1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery Regiment

1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery Regiment, RCA
Cap Badge
Active	1791–present
Country	Canada
Branch	Canadian Army - Primary Reserve
Type	Field Artillery
Size	Regiment
Part of	36 Canadian Brigade Group
Garrison/HQ	73 Hobson Lake Drive, Halifax
Motto(s)	Latin: UBIQUE, lit. "Everywhere" & QUO FAS ET GLORIA DUCUNT, lit. "Whither right and glory lead"
Utilized Propelled Weapons	LG1 Mark ll Howitzer, 81-mm Mortar
Website	https://rca-arc.org/1st-halifax-dartmouth-field-artillery-regiment-rca/
Commanders
Current commander	Lieutenant-Colonel S.D. Lloyd CD
Honorary Colonel	Mr. R.G.C. Sobey
Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel	Colonel (Ret'd) J.M. Cody CD
Regimental Sergeant Major	Chief Warrant Officer D.A. Colbourne CD
Insignia
NATO Map Symbol (2017)

The 1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery Regiment, RCA, is a Canadian Army reserve artillery regiment. It is located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, at 73 Hobson Lake Drive. The unit consists of two batteries, 51st and 84th Field Batteries (87th Field Battery existing only on paper since the late 1990s).^[1][2] There are two units located within 1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery Regiment. One is in Halifax and the other is the 84th Independent Field Battery located in Yarmouth NS. Both share the same Commanding Officer.^[1]

Part of a series on the
Military history of Nova Scotia
Citadel Hill in Halifax
Notable events Battle of Port Royal 1690 Siege of Port Royal 1710 Battle of Winnepang 1722 Northeast Coast Campaign 1745 Battle of Grand Pré 1747 Dartmouth Massacre 1751 Bay of Fundy Campaign 1755 Siege of Louisbourg 1758 Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax 1758 Halifax Treaties 1760–1761 Battle of Fort Cumberland 1776 Raid on Lunenburg 1782 Establishment of New Ireland 1812 Capture of USS Chesapeake 1813 ‪Battle of the Great Redan 1855 ‪Siege of Lucknow 1857 CSS Tallahassee escape 1861 ‪Halifax Provisional Battalion 1885 ‪Battle of Witpoort 1899 ‪Battle of Paardeberg 1899 Imprisonment of Leon Trotsky 1917 Jewish Legion formed 1917 Sinking of Llandovery Castle 1918 Battle of the St. Lawrence 1942–1944 Sinking of Point Pleasant Park 1945 Halifax VE-Day riot 1945
Notable regiments Mi'kmaq militias 1677–1779 Acadian militias 1689–1761 40th Regiment of Foot 1717–1757 Louisbourg Garrison 1717–1758 Gorham's Rangers 1744–1762 Danks' Rangers 1756–1762 84th Regiment of Foot 1775–1784 Royal Fencible American 1775–1783 Royal Nova Scotia Volunteers 1775–1783 King's Orange Rangers 1776–1783 1st Field Artillery from 1791 Royal Nova Scotia 1793–1802 Nova Scotia Fencibles 1803–1816 Halifax Rifles from 1860 Princess Louise Fusiliers from 1867 78th Highland 1869–1871 Cape Breton Highlanders from 1871 Nova Scotia Rifles 1914–1919 No. 2 Construction Battalion 1916–1919 West Nova Scotia from 1916 Nova Scotia Highlanders from 1954
Related topics Captivity narratives Impressment
Category Commons Canada portal
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The regiment traces its lineage back to the Halifax Volunteer Artillery, which may have been in existence as early as 1776. The unit was officially recognized in 1791 and served into the mid-19th century, when it underwent a series of name changes. In 1885, the unit, then known as the 1st "Halifax" Brigade of Garrison Artillery, sent two batteries with the Halifax Provisional Battalion to participate in the suppression of North-West Rebellion.

