Camp Hughes in North Cypress – Langford Municipality, Manitoba — Canada’s Prairie Region (North America)

Training For War
⎯⎯⎯
L'entraînement de guerre

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 18, 2022

1. Training For War / L'entraînement de guerre Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

[English] During the Great War, training at Camp Hughes emphasised basic infantry soldiering where the new recruit learned drill, weapons handling, manoeuvre and tactics. In addition certain specialties were instructed. Signalers learned Morse code and Semaphore signaling with flags, heliograph signaling (utilizing mirrors and sunlight) and use of day signal lamps.

Musketry was of great importance and was instructed on a 2000 yard wide by 400 yard deep rifle range containing targets for 500 troops. It was here that they learned to fire the Canadian Ross Rifle. The rifle range is likely the only remaining example of the type of range developed for "Kitchener's New Armies" of the First World War. Only 400 yards deep, the pre-war standard was 1000 yards. The huge influx of civilians into the army, coupled with the close proximity of opposing trenches, resulted in adoption of a reduced marksmanship standard.

With the introduction of the machine gun in trench warfare, the Machine Gun School was established at Camp Hughes where soldiers learned to operate both the Lewis and Colt Machine Guns.

The Grenade School utilized

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

its own trench system. Here troops practiced working their way down an "enemy" occupied trench using dummy grenades, and finally threw live grenades from the trench into pits dug near its end.

(Background photo)
Gunner, 36th (St. Boniface) Field Battery and 13 pounder field gun, Camp Sewell, 1913-14.

[Français] Pendant la Grande Guerre, l'entraînement effectué au camp Hughes porte surtout sur le service dans l'infanterie. En plus des exercices, des manœuvres, des tactiques militaires de base et du maniement des armes, les recrues s'initient à certaines spécialités. Ainsi, les spécialistes des transmissions apprennent le code Morse, la signalisation sémaphore par drapeaux, la signalisation héliographique (miroirs et lumière du soleil) et l'utilisation des lampes de signalisation de jour. La mousqueterie revêt une grande importance et se pratique avec le fusil canadien Ross dans un champ de tir d'une largeur de 2000 verges et d'une profondeur de 400 verges, et muni de cibles accommodant 500 tireurs. Le champ de tir est probablement le seul vestige du type de champ établi en fonction des « nouvelles armées de Kitchener » de la Grande Guerre.

Marker detail: Machine Gun School / École de mitrailleurs image. Click for full size.

2. Marker detail: Machine Gun School / École de mitrailleurs

Lewis machine gunners, 108th Canadian Infantry Battalion, Camp Hughes Machine Gun School, 1916. ————— Mitrailleurs préposés aux appareils Lewis, 108^e Bataillon d'infanterie canadienne, école des mitrailleurs camp Hughes, 1916.

Alors que la profondeur normale pré-guerre était de 1000 verges, le grand nombre de recrues dans l'armée, et la proximité des tranchées opposées fait en sorte que l'on adopte une norme d'adresse au tir moins exigeante.

L'introduction de la mitrailleuse dans la guerre de tranchées fait en sorte que l'on établisse une école pour mitrailleurs au camp Hughes où les soldats apprennent à manier les appareils Lewis et Colt.

L'école des grenadiers dispose de son propre système de tranchées où les soldats s'exercent à chasser l'« ennemi » de ses tranchées avec des grenades inertes, puis à lancer des grenades actives dans des excavations à la limite des tranchées.

(Photo à l'arrière-plan)
Tireur, 36^e Artillerie de campagne (Saint-Boniface) et pièce de campagne de 13 livres, camp Sewell, 1913-14.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • War, World I. A significant historical year for this entry is 1916.

Location. 49° 52.816′ N, 99° 33.446′ W. Marker is in Camp Hughes, Manitoba, in North Cypress – Langford Municipality. It can be reached from Camp Hughes Road (Road 91 W) 1.6 kilometers south of Provincial Road

Marker detail: Cold Machine Gun / Mitrailleuse Colt image. Click for full size.

3. Marker detail: Cold Machine Gun / Mitrailleuse Colt

A soldier of the 44th Canadian Infantry Battalion looks over the sights of his Colt machine gun. Camp Hughes, 1915. ————— Un soldat du 44^e Bataillon d'infanterie canadienne regarde dans le viseur de sa mitrailleuse Colt, camp Hughes, 1915

351. Marker is located in the Camp Hughes National Historic Site interpretive kiosk, just west of the Camp Hughes Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Camp Hughes MB R0K 2A0, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southwest Manitoba. It is also in the Prairies.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Trench Warfare / La guerre de tranchées (here, next to this marker); Camp Life / La vie de camp (here, next to this marker); Camp Hughes National Historic Site of Canada / Le camp Hughes Lieu historique national du Canada (here, next to this marker); Camp Hughes (a few steps from this marker); Camp Hughes / Le Camp Hughes (a few steps from this marker); The Hospital / L'hôpital (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Camp Hughes — Overview / Tour d'horizon du Camp Hughes (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); The Soldier's Recreation

Marker detail: Signaler / Spécialiste des transmissions image. Click for full size.

4. Marker detail: Signaler / Spécialiste des transmissions

Signaler, 196th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Western Universities) Camp Hughes, 1916. ————— Spécialiste des transmissions, 196^e Bataillon d'infanterie (Universités de l'Ouest), camp Hughes, 1916.

/ Les moments de loisir des soldats (approx. 0.6 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Camp Hughes.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Camp Hughes National Historic Site

Marker detail: Grenade School Trenches /<br>Tranchées de l'école des grenadiers • Camp Hughes, 1916 image. Click for full size.

5. Marker detail: Grenade School Trenches /
Tranchées de l'école des grenadiers • Camp Hughes, 1916

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 18, 2022

6. Training For War / L'entraînement de guerre Marker

Camp Hughes National Historic Site in background
—————
Lieu historique national du Camp Hughes en arrière-plan

Credits. This page was last revised on March 25, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 23, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 194 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on March 25, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Training For War⎯⎯⎯L'entraînement de guerre

Training For War
⎯⎯⎯
L'entraînement de guerre