RCA Museum

RCA Museum Canada's National Artillery Museum is dedicated to telling the stories of Canadian gunners. Building N-118, Patricia Road, CFB Shilo.

Open from 10 AM to 4 PM – Monday to Friday
Closed on weekends

We are also offering guided tours by appointment. Phone: 204-765-3000 (Ext. 3570 or 3531) Email: [email protected]

RCA Soldier Apprentice BatteryWhile reviewing the museum archives this morning, I found a CD containing a slideshow on t...
03/31/2026

RCA Soldier Apprentice Battery
While reviewing the museum archives this morning, I found a CD containing a slideshow on the RCA Soldier Apprentice Battery from 1963 to 1965. The training battery operated at Camp Shilo from 1954 to 1967, and our collection documents those years through many photographs. In the early 2000s, retired soldier Terry Turnbull assembled the slideshow, selecting images that identify apprentice soldiers and show scenes from the base.

These photos come from slides dating to the 1960s and 1970s. We have many photo collections like this preserved on slide...
03/13/2026

These photos come from slides dating to the 1960s and 1970s. We have many photo collections like this preserved on slides and film.

Camp Shilo Artillery Training, Canadian and U.S. Soldiers – 1943The first group of photographs shows Canadian reserve ar...
02/20/2026

Camp Shilo Artillery Training, Canadian and U.S. Soldiers – 1943

The first group of photographs shows Canadian reserve artillery units training on the 4.5-inch howitzer, 40mm Bofors, and 3.7-inch anti-aircraft gun. Crews drill, load, and reposition equipment as they build proficiency. The images capture a mix of older and newly issued uniforms and equipment, reflecting an army expanding and modernizing during the war.

The second group features the 255th Ordnance Medium Maintenance Company, U.S. Army, stationed at Camp Shilo from December 1942 to March 1943 for cold-weather training. Soldiers work with the 90mm anti-aircraft gun, 81mm mortar, and 60mm mortar, while testing vehicles and support systems. The photos reveal both differences and shared purpose as Canadian and American troops prepared for service overseas.

Featured here are several vehicles mostly from the Gregg Collection. Likely captured in the late 1980s or early 1990s, t...
02/02/2026

Featured here are several vehicles mostly from the Gregg Collection. Likely captured in the late 1980s or early 1990s, these photographs document approximately half of the original 1986 acquisition and some others.

Guns on ExerciseWhile going through some archived files, I came across one titled “Gun on Exercise.” The photographs app...
01/12/2026

Guns on Exercise
While going through some archived files, I came across one titled “Gun on Exercise.” The photographs appear to date from the mid 1960s through the 1970s and feature early variants of the M109, the L5 105mm Pack Howitzer, and the C1 105mm Howitzer.

Unexpected Fairways: The 14th Field Regiment in Britain, 1941–44This photoset comes from Ken Darling of the 14th Field R...
12/10/2025

Unexpected Fairways: The 14th Field Regiment in Britain, 1941–44

This photoset comes from Ken Darling of the 14th Field Regiment, RCA, and shows the unit during its deployment in Britain from 1941 to 1944 - including a few unexpected moments on the golf course. The regiment was mobilized for overseas service early in the war and spent its time in the United Kingdom training, re-equipping, and preparing for future operations. The 14th later landed at Juno Beach on D-Day and fought across France and Northwest Europe.

1 SSM BatteryI found an undated photo album from 1 SSM (Surface-to-Surface Missile) Battery stationed in Germany. Based ...
11/28/2025

1 SSM Battery

I found an undated photo album from 1 SSM (Surface-to-Surface Missile) Battery stationed in Germany. Based on the uniforms and equipment, 1966-68.

1 SSM Battery’s story began at Camp Picton, where it formed in 1960 before heading overseas on a new mission. In December 1961, the battery arrived in Hemer, Germany, taking up its place within NATO during a tense phase of the Cold War. There, the gunners worked with the MGR-1 Honest John rocket, maintaining readiness through constant drills and field duties. Back in Canada, 2 SSM Battery trained more than 700 soldiers who would reinforce the unit overseas. Together, the two batteries shaped Canada’s missile-artillery force, meeting their tasks with steady purpose until 1 SSM returned home for disbandment in 1970.

Our senior curator captured photos of the gun park last night, showcasing not only the guns but also the northern lights...
11/13/2025

Our senior curator captured photos of the gun park last night, showcasing not only the guns but also the northern lights.

Photographs of the 60-pounder gun, primarily taken during the 3rd Medium Battery training exercises at Petawawa in 1937....
11/04/2025

Photographs of the 60-pounder gun, primarily taken during the 3rd Medium Battery training exercises at Petawawa in 1937. The first image may date to the First World War.

Canada ordered twelve 60-pounders in late 1903 and received them before World War I. Batteries equipped coastal and heavy units and sent guns with contingents to France and the North Russian Expedition.

Designers produced several marks with wire-wound barrels on box-trail carriages, fitted quick-firing hydro-spring (later hydro-pneumatic) recoil systems and a screw breech. The gun served on the Western Front and remained in Canadian service from 1905 to 1942.

Troops used the 60-pounder, both horse-drawn and mechanized, for counter-battery fire and long-range support. Canadian batteries trained and employed the gun into the early 1940s until newer medium artillery replaced it.

RCA Battle School, 1988-1990The photos depict the basic gunner course for Non-Commissioned Members (NCMs) at Shilo durin...
10/23/2025

RCA Battle School, 1988-1990

The photos depict the basic gunner course for Non-Commissioned Members (NCMs) at Shilo during the late 1980s. They capture various moments, including the cap badge ceremony, awards presentations, inspections, march-pasts, presentations of arms, parades, and change-of-command ceremonies.

US Army Brigadier General Visit to Shilo in August 1954In our archives, I discovered a souvenir photo album containing f...
10/10/2025

US Army Brigadier General Visit to Shilo in August 1954

In our archives, I discovered a souvenir photo album containing fifteen images documenting Brigadier-General Thomas M. Watlington’s visit to the Royal Canadian School of Artillery in Shilo, Manitoba. The photographs capture moments from his August 1954 tour of Camp Shilo, including his inspection of Canadian artillery equipment such as a 17-pounder anti-aircraft gun and a 4.2-inch mortar. One image even shows Gunners firing an obsolete 12-pounder gun from the Boer War era. Together, these photographs provide a fascinating glimpse into life at Camp Shilo in August 1954.

Address

Building N-118, Patricia Road
Cfb Shilo, MB
R0K2A0

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm

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