The Origin and Services of the 3rd (Montreal)

with such success that the whole military world united in praising the achievementas one of the most successful and remarkable military works on record. Some ofthe highest authorities declare that, next to Lord Kitchener himself, the credit forthe success of the present campaignin the Soudan belongs to Lieutenant Girouard.control of all theLieutenant Girouard has lately been appointed to the supremerailways in Egypt. After graduating at Kingston, this officer was for some timeengaged in engineering work connected with railway construction, and the experience then obtained, combined with natural talent and the thorough educationreceived at the Royal Military College, has stood him in a good stead in his important work in the Soudan. He now has the rank of Major in the Egyptian Army.In 1877 the camp was held on St. Catherine Street West near the City limits,and the year following the Battery went into camp on July 8th on a vacant lot onthe South side of Dorchester Street West, just beyond Atwater Avenue. On theorders of Lieutenant-General Sir Selby Smythe, tents were struck on the afternoonof July nth and the Batter}- camp removed to the old Montreal Lacrosse Groundson St. Catherine Street, between Mackay and Mountain Streets, where A and BBatteries of the Regiment of Canadian Artillery were encamped in anticipation ofrioting on the i2th of July. The annual training was completed there, theBattery marching out on the ryth of the month. In 1879 the first of the Battery scamps in the exhibition grounds at Mile End was held. The camp at night waslighted with the electric light, then considered a great novelty. The annualcamps for the six succeeding years were held on the same ground, the militaryenclosure on St. Helen s Island being then adopted as the camping ground.During Major Hooper s tenure of the command, Lieutenant Benyon wastransferred from the Battery to the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery.A noticeable change was made in the uniform in 1894, the old blue shoulderstrap on the serges and tunics being replaced by one of scarlet. This change wasto create a distinction between thegeneral throughout the service, the object being Militia Artillery and the Royal Artillery, the shoulder strap being the onl}distinguishingfeature there is.In 1894, General Herbert, then in command of the Militia, expressed awish that the Battery should put in its annual training in the District camp.Consequently that year the corps encamped at Laprairie, and was brigaded withthe Shefford Field Battery.Up to 1895 the Battery had sent detachments to the Island of Orleans eachyear for the annual target practice, but that year a new departure was made. Acamp of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery was established at Laprairie,and every battery in Canada had to send detachments there to take part in fieldfiring exercises under service conditions. The introduction of this idea was largely1due to Lieut. Drury, R. C. A., who had recently returned ^rom Okehampton./