The Origin and Services of the 3rd (Montreal)

"""""""""The Royal Fusiliers were raised in 1685 for the special protectionof tieEnglish gunners, who were at that date civilian artificers. All the Fusilierregiments were originally intended for the special protection of the artillery,and the grenade is still borne by them in memory of this ancient service.Though artillery had been in use in British armies for over four hundredyears the artillerymen were not yet regarded as soldiers, but as mechanicsdepending upon other soldiers for protection. But, however it isregarded,a matterof history that they had rendered splendid aid to the state. Cannon are said tohave been used by the English armies on the continent in the reign of Henry III,1216-1272, and were unquestionably nsed at the capture of Berwick by EdwardIII in 1333. At Crecy, 1346, and at Calais, the following year, Edward IV usedfour cannon against his French enemies;and the Moors are said to have used .cannon in defending Algeciras in 1343. The Board of Ordnance was first constituted during the reign of Elizabeth, about 1597, but as far back as 1414 theordnance possessed by England was superintended by a Master of theOrdnance." The word ordnance was derived from theOrdinanceanciently made to regulate the bore, size and bulk of the artillery. (Capt. Perry sbook on Rank, Badges and Dates.)Though the first use of English artillery appears to have been in the field,the organizationof the artillery, when such was attempted, appears to have beendirected towards the recognizing only of the garrison branch. The Master General of Ordnance had the control of all the master gunners and gunnersorlawof thevarious garrisons, but held no command in the field without being speciallyappointed. In 1755 a train of field artillery was organized in Madras, and in 1798the companies of the Regiment of Royal Irish Artillery, the successors of thedetachment of the Royal Artillery sent to Dublin in 1755, were divided intoHeavy (Siege) and Light (Field). The Light had four six-pounders each.The guns and waggons were horsed and driven by the Driver Corps."The corps of Royal Artillery drivers was established in 1793, graduallyreduced after the peace of 1814 and finally abolished in 1822. Until 1815 theofficers were not Royal Artillerymen, and the rank and file were never artillerymen. The officers of the Driver Corps were styled Corps of Captain Commissaries." Until 1794 the men were styled RoyalInWaggoners." 1814there were twelve troops of these men. It was found during the Peninsular Warthat the divided allegiance of the Driver Corps caused difficulties in thefrequentfield batteries. Towards the end of that campaign the officers of the DriverCorps were only allowed full control over their men in matters of pay andsubsistence.Up to so recent a date as 1877 there were no permanent Field batteries inthe British regular service, garrison companies being detailed for field duty whenrequired.The unwieldiness of the field guns used at Falkirk in 1745 forced onan improvement in this arm. In 1746 two artillery companies were sent to10