal Army Ordnance Corps. Other corps usually use the term regiment instead, an infantry battalion is numbered ordinarily within its regiment. It normally has a company, support company, and three rifle companies. Each company is commanded by a major, the officer commanding, the HQ company contains signals, quartermaster, catering, intelligence, administration, pay, training, operations and medical elements. The support company usually contains anti-tank, machine gun, mortar, pioneer, mechanised units usually have an attached light aid detachment of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers to perform field repairs on vehicles and equipment. A British battalion in theatre during World War II had around 845 men in it, and, as of 2012, with successive rounds of cutbacks after the war, many infantry regiments were reduced to a single battalion. A battalion group or battlegroup consists of a battalion or armoured regiment with sub-units detached from other military units acting under the command of the battalion commander. In the Canadian Forces, most battalions are reserve units of between 100–200 soldiers that include an operationally ready, field-deployable component of approximately a half-company apiece, the nine regular force infantry battalions each contain three or four rifle companies and one or two support companies. Canadian battalions are generally commanded by lieutenant-colonels, though smaller reserve battalions may be commanded by majors, with the Dutch artillery units, the equivalent of a battalion is called an afdeling. Combat companies consist of infantry, combat engineers, or tanks, in the latter case, the unit is called an eskadron, which translates roughly to squadron
Battalion
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Symbol of the Austrian 14th Armoured Battalion in
NATO military graphic symbols
Battalion
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Standard
NATO code for a friendly infantry battalion.
Battalion
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Australian 11th (Western Australia) Battalion, 3rd Infantry Brigade, Australian Imperial Force posing on the Great Pyramid of Giza on 10 January 1915
Battalion
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1980s Soviet motorised rifle battalion (BTR)
5.
Royal Canadian Infantry Corps
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The Royal Canadian Infantry Corps is the infantry corps of the Canadian Army and includes regular and reserve force regiments. Originally formed as the Canadian Infantry Corps on 2 September 1942 to encompass all existing infantry regiments, including regiments of foot guards, in the Canadian Army. The three maple leaves conjoined on one stem, taken from the Royal Arms of Canada, represent service to Canada, the crossed rifles denote infantry and have been used in badges of infantry units as well as of the officer cadet programme. Red and white are the colours of Canada. INFANTRY and INFANTERIE are a form of the bilingual branch title, in 1968, with the unification of the Canadian Army into the Canadian Armed Forces, the name of the Royal Canadian Infantry Corps was changed to simply the Infantry Branch. As of April 2013, the traditional designation Royal Canadian Infantry Corps has been officially restored, to close with and destroy the enemy. Well armed individuals with fighting spirit and dogged determination constitute the backbone of the infantry battalion, all the rest - vehicles, stores and equipment - merely exist to assist the infantry soldier to carry out the mission. It is by determination and the use of weapons and ground that the battalion succeeds in battle. List of civilian organizations with the prefix Royal prepared by the Department of Canadian Heritage
Royal Canadian Infantry Corps
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Badge of the Royal Canadian Infantry Corps
Royal Canadian Infantry Corps
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The camp flag of the Infantry Branch.
Royal Canadian Infantry Corps
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Grave of Pte JG Potter, 2 Bn, killed in action 15 November 1916
Royal Canadian Infantry Corps
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Grave of Pte LG Davis, 44 Bn, killed in action 10 December 1916
6.
Semper Fidelis
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Semper fidelis is a Latin phrase that means always faithful or always loyal. It is a motto for Western towns, families, schools. In the United States, it is best known as the motto of the United States Marine Corps, the earliest definitively recorded use of semper fidelis is as the motto of the French town of Abbeville since 1369. It has also used by other towns, and is recorded as the motto of various European families since the 16th century. Records show many families in England, France and Ireland using this motto, the earliest recorded use of semper fidelis by a military unit is by the Duke of Beauforts Regiment of Foot, raised in south-western England in 1685. This is apparently linked to its use as a motto by the city of Exeter since no later than 1660, subsequently, a variety of military organizations adopted the motto. This phrase was used in Europe, at least in Great Britain, Ireland and France, a more recent adoption is by Senator Joe Doyle, in arms granted by the Chief Herald of Ireland in 1999. Bernard Burke in 1884 listed many notable families in Great Britain and they include, Lynch family, Semper Fidelis is the family motto of the Lynch family. Members of the Tribes were considered Old English gentry, Semper Fidelis appears on the Lynch Family coat of arms. Frith family, The family of John Frith, Protestant martyr, is thought to have used the motto as far back as the 16th century, John Frith is the earliest entry in Burkes list of the Frith family. The Friths settled in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, after John Friths execution, the family fought at the Battle of the Boyne. Edge family, The Edge family of Strelley, Nottinghamshire, were using the motto Semper fidelis by 1814 at the latest, the arms were granted in 1709, but it is not recorded whether the motto formed part of the initial grant. Onslow family, the family of the Earls of Onslow uses the motto Semper fidelis, Stewart family, Semper Fidelis is the family motto of the Stewart family of Ballechin in Perthshire. J. Burke records that the family back to an illegitimate son of James II of Scotland. However they do not report the date of its first use, a large portion of these families were Irish or Scottish. This would make it the earliest recorded user of the motto among cities, in 1658, Pope Alexander VII declared the city to be Semper fidelis, in recognition of the its key role in defending Europe and Roman Catholicism from Muslim invasion. In Ukraine, the phrase is used less, and refers to the survival of the Ukrainian Church through the period of Soviet persecution. The City of Exeter, in Devon, England, has used the motto since at least 1660, Izacke claimed that the motto was adopted in 1588 to signify the citys loyalty to the English Crown
Semper Fidelis
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Monument to Doberman,
Military Working Dog (MWD), World War II Memorial, War Dog Cemetery. Naval Base Guam
Semper Fidelis
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WNSR Crest
7.
Military history of Nova Scotia
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Nova Scotia is a Canadian province located in Canadas Maritimes. The region was occupied by Mikmaq. During the first 150 years of European settlement, the colony was made up of Catholic Acadians, Maliseet. During the latter years of this time period, there were six colonial wars that took place in Nova Scotia. During these wars, Acadians, Mikmaq and Maliseet from the region fought to protect the border of Acadia from New England and they fought the war on two fronts, the southern border of Acadia, which New France defined as the Kennebec River in southern Maine. The other front was in Nova Scotia and involved preventing New Englanders from taking the capital of Acadia, Port Royal, during the French and Indian War, Halifax was established as the British Headquarters of the North American Station. As a result, Nova Scotia was active throughout the American Revolution, during the Victorian Era, Nova Scotians also played prominent roles in the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny. The province also participated in the Northwest Rebellion and the Second Boer War, during the twentieth century the province produced numerous heroes who fought in World War I and World War II. There was a number of Nova Scotians who also participated in the Spanish Civil War, the Korean War. The first European settlement in Nova Scotia was established in 1605, the French, led by Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Monts established the first capital for the colony Acadia at Port Royal, Nova Scotia. Other than a few trading posts around the province, for the next seventy-five years, Port Royal remained the capital of Acadia and later Nova Scotia for almost 150 years, prior to the founding of Halifax in 1749. The English made six attempts to conquer the capital of Acadia which they finally did in the Siege of Port Royal in 1710, over the following fifty years, the French and their allies made six unsuccessful military attempts to regain the capital. From 1629 to 1632, Nova Scotia briefly became a Scottish colony, Sir William Alexander of Menstrie Castle, Scotland claimed mainland Nova Scotia and settled at Port Royal, while Ochiltree claimed Ile Royale and settled at Baleine, Nova Scotia. There were three battles between the Scottish and the French, the Raid on St. John, the Siege of Baleine as well as Siege of Cap de Sable, Nova Scotia was returned to France via the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The French quickly defeated the Scottish at Baleine and established settlements on Ile Royale at present day Englishtown and these two settlements remained the only settlements on the island until they were abandoned by Nicolas Denys in 1659. Ile Royale then remained vacant for more than fifty years until the communities were re-established when Louisbourg was established in 1713, Acadia was plunged into what some historians have described as a civil war between 1640 and 1645. The war was between Port Royal, where Governor of Acadia Charles de Menou dAulnay de Charnisay was stationed, and present-day Saint John, New Brunswick, Charles de Saint-Étienne de la Tour was stationed. In the war, there were four major battles, La Tour attacked dAulnay at Port Royal in 1640
Military history of Nova Scotia
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Citadel Hill
Military history of Nova Scotia
Military history of Nova Scotia
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Siege of
St. John (1745) - d'Aulnay defeats La Tour in Acadia
Military history of Nova Scotia
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Marker commemorating the
Dutch conquest of
Acadia (1674), which they renamed
New Holland. This is the spot where
Jurriaen Aernoutsz buried a bottle at the capital of Acadia,
Fort Pentagouet,
Castine, Maine
8.
