The Royal Canadian Artillery Museum/

Yesterday afternoon I made a trip to the RCA museum at The Shilo Army Base a few kilometres east of Brandon. Ruth elected to stay behind as she reckons she has visited enough little boy (of all ages) places. I went thinking it would have been full of guns and tanks and all things like that, and it was, but there was much more.  Most of the guns were outside, the inside given over to the history of the early days of the regiment, Canadian history looking at it from a military point of view.  The history of Manitoba, how the Metis came about and the roll of women in the military, all very interesting.  It took me a bit by surprise not expecting all the history. like Ruth I was expecting a boys day out and arriving after 3pm didn't have time to do it justice.

This is the first gun the regiment had cast in 1812 somewhere in England, 9 pounder smooth bore in 1859 it was given a new undercarriage. 

9 pounder rifled bore, this gun used at the battle of Fish Creek in 1885 and in 2000 used to carry the body of Canada's unknown solder to the National War Memorial in Ottawa.  Quite a history.

Part of Canadian history a lot of people don't know about, a gunner from the regiment with his gun a 12 pounder rifled breach loader during The Boar War. Gunners and members of the Northwest mounted Police fought in this war led by that man again - - Sgt. Steele when in the western part of Canada he crops up all over the place.  When the Mounted Police were first formed most of the recruits, constables, NCO's and officers came from the artillery as they were the only standing army Canada had, most of the British Army had left by 1871.

 A couple of first war guns 18 pounder quick firing breach loader used in France 1914 to 1918 and North Russia 1918 to 1919.  Below a 60 ponder bombardment gun.

 Three and a bit of all the guns outside (theres a lot) Russian anti aircraft gun ZPU-4 from 1949, Used in the Korean War, Vietnam where it was devastating against helicopters and Iraq.

5 CM Panzerabwerkanone 38, known as the PAK 38 German anti tank gun also used for shooting down planes.

30CM Rocktennerfer 56 German rocket launcher known as "Moaning Minnies"

Don't know what gun this , I was more interested in the Mountain Bluebird, if it had been a dove it would be a perfect picture to end with after thinking of all the carnage inflicted by these machines of war.