11th Canadian Field Artillery (Howitzer) Brigade Ammunition Column, CEF Canadian Expeditionary Force artillery from Prince Edward Island

arriving @ plymouth on 12 march, 11th bac establishment include dedicated general service (gs) ammunition wagons (with limber), 1 wagon per howitzer, , 1 gs wagon stores, @ least 132 horses (both riding , draft, using 6 per wagon). column’s operational task have available (carry) constant supply, , bring forward (on-call), forty-eight rounds per howitzer, firing battery’s entrenched position, or supply battery’s own ammunition wagon lines. working @ night, moving forward, bac ammunition wagons interchangeable firing batteries own ammunition wagons (one per gun), full wagons dropped-off , being unhooked , taken away reloading, howitzer battery looking have available 108 rounds.

the bac picked-up ‘own’ resupply @ refilling point, set supporting division ammunition column (dac), dac holding additional 44 rounds per howitzer. bac divided 2 sections, commanded lieutenants, each supply 2 batteries, of supported brigade, , included battery sergeant-major, battery quartermaster sergeant, farrier-sergeant, shoeing smiths (of 1 corporal), 2 saddlers (maintaining driver equipment), 2 wheel-wrights, trumpeter, 4 sergeants, 5 corporals, 5 bombardiers, 3 gunners acting batmen, signallers, drivers, , gunners.

as mobilized divisional ammunition column organized around 3 field artillery sections, , fourth howitzer section, bringing forward scaled levels of field artillery, howitzer, , small arms ammunition, brigade columns. organized in december 1915, 3rd canadian divisional artillery column arrived in england in march 1916, 3 field artillery sections, having been recruited in kingston, toronto , winnipeg. established 4 sections, gain howitzer section, shortly after arrival in england.

on 13 may 1916, originating bef ghq, orders issued reorganization of royal , imperial divisional artillery establishments, reasons of operational effectiveness, restructured having 4 generic ‘mixed’ artillery brigades, standardized: universal establishment, each divisional artillery brigade allocated 3 field artillery batteries , 1 howitzer battery. new organized divisional brigades neatly matched emerging tactic of creeping barrage, 1 18-pounder field battery superimposed on other 2 firing batteries (waiting targets of opportunity), while 4.5-inch howitzer battery spread fire ahead of rest. ‘operational decision’ additionally saw abolition of 4 integral ‘brigade ammunition columns’ , being broken or absorbed supporting ‘divisional ammunition column’. consequently, while still in england, on 25 may 1916, 11th (howitzer) brigade ammunition column officially absorbed 3rd canadian divisional ammunition column (dac).

the future of islands 11th bac earlier foretold, oc captain (later major, dso) mackinnon, after arrival in england, transferred 3rd divisional artillery 9th brigade cfa, , on promotion assumed command of 36th (sydney) howitzer battery. standing in england, leaving france, having reorganized, 11th bac personnel placed on active service on 15 july 1916, cef unit. having absorb 3 field bacs , howitzer bac, 3rd dac take on additional authorized ammunition wagons, horses , personnel, needing howitzer battery support capability, , excess establishment personnel moved artilleryman of sixteen gun batteries, of division. ‘internal’ reassignment of bac artilleryman consistent past practices, since 1906, established routine consider ‘ammunition column’ personnel, manning reserve , source of timely replacements ‘casualties’ in brigade s batteries.

in ‘new’ divisional artillery ‘universal establishment artillery brigade’ structure, divisional ammunition columns reorganized, adapting new supporting model, devised around dedicated ‘a’ echelon, , supporting ‘b’ echelon. ‘a’ echelon comprise 4 ‘new’ sections, 1 each of division’s 4 mixed artillery brigades. each section, same task of bringing forward ‘first-line’ artillery ammunition batteries of affiliated artillery brigade, did bac.

ammunition column pack horses transporting ammunition, vimy ridge, april 1917

now reorganized, under command of lt-col w.g. hurdman, 3rd dac landed in le havre, france, on 15 july 1916, seeing 4 sections serving continuously, in france , flanders, armistice, , until 12/13 february 1919 @ renaix, in east flanders. billeted in barlin, france, during canadian corps april 1917 action @ vimy ridge, calmly documents sections busy hauling ammunition , engineer material (day , night) gun positions . reorganized once while in france, ended war 3 sections, old no. 3 (winnipeg) section’s personnel, wagons , horses had been transferred newly arrived 4th cdn divisional artillery, on 25 june 1917.

for 2 , half years, after 5 months training in halifax , england, islanders in 3rd dac, went primary task: hauling, packing or supplying guns, , in stables or on watering parade. horses , mules, ‘hauled’ ammunition firing batteries, or hauled material canadian engineers. when roads impassable, ‘packed’ ammunition forward on mules; or when available assist, wagons, rear, ‘supplied’ ammunition flanking or supporting divisions. when not drawing or supplying ammunition affiliated battery wagon lines, islanders had go forward , ‘collect’ empty cartridge cases, or ‘salvage’ ammunition left @ vacated battery positions , on occasion found @ abandoned enemy artillery positions. of 100 islanders saw active service 3rd dac, or transferred 3rd divisional artillery battery, 10 killed , 30 wounded.

just after armistice, in december 1918, 3rd dac reported effective , attached strength of 22 officers , 626 other ranks. returned england on 19 february 1919, barracked first @ witley camp, until broken @ bramshott camp, near aldershot, in hampshire, in march 1919. first detachment of 3 officers , 122 other ranks returned canada on “ss olympic (1911) out of southampton on 18 march. second detachment of 8 officers , 379 other ranks departed on “rms cedric sailing liverpool on 19 march. subsequent demobilization in canada in march 1919, 11th field artillery (howitzer) brigade ammunition column disbanded on 1 november 1920.

the officer commanding: captain d.a. mackinnon (later major, dso)

daniel albert mackinnon born nov. 12, 1876, in highfield, pei. orphaned in life, taking harness racing @ 14, lifelong devotion, @ 21 pei s first registered pharmacist. in 1901, joined island militia gunner, , 1905, promoted captain, successful , accomplished officer, appointed no. 2 (charlottetown) battery, canadian garrison artillery. before called active service, 11th brigade ammunition column in 1915, commanded, strong island detachment manning, (fort) ives point battery, equipped 2 6-inch bl , 2 12-pounder qf guns, on mcnabs island, part of halifax (harbour) coastal artillery defences.

after commanding standup, organization, training , arrival in england, left 11th brigade ammunition column, in may 1916. on promotion, assigned command 36th (ns) howitzer battery, awarded distinguished service order service @ somme. being additionally ‘mentioned in dispatches’ actions on vimy ridge in april 1917, batteries action on march 28, 1918, earned croix de guerre, when engaged 10th brigade, cfa, again on vimy ridge, in french action in defence of arras. battery @ jemappes, in southwestern belgium, outside mons, @ armistice.

returning canada, on demobilization, remained active charlottetown militia , pei heavy brigade, canadian garrison artillery. interests , business activities taking more of attention, reengaged stable in harness racing, mackinnon drug company, taking fox farming , breeding, , in 1921, columnist, purchasing ‘charlottetown’ guardian publishing company, transferred militia reserve list, in 1923. purchasing charlottetown driving park, in 1930, in 1932, retired island militia.

in 1962, @ age of 85, concluding passion horses, acknowledged father of harness racing in eastern canada, disposed of last stock. 2 years later, on december 22, 1964, @ age of 87, passed away, in charlottetown, after short illness.