Citadel Hill (Fort George)
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The first two and the fourth and current fort, were simply called the Halifax Citadel. The Citadel is the summit of Citadel Hill, a National Historic Site of Canada in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The hill was first fortified in 1749, the year the town of Halifax was founded and those fortifications on the hill were successively rebuilt to defend the town from various enemies. A series of four different defensive fortifications have occupied the summit of Citadel Hill, the construction and levelling resulting in the summit of the hill being dropped by ten to twelve metres. Whilst never attacked, the Citadel was long the keystone to the defence of the strategically important Halifax Harbour, today the fort is operated by Parks Canada as the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site of Canada and is restored to the Victorian period. The war began shortly after Edward Cornwallis arrived on June 21,1749 to establish Halifax with 13 transports, the Mikmaq felt that the British settlement at Halifax violated earlier treaties which were signed after Father Rales War in 1726. On 11 September 1749, Cornwallis wrote to the Board of Trade and these squares are done with double picquets, each picquet ten foot long and six inches thick. They likewise clear a Space of 30 feet without the Line, when this work is compleated I shall think the Town as secure against Indians as if it was regularly fortifyd. The first fort was simply a small redoubt which stood near the summit with a flagstaff and it was part of the western perimeter wall for the old city which was protected by five stockaded forts. The others were Horsemans Fort, Cornwallis Fort, Fort Lutrell, during Father Le Loutres War, the soldiers guarding Halifax were in a constant state of alert. The Mikmaq and Acadians raided the capital region 12 times, the worst of these raids was the Dartmouth Massacre. Four of these raids were against Halifax, the first raid was in July 1750, in the woods on peninsular Halifax, the Mikmaq scalped Cornwallis gardener, his son, and four others. They buried the son, left the body exposed. In 1751, there were two attacks on blockhouses surrounding Halifax, Mikmaq attacked the North Blockhouse and killed the men on guard. They also attacked near the South Blockhouse, at a saw-mill on a stream flowing out of Chocolate Lake into the Northwest Arm. In 1753, when Lawrence became governor, the Mikmaq attacked again upon the sawmills near the South Blockhouse on the Northwest Arm, the Mikmaq made three attempts to retrieve the bodies for their scalps. Prominent Halifax business person Michael Francklin was captured by a Mikmaw raiding party in 1754, the stockaded forts were also instrumental to the British during the French and Indian War. The Fort was used to help faciltate the Expulsion of the Acadians, during the war, the Mikmaq and Acadians resisted the British throughout the province
Citadel Hill (Fort George)
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Citadel Hill
Citadel Hill (Fort George)
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Citadel Hill during
Father Le Loutre's War (1750)
Citadel Hill (Fort George)
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Citadel Hill, The British Squadron going off to
Louisbourg Expedition (1757)
9.
Battle of Port Royal (1690)
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The Battle of Port Royal occurred at Port Royal, the capital of Acadia, during King Williams War. A large force of New England provincial militia arrived before Port Royal, Meneval surrendered without resistance not long after the New Englanders arrived. The New Englanders, led by Sir William Phips, after alleging Acadian violations of the terms of surrender, plundered the town, after the British sacked Pentagouet, the Wabanaki Confederacys retaliated with raids along the New England border. These attacks were coordinated from Fort Meductic in Acadia, the merchants of Salem and Boston got up a subscription, and in the spring of 1690 the government of Massachusetts organized a campaign led by William Phips against the Acadian settlements. The aftermath of the surrender of Port Royal was unlike any of the military campaigns against Acadia. The violence of the plunder alienated many of the Acadians from the New Englanders, broke their trust, the Nine Years War, begun in 1688 in Europe, widened to include the Kingdom of England in 1689 as part of the alliance against France. The idea for an expedition against Acadia first arose in the wake of the August 1689 fall of Fort William Henry at Pemaquid to French, several prominent colonists were considered to lead it. One of the major proponents, the merchant John Nelson, was rejected because of his previous trade dealings with the French in Acadia. The command was given to Sir William Phips, a Maine native with no military experience who achieved prominence by finding a wrecked treasure ship in the West Indies. On 24 March Phips was commissioned a general and given command of the expedition. On 28 April 1690 Phips sailed from Boston with a fleet of five ships and his flagship, the Six Friends, mounted 42 guns, while the Porcupine mounted 16. They were accompanied by the sloop Mary and two ketches, at Mount Desert Island they made a rendezvous with the barque Union and another ketch. After investigating French holdings in Penobscot Bay and Passamaquoddy Bay, Phips sailed for Port Royal, before approaching the town, he made contact with Pierre Melanson dit Laverdure, a bilingual French Huguenot, early the next morning, and ascertained the condition of the town. He then weighed anchor and sailed up to the town, the French garrison consisted of fewer than 90 soldiers, and the fortifications were in a state of destruction. Furthermore, the garrison only possessed 19 muskets, when Phips sent an emissary on 10 May to demand the forts surrender, Meneval sent the local priest, Louis Petit, to negotiate terms of surrender. The basic terms he and Phips agreed included protection of the persons and personal property of the Acadians, Phips refused to put the terms in writing, but they were reconfirmed by multiple witnesses when Governor Meneval came to the Six Friends the next day. What occurred after the surrender, and the motives for it, has been a subject of debate, because French. The terms of the surrendered were breached, and the English militia plundered not only the fort but the town as well, private property was taken and livestock killed
Battle of Port Royal (1690)
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Sir
William Phips
Battle of Port Royal (1690)
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Citadel Hill
Battle of Port Royal (1690)
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A 1691 French document with news of a skirmish: Flotte angloise repoussée en Canada (English flotilla repelled in Canada).
10.
Siege of Port Royal (1710)
–
After the French surrender, the British occupied the fort in the capital with all the pomp and ceremony of having captured one of the great fortresses of Europe, and renamed it Annapolis Royal. The siege was the third British attempt during Queen Annes War to capture the Acadian capital, the conquest was a key element in the framing of the North American issues in French-British treaty negotiations of 1711–1713. It resulted in the creation of a new colony—Nova Scotia—and introduced significant questions concerning the fate of both the Acadians and the Mikmaq who continued to occupy Acadia, Port Royal was the capital of the French colony of Acadia almost since the French first began settling the area in 1604. It consequently became a point for conflict between English and French colonists in the next century. It was destroyed in 1613 by English raiders led by Samuel Argall, in 1690 it was captured by forces from the Province of Massachusetts Bay, although it was restored to France by the Treaty of Ryswick. With the outbreak of the War of the Spanish Succession in 1702, acadias governor, Jacques-François de Monbeton de Brouillan, had, in anticipation of war, already begun construction of a stone and earth fort in 1701, which was largely completed by 1704. Following a French raid on Deerfield on the Massachusetts frontier in February 1704, led by Benjamin Church, they raided Grand Pré and other Acadian communities. English and French accounts differ on whether Churchs expedition mounted an attack on Port Royal, Churchs account indicates that they anchored in the harbour and considered making an attack, but ultimately decided against the idea, French accounts claim that a minor attack was made. When Daniel dAuger de Subercase became governor of Acadia in 1706, he went on the offensive and he also encouraged privateering from Port Royal against English colonial shipping. The privateers were highly effective, the English fishing fleet on the Grand Banks was reduced by 80 percent between 1702 and 1707, and some English coastal communities were raided. English merchants in Boston had long traded with Port Royal, in spring of 1707, he authorized an expedition against Port Royal. This expedition made two attempts to take Port Royal, for a variety of reasons, both attempts failed despite the expeditions significant numerical superiority. In the following years, France failed to any significant support, while the British mobilized larger. Samuel Vetch, a Scots businessman with ties, went to London in 1708. She authorized a great enterprise to conquer all of Acadia and Canada in 1709 that was aborted when the military support failed to materialize. Vetch and Francis Nicholson, an Englishman who had served as colonial governor of Maryland and Virginia, returned to England in its aftermath. They were accompanied by four Indian chiefs, who caused a sensation in London, Nicholson and Vetch successfully argued on behalf of colonial interests for British military support against Port Royal. In addition to 400 marines brought over from England, four New England provinces raised militia regiments, Massachusetts Bay provided 900, Rhode Island 180, Connecticut 300, and New Hampshire 100
Siege of Port Royal (1710)
–
Portrait believed to be of
Francis Nicholson, by
Michael Dahl, c. 1710
Siege of Port Royal (1710)
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Citadel Hill
Siege of Port Royal (1710)
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Annotated detail from a 1713 map showing eastern New England and southern Nova Scotia/Acadia. Port Royal is at A, Boston at B, and Casco Bay at C.
Siege of Port Royal (1710)
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Military engineer's drawing of Port Royal, 1702
11.
