4th Anti-Aircraft Battery Leaving Kingston

Just over two years ago, a unique photo showing what appeared to be military vehicles being loaded on flatcars near the Canadian National freight shed was discussed in this post. The unit pictured, the 4th Anti-Aircraft Battery of the Royal Canadian Artillery was station at Kingston at the time. Departing for summer training at Point Petre on May 27, 1939 they were scheduled to return on August 26, 1939. And return they did, just in time to be embarked for deployment to protect Halifax harbour.

The top photo, undated and captioned Princess at Regent Streets, shows a military convoy led by Military Police in a car. The site is virtually unrecognizable today, with newer buildings on all sides. (Photo - Kingston Picture Collection, Queen's University Archives). The convoy is heading out of the city with evening sun. Marc Shaw kindly added additional information: The limestone building was originally the offices of the Kingston Street railway company, and the adjacent barn to the west provided stabling for the horses before the system was electrified. Originally there was a loop in front of the building for the cars to turn around, and a siding to move the cars into the barn. But later on the turnaround was relocated to the corner of Princess and Alfred Street. After the street railway departed, the stone building became the Coulter family home; they ran a store and the post office out of there. And later still the site was used by the David M Nesbitt Dodge Dealership. Nesbitt used the former stone building for sometime but demolished it around 1954.

A 1949 Queen's University Archives photo showing a Nesbitt ad on the limestone building:

The Kingston Whig-Standard covered the deployment of the 4th Anti-Aircraft Battery, starting with this view of the unit's storage building at Artillery Park, published on August 25, 1939:

The loading of flat cars and departure of the troops was also profiled on August 28. Story on page 1:

There were two further mentions of the movement, with groups of photos on pages 3 and 10. This group of three photos includes the one that started it all, though considerably more difficult to make out than the one in the post linked to above!

This group includes a view of happy volunteers in a coach, as well as a broadside view of the loaded vehicles.

A cropped and lightened version shows the anti-aircraft gun being towed up the ramp onto the waiting flatcar by its gun-tractor:

I believe these are Leyland gun tractors. The anti-aircraft gun design dates to World War I. These vintage postcard views show the gun tractors during training at Petawawa, though not anti-aircraft guns. With 18-pounder guns and limbers in 1935 (below), in the transition from horse-drawn to horsepower! Sounds as if it was a particularly sentimental, angsty transition. Wouldn't they always have horse-drawn guns? Also the transition from summer pith helmets to tin helmets.

1938 views with newer, rubber-tired limbers and guns. The first row of trucks (above) does not have the noticeable dual-wheel fenders and a different box style than the ones shown in the original Kingston photo. Crossing a bridge (below) and both views show typical Petawawa pine forests.

For future reference and investigation into the exact makes and models, here are some data points from various online sources. Needless to say, the unit in question was not as well-covered as it could have been, while in Kingston!

Canadian light anti-aircraft (LAA) batteries were equipped with the Polsten 20mm and the dependable 40mm Bofors gun for engagement of low-level aircraft. The heavy anti-aircraft (HAA) units guarded against higher altitude aircraft with the 3.7-inch gun.

The first unit to become mechanized was the 3rd Medium Battery, RCA. It was issued four 6-wheeled Leyland tractors in 1929 to tow its 60-pounders. A and B Batteries RCHA Brigade were mechanized in 1930. It wasn’t until 1937 that C Battery parted with its last horses. 

The first Permanent Force anti-aircraft component of The RCA was raised in 1937 at Kingston. Designated the 4th Anti-Aircraft Battery, it was equipped with four 3-inch 20-cwt. Mark IA guns and first conducted firing practice at Point Petre on Lake Ontario in the fall of 1938. The unit inherited a number of members from the Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery Company at Quebec. The following year it proceeded overseas as part of the 2nd Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) Regiment.