Marker Logo HMdb.org THE HISTORICAL
MARKER DATABASE
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Victoria in Capital, British Columbia — Canada’s West Coast (North America)
 

"Ack Ack" (Anti-Aircraft) Artillery

La DCA (artillerie antiaérienne)

 
 
"Ack Ack" (Anti-Aircraft) Artillery Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., May 22, 2014
1. "Ack Ack" (Anti-Aircraft) Artillery Marker
Inscription.
During the First World War, Victoria was unprepared to fend off air attacks. In 1921, the 2nd AA (Anti-Aircraft) battery was formed in Victoria. No AA guns existed in Canada, so the unit made do with 13-pounder guns on a locally improvised mounting, brainchild of Lt. J. Rycroft. Despite such ingenuity, a secret defence report of 1928 condemned this old equipment, calling the 13-pounders "obsolete", and mentioning that only "two sets of (height-finding) equipment are available and have sometimes been made to work."

War in 1939 found no new AA guns on the west coast. The shock of Japanese air attacks at Hong Kong, Singapore and Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, brought into sharp focus the need to defend the naval base in Esquimalt harbour. As a temporary measure, No. 1 AA Machine Gun Troop was rushed to Esquimalt harbour from Arvida, Quebec. Shortly after, the first 40mm Bofors guns manufactured in Canada were sent from Hamilton, Ontario directly to Esquimalt Harbour, and were manned by 13th Light AA Battery. Their unit war diary records: "26 April/42: guns were placed in temporary positions, 1 at Colwood, 1 at Esquimalt and 2 at Rodd Hill." In June 1942, all AA units on Vancouver Island came under the authority of the newly-formed 27th AA Regiment. (This 40mm Bofors gun is painted with the tactical signs of 'A'

Paid Advertisement
Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.
Click or scan to see
this page online
Troop, #1 gun, 27th AA Regiment.)

More equipment arrived—including the 3.7-inch heavy AA gun—until the Victoria-Esquimalt area was well-covered with AA sites. These included Tillicum (now a shopping mall), Colwood Racetrack (now Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre), Pat Bay air base (now Victoria International Airport), the present site of the Laurel Point Inn, and many others.

After the Second World War, emphasis on AA defence increased, and a number of units were formed, including the 8th AA Operations Room, which trained here at Rodd Hill's Plotting Room between 1949 and 1954. In 1951, this unit recruited 31 women—the first women ever to serve in Canada's Reserve Force. The regiment's connection with AA defences ended in December 1954, when the 5th West Coast Harbour Defence Battery was formed.
——————————
Durant la Première Guerre mondiale, Victoria n'était pas équipée pour se défendre contre les attaques aériennes. Plus tard, en 1921, on y forma la 2e Batterie antiaérienne, et comme il n'y avait pas de canons antiaériens au Canada, l'unité dût se contenter de canons de 13 livres montés sur les affûts de fortune conçus localement par le lieutenant J. Rycroft. Malgré l'ingéniosité du système, [?] été condamné dans un rapport secret de la Défense, rédigé en 1928, dans lequel on peut

"Ack Ack" (Anti-Aircraft) Artillery and Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., May 22, 2014
2. "Ack Ack" (Anti-Aircraft) Artillery and Marker
lire que les canons étaient « dépassés » et que « l'on réussissait parfois à faire fonctionner les deux dispositifs d'altimétrie dont la batterie était équipée ».

Au début de la Deuxiéme Guerre mondiale, il n'y avait toujours pas de nouveaux canons de DCA sur la côte Ouest. Cependant, l'attaque surprise lancée par le Japon contre Hong Kong, Singapour et Pearl Harbour le 7 décembre 1941, rappela assez brutalement qu'il fallait defendre la base navale et les bassins de radoub du port d'Esquimalt. Provisoirement, on dépêcha à Esquimalt la 1re Troupe de mitrailluers d'Arvida (Québec). Peu après, les premiers Bofors de 40 mm fabriqués au Canada furent expédiés directement d'Hamilton, en Ontario, au port d'Esquimalt, et pris en charge par le 13e Batterie antiaérienne légère. Le journal de guerre de l'unité consigne cette arrivée : « 26 avril 1942 - Les canons ont été installés à des positions temporaires, un à Colwood, un à Esquimalt et deux à Rodd Hill ». En juin 1942, toutes les unités de DCA de l'île de Vancouver furent confiées au tout nouveau 27e Régiment de DCA. (Ce canon Bofors de 40 mm arbore ses marques d'indentification. Il s'agit du canon n° 1 de la Troupe A de 27e Régiment.)

On continua d'envoyer de l'armement sur la côte Ouest, y compris des canons antiaériens lourds de 3,7 po., jusqu'à ce que la région de Victoria-Esquimalt

"Ack Ack" (Anti-Aircraft) Artillery image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., May 22, 2014
3. "Ack Ack" (Anti-Aircraft) Artillery
soit bien pourvue de postes de DCA. Ces postes étaient établis à Tillicum (aujourd'hui le site d'un centre commercial), à la piste de courses de Colwood (aujourd'hui le Centre de loisirs Juan de Fuca), à la base aérienne de Patricia Bay (aéroport de Victoria), à l'emplacement actuel du Laurel Point Inn, et à bien d'autres endroits.

Après la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, la DCA prit une importance encore plus grande et un certain nombre d'unités furent constituées, dont la 8e Section des opérations (8th AA Operations Room), qui s'entraînait ici dans la salle de topométrie de Rodd Hill entre 1949 et 1954. En 1951, l'unité recruta 31 femmes, les toutes premières à faire partie de la Réserve des Forces canadiennes. Le régiment mit un terme à son rôle de défense antiaérienne en 1954, au moment de la formation de la 5e Batterie de défense portuaire de la côte Ouest.
 
Erected by Parks Canada.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & SpaceWar, World IWar, World II. A significant historical year for this entry is 1921.
 
Location. 48° 26.008′ N, 123° 27.199′ W. Marker is in Victoria, British Columbia, in Capital. Marker is on the grounds of Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Sites of Canada. Touch for map.

"Ack Ack" (Anti-Aircraft) Artillery image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., May 22, 2014
4. "Ack Ack" (Anti-Aircraft) Artillery
Marker is at or near this postal address: 603 Fort Rodd Hill Road, Victoria BC V9C 2W8, Canada. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Coast Defence Artillery Positions: 1878-1956 (a few steps from this marker); Victoria-Esquimalt Fortifications (within shouting distance of this marker); Upper, Lower, Belmont Batteries (within shouting distance of this marker); Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site (within shouting distance of this marker); Heavy Metal and Drugs-in 1912? / La machinerie lourde en 1912... (within shouting distance of this marker); Upper Battery / Batterie supérieure (within shouting distance of this marker); 90 mm Anti-Aircraft Gun (within shouting distance of this marker); The Guardhouse / Corps de garde (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Victoria.
 
Also see . . .  Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Sites of Canada. (Submitted on October 22, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on December 16, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 21, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 581 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 24, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Share this page.  
Share on Tumblr
m=98996

CeraNet Cloud Computing sponsors the Historical Marker Database.
This website earns income from purchases you make after using our links to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support.
Paid Advertisements
Mar. 18, 2024