Battle of Winnepang
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The Battle of Winnepang occurred during Father Rales War when New England forces attacked Mikmaq at present day Jeddore Harbour, Nova Scotia. The naval battle was part of a campaign ordered by Governor Richard Philipps to retrieve over 82 New England prisoners taken by the Mikmaq in fishing vessels off the coast of Nova Scotia, the New England force was led by Ensign John Bradstreet and fishing Captain John Elliot. Father Rales War occurred as a result of an expansion of British settlements along the Kennebec River, the Treaty of Utrecht, which ended Queen Annes War, had facilitated this expansion. The treaty, however, had signed in Europe and had not involved any tribes of the Wabanaki Confederacy. None had been consulted and they protested through raids on British fishermen, the construction of these fortifications raised tensions which in 1722 spilled into open warfare. In July 1722, the Abenaki and Mikmaq blockaded the capital of Nova Scotia Annapolis Royal in an attempt to starve it out and they captured 18 fishing vessels along with prisoners between present-day Cape Sable and Canso. They also captured vessels and took prisoners on the Bay of Fundy, one of the captured vessels had been dispatched from Canso to Annapolis Royal by Governor Philipps and contained a year supply of provisions for the capital. The Maliseet seized another vessel and used it to transport 45 warriors up the bay to join with 120 Mikmaq from Shubenacadie and Cape Sable in preparation to march against Annapolis Royal. In response, to protect the capital from attack and secure the release of the New England prisoners. Soon after the blockade began, Massachusetts Governor Shute declared war on the Wabanaki Confederacy, immediately after the declaration of war, on July 22,1722, Governor Philipps commissioned Capt. John Robinson in two sloops with regiments to protect the fishery at Canso and retrieve the New England prisoners, there was a Mikmaq camping place near Canso at present-day West Jeddore. There were thirty-nine natives at Winnepang who were holding prisoners in seven vessels, captains Elliot and Bradstreet arrived in the harbour and attacked the natives in a two-hour naval battle. Bradstreet led a party that overwhelmed the natives with hand grenades. The New Englanders had five men killed and several injured, including a badly wounded Capt. Elliot, as the Mikmaq tried to swim ashore to escape, the New Englanders opened fire on them. The New Englanders managed to rescue fifteen prisoners from the vessels, elsewhere in the campaign to retrieve the New England prisoners, James Blinn negotiated a prisoner exchange at Canso and won the release of 24 fishermen. Blinn later kidnapped another three or four natives at Cape Sable Island, in Captain Robinsons expedition, he captured ten of the vessels and killed three Abenaki. Robinson warned the Mikmaq not to harm the New England prisoners because they still had Mikmaq hostages at Annapolis Royal and he then arrived at Malagash harbour where the natives held five of the fishing vessels along with twenty prisoners. Robinson paid a ransom and they were released, Captain Cyprian Southack killed one Mikmaq and took another five as prisoners off the Gut of Canso
Battle of Winnepang
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Citadel Hill
Battle of Winnepang
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Governor of Nova Scotia
Richard Philipps, Commander of the
40th Regiment of Foot
Battle of Winnepang
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Mi’kmaq Warrior
12.
Northeast Coast Campaign (1745)
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The Northeast Coast Campaign occurred during King Georges War from 19 July until 5 September 1745. They attacked English settlements on the coast of present-day Maine between Berwick and St. Georges, within two months there were 11 raids - every town on the frontier had been attacked. After the two attacks on Annapolis Royal in 1744, Governor William Shirley put a bounty on the Passamaquoddy, Mi’kmaq and Maliseet on Oct 20. The following year, during the Campaign, on August 23,1745, Shirley declared war against the rest of the Wabanaki Confederacy – the Penobscot and Kennebec tribes. In response to the New England expedition against Louisbourg which finished in June 1745, New England braced itself for such an attack by appointing a provisional force of 450 to defend the frontier. After the attacks began they increased the number of soldiers by 175 men, massachusetts established forts along the border with Acadia, Fort George at Brunswick, St. Georges Fort at Thomaston, and Fort Richmond at Richmond. Fort Frederick was established at Pemaquid, the Campaign began when, on July 19, Mi’kmaq from Nova Scotia, Maliseet and some from St. Francois attacked Fort St. George and New Castle. They set fire to buildings, killed cattle and took one villager captive. They also killed a person at Saco, at the same time, Penobscot and Norridgewock attacked Fort Frederick at Pemaquid. They took captive a woman, which alarmed the garrison but she escaped, the same month they killed a boy at Topsham and a man at New Meadows. In the same month,30 Wabanaki attacked North Yarmouth and killed a man, at Flying-point they killed three members of a family and taking a daughter prisoner to Canada. During this raid on Flying-point, they killed one man, made another prisoner. St. Georges garrison at Thomaston was attacked again and one company of men was killed, near the garrison, two women were captured, one was taken to Canada, while the other escaped. They attacked Scarborough and one man killed, then at Sheepscot they attacked and killed two and wounded one. On Sept 5 tribes of the Confederacy attacked Thomston for the third time, in response to these events, Shirley sent more troops and munitions to the Maine frontier over the winter, anticipating the Wabanaki Campaign in the spring of 1746. There were nine raids in the Campaign of 1746 and 12 raids in the Northeast Coast Campaign of 1747, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers Correspondence of William Shirley History of Saco and Biddeford, with notices of other early settlements, and. By George Folsom The history of Portland, from 1632 to 1864, the history of the state of Maine, from its first discovery, A. D. Volume 2 Johnson, Michael, Smith, Jonathan, indian Tribes of the New England Frontier
Northeast Coast Campaign (1745)
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Commander
Samuel Waldo
Northeast Coast Campaign (1745)
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Citadel Hill
13.
Raid on Dartmouth (1751)
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The town was protected by a blockhouse on Blackburn Hill with William Claphams Rangers and British regulars from the 45th Regiment of Foot. This raid was one of seven the Natives and Acadians would conduct against the town during the war, despite the British Conquest of Acadia in 1710, Nova Scotia remained primarily occupied by Catholic Acadians and Mikmaq. To prevent the establishment of Protestant settlements in the region, Mikmaq raided the early British settlements of present-day Shelburne, a generation later, Father Le Loutres War began when Edward Cornwallis arrived to establish Halifax with 13 transports on June 21,1749. By unilaterally establishing Halifax the British were violating earlier treaties with the Mikmaq, despite the British Conquest of Acadia in 1710, Nova Scotia remained primarily occupied by Catholic Acadians and Mikmaq. By the time Cornwallis had arrived in Halifax, there was a history of the Wabanaki Confederacy protecting their land by killing British civilians along the New England/ Acadia border in Maine. The British quickly began to other settlements. To guard against Mikmaq, Acadian and French attacks on the new Protestant settlements, British fortifications were erected in Halifax, Bedford, Dartmouth, Lunenburg, there were numerous Mikmaq and Acadian raids on these villages such as the Raid on Dartmouth. There was a raid on those in the Dartmouth area in 1749, in response to the raids, Governor Edward Cornwallis offered a bounty on the head of every Mikmaq. The British military paid the Rangers the same rate per scalp as the French military paid the Mikmaq for British scalps, as well, to carry out this task, two companies of rangers were raised, one led by Captain Francis Bartelo and the other by Captain William Clapham. These two companies served alongside that of John Gorhams company, the three companies scoured the land around Halifax looking for Mikmaq. In July 1750, the Mikmaq killed and scalped 7 men who were at work in Dartmouth, in August 1750,353 people arrived on the ship Alderney and began the town of Dartmouth. The town was out in the autumn of that year. The following month, on September 30,1750, Dartmouth was attacked again by the Mikmaq and five more residents were killed. In October 1750 a group of eight men went out to take their diversion, and as they were fowling, they were attacked by the Indians. With a large knife, which they wear for that purpose, in March 1751, the Mi’kmaq attacked on two more occasions, bringing the total number of raids to six in the previous two years. Three months later, on May 13,1751 before sunrise, Broussard led sixty Mikmaq, the raiding party came down the Shuebenacadie River from Chignecto. Broussard and the others killed twenty settlers and more were taken prisoner, Captain William Clapham and sixty soldiers were on duty and fired from the blockhouse, which was located at the point overlooking Dartmouth Cove. The raiding party tortured and mutilated the sergeant and wounded three other soldiers, Captain Alexander Murray along with about 40 soldiers left Halifax in three vessels and tried to track them down for miles but most of the raiding party had dispersed
Raid on Dartmouth (1751)
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Joseph Broussard, known as "Beausoleil".
Raid on Dartmouth (1751)
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Blockhouse overlooking Dartmouth Cove
Raid on Dartmouth (1751)
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Citadel Hill
14.
