Firing It Up and Drinking It Down

Press Release / Communiqué de Presse

3BAM Fires Up the 17th Annual Célébration des Tuques Bleues

Montreal - The 3^rd Montreal Field Battery of Artillery (3BAM) fired the starting guns for the 17^th annual Célebration des Tuques Bleue on the evening of February 20th.  The event is a snowshoe race organized by Les Amis de La Montagne, and harking back to the snowshoe races originally held by the Montreal Snowshoe Club in the 1840’s.

La 3BAM lance la 17e Célébration des Tuques Bleues

Montréal – La 3e Batterie d’artillerie de campagne de Montréal (3BAM), a donné le coup de départ jeudi le 20 février dernier, à la 17e édition de la Célébration des Tuques Bleues organisées par les Amis de la Montagne. La course en raquettes annuelle remémore l’époque des courses initialement organisées sur le Mont-Royal par le Montreal Snowshoe Club dans les 1840.

Firing It Up
I have to say that I really enjoyed the mission in support of Les Tuques Bleues. In part because I was able to convince Sunray to take out the A2 howitzer instead of the A1, which he'd originally planned to do. It makes no difference whatsoever for any purposes other than photography, but as can plainly be seen in the photo, the A2 is a Mk.II version of the 25pdr with a muzzle-brake fitted, which makes a for a spectacular T-shaped flash when captured in a photo. I've got some very nice shots with the other gun, but we've done a night photo with the Mk.II and it was really worth it. For those who are interested in knowing,  to capture this shot, the camera is mounted on a tripod, set to manual for a half-second exposure at f.11 with both a camera mounted flash and another fill to camera left mounted high on a stand and pointed downward, with the flash set to rear-curtain sync mode.

If you don't care about photography but care about the mission, it went off without a hitch. Unlike last year's event where the kids we chose to fire the gun didn't seem to be able to find the firing lever or have the strength to pull it back causing major screw-ups, (see video from last year here http://3bam.blogspot.ca/2013/02/les-amis-de-la-montagne-feb-21-2013.html ) we had real gunners in the Number 3 seat this time and things went according to plan.

A party was held afterwards in the mess

Denis Dumas and Nathalie Millette

The 2nd Field Regiment's CO Lcol  Richard Garon, the RSM, CWO Joao Barros, and the honourary colonel, Col (H) Charles de Kovachich participated in the race on behalf of the regiment. As we had no driver available for our trucks, the regiment provided us with a truck and driver and a co-driver to haul our 25pdr up to Smith House where the shoot took place. Once everything was all done, we repaired to the armoury, dropped the gun on the floor and repaired to the combined mess for an evening of fun and revelry, drinks and dinner.

Drinking it Down
One of the more amusing things, as far as I was concerned, was despite my taking in quite a few drinks, I got away without paying for any of them. The wine for the evening was supplied by Col (H) de Kovachich and generous rounds were paid by MWO (ret) Tom Savoie and Lcol (Ret) Jaques Borne. I brought a lot of money and didn't get to spend any of it. The evening was without protocols, and a great opportunity for 3BAM members to get together and bond as a group, integrating our newest members, William Gallant, Denis Dumas and Nathalie Millette, and also mixing it up with serving 2RCA members who had come out in support of the operation, some military college cadets who'd fallen under Gille's spell in Sicily last summer, plus the CO and Honourary Colonel, both of whom joined us after they'd made their rounds among the race organizers.

It was an opportunity also for Sunray to make some presentations to deserving members of 3BAM for

Ocdt Couture and Sunray with his new pillbox.

their hard work and dedication: everyone received baseball caps emblazoned with the RCA crest, and several members were presented with souvenir medallions. Others, such as WO (ret) Gilles Pelletier and Lcol (ret) Jaques Borne received special gifts for their contributions to our little outfit. Sunray was presented with a pillbox cap by Ocdt Victor-Joel Couture of the military college. Today, this absurd (in my opinion) piece of military headdress is worn in full dress by military college cadets, but was once standard headdress in the artillery and other mounted formations.  I shouldn't comment perhaps, because the wedge cap I like to wear with my desert uniform offers only slightly more protection to the wearer than the pillbox, though it is (in my opinion) more attractive and doesn't require a chinstrap to prevent it falling off my head.

Lsgt Jean Rocheleau presents Lcol Richard Garon with a 3BAM commemorative medallion.

Before leaving for his long drive back to Levis, Col Garon took the time to come individually thank and shake hands with everyone present. I've said it before and I'll say it again that he is (in my opinion) the very model of a kick-ass CO that every unit in the army deserves to have, but few will ever get.  One former member remarked to me privately during the evening, that if Col Garon had been CO when we were in the regiment ourselves, then he would probably never have left the regiment.  The 2nd Field Regiment is lucky to have him, and again, I will wish him the best of luck in his mission and I am certain that I speak for all of 3BAM in pledging our continued and wholehearted support.  Thanks, by the way, for allowing us to use the mess for our party.

All in all, the evening was a great success and a fabulous way to kick off a whole new year of missions. 


Ubique!

Gary Menten
Photographer, 3BAM,
Blogmeister-General, etc.....