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The Origin and Services of the 3rd (Montreal)

The Origin and Services of the 3rd (Montreal)

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CHAPTER VII.THE FIELD BATTERY AS IT is TO-DAY.L,L one has to imagineis one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> smartest <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> field batteries <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong> Royal Artillery to be seen at Aldershot, replace <strong>the</strong> blueshoulder straps on <strong>the</strong> tunics by red ones, <strong>and</strong> instead <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> uglyhelmets place smart busbies, very much resembling those <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>Royal Horse or Galloping&quot; Artillery, on <strong>the</strong> heads <strong>of</strong> <strong>of</strong>ficers<strong>and</strong> men, <strong>and</strong> one has a very good idea <strong>of</strong> what <strong>the</strong> <strong>3rd</strong><strong>and</strong> as(<strong>Montreal</strong>) Field Battery looks like on parade to-day,<strong>the</strong> citizens <strong>of</strong> <strong>Montreal</strong> saw it when it marched into quartersat <strong>the</strong> conclusion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> annual camp last summer.On July 6th, 1883, <strong>the</strong> Battery discarded <strong>the</strong> leggings previouslyworn, <strong>and</strong> adopted <strong>the</strong> riding breeches <strong>and</strong> high boots, which distinguish <strong>the</strong> corps from <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r field batteries <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Militia service.<strong>The</strong> men provide <strong>the</strong> boots <strong>and</strong> breeches at <strong>the</strong>ir own expense, <strong>and</strong><strong>the</strong>y add greatly to <strong>the</strong> smart appearance <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> well proportionedbatterymen on parade. <strong>The</strong> <strong>Montreal</strong> Battery has always, <strong>and</strong> quitejustly, prided itself upon <strong>the</strong> fine physique <strong>and</strong> soldierly bearing <strong>of</strong> its men, <strong>and</strong><strong>the</strong> boast was never better justified than at <strong>the</strong> present time.<strong>The</strong> Battery has come to be regarded as somewhat <strong>of</strong> a corps d elite. Many<strong>of</strong> its members have served in various o<strong>the</strong>r city corps, not a fe\v <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m havinggiven up stripes in crack infantry regiments to join <strong>the</strong> Battery as gunners. <strong>The</strong>reis an esprit de corps <strong>and</strong> feeling <strong>of</strong> camaraderie in <strong>the</strong> Field Battery distinctivelyits own, amounting practically to a species <strong>of</strong> freemasonry. This has had <strong>the</strong> effect<strong>of</strong> keeping men in <strong>the</strong> Battery for long terms <strong>of</strong> service, <strong>and</strong> has most advantageously affected <strong>the</strong> recruiting, for as soon as men take <strong>the</strong>ir discharge, friends <strong>of</strong>those remaining always are ready to volunteer to fill <strong>the</strong> vacancies.<strong>The</strong> present Sergeant Major <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Battery, J. D. Kendall, has seen 38 yearsservice in <strong>the</strong> Militia, receiving his first stripe as bombardier in <strong>the</strong> Battery in 1877,<strong>and</strong> obtaining his Short Course certificate at <strong>the</strong> Royal School <strong>of</strong> Gunnery inJuly, 1878. <strong>The</strong> same year he was promoted to be corporal, <strong>and</strong> July 3Oth, 1881,to be sergeant. He succeeded Sergeant Major Walker as tbs chief non-commissioned <strong>of</strong>ficer <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Battery in 1896.72

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