Bay of Fundy Campaign (1755)
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The Bay of Fundy Campaign occurred during the French and Indian War when the British ordered the Expulsion of the Acadians from Acadia after the Battle of Fort Beauséjour. The Campaign started at Chignecto and then moved to Grand Pré, Rivière-aux-Canards, Pisiguit, Cobequid. Approximately 7,000 Acadians were deported to the New England colonies, the British Conquest of Acadia happened in 1710. Over the next years the Acadians refused to sign an unconditional oath of allegiance to Britain. During this time period Acadians participated in militia operations against the British, such as the raids on Dartmouth. The Acadians also maintained vital supply lines to the French Fortress of Louisbourg, prior to the expulsion, the British retrieved the Acadians weapons and boats in the Bay of Fundy region and arrested their deputies and priests. After the fall of Fort Beauséjour, the first wave of the expulsion of the Acadians began in the region of Chignecto, under the direction of Colonel Robert Monckton, on August 10, Lieutenant-Colonel John Winslow seized four hundred unsuspecting men who were at Fort Cumberland. He also imprisoned 86 Acadians within Fort Lawrence, the number of prisoners was one third of the men of the region, many of the others fled the region. The prisoners were kept in the fort until transports arrived to deport them, the wives and children joined them upon departure. Almost a month after the expulsion began, on September 2, Boishébert organized the Mi’kmaq and Acadian resistance in the region, almost one month later, on October 1, the Acadian prisoners at Fort Lawrence escaped. Joseph Broussard was one of the escapees, on October 13, a convoy of eight transports, carrying on board approximately 1782 prisoners, left Chignecto Basin escorted by three British men–of–war. The Acadians of Chignecto were considered the most rebellious, as a result, they were sent the furthest from Acadia, to South Carolina and Georgia. Upon leaving, Monckton began burning the Acadian villages to prevent the Acadians return, on November 15,1755, British officer John Thomas burned the village of Tentatmar, destroying in the process the church and ninety-seven other buildings. On August 15, under orders from Monckton, Captain Thomas Lewis, the British chose to destroy these villages first in the expulsion because they were the gateway Acadians used to provide cattle and produce to Louisbourg. Toward this end, Willard assembled the men of Tatamagouche in an Acadian home and he ensured that all the guns in the village were confiscated, and then notified the Acadian men that they were being taken prisoner. Willard immediately began to destroy the shipments of Acadian cattle and produce that were on vessels to be sent to Louisbourg, on August 16, Lewis burned twelve homes and the chapel. Willard continued to burn four houses and several barns in the morning of August 17. Captain Lewis went with 40 men to Remsheg where he captured three families and burned several buildings, Lewis returned to Fort Cumberland on August 26 with the Acadian male prisoners
Bay of Fundy Campaign (1755)
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Grand Pré: Deportation of the Acadians (artist's conception)
Bay of Fundy Campaign (1755)
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Citadel Hill
Bay of Fundy Campaign (1755)
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John Winslow
Bay of Fundy Campaign (1755)
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Acadian Memorial Cross, at
Hortonville, Nova Scotia, marking the deportation site of the Grand Pré inhabitants
15.
Siege of Louisbourg (1758)
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The British government realized that with the Fortress of Louisbourg under French control, there was no way that the Royal Navy could sail up the St. Lawrence River for an attack on Quebec unmolested. Pitt assigned the duty of capturing the fortress to Major General Jeffrey Amherst, amhersts brigadiers were Charles Lawrence, James Wolfe and Edward Whitmore, and command of naval operations was assigned to Admiral Edward Boscawen. As they had in 1757, the French planned to defend Louisbourg by a large naval build-up, however, the French fleet sailing from Toulon was blockaded in Cartagena by a British force, and a relief force was defeated at the Battle of Cartagena. After this the French abandoned their attempt to reinforce Louisbourg from the Mediterranean, British forces assembled at Halifax, Nova Scotia where army and navy units spent most of May training together as the massive invasion fleet came together. After a large gathering at the Great Pontack, on 29 May the Royal Navy fleet departed from Halifax for Louisbourg, the fleet consisted of 150 transport ships and 40 men-of-war. Housed in these ships were almost 14,000 soldiers, almost all of whom were regulars, the force was divided into three divisions, Red, commanded by James Wolfe, Blue, commanded by Charles Lawrence and White commanded by Edward Whitmore. On 2 June the British force anchored in Gabarus Bay,3 miles from Louisbourg, however, unlike the previous year, the French navy was unable to assemble in significant numbers, leaving the French squadron at Louisbourg outnumbered five to one by the British fleet. Drucour ordered trenches to be prepared and manned by some 2,000 French troops, along with other defences, such as an artillery battery, at Kennington Cove. Weather conditions in the first week of June made any landing impossible, however, conditions improved, and at daybreak on 8 June Amherst launched his assault using a flotilla of large boats, organized in 7 divisions, each commanded by one of his brigadiers. French defenses were successful and after heavy losses, Wolfe ordered a retreat. However, at the last minute, a boatload of light infantry in Wolfes division found a rocky inlet protected from French fire, Wolfe redirected the rest of his division to follow. Outflanked, the French retreated rapidly back to their fortress, continuing heavy seas and the difficulty inherent to moving siege equipment over boggy terrain delayed the commencement of the formal siege. In the meantime, Wolfe was sent with 1,220 picked men around the harbour to seize Lighthouse Point, after eleven days, on 19 June, the British artillery batteries were in position and the orders were given to open fire on the French. The British battery consisted of seventy cannons and mortars of all sizes, within hours, the guns had destroyed walls and damaged several buildings. On 21 July a mortar round from a British gun on Lighthouse Point struck a 74 gun French ship of the line, LEntreprenant, a stiff breeze fanned the fire, and shortly after the LEntreprenant caught fire, two other French ships had caught fire. LEntreprenant exploded later in the day, depriving the French of the largest ship in the Louisbourg fleet, the next major blow to French morale came on the evening of 23 July, at 10,00. A British hot shot set the Kings Bastion on fire, the Kings Bastion was the fortress headquarters and the largest building in North America in 1758. Its destruction eroded confidence and reduced morale in the French troops, most historians regard the British actions of 25 July as the straw that broke the camels back
Siege of Louisbourg (1758)
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Siege of Louisbourg (1758): British burning warship Prudent and capturing Bienfaisant.
Siege of Louisbourg (1758)
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Citadel Hill
Siege of Louisbourg (1758)
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View of Louisbourg when the city was besieged in 1758
Siege of Louisbourg (1758)
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Louis-Joseph Beaussier de l' Isle
16.
Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax
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Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax was a Royal Navy base in Halifax, Nova Scotia from 1759 to 1905. The Halifax Yard was the headquarters for the Royal Navys North American Station for sixty years, Halifax Harbour had served as a Royal Navy seasonal base from the founding of the city in 1749, using temporary facilities and a careening beach on Georges Island. The British purchased Gorham Point for the Naval Yard, which had named after its previous owner ranger John Gorham. Land and buildings for a permanent Naval Yard were purchased in 1758, the Yard served as the main base for the Royal Navy in North American during the Seven Years War, the American Revolution, the French Revolutionary Wars and the War of 1812. In 1818 Halifax became the base for the squadron which shifted to the Royal Naval Dockyard. The Halifax yard did not have a dry dock until 1887 so it was called the Halifax Naval Yard when first established. The graving-dock, coaling facilities and torpedo boat slip were added between 1881 and 1897, the station closed in 1905 and sold to Canada in 1907 becoming Her Majestys Canadian Dockyard, a function it still serves today as part of CFB Halifax. The Yard was located on the shores of Halifax Harbour to the north of Citadel Hill. Masts cut all over British North America were collected and stored in Halifax to be shipped to British Dockyards in wartime with heavily escorted mast convoys, the site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1923. Only one residence from 1814 and the Admirals Residence from 1816 survived, the Admirals residence in now the Maritime Command Museum. Marilyn Gurney, The Kings Yard, Maritime Command Museum, Halifax, research guide B5, Royal Naval Dockyards CFB Halifax Officers Mess Brent Raymond, Tracing the Built Form of HMC Dockyard, Nova Scotia Museum,1999
Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax
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HMS Asia at the Halifax Naval Yard, 1797
Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax
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Citadel Hill
Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax
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HMS Charybdis at the Halifax Dockyard Coaling Wharf, circa 1901
Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax
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Admiralty House, Halifax
17.
Battle of Fort Cumberland
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The Battle of Fort Cumberland was an attempt by a small number of militia commanded by Jonathan Eddy to bring the American Revolutionary War to Nova Scotia in late 1776. With minimal logistical support from Massachusetts and four to five hundred volunteer militia and Natives, Eddy attempted to besiege, in retaliation for the role of locals who supported the siege, numerous homes and farms were destroyed, and Patriot sympathizers were driven out of the area. The successful defense of Fort Cumberland preserved the integrity of the British Maritime possessions. Nova Scotia was generally poorly defended in the stages of the American Revolutionary War. Although some reinforcements had reached Halifax by early 1776, the frontiers of the province were only lightly defended, Fort Cumberland was located on the Isthmus of Chignecto, which connects modern mainland Nova Scotia with New Brunswick. The area was important in earlier conflicts between the French colony of Acadia and British-controlled Nova Scotia. Originally built by the French in 1750 as Fort Beauséjour, Fort Cumberland was in deplorable condition, won from the French in the Battle of Fort Beauséjour in 1755, the fortifications had been minimally garrisoned by the British after the Seven Years War and abandoned in 1768. Arriving at the fort in the summer of 1776, Colonel Goreham, but Goreham had not been adequately provisioned and his men lacked everything from victuals to uniforms. Furthermore, the locals were sympathetic to the Patriot cause. Jonathan Eddy was a Massachusetts-born resident of Cumberland County, Nova Scotia and he and John Allan, both of whom served in the provincial assembly, were the prime movers of Patriot activity in the area, which was one of several hotbeds of agitation in Nova Scotia. Patriots in these communities were in contact with other. Eddy believed that military assistance from the Thirteen Colonies, he might be able to bring down the strongly Loyalist administration of Nova Scotia. Early in 1776, Eddy went to Massachusetts in an attempt to interest political and military leaders there in supporting action in Nova Scotia, Eddy returned empty-handed to Nova Scotia in June 1776, only to learn that Goreham had put a price on his head. Eddy returned to Massachusetts in August and it also allowed Eddy to engage in recruiting in the District of Maine. Eddy left Boston in September and sailed to Machias, where he recruited about 20 men, on October 13, this party sailed from Machias for Passamaquoddy Bay. Coincidentally, John Allan, who was working on a plan for military action. The two parties met at sea, where Allan attempted to dissuade Eddy from his plan, informing him that the Mikmaq would not help him, Allan extracted a promise from Eddy to wait at Campobello while he went to Machias to meet with the council there. When the Machias council learned of how little native support there was, Eddy persisted, and left Campobello, having added nine Passamaquoddy recruits to his band
Battle of Fort Cumberland
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Fort Cumberland
Battle of Fort Cumberland
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Bluenose
Battle of Fort Cumberland
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A section of the
Mitchell Map showing some of the places in this action. Fort Lawrence is labeled "Chignecto Engl Ft", and
Windsor is labeled "Fort Edward".
