BMQ-Land (soldier qualification?) for gunners

[CT57]

I listen to CAF podcasts and one of the episodes discussed changes to DP 1 training. Gunners had to absorb SQ training into the gun detachment members’ course. Does that mean the gunner’s’ course is longer?

What is the length of the Reg F and P Res gunners course?

 

[markppcli]

I listen to CAF podcasts and one of the episodes discussed changes to DP 1 training. Gunners had to absorb SQ training into the gun detachment members’ course. Does that mean the gunner’s’ course is longer?

What is the length of the Reg F and P Res gunners course?

No, the reg force gunners course is very short, about four weeks. It covers comms, but not artillery comms, driver wheeled, but not the primary gun movers, and a very brief SQ with 4 days in the field.

 

[FJAG]

onion
No, the reg force gunners course is very short, about four weeks. It covers comms, but not artillery comms, driver wheeled, but not the primary gun movers, and a very brief SQ with 4 days in the field.

In a way that brings us back to the 1960s when the equivalency of being a "trained" gunner was completion of recruit and gun detachment training. Driver wheeled-arty; arty sig; and arty tech were separate courses and moving on to bombardier (basically the equivalent of master bombardier now) was one of those plus a junior NCO course. Most of us had all four courses under our belts. Belts to which onions were tied which was the style at the time.

 

[markppcli]

In a way that brings us back to the 1960s when the equivalency of being a "trained" gunner was completion of recruit and gun detachment training. Driver wheeled-arty; arty sig; and arty tech were separate courses and moving on to bombardier (basically the equivalent of master bombardier now) was one of those plus a junior NCO course. Most of us had all four courses under our belts. Belts to which onions were tied which was the style at the time.

Ah but you did have gun det member, I assume on the 12 pounder, which is more than the guys here get. Hilariously we just sent 5 Gnr’s from the OPs to do Gun Det. The gun line vs OPs work environment was a shock to say the least.

 

[FJAG]

Ah but you did have gun det member, I assume on the 12 pounder, which is more than the guys here get.

No! No! - the 105mm M2A2 before we started calling it a C1 and when it was only seven years old.

Hilariously we just sent 5 Gnr’s from the OPs to do Gun Det. The gun line vs OPs work environment was a shock to say the least.

That's the thing about the C1/C3. It's dirt simple to learn. I was a new recruit in 1965 with three months of one Saturday morning a week on the drill square and learning the FNC1 rifle when they put us on an airplane to Shilo in late November (quite a shock for a Toronto boy in battle dress and a sheep skin). I was put on a gun as the number 3 - the most complex job on the gun. With the exception of the No 1 and No 7 - one a bombardier the other a just gunner - the other three guys were as inexperienced as I was. We had one hour of instruction out by the jump tower before deploying to the field and sending live rounds down range. Try that with an M777.

Have I ever told you about puttees?

 

[markppcli]

Have I ever told you about puttees?

I assume it’s what you hung the onions from your belt with.

 

[CT57]

I joined the reserve in 1973, did my GMT at the Armoury on Tuesday nights and Saturdays. During the summer they sent us to Valcartier for gunners’ course, which was 8 weeks long. The great part was that our instructors were X Bty. Two Master Bombardiers who were originally from 4 RCHA.

The course was mainly 105mm C1 gun drill with some radio procedure including arty callsigns and an introduction to the work of Arty techs. They extended the gun detachment course to create a summer reserve work placement.

PS. We did wear Battledress at the Armoury, but the combat uniform in the field.