# 2 Canadian Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment - History



## tsunami (23 Oct 2004)

I will be attempting to scan the regimental history ( about 50+ pages ) into electronic form so that a visually impared member of the regiment can read and hear it on his computer.  I have yet to receive the book.  At this time I do not know what copyrights may apply.  For his personal use there is no problem as he has the book.  A scan with Google has found no repository for this format of historical documents - i.e. regimental histories.

Is there such a site that I can advise and offer the scanned documents to?


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## tsunami (23 Oct 2004)

I should add that this regimental history is for the period 1939-1945


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## Michael Dorosh (23 Oct 2004)

tsunami said:
			
		

> I will be attempting to scan the regimental history ( about 50+ pages ) into electronic form so that a visually impared member of the regiment can read and hear it on his computer.  I have yet to receive the book.  At this time I do not know what copyrights may apply.  For his personal use there is no problem as he has the book.  A scan with Google has found no repository for this format of historical documents - i.e. regimental histories.
> 
> Is there such a site that I can advise and offer the scanned documents to?



I'd be interested in the publication information for my website - I maintain a bibliography of wartime unit histories there.   Can you identify the author, publisher, date of publication, ISBN (if present), etc. for me?


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## tsunami (23 Oct 2004)

I have just received the document and it is not copyrighted.   It was written and illustrated by the men of the regiment.   It is 60 pages bound like a paper back book.   There is no publishers name.   On the page that would normally have copyright etc is just one line " SOESTERBERG, HOLLAND - AUGUST 1945"   Front and dedication page images will be put on my web page shortlt as these forums will only take a 120+kb of attachments.   The first page ( page 3 ) of scanned OCR text follows below.

The URL will be http://members.shaw.ca/ve4yz/haa     As there is no copyright I will add text and images in the next few days to that site.   A second copy of this book in paper form has been presented to http://www.army.dnd.ca/cfb_shilo/cfb_shilo_home.htm by the member for whom I am doing the scan.

*A HISTORY OF 2 CDN HAA REGIMENT.

2 Canadian Medium Regiment RCA was mobilized I Sep 1939 by Order-in-Council, to comprise I, 8, 11, 57 Medium Batteries NPAM. During the autumn and winter of 1939-1940, these four batteries carried out normal (war) battery training, suffering equipment difficulties common to all branches of the newly organized Canadian Active Service Force, but at the same time benefiting from the exceptionally fine autumn weather to carry out extensive outdoor training. In April, Lt. Col. P. S. Fielding, of Charlottetown, was appointed Commanding Officer, with Capt F. B. Zink, of Halifax, as Adjutant; and, after an inspection of all four batteries at their home stations by the new CO and his Adjutant; the Regiment concentrated at Petawawa 21-27 May 1940. Here the Regiment was joined by Lieut. J. F. Dobson as Orderly Officer, Capt C. H. Johnson as Medical Officer, Hon Capt D. J. Harrington as Chaplain, Capt Jenkins as Quartermaster, RSM J. Murray, and RQMS L. D. Richardson.

Two composite batteries were formed, the 8/11 Bty with A and B Troops, and the 1/57 Bty with C and D Troops. Major J. F. Plow, originally the BC of 1 Bty, was appointed second-in-command of the regiment, and Major R. J. Fisher was promoted from captain to command 1/57 Bty. The 8/1 I Bty was under the command of Major G. G. K. Peake.

At this time, the Regiment had virtually no equipment, and the first scheme featured such strange things as gunners wandering about the Montgomery Crossing area, in the rain and dark of night, trailing bits of rope between themselves, with each man told off as "the limber of No. 2 gun", or "the of front wheel of No. 3 gun".   Equipment gradually trickled in, and by the end of its stay at Petawawa the Regiment had trained on 18-pdrs (one of which was of 1913 manufacture), 4.5" hows, 6" hows, 60-pdrs, and (during one cold bitter week in the spring of 1941) a 12-pdr, and had fired all but the 6" howitzer. Firing the 12-pdr was always an interesting game, Since the gun had to be blocked up with sandbags, and the plug pulled out with some 40 feet of signal wire.

Schemes on the ranges were frequent; those by day featuring




3*


Enjoy...


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## alkwest (27 Dec 2008)

My father typed this manuscript. I will attempt to insert a scanned image of the hand-written note on the inside of the document.
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





  Just in case this attempt fails, if you contact me at:  alkwest@sympatico.ca   I will forward the image to you in an email. My father, Keith West,  could probably fill you in on more details, including the illustrators.
I look forward to viewing the text and images on your website. 
Allan West


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## Bruce Monkhouse (27 Dec 2008)

Unfortunately the author of those posts is no longer an active member and both of the links he provided are dead.


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