Battle of Fort Cumberland
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Beaumont historic site, Fort Folly Point, New Brunswick may have been the site of Shepody Outpost.
18.
Raid on Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (1782)
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Lunenburg was defended by militia leaders Colonel John Creighton and Major Dettlieb Christopher Jessen. In Nova Scotia, the assault on Lunenburg was the most spectacular raid of the war, on the morning of 1 July Stoddard led approximately 170 US privateers in four heavily armed vessels and overpowered Lunenburg’s defence, capturing the blockhouses and burning the house of Jessen. The privateers then looted the settlement and kept the militia at bay with the threat of destroying the entire town, the American privateers plundered the town and took three prisoners, including Creighton, who were later released from Boston without a ransom having been paid. During the American Revolution, Nova Scotia was invaded regularly by American Revolutionary forces by land, throughout the war, American privateers devastated the maritime economy by raiding many of the coastal communities. There were constant attacks by privateers, such as the raids on Liverpool. There was also an engagement with a French fleet at Spanish River. On 17 November 1775, Washingtons Marblehead Regiment aboard the Hancock and Franklin made a landing at Charlottetown. Three days later, they expedited to Nova Scotia and raided Canso, in 1779, American privateers returned to Canso and destroyed the fisheries, which were worth ₤50,000 a year to Britain. The 84th Regiment had been defending Nova Scotia, attacking an American privateer ship off of Lunenburg, the 84th was led by Captain John MacDonald. They boarded the warship when some of its crew were ashore seeking plunder and they captured the crew and sailed her into Halifax. There were also Patriot attacks on Nova Scotia by land, such as the Battle of Fort Cumberland, there was the constant threat that American Patriots would attack Halifax by land. Stoddards vessel the Scammell was commissioned in April 1782 and made the plan in Boston to raid Lunenburg, soon after, he rescued the 60 American prisoners on board the H. M. S. Blonde which was wrecked on Seal Island, Nova Scotia, Stoddard allowed the British crew to return to Halifax in the HMS Observer. On June 30, the day before the raid on Lunenburg, Stoddard and others were involved in gathering intelligence at Chester, Nova Scotia for the raid. During the early morning of 1 July 1782, five American privateers, Captain Stoddard’s ship was the schooner Scammel, which had sixteen guns and sixty men. Stoddard organized both a land and sea assault of the town, the vessels first landed at Red Head, two miles outside of the town and soldiers began to march toward the town. The vessels then moved toward a frontal assault on the town, the Lunenburg militia was led by Colonel John Creighton and Major D. C. Colonel Creighton and five other militia men occupied the eastern blockhouse, several of Captain Stoddard’s privateers were wounded
Raid on Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (1782)
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Brigantine MA Hope and Schooner MA Scammell, Raid on Lunenburg (1782) by A.J. Wright
Raid on Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (1782)
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Raid on Lunenburg (1782) –
National Historic Sites of Canada Plaque with
earthworks of Blockhouse Hill in background, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
Raid on Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (1782)
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Citadel Hill
Raid on Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (1782)
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Lt. Governor Hamond
19.
Impressment (Nova Scotia)
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Impressment by the Royal Navy in Nova Scotia happened primarily during the American Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. Guard boats patrolled Halifax harbour day and night and they boarded all incoming and outgoing vessels, the Navy always struggled with desertion in Nova Scotia, and it often threatened to use impressment as a punishment for communities that harboured and assisted deserters. The Navy used guard boats as floating press gangs, conscripting every fiftieth man out of ships entering the harbour and it even pressed Americans from cartels and prison hulks. Warships shot at vessels to bring them to, damaging their sails and rigging, British warships sent armed press gangs into Halifax, where they fought with townspeople. The incidents were frequently violent and people killed, the press gangs would drive all before them in the streets. The press gangs would bind recruits’ hands behind their backs and marching them through the street like criminals, Impressment caused socio-economic problems to Nova Scotia. For sailors, it was often a violent and life-altering experience and they potentially faced years in the service, forced separation from their families and friends, and death through disease and combat. Civil and personal liberties were suspended for the good of the British war effort, generally, impressment victims were young men from poor and middle-class backgrounds. Sailors and fishermen, they supported family members and widowed mothers, dozens of families in Liverpool alone were torn apart by impressment during the Napoleonic Wars. Planters and other Nova Scotians were exempted from service during the 1760s. By August 1775, the Nova Scotia government received a petition from Halifax merchants complaining about impressment, the issue came to a head in October when the Assembly petitioned Governor Francis Legge to put a stop to impressment in Nova Scotia. By 1776 the Navy used guard boats as floating press gangs and it even pressed Americans from cartels and prison hulks. Still in need of men, warships sent armed press gangs into Halifax, in 1778, Lieutenant-Governor Richard Hughes lashed out at the Navy for press gang incidents that were frequently attended with quarrels and bloodshed and the loss of life. Hughes complained that press gangs caused social unrest in Halifax and he banned them from shore unless they had colonial permission, the press gangs would drive all before them in the streets. The Royal Navy pressed approximately 200 Liverpool residents in the 18th and 19th centuries, Liverpool experienced more of these naval intrusions than other regional ports in British North America. At least two dozen of Liverpool’s pressed sailors died in the British fleet or were never heard from again, Impressment took a serious toll on Liverpool. Outside of Halifax, during the American Revolution the Navy concentrated its recruitment efforts on coastal shipping, in one instance, the HM sloop Senegal was in Liverpool for about for months and impressment loomed as a threat the entire time. It pressed almost 3 men there and in the villages of Port Medway, Port Mouton
Impressment (Nova Scotia)
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Press gang in Halfax, Nova Scotia
Impressment (Nova Scotia)
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Citadel Hill
Impressment (Nova Scotia)
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Vice Admiral Andrew Mitchell, who ordered the
HMS Cleopatra press gang ashore to Halifax
Impressment (Nova Scotia)
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Press gang from the
HMS Cleopatra started Halifax Riot (1805). Image by
Nicholas Pocock
20.
New Ireland (Maine)
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New Ireland was a Crown colony of the United Kingdom established in modern-day Maine after British forces captured the area during the American Revolution and again during the War of 1812. The colony lasted four years during the Revolution, and eight months during the War of 1812, at the end of each war the United Kingdom ceded the land back to the United States under the Treaty of Paris and Treaty of Ghent, respectively. In 1779 the British adopted a strategy to seize parts of Maine, especially around Penobscot Bay, the scheme was promoted by exiled Loyalists Dr. John Calef and John Nutting and Anglo-Irishman William Knox. It was intended to be a permanent colony for Loyalists and a base for military action during the war and they began erecting Fort George on one of the highest points of the peninsula. Alarmed by this incursion, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts sent the Penobscot Expedition led by Massachusetts general Solomon Lovell, the military expedition consisted of a fleet of 19 armed vessels and 24 transports, carrying 344 guns. Although badly outnumbered, McLean and his British forces withstood the 21-day siege, the Royal Navy blocked an escape by sea so the Patriots burned their ships near present-day Bangor and walked home. New England was unable to repel the British threat despite a reorganized defense, some of the most easterly towns tried to become neutral. The battle was one of the greatest British victories of the war, the failed Penobscot Expedition, which cost the revolutionaries eight million dollars and 43 ships, proved to be the greatest American naval defeat until Pearl Harbor in 1941. The 74th Regiment held Majabagaduce until the end of the war, Saltonstall and Revere were later court-martialed, charged with cowardice and insubordination, the boards found Saltonsall guilty, but acquitted Revere. At the end of the Revolutionary War, many American Loyalists in the area migrated eastward to the Canadian Maritimes, some towing their houses behind their boats. In addition, many soldiers of the 74th chose to be disbanded in St. Andrews, after the peace was signed in 1783, the New Ireland proposal was abandoned. In 1784 the British split New Brunswick off from Nova Scotia and made it into the desired Loyalist colony, with deference to King and Church and it was almost named New Ireland. The Treaty of Paris that ended the war was ambiguous about the boundary between Maine and the neighboring British provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec and this would set the stage for further fighting in the nineteenth century. The New Ireland colony and the Penobscot expedition was fictionalised in the 2010 novel The Fort by British author Bernard Cornwell, in 26 days, they succeeded in taking possession of Hampden, Bangor, and Machias, destroying or capturing 17 American ships. They won the Battle of Hampden and occupied the village of Castine for the rest of the war, the Treaty of Ghent returned this territory to the United States. The British left in April 1815, at time they took £10,750 obtained from tariff duties at Castine. The brief life of the colony yielded customs revenues, called the Castine Fund, Dalhousie University has a street named Castine Way. (Ironically, the British military burned Belfast, Maine in 1779, History of Maine Military history of Nova Scotia History of Nova Scotia Samuel Francis Batchelder
New Ireland (Maine)
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Britain defending New Ireland from the
Penobscot Expedition during the
American Revolution by
Dominic Serres
New Ireland (Maine)
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Francis McLean Plaque,
St. Paul's Church (Halifax), Nova Scotia
New Ireland (Maine)
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Fort George (Castine, Maine) - British fort built to protect New Ireland
New Ireland (Maine)
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Sir
John Moore served at Halifax (1779-1781) and protected New Ireland from American patriot
Penobscot Expedition
21.