At the onset of World War I the 1st Halifax, by then designated as the 1st "Halifax" Regiment, CA, was called to active duty. It provided home defence in Halifax and served as a training unit for new artillery recruits throughout the war. It reverted to militia status after the end of the conflict and went through another series of name changes.^[2]

In 1939, as World War II loomed, the unit, by then known as the "1st (Halifax) Coast Brigade, RCA", was again called to active service. As in World War I, the 1st Halifax served in a home defence capacity and trained new recruits. The unit was re-designated as the "1st (Halifax) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA" in 1942 and armed with British-made QF 3.7 inch AA guns.^[2]

After the end of World War II, in 1955, the unit was re-armed with American-made 90 mm guns and re-designated as a Medium Anti-Aircraft Regiment. It acquired its current name, the 1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery Regiment, RCA, in 1960 when it was issued 105 mm howitzers and merged with the 36th Medium Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA, from Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia.

The unit perpetuates the No. 9 Canadian Siege Battery, CEF which was stood up by combining multiple local batteries in 1869 and then attached to the 1st (Halifax) and again made independent in 1924. Over the course of the 20th century the Siege Battery was attached and detached until on April 1, 1946, it was amalgamated to the 1st (Reserve) (Halifax) Coast Brigade, RCA. All battle honours of the No. 9 Canadian Siege Battery are born by 1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery Regiment.^[1]

The Halifax-Dartmouth today parade at 73 Hobson Lake Drive, Halifax, NS. The unit parades 7-pm to 10-pm on Tuesday Evenings and one weekend per month in Bayers Lake, NS. Trades that are available in this unit are, Artillery Officer, Gunner, Financial Services Administrator and Human Resources Administrator. 2501 1st Halifax-Dartmouth Field Artillery Regiment Cadet Corps is affiliated with the unit. On paper the unit is composed of three batteries^[3]

• 51 Battery (Halifax)
• 87 Battery (Halifax)
• 84 Battery (Yarmouth)

The Unit is under 36th Brigade, 5th Division which alongside other units of the formation, garrison the East Coast.

Although being an artillery unit, the unit's mission task pertains to the local needs. The East Coast is unfortunately hit harder than other parts of Canada in terms of natural disasters, being prone to hurricanes and blizzards. The unit has thus ended up and adapted to the mission task of, "Light Urban Search and Rescue."^[3] "A troop of 35 members, which is trained in specialized rescue skills and the use of rescue tools, including search techniques, first aid, and structural integrity assessments, to provide support to civil authorities in situations of urban disaster emergencies."^[3]

As any combat arms unit in the Canadian Army, members are regularly equipped with personal weapons but being an artillery unit, also with short-long range artillery.^[3]

• Personal weapons
  • C7A2
  • C9A2
• Self propelled weapons
  • 81-mm Mortar
  • LG1 Mark ll Howitzer

• List of armouries in Canada
• Military history of Canada
• History of the Canadian Army
• Canadian Forces

In 2012 Regimental Headquarters (RHQ) and 51 Battery, moved from the Halifax Armoury to their new facility at 73 Hobson Lake Drive. This building, which was purpose built to facilitate an artillery battery, is often used for Basic Military Qualification Courses (BMQ) and other training courses and conferences.

Site	Date(s)	Designated	Location	Description	Image
Halifax Armoury 2667 North Park Street	1895-99 (completed)	National Historic Sites of Canada; Classified - 1991 Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings	north central Halifax Regional Municipality	Housing 1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery Regiment, and The Princess Louise Fusiliers this large, urban, Romanesque Revival drill hall, was built for the active militia, of red rough faced brick

• Shelldrake: Canadian Artillery Museums and Gun Monuments by Harold A. Skaarup (Feb 1 2012)
• Officers Who Served Overseas in the Great War with the Canadian Artillery 1914-1919 by Canadian Artillery Association (Sep 1 2011)
• Battery Flashes of W.W. II: A Thumb-Nail Sketch of Canadian Artillery Batteries during the 1939-1945 Conflict by D. W. Falconer (1985)