Need some history: Brockville Rifles..Anyone help?

[crowquiller]

I am working on a Pen & Ink drawing of the Brockville Armouries with their ancient cannon and a Rifles soldier on the front lawn.
I need the date of the building of the Armoury, the Brockville Rifles inception and anything in the way of pictorial reference that may help me draw this scene accurately!
I will appreciate any help you can send me,...especially if there is an actual site where all of this is quartered!
Thank you so very much!

Examples of the work I do are on my website:  www.johnacullen.com

~~~~~~~~~~Crowquiller

 

[Bill Smy]

I hope you title the rendering "Brockville Armoury" as there is only one armopury in Brockville.

 

[larry Strong]

Here's some History:

Taken from   http://www.regiments.org/regiments/na-canada/volmil/on-inf/041brock.htm

1793 Regiment of Leeds formed in Sedentary Militia upon reorganisation of Upper Canada into counties
1824 elements separated to form Regiment of Lanark  
1855.09.27 Brockville Infantry Company first Active Militia unit formed at Brockville
1864 Sedentary Militia element redesignated Non-Service Militia
1866.10.05 41st Brockville Battalion of Rifles formed in Active Militia with HQ at Brockville by regimentation of independent companies:
No. 1 Company at Brockville, raised 27 Sep.1855
No. 2 Company at Gananoque, raised 10 Dec. 1857
No. 3 Company at Perth, raised 17 June 1861
No. 4 Company at Merrickville, raised 3 July 1862
No. 5 Company at Carleton Place, raised 28 Nov. 1862
No. 6 Company at Packenham, raised 11 Dec. 1862

1869 Non-Service Militia reorganised as Reserve Militia of Leeds County (last enrolled in 1873)
1900.05.08 41st Regiment (Brockville Rifles)
1920.03.15 The Brockville Rifles
1920.11.01 reorganised to perpetuate CEF:
1st Battalion, perpetuating 156th Battalion CEF
A Company at Brockville
B Company at Brockville
C Company at Brockville
D Company at Brockville
2nd (Reserve) Battalion

1946.05.13 60th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Brockville Rifles), RCA (converted to artillery)
1954.09.01 32nd Locating Battery (Brockville Rifles), RCA absorbed 32nd Anti-Tank Battalion (Self-Propelled), RCA
1959.12.01 The Brockville Rifles (converted back to infantry)

 

[AJFitzpatrick]

http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/asu_kingston/military/brock_e.asp?Nocache=1%2F3%2F2007+8%3A43%3A04+PM

The Brockville Armoury, designated “The Armouries,” is located at East Avenue in Brockville. Constructed in 1900, it has become the home of the Brockville Rifles.

emphasis added

 

[Bill Smy]

A bit of grammatical confusion :

"The Brockville Armoury, [singular noun] designated “The Armouries,” [plural] is located [singular verb] at East Avenue in Brockville. Constructed in 1900, it [singuilar pronoun] has become [soingular verb] the home of the Brockville Rifles. Sharing the massive old building is the 113th Brockville Army Cadet Corps and the 870 (Vampire) Air Cadet Squadron. The Armouries [plural subject] serves [singular verb] as a meeting place for the local community, sponsors [singulzr verb] the local March of Dimes Chapter and Red Cross Blood Donor Clinics, and supports [singular verb] the local area Disaster Relief Response Plan. "

 

[crowquiller]

Thank you Bill, for that important fact! I thought maybe a big town like Brockville might have three or four Armouries to keep the Americans at bay!
Have you any other important bits to share with me, as my history is weak in this department.
You never know how many people out there are willing to share their historical knowledge with you!
Regards,....Crowquiller

 

[crowquiller]

Thank you AJ and Larry for the needed info! I now have all I need to complete the Pen & Ink.
Thanks again, Bill, for your grammar lesson! I wasn't aware that you could spell armouries that many times! I beg to question the many ways you spell the word "singlular" in your lesson!
We all seek instruction from time to time and it's great to know there is someone out there who cares!!
Thanks again, fells! and especially Bill!!
~~~~~~~~~Crowquiller

 

[The Rifleman]

can anyone out there tell me why the Brockville Rifles have no record of service in WW2? I have tried a few sites but the only mention is about a badge on a drum or something like that  ???

 

[Michael OLeary]

The Regiments and Corps of the Canadian Army, Prepared by the Army Historical Section, 1964

Second World War, 1929-1945.  The Brockville Rifles supplied personnel to The Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders in May 1940, and to the Rocky Mountain Rangers in June 1943.  The Regiment mobilized "The Brockville Rifles" on 18 Mar 1942.  This unit served in Canada and Jamaica until disbanded on 30 Apr 1946.  A 2nd Battalion served in the Reserve Force.

As noted above, the Brockville Rifles were the "60th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Brockville Rifles), RCA (converted to artillery), which became the "32nd Locating Battery (Brockville Rifles), RCA" on amalgamation with the "32nd (Kingston) Field Battery (Self-Propelled), RCA".

From the same reference as above:

The 32nd (Kingston) Field Battery mobilized the "32nd/34th Field Battery, RCA, CASF" of the 14th Field Regiment at Kingston on 24 may 1940.  On 1 jan 1941 it was converted and redesignated, in part, "32nd (Kingston) Light Anti-Aircraft Battery" and allocated to the 4th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment.  It served in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany.  the active service battery was disbanded in Holland on 13 Nov 1945.  A 3rd/32nd Battery served in the Reserve Army.

 

[The Rifleman]

We in the UK had similar experiences where well known TA infantry regiments were converted to LAA/Searchlight regiments and only saw home service. Its a shame that new conscript regiments couldn't have been formed so that the iheritage and nfantry skills base wasn't lost.

 

[ktownman1]

I should be able to help you with any information that you require with regard to the history of "The Brockville Rifles". Note "The" is capitalized and included in the name of the Regiment. I am the Regimental Sergeant Major of The Brockville Rifles and have the entire Regimental History sitting here on my desk. I would be more than glad to share it with you. The "Armouries" is located at 144 King St East. The difference between Armoury and Armouries is simple. An Armoury has one Turret on it and an Armouries has 2. The Armouries in Brockville does indeed have 2. Please feel free to contact me directly at finn.pm@forces.gc.ca

I am more than happy to share any information I have on this Regiment.

 

[The Rifleman]

I tried to see the turrets on Google Earth but Brockville is blurred 

 

[AJFitzpatrick]

More a case of the unavailability of high resolution images then anything deliberate. Kingston is also low resolution only but there is high resolution imagery for Gananoque.