Capture of USS Chesapeake
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The Chesapeake was captured in a brief but intense action in which over 80 men were killed. This was the only action of the war in which there was no preponderance of force on either side. Chesapeake suffered early in the exchange of gunfire, having her wheel and fore topsail halyard shot away, Lawrence himself was mortally wounded and was carried below. The American crew struggled to carry out their captains last order, but the British boarding party overwhelmed them. The battle was intense but of short duration, lasting ten to fifteen minutes. Shannons Captain Philip Broke was severely injured in fighting on the forecastle, Chesapeake and her crew were taken to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where the sailors were imprisoned, the ship was repaired and taken into service by the Royal Navy. She was sold at Portsmouth, England in 1819 and broken up, surviving timbers were used to build the nearby Chesapeake Mill in Wickham and can be seen and visited to this day. Shannon survived longer, being broken up in 1859 and he had dispart sights fitted to his 18-pounder long guns, which improved aiming as they compensated for the narrowing of the barrels from the breech to the muzzle. The carronades were similarly treated, but the screws on these cannon were marked in paint. As the decks of contemporary ships curved upwards towards the stern and bows, fire from the whole battery could also be focused on any part of an enemy ship. Broke drilled his crew to a high standard of naval gunnery, he regularly had them fire at targets. Often these drills would be made into competitions to see which gun crew could hit the target and how fast they could do so. He even had his gun fire at targets blindfold to good effect. This constituted an early example of director firing. In addition to these gunnery drills, Broke was fond of preparing hypothetical scenarios to test his crew, for example, after all hands had been drummed to quarters, he would inform them of a theoretical attack and see how they would act to defend the ship. Though the use of cutlasses in training was avoided a method of training called singlestick was regularly practised. It soon developed quickness of eye and wrist, many of the crew became very expert. Commander Lawrence of the United States Navy returned from a successful war cruise having defeated the sloop HMS Peacock and he was promoted to captain for his victory, and received orders to take command of USS Chesapeake
Capture of USS Chesapeake
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The Brilliant Achievement of the Shannon... in boarding and capturing the United States Frigate Chesapeake off Boston, 1 June 1813 in fifteen minutes by W. Elmes.
Capture of USS Chesapeake
Capture of USS Chesapeake
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Captain Philip Broke
Capture of USS Chesapeake
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Captain James Lawrence
22.
Welsford-Parker Monument
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The Welsford-Parker Monument is a triumphal arch that is located in the Old Burial Ground, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The arch commemorates two Nova Scotians who died in the Siege of Sevastopol, which is one of the sieges of all time. This arch is the 4th oldest war monument in Canada and it is the only monument to the Crimean War in North America. The arch and lion were built in 1860 by stone sculptor George Lang to commemorate British victory in the Crimean war, britain and France invaded Crimea and decided to destroy the Russian naval base at the capital Sevastopol. They landed at Eupatoria on 14 September 1854, intending to make a 35-mile triumphal march to Sevastopol the capital of Crimea, to traverse the 35 miles, the British forces fought for a year against the Russians. Inscribed on the monument are names of the battles the British army fought to reach the capital, Alma, Balaklava, Inkerman, Tchernaya, Redan, the culminating struggle for the strategic Russian port in 1854-5 was the final bloody episode in the costly Crimean War. During the Victorian Era, these battles were repeatedly memorialized, the Siege of Sevastopol was the subject of Crimean soldier Leo Tolstoys Sebastopol Sketches and the subject of the first Russian feature film, Defence of Sevastopol. The Battle of Balaklava was made famous by Alfred, Lord Tennysons poem The Charge of the Light Brigade, the monument was unveiled on 17 July 1860. During March and April 1855, Nova Scotian Joseph Howe worked tiredlessly to recruit troops for the war effort, britain, France and Ottomans invaded the Crimea and decided to destroy the Russian naval base at Sevastopol. They landed at Eupatoria on 14 September 1854, intending to make a 35-mile triumphal march to Sevastopol the capital of the Crimea, the Great Russian Redan was one of the large Russian fortifications that ringed the city of Sebastopol. The Redan was the centre of the defences the British forces were attacking and it became a symbol of the attempt to capture the city and eventually a symbol of its fall. The British made two attacks on the Redan. The first attack was on 18 June when an assault was made on the Redan. The Allied troops were driven back to their fortification where they stayed for the next two and a half months. During the second siege, the Battle at the Redan, Nova Scotians Welsford, the attack was directed against the Redan in two columns. General Sir John Campbell led the attack with 500 men of the 4th Division. General Campbell on the left was killed before he could get a few yards beyond the parapet of the forward trench. Under the command of Brigadier Charles Ash Windham, on 8 Sept.1855 and he crossed a broad open space of 400 meters while against a hail of bullets
Welsford-Parker Monument
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Welsford-Parker Monument
Welsford-Parker Monument
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Inauguration of the Welsford-Parker Monument, 17 July 1860
Welsford-Parker Monument
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Citadel Hill
Welsford-Parker Monument
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Attack on the Great Redan by
Robert Alexander Hillingford
23.
CSS Tallahassee
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The CSS Tallahassee was a twin-screw steamer and cruiser in the Confederate States Navy, purchased in 1864, and used for commerce raiding off the Atlantic coast. Co. to the design of Capt. T. E. Symonds, Royal Navy and she was previously the blockade runner Atalanta and made the Dover-Calais crossing in 77 minutes on an even keel. She had made several blockade runs between Bermuda and Wilmington, N. C. before the Confederates bought her, after the Tallahassee was commissioned and prepared for sea she was placed under Commander John Taylor Wood, CSN. Wood was a grandson of President Zachary Taylor and a nephew of Jefferson Davis, the officers and crew were all volunteers from the Confederate gunboats on the James River and North Carolina waters. The Tallahassee went through the blockade on August 6,1864 from her port of Wilmington. Her first day out, four cruisers chased the Tallahassee without incident and she made a spectacular 19-day raid off the Atlantic coast as far north as Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Tallahassee destroyed 26 vessels and captured 7 others that were bonded or released, Wood sailed the Tallahassee into Halifax Harbour on August 18 to take on bunker coal and water. Neutrality laws limited her stay in Halifax to 24 hours, Tallahassee was granted an extra 12 hours to fix a broken mast but was only allowed to load enough coal to take her to the nearest Confederate port. Two Federal war ships, the USS Nansemond and USS Huron, had chased her north and were believed to be waiting for the Tallahassee at the harbour entrance, Tallahassee succeeded in negotiating the passage out of the harbour, although no Northern warships were in fact waiting. The first Northern warship, the gunboat USS Pontoosuc, arrived at the harbour entrance several hours after the Confederate cruiser departed, being unable to procure enough coal to continue, Wood was forced to return to Wilmington where he arrived safely on August 26. The schooner Sarah A. Boice of Great Egg Harbor, N. J and her crew and their personal effects were brought on board, and she was scuttled. The Boice failed to sink, however, presumably because she was in ballast and she came ashore at Fire Island Inlet on Long Island, where she was salvaged and was reclaimed by her owners and was put back into service. The pilot-boat schooner James Funk, No.22 of New York, Robert Yates, was turned into a tender of the Tallahassee using 20 of the Tallahassees crew. The bark Bay State of Boston, Thomas Sparrow, master, bound from Alexandria to New York, with wood,199 tons, burned. The brigantine Carrie Estelle of Grand Manan, New Brunswick, Mark Thurlow, master, bound from Grand Manan to New York, with logs,248 tons, burned. The brigantine A. Richards of Boston, Charles Dunovant, master, from Glace Bay, Cape Breton Island to New York, with coal,274 tons, burned. The schooner Carroll of East Machias, Maine, ____ Sprague, master, ___ tons, taken by the Tallahassees tender James Funk, bonded in the sum of $10,000 and released. The pilot-boat schooner William Bell, No.24 of New York, James Callahan, master,123 tons, the packet ship Adriatic of New York, from London, England to New York, with emigrants,989 tons, burned
CSS Tallahassee
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CSS Tallahassee
CSS Tallahassee
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John Taylor Wood
CSS Tallahassee
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Citadel Hill
24.
