A History of the Defence of Victoria and Esquimalt: Royal Garrison Artillery Period 1899-1906 by Ronald Lovatt 1983

A History of the Defence of Victoria and Esquimalt: Royal Garrison Artillery Period 1899-1906 by Ronald Lovatt 1983 A History of the Defence of Victoria and Esquimalt: Royal Garrison Artillery period 1899-1906 by Ronald Lovatt iX Abstract I Introduction 9 Abbreviations Used 12 Chronology 28 Gunners and Sappers; Fortifications and Barracks General Royal Garrison Artillery Company titles Royal Engineers of the garrison Service corps representatives 19 Company arrival Officer changes Royal Engineer arrival Defence works Militia training Defence Scheme rehearsal Militia firing practice Second annual mobilisation 19 Company departure 21 Company arrival Royal Engineer draft 21 Company renumbered 1902 Defence Scheme - Garrison life Expansion of Work Point Barracks Defence Works 83 Company departure 58 Company arrival Change of command of garrison Responsibility changeover 58 Company and Royal Engineer departure 51 Submarine Mining General Historical development of defensive minefields Royal Naval interest Royal Artillery interest The first submarine mining company Recruit training Advanced training Regular and militia companies Initial difficulties at Esquimalt Arrival of 48 Company Officers of the company Training local militia Esquimalt minefield Responsibility transferred Departure of 48 Company 66 The Esquimalt Defence Scheme General Scheme development Use of natural features Esquimalt coast defence batteries 1902 Esquimalt garrison Four parts of the Defence Scheme Fortress command and communications Mobilisation of the troops Administration Harbour entrance control Colwood Field Force Troops at Rodd Hill Preparation of 6-inch gun batteries, Rodd Hill 6-inch gun engagement procedures Belmont Battery preparation 12 pdr. gun characteristics Belmont Battery engagement procedures Defence Electric Light operation Rodd Hill Defence Electric lights 1903 operational trial Annual Defence Scheme rehearsal Firing practice Annual mobilisation 100 The Militia General Reorganisation Volunteers for Boer War Events in 1900 5 Company reversion Annual programme Firing practice Mobilisation practice Inspections Bands Appointments Dress Reorganisation 115 Transfer of Responsibility to Canada General Revision of scale of attack Admiralty policy on Esquimalt War Office position Memorandum to Committee of Imperial Defence Coast defence artillery organisation Discussion of transfer of responsibility to Canada Admiralty paper 1904 Preparation in Canada for takeover Canadian request Local opinion Royal Navy reduction of Esquimalt ... War office pressure for policy on Esquimalt . defence Colonial Defence Committee recommendation Canadian government informed Minister of Militia and Defence recommendation The garrison's last year Handover Departure of British garrison Appendix A Brief biographies of officers of the British garrison at Esquimalt 1899-1906 Appendix B Nominal Roll of non-comnissioned officers and men of 58 Company Royal Garrison Artillery who applied for and were recommended for transfer to the Canadian Permanent Force 1906. Appendix C Garrison Staff Roll 1900 Appendix D Nominal role of Victoria volunteers for South Africa war service with 2nd (Special Service) Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment, 22 October 1899. Appendix E Deceased members of Esquimalt garrison 1900-1906 Appendix F 48 Company/Squadron R.E. lineage diary. Appendix G 44 Company/Squadron R.E. lineage diary. Appendix H Outline histories of Royal Garrigon Artillery Companies of Esquimalt Garrison 161 Appendix I Account of the move of a detachment of 18 Company R.E. to Esquimalt in April 1894. 164 Appendix J Report by Lieutenant P.H. French R.E. of the Royal Engineers at Work Point barracks, Esquimalt on the station. 172 Appendix K Synopses of four courses of instruction for submarine miners of the Royal Engineers from the Royal Engineers Journal, 1 September 1902. 178 Endnotes /g7 Glossary 190 Bibliography 19f Illustrations 1. Sketch map showing the main geographic features of the Victora-Esquimalt area. 2. 19 Company Western Division Royal Garrison Artillery. 3. 83 Company Royal Garrison Artillery. 4. Officers of 83 Company Royal Garrison Artillery at Work Point barracks, Esquimalt, C. 1903. 5. Work Point barracks, Esquimalt, c. 1903. 6. Work Point barracks, Esquimalt, c. 1903. 7. Christmas card of 58 Company Royal Garrison Artillery, 1905. 8. Sketch map of minefield and defence electric lights, C. 1904. 9. Diagram of 100 pound electro-contact mine and mooring. 10. Christmas card of Royal Enginners at Work point barracks, Esquimalt, 1904. 11. 2/44 (Fortress) Company Royal Engineers, February 1905. 12. Christmas card of Royal Engineers at Work Point barracks, Esquimalt, 1905. 13. 48 (Submarine Mining) Company and 2/44 (Fortress) Company R.E., c. 1906. 