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  #1  
Old 15-10-14, 02:25
Jon McGrath Jon McGrath is offline
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Default 3.7" ? at Macaulay Plain, Esquimalt, Victoria, BC 1943

From my father's photographs, labelled as McCaulay Plain, Esquimalt, BC in 1943. I assume it's a 3.7" but perhaps it's a 90mm HAA. It appears the gun crew are wearing US-style helmets. My dad was a gun sergeant at the time and location. Don't know the battery number or whether an operational or training battery. Maybe someone here will know the type of gun and the battery.
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  #2  
Old 15-10-14, 02:51
rob love rob love is offline
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The support legs give it away as a 3.7". The 90 does not have the levellers on the ends.
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  #3  
Old 22-10-14, 17:21
Jon McGrath Jon McGrath is offline
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Going through my dad's notes, I think the gun is being fired by the 23 HAA Bty which might have converted from the 4th Searchlight Bty, both stationed in Victoria. Jon
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  #4  
Old 28-10-14, 00:25
chris vickery's Avatar
chris vickery chris vickery is offline
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Theres a beauty 3.7" for sale on Milweb currently, priced very nicely.
Made in canada by General Electric.
Also a nice pair of GE searchlights with generator. Would make an excellent display...
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  #5  
Old 17-11-14, 18:41
alamotex alamotex is offline
Brian Mendes
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon McGrath View Post
From my father's photographs, labelled as McCaulay Plain, Esquimalt, BC in 1943. I assume it's a 3.7" but perhaps it's a 90mm HAA. It appears the gun crew are wearing US-style helmets. My dad was a gun sergeant at the time and location. Don't know the battery number or whether an operational or training battery. Maybe someone here will know the type of gun and the battery.
Jon You may find this document useful if you are looking for information relating to your Dad's wartime service on the West Coast.... Brian


http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-...rqga/AHQ_2.pdf
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  #6  
Old 18-11-14, 19:19
Jon McGrath Jon McGrath is offline
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Many thanks Brian! I had a quick look at the document and will read it more closely later this week. As you say, it provides a wealth of information on the BC AA defences. I know my dad was stationed in Tofino, Point Grey (Vancouver), Ambleside (West Vacnouver), Little Mounttain (Vancouver), Sea Island (Vancouver/ Richmond) and, of course, MacCaulay (Esquimalt) - all mentioned in the document. A lot of movement. As the Japanese threat disappeared, he was sent to the UK for infantry training. Then back to AA post-war.
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  #7  
Old 19-11-14, 00:58
maple_leaf_eh maple_leaf_eh is offline
Terry Warner
 
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By coincidence I was working on a lesson plan about Mapping and Charting Establishment's 110 yrs of history. One point was that mappers in Canada had surveyed 59 coastal defence artillery positions during the war. They were quite proud they had 2' contour lines around the batteries. The rule of thumb is that the horizontal accuracy of a map is 1/2 the contour interval.
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Old 19-11-14, 01:13
rob love rob love is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by maple_leaf_eh View Post
By coincidence I was working on a lesson plan about Mapping and Charting Establishment's 110 yrs of history. One point was that mappers in Canada had surveyed 59 coastal defence artillery positions during the war. They were quite proud they had 2' contour lines around the batteries. The rule of thumb is that the horizontal accuracy of a map is 1/2 the contour interval.
I guess I have been out of the military and away from the maps too long cause I have no idea what the heck that last sentence said.
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  #9  
Old 19-11-14, 01:16
maple_leaf_eh maple_leaf_eh is offline
Terry Warner
 
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Rob, that means everything drawn on the map was supposed to be within 1' of its "real" location. Most 1:50,000 maps are only a 20m interval, so things are more or less within 10m of reality.
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  #10  
Old 19-11-14, 19:15
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So, in other words, 1' is pretty darn accurate...
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