Halifax Provisional Battalion
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Not to be confused with Halifax Volunteer Battalion The Halifax Provisional Battalion was a military unit from Nova Scotia, Canada, which was sent to fight in the North-West Rebellion in 1885. The battalion was command of Lieutenant-Colonel James J. The battalion left Halifax under orders for the North-West on Saturday,11 April 1885, the battalion was assigned garrison duty along the CPR main line that stretched across the prairies. After a short stay in Winnipeg, the battalion was broken into four components and sent to Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Saskatchewan Landing, soldiers had to remain on high alert because of possible raids on their positions. Prior to Nova Scotias involvement in the Rebellion, Canadas first war, the celebration that followed the Halifax Provisional Battalions return by train across the county ignited a national patriotism in Nova Scotia. Prime Minister Robert Borden, stated that up to this time Nova Scotia hardly regarded itself as included in the Canadian Confederation, the rebellion evoked a new spirit. The Riel Rebellion did more to unite Nova Scotia with the rest of Canada than any event that had occurred since Confederation, similarly, in 1907 Governor General Earl Grey declared, This Battalion. Went out Nova Scotians, they returned Canadians, the wrought iron gates at the Halifax Public Gardens were made in the battalions honour. AFter eleven days on the train, the arrived at Winnipeg, Manitoba, on 22 April. On the 29th the battalion received orders to go to Swift Current, District of Assiniboia, the battalion arrived at Swift Current at 8 p. m. on the 30th, and next day it camped beside the 7th Battalion and a portion of the Midland Battalion. On 5 May a telegram was received to hold the 63rd contingent of the Halifax Provisional Battalion in readiness to repel an uprising of the Blackfoot, further, the battalion was warned of a possible attack on Medicine Hat, District of Assiniboia. As a result, the headquarters of the Halifax Provisional Battalion with the 66th contingent was ordered to Medicine Hat, also encamped on the South Saskatchewan River was a company of Stuarts scouts, a body of mounted cowboys. All the parties remained at Medicine Hat until the end of the rebellion, one company of the 63rd and the Halifax Garrison Artillery remained at Swift Current whilst it continued to be the base of supplies. The troops moved to Moose Jaw when it became the base, the men expected that their work was the prelude to being allowed to take part in the fighting at the front, as other corps preceding them had been relieved in due order. To the disappointment of many of the battalion, the war finished before they were required to go to the frontline. The headquarters of the Halifax Provisional Battalion left Medicine Hat on the night of 30 June, and arrived at Moose Jaw early on 2 July, the battalion being now re-united entire. After remaining at Moose Jaw a week the battalion was ordered to Winnipeg, where it arrived on 10 July, the battalion left Winnipeg on 10 July for Halifax. Along the entire route the battalion was met with “continued ovation, the kindness of the people of the towns of Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec being beyond description”
Halifax Provisional Battalion
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Halifax Provisional Battalion, Medicine Hat, District of Assiniboia (1885)
Halifax Provisional Battalion
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Citadel Hill
Halifax Provisional Battalion
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Provisional Halifax Battalion at Swift Current
Halifax Provisional Battalion
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Halifax Provisional Battalion Plaque, Main Gate,
Halifax Public Gardens, Halifax, Nova Scotia - Wrought Iron Gates made in tribute to the Battalion
25.
South African War Memorial (Halifax)
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The South African War Memorial is a memorial located in the courtyard of Province House in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada On October 19,1901, the Prince of Wales laid the cornerstone for the monument. The Prince also gave medals to returning soldiers, two weeks later, on November 1, the heroes of Paardeberg returned and marched triumphantly down George Street. The statue was made by Hamilton MacCarthy, at the base of the statue are four panels. These panels were meant to honour the three Canadian Services that fought in the war, the infantry, mounted rifles and artillery. The Nova Scotia Princess Louise Fusiliers and the Nova Scotia Highlanders participated in the war, for two decades afterwards, Canadians would gather on February 27 around memorials to the South African War to say prayers and honour veterans. This continued until the end of the First World War, when Armistice Day began to observed on November 11, South African War Memorial Boer War Memorial Military history of Nova Scotia Canadian Anglo Boer War Museum South African War Memorial
South African War Memorial (Halifax)
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Boer War Monument,
Province House
South African War Memorial (Halifax)
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Departing Halifax
South African War Memorial (Halifax)
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Battle of Witpoort, Boer War Monument,
Province House,
Nova Scotia
South African War Memorial (Halifax)
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Battle of Paardeberg
26.
Amherst Internment Camp
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Amherst Internment Camp was an internment camp that existed from 1914 to 1919 in Amherst, Nova Scotia. It was the largest prisoner-of-war camp in Canada during World War I, the most famous prisoner of war at the camp was Leon Trotsky. When the First World War began in 1914, there was widespread suspicion in Canada that immigrants from enemy might be disloyal, in response, the federal government passed regulations allowing it to monitor and intern anyone who had not become naturalized British subjects. These people were labelled enemy aliens, in total 8,579 men were prisoners of war in 24 camps across the country. The Amherst camp was one of three internment camps in Nova Scotia, the others were on Melville Island in the Northwest Arm of Halifax Harbour and in Citadel Hill. Unlike the rest of Canada, where internees were mostly of Eastern European origin, the camp consisted of a building that was 100 feet wide by a quarter of a mile long. The south end was used as the German Officers quarters, the camp hospital, the north end housed the prisoners quarters and their washrooms. Further to the north, close to Patterson Street, was the mess hall, recreation room, kitchen. By April 1915, the Halifax camp had become overcrowded and a new one opened at Amherst, the first prisoners of the camp arrived from Halifax on April 17,1915 aboard armed trains. A total of 640 sailors of the captured vessel SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, the Citadel now housed only first-class prisoners of war and Amherst housed those considered second-class. When the Citadel camp closed on October 3,1916, its prisoners were transferred to Amherst, at one point toward the end of the war, the Amherst camp held 854 internees and was the largest in Canada. On June 25,1915 a group of prisoners refused to enter the compound upon a guards order, the riot that ensued resulted in one guard being injured and one prisoner was shot and killed and four others were wounded. An inquiry found that discipline had been lacking and the commander, Major G. R. Oulton. Trotsky and his family were living in exile in New York during World War I and his return ship, SS Kristianiafjord, temporarily docked in the Halifax Harbour. On April 3,1917, Trotsky was detained at the Citadel, Trotsky referred to the camp as a concentration camp. He wrote about the British commanders attempts to block his mobilization of the prisoners to join the Russian Revolution. He writes, The whole month I was there was one continuous mass meeting. I told the prisoners about the Russian revolution, about Liebknecht, forbade me to make any more public speeches
Amherst Internment Camp
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Citadel Hill
Amherst Internment Camp
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Leon Trotsky in 1918, Prisoner of War.
27.
Fort Edward (Nova Scotia)
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Fort Edward is a National Historic Site of Canada in Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada and was built during Father Le Loutres War. The British built the fort to prevent the Acadian Exodus from the region. The Fort is most famous for the role it played both in the Expulsion of the Acadians and in protecting Halifax, Nova Scotia from an assault in the American Revolution. While much of Fort Edward, including the officers quarters and barracks, has been destroyed, a cairn was later added to the site. Despite the British Conquest of Acadia in 1710, Nova Scotia remained primarily occupied by Catholic Acadians, Father Le Loutres War began when Edward Cornwallis arrived to establish Halifax with 13 transports on June 21,1749. By unilaterally establishing Halifax the British were violating earlier treaties with the Mikmaq, four years after the founding of Halifax, Lunenburg was established. To guard against Mikmaq, Acadian and French attacks on the new Protestant settlements, British fortifications were erected in Halifax, Bedford, Dartmouth, Lunenburg, Fort Edward was the site of the Acadian church for the parish of lAssomption. On Gorhams march to Piziquid to secure the area prior to the setting up of Fort Edward, the Fort is named after Edward Cornwallis, who established Halifax, Nova Scotia. On the 12 December 1752, Murray was charged by the Nova Scotia Council with exploiting the local Acadian community by giving unfair prices for supplies, november 1,1753, Captain Hale was relieved by Commander Floyer as the commander of Fort Edward. Fort Edward, Fort Lawrence and Fort Anne were all supplied by and dependent on the arrival of Captains Cobb, Jeremiah Rogers or John Taggart and these vessels took the annual or semi-annual relief to their destination. They carried the officers and their families to and from, as required, Fort Edward played an important role in the Bay of Fundy Campaign of the Acadian Expulsion. On October 20,920 Acadians from Piziquid were loaded on to four transports, unlike the neighbouring community of Grand Pré, the buildings at Pisiquid were not destroyed by fire. As a result, when the New England Planters arrived, many houses, Fort Edward was one of four forts in which Acadians were imprisoned over the nine years of the expulsion. On average, over a period of nine years, there were 350 Acadian prisoners at one time held at the garrison, there was Acadian and Mikmaq resistance to the Expulsion. In September 1756, a group of 100 Acadians ambushed a party of thirteen soldiers of the 47th Regiment of Foot who were working outside the fort, seven were taken prisoner and six escaped back to the fort. A few days later, the partisans also raided Fort Cumberland. In the early 1760s it was illegal for Acadians to reside in Nova Scotia, families, the prison lists for Fort Edward between 1761-1762 still exist. In 1762, one of the most famous prisoners, Acadian Joseph Broussard was imprisoned here, between June 1763 and 1764, in the Minas region, the British authorities took 363 Acadians into custody at Fort Edward
Fort Edward (Nova Scotia)
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Fort Edward
Fort Edward (Nova Scotia)
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Citadel Hill
Fort Edward (Nova Scotia)
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Fort Edward by Capt.
John Hamilton (1753)
Fort Edward (Nova Scotia)
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Map of Fort Edward 1757 (the remaining blockhouse is located within the walls of the fort and is marked with an "A")
28.