14. Officers of Esquimalt garrison 1906. 15. Cup presented to garrison on departure 1906. 16. Militia lineage chart. 17. Carriage Field R.M.L. 13 pdr. Mark I. 18. Carriage Field Machine Gun Infantry MAXIM Mark I L. 19. Carriage Parapet Machine Gun MAXIM Mark 11. 20. Carriage Q.F. Recoil 6 pdr. Hotchkiss Mark I L. 21. Carriage Garrison Q.F. 12 pdr. (Mark I) L. 22. Carriage Garrison Disappearing B.L. 6 inch Mark IV hydro-pneumatic for Mark IV gun. Abstract This is the third in a series of studies which together will relate the history of the defence of Victoria and Esqui- malt. It covers the Royal Garrison Artillery period of the history, 1899-1906. In the introduction, there is a brief description of the historical events which led to the British-Canadian agreement of 1899 to provide for the defence of Esquimalt. It is followed by a historical account of the last seven years of British responsibility for the defence. It shows that under British control there was a steady improvement in the quality of the defences and the efficiency of their operation from 1899 until 1904. Never- theless the British authorities began a reappraisal of their commitment in 1902. The progress of that reappraisal to the eventual negotiation of the British withdrawal in 1906 is described in some detail. There were sound British naval and military reasons for the withdrawal, but also a distinct reluctance to break the agreement with Canada unilaterally. Canadian acceptance of the British withdrawal, and the Canadian plan for the future of the defences and of the garrison, were almost entirely politically motivated. When the British garrison withdrew, it left behind, in the care of a small Canadian regular garrison and the local militia, a military legacy of training, organisation, equipment, fortifications and armament. Introduction By 1871, Esquimalt was the main station of the Royal Navy's Pacific Squadron, stores and staff having been transferred there from Valparaiso. It was, therefore, very much in the Royal Navy's interest to have Esquimalt protected by coastal batteries. The government of British Columbia considered the continuation of the Royal Navy's station at Esquimalt and the defence of both Esquimalt and Victoria to be important enough matters to have them included in the terms of the confederation agreement of 1871. Victoria had been an isolated colonial capital and the chief port for British Columbia for many years. It would remain so after confederation, at least until an overland link, the transcontinen- tal railway, was established with the remainder of the Dominion of Canada. There was a great fear of American aggressiveness and expansionism, and only a few days journey by steamer across the Pacific lay Russia, another aggressive and expansionist nation and a long time adversary of Great Britain possessed of a sizeable Pacific fleet of warships. The Royal Navy's base at Esquimalt linked British Columbia directly with a protective naval and military strength not available from Canada. And there were considerable economic benefits to be derived from the naval presence in commerce and employment with more yet to be gained from the construc- tion of fortifications and the presence of a garrison. When the Dominion's militia system was extended into British Columbia after confederation, some thought was given in milita headquarters to the mounting of spare guns from the navy yard, Esquimalt, in coastal batteries, but no practical steps were taken to put the plan into effect. The Dominion government had too few military resources at the time. The militia units raised on Vancouver Island were infantry, The catalyst which brought Royal Navy requirement, local desire and Dominion govenment support together to pro- duce a practical result was the crisis in British-Russian affairs in 1878. In the emergency, the Colonial Defence Committee was formed in London, England, to take immediate action to defend the important naval ports of the Empire from attack by marauding warships of the large Russian navy. To protect Esquimalt the committee coordinated the loan of guns from Esquimalt navy yard, the raising of local volunteers in Victoria to man them and the dispatch of an artillery officer by the Dominion's militia headquarters to see to their mounting in earthwork batteries along the Victoria-Esquimalt waterfront. War did not occur between Britain and Russia in 1878, but the emergency did bring home to the authorities in London the critical need for the development of a long term policy with regard to the defence of coaling stations and other ports essential to the Royal Navy's defence of the British Empire. A Royal Commission, the Carnarvon commission after its chairman Lord Carnarvon, was formed to examine the defences of such stations and ports

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