30th Field Artillery Regiment (Canada)

30th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA
30th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA
30e Régiment d'artillerie de campagne, ARC (French)
Active	1855
Country	Canada
Branch	Canadian Army
Type	Artillery
Role	Assist in the defeat of the enemy with indirect fire as part of the all-arms battle; Represent Canada and the RCA as the National Salute Troop, firing salutes for special occasions, visiting heads of state and national periods of remembrance or mourning;
Size	Regiment (2 batteries and a regimental headquarters troop)
Part of	The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery (RCA)
Garrison/HQ	Morrison Artillery Park (MAP) at Canadian Forces Support Unit (Ottawa) - Uplands Site, Ontario
Nickname(s)	The Bytown Gunners
Patron	St. Barbara
Motto(s)	Latin: Quo fas et gloria ducunt, lit. 'Whither right and glory lead'
Colours	The guns of The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery themselves
March	Slow march: Royal Artillery Slow March; Quick march (dismounted parades): British Grenadiers; Trot past: Keel Row;
Anniversaries	27 September 1855: 2nd "Ottawa" Battery authorized (date used by 30 Fd Regt RCA as its unit anniversary); 30 Fd Regt RCA originated in Ottawa on 9 May 1905 when a Special General Order (GO) authorized the forming of the 8th Brigade of Field Artillery, CA from the 2nd "Ottawa" Battery and the 23rd Battery;
Weapon system	105 mm Howitzer, C3
Battle honours	The word Latin: Ubique, lit. 'Everywhere', takes the place of all past and future battle honours in recognition of the artillery's widespread service in all battles and campaigns since its creation
Website	www.army-armee.forces.gc.ca/en/4-canadian-division/30-field-artillery-regiment/index.page
Commanders
Commanding officer (CO)	Lieutenant-Colonel J.R. Watts CD MA
Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM)	Chief Warrant Officer W.R. Hall CD
Insignia
Unit abbreviation	30 Fd Regt RCA (French: 30 RAC ARC)
Headdress	Dark blue beret

The 30th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA (French: 30^e Régiment d'artillerie de campagne, ARC) is a bilingual Canadian Army (Primary Reserve) artillery regiment located in Ottawa, Ontario, and is allocated to 33 Canadian Brigade Group, 4th Canadian Division. The unit parades at a new complex at the Canadian Forces Support Unit (Ottawa) - Uplands Site following the collapse of their former location at CFRB Dows Lake under the weight of snow in 2009. The unit performs ceremonial gun salute duties when required in the National Capital area, and is a field unit equipped with 105 mm Howitzers, C3.^[2]

Allocated batteries

1st Field Battery, RCA, the Leadership and Recruit Training Battery (internal designation)
2nd Field Battery, RCA,^[3] the Firing Battery (internal designation)^[2]

Lineage

Originated by/from the 2nd "Ottawa" Battery on 27 Sept, 1855

30th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA

Originated 9 May 1905 in Ottawa, Ontario as the 8th Brigade of Field Artillery, CA
Redesignated 2 February 1920 as the 1st Brigade, CFA
Redesignated 1 July 1925 as the 1st Field Brigade, CA
Redesignated 3 June 1935 as the 1st Field Brigade, RCA
Redesignated 7 November 1940 as the 1st (Reserve) Field Brigade, RCA
Redesignated 1 March 1943 as the 1st (Reserve) Field Regiment, RCA
Redesignated 1 April 1946 as the 30th Field Regiment, RCA
Redesignated 12 April 1960 as the 30th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA^[3]

There is no lineal connection to previous artillery units in Ottawa.^[3] (British North American Act, 27 Sept 1855) basis for Artillery units continuously located in Ottawa since 1855, officially. Artillery unit established by British government prior to 1855.

Operational history

The 1st Field Artillery Brigade, CFA, CEF was authorized on 6 August 1914 and embarked for Britain on 27 September 1914. It disembarked in France on 12 February 1915, where it provided artillery support as part of the 1st Canadian Division's Divisional Artillery in France and Flanders until the end of the war. The brigade disbanded on 23 October 1920.^[3]

War In Afghanistan

The regiment contributed individual augmentees to the various Task Forces which served in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2014.^[4]

UN Missions

UNMOGIP - India/Pakistan
UNEF 2 - Egypt
UNDOF - Golan Heights
UNFICYP - Cyprus
UNPROFOR - Former Republic of Yugoslavia
SFOR - Bosnia-Herzegovina
MONUC - Congo

Domestic Operations

Members of the unit have taken part in:

Operation Lentus - Ontario and Quebec (2019 and 2017)
Operation Cadence - Ontario (2011)
Operation Recuperation - Ontario (1998)
Operation Assistance - Manitoba (1997).^[5]

Museum

In 2013, the regiment officially established and had certified, a regimental museum called The Bytown Gunners Firepower Museum. Since that time, this museum has continued to develop into a significant OMMC military museum open to the general public based upon reservations.

Notable people

Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, MD (30 November 1872 – 28 January 1918) best known for writing the famous war memorial poem In Flanders Fields. At the outbreak of the First World War he immediately volunteered for service either as a doctor or as a gunner. He achieved both; he was appointed surgeon to the 1st Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery.^[6] The 1st Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery, now disbanded, is perpetuated by the 30th Field Artillery Regiment.^[7]
Lieutenant-General (Ret'd) Andrew Leslie CMM MSC MSM CD , retired Canadian Armed Forces lieutenant-general who served as Chief of Transformation and earlier as Chief of the Land Staff. He was the Member of Parliament for the riding of Orléans, from the October 19, 2015, federal election until he stood down at the 2019 Canadian federal election. He joined the 30th Field Artillery Regiment in 1977 while at the University of Ottawa. In 1981 he transferred to the Regular Force.[8]

Precedence

Preceded by 26th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA	30th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA	Succeeded by 42nd Field Artillery Regiment (Lanark and Renfrew Scottish), RCA

References

^ "Memorial History". Canadian Peace Officers' Memorial Association (CPOMA). Retrieved 13 September 2021.
^ ^a ^b Defence, National (28 January 2019). "30th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Canadian Forces Publication A-DH-267-003 Insignia and Lineages of the Canadian Forces. Volume 3: Combat Arms Regiments.
^ "South-West Asia Theatre Honours". Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
^ Reynolds, Kenneth W. (2017). The Bytown Gunners: The History of Ottawa's Artillery, 1855-2015. Manitoba: The Bytown Gunners Order. pp. 276–279. ISBN 978-0-9958069-0-0.
^ "Biography for Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, MD". Great Gunners of The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery (RCA). Canadian Forces Base Shilo, Manitoba. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
^ Standing Orders for The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery – Volume 2 (Heritage & Lineage) (PDF). Canadian Forces Base Shilo, Manitoba: The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery (RCA). May 2015. pp. 150–151.
^ "Biography for Lieutenant-General AB Leslie OMM, MSC, MSM, CD". Great Gunners of The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery (RCA). Canadian Forces Base Shilo, Manitoba. Retrieved 5 January 2021.