HMHS Llandovery Castle
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HMHS Llandovery Castle, built in 1914 in Glasgow as RMS Llandovery Castle for the Union-Castle Line, was one of five Canadian hospital ships that served in the First World War. On a voyage from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Liverpool, England, twenty-four people survived the sinking, while 234 doctors, nurses and patients were killed in the attack. In terms of the number of dead, the sinking was the most significant Canadian naval disaster of the war, the incident became renowned internationally as one of the war’s worst atrocities. After the war, the case of Llandovery Castle was one of six British cases presented at the Leipzig trials, Llandovery Castle was one of pair of ships built for the Union Castle Line, following the companys acquisition by the Royal Mail Line in 1912. The ship was built by Barclay, Curle & Co. in Glasgow, launched on 3 September 1913, initially sailing between London and East Africa, from August 1914 she sailed on routes between London and West Africa. She was commissioned as a ship on 26 July 1916, and assigned to the Canadian Forces, equipped with 622 beds. Thomas Howard MacDonald of Nova Scotia, HMHS Llandovery Castle was torpedoed, firing at a hospital ship was against international law and standing orders of the Imperial German Navy. The captain of U-86, Helmut Brümmer-Patzig, sought to destroy the evidence of torpedoing the ship, when the crew took to the lifeboats, U-86 surfaced, ran down all the lifeboats and machine-gunned the survivors remaining in the water and on the lifeboats. Only 24 people in one remaining lifeboat survived and they were rescued shortly afterwards and testified as to what had happened. Only 6 of the 97 hospital personnel survived, among those lost were fourteen nursing sisters from Canada, including the Matron Margaret Marjory Fraser from Nova Scotia. Sergeant Arthur Knight was on board lifeboat #5 with the nurses and he reported, Our boat was quickly loaded and lowered to the surface of the water. Then the crew of eight men and myself faced the difficulty of getting free from the ropes holding us to the ships side, I broke two axes trying to cut ourselves away, but was unsuccessful. With the forward motion and choppy sea the boat all the time was pounding against the ships side, to save the boat we tried to keep ourselves away by using the oars, and soon every one of the latter were broken. Finally the ropes became loose at the top and we commenced to drift away and we were carried towards the stern of the ship, when suddenly the Poop deck seemed to break away and sink. The suction drew us quickly into the vacuum, the boat tipped over sideways, I estimate we were together in the boat about eight minutes. In that whole time I did not hear a complaint or murmur from one of the sisters, there was not a cry for help or any outward evidence of fear. I replied, No, seeing myself our helplessness without oars, a few seconds later we were drawn into the whirlpool of the submerged afterdeck, and the last I saw of the nursing sisters was as they were thrown over the side of the boat. All were wearing lifebelts, and of the fourteen two were in their nightdress, the others in uniform
HMHS Llandovery Castle
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Postcard of RMS Llandovery Castle
HMHS Llandovery Castle
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Citadel Hill
HMHS Llandovery Castle
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Llandovery Castle by George Wilkinson.
HMHS Llandovery Castle
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A 1918 Canadian
propaganda poster used the sinking of Llandovery Castle as a focal point for selling
Victory Bonds.
29.
Battle of the St. Lawrence
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During this time, German U-boats sank several merchant ships and four Canadian warships. There were several near shore actions involving the drop of German spies and this marked the first time that a foreign power had inflicted casualties in Canadian inland waters since the US incursions in the War of 1812. Both ports were heavily fortified with shore radar emplacements, searchlight batteries, Military intelligence agents enforced strict blackouts throughout the areas and anti-torpedo nets were in place at the harbour entrances. Even though no landings of German personnel took place near these ports, less extensively used, but no less important, was the port of Saint John which also saw matériel funnelled through the port, largely after the United States entered the war in December 1941. The Canadian Pacific Railway mainline from central Canada could be used to transport in aid of the war effort, u-553 departed the Gulf of St. Lawrence to return to its established patrol in the North Atlantic. The RCNs response to the attacks was to deploy five Flower-class corvettes, the Canadian governments wartime secrecy saw censors forbid media reporting of incidents, so the only news came from local gossip. Blackouts were strictly enforced and army units were sent out on coastal patrols along roads, in July 1942, Captain Ernst Vogelsang piloted U-132 into the Gulf. On July 6, within half an hour, he sank three ships from the twelve-ship convoy QS-15, the British registered Dinaric and Hainaut, and the Greek vessel Anastassios Pateras and this attack drove the submarine to the bottom where it hid for 12 hours. The submarine then rushed out of the gulf for repairs, in late August, two U-boats made a joint raid on the St. Lawrence. U-517 sank nine ships and damaged another in a period, escaping attacks by escort vessels each time. U-165 was less successful in attacking merchant shipping but it sank the armed yacht HMCS Raccoon, eastern Air Command positioned itself to better defend the remaining convoys by establishing a Special Submarine Hunting Detachment of No.113 Squadron RCAF in Chatham, New Brunswick. They made their first U-boat attack on September 9, when Pilot Officer R. S, keetley dove on U-165, about 32 kilometres south of Anticosti Island. He did not do damage to the submarine, but subsequent naval. Within 24 hours of September 24, crews from 113 Squadron registered seven sightings, Flying Officer M. J. Bélanger, an experienced 23-year-old Quebec native who came to the squadron from duty as a flying instructor, made two of the attacks. Aircraft continued to harry the submarine as it cruised the Gulf, Bélanger was in the cockpit for another attack on U-517 on September 29. Although his depth charges exploded all around the hull, it survived yet again. Still, Bélangers attacks had badly hurt the submarine along with some sailors inside it, later the young airman would be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, in large part for his determined attack of the U-boat. The continued attacks caused the St. Lawrence River and Gulf of St. Lawrence to be closed to all shipping, allowing only coastal trade
Battle of the St. Lawrence
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Citadel Hill
Battle of the St. Lawrence
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The Gulf of Saint Lawrence
30.
SS Point Pleasant Park
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SS Point Pleasant Park was a merchant steamship constructed for Canada’s Merchant Navy in 1942 during the Second World War as part of Canadas Park ship program. Point Pleasant Park was the last vessel sunk in South African waters during the Second World War, the ship was a 10,000 ton version of the Canadian Park ship program, a design similar to the American Liberty ships. She was built at Davie Ship Building & Repair Co. Ltd. at Lauzon, Quebec, the ship was named after Point Pleasant Park in Halifax, Nova Scotia, following the tradition of naming Park ships after Canadian wilderness and recreation parks. Point Pleasant had mostly British officers, led by Captain John Everall and she left Montreal on 5 December 1943, bound for Cape Town, South Africa. The Halifax Herald featured the ship on its front page in honour of the connection between the citys park and the war effort. The ship left Halifax in a convoy on 9 December 1943, stopping at New York City and then Port of Spain, off the coast of Brazil, she was detached from the convoy to sail alone to Cape Town arriving in early February 1944. The ship then called on Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban in South Africa and Beira, Point Pleasant sailed next to Lagos, Nigeria and collected a cargo of palm oil, peanuts and cocoa for Montreal where she arrived on 19 June 1944. Point Pleasant arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick on 18 December 1944, there Captain Everall took another command. Evaralls replacement was Captain Owen Owen, Point Pleasant left Saint John on 8 January 1945 for her final voyage carrying general cargo. She travelled in convoy to New York and Trinidad before she was separated from convoy protection off the coast of Brazil on 11 February 1945, U-510 was en route to Germany with a load of tungsten from the Far East when she encountered Point Pleasant Park. U-510 fired on Point Pleasant Park at 29°42′S 09°58′E, a torpedo from U-510 hit Point Pleasant Park in the area of the quarters for the engine-room crew. The explosion immediately killed eight of the crew and trapped 38 others below, the 38 crew were eventually rescued by the officers with only 6 inches of air space left in their compartment. Twenty minutes after the torpedo struck Owen gave the order to abandon ship, forty-nine men took to the sea in three open boats. The boats moved off and stood by, ten minutes later U-510 surfaced, fired two bursts from her 37mm AA gun into the waterline of the bow to flood the forward holds, and then moved off on the surface in a westerly direction. As the submarine moved off, Owen attempted to return to his ship, as she sank, hull stress caused the steam whistle to sound in a long final salute. This class of Park ship carried four life boats, two small ones on either side of the Captains deck, just below the bridge, the smaller boats could hold about twelve people and the larger ones about twenty. The smaller one on the side of the bridge was manned by the First Mate. The boat on the side was commanded by the Third Mate
SS Point Pleasant Park
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SS Point Pleasant Park Monument,
Point Pleasant Park,
Halifax, Nova Scotia,
Canada. Unveiled in 1967 by surviving crew, the German Commander who torpedoed the vessel
Alfred Eick had a wreath placed at the base of the monument during the ceremony
SS Point Pleasant Park
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SS Point Pleasant Park Plaque, Halifax, Nova Scotia
SS Point Pleasant Park
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Citadel Hill
SS Point Pleasant Park
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Engraving of SS Point Pleasant Park,
Canadian Merchant Navy Monument, Sackville Landing,
Halifax,
Nova Scotia
Canada
Canadian Army
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Canadian Army infantry regiments in order of precedence
