1. The Gunners of Canada - The History of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, Volume I 1534-1919. Hardcover, navy blue cloth cover, with dust jacket, entitled "The Gunners of Canada - The History of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, Volume I 1534-1919" by Colonel Gerald William Lingen "Gerry" Nicholson CD, copyrighted in 1967 by The Royal Canadian Artillery Association, published by McClelland and Stewart Limited of Toronto and Montreal, printed and bound in Canada by T.H. Best Printing Company Limited, Library of Congress Catalogue Card No. 67-30518. As stated on the dust jacket: "The sound of artillery was first heard in Canada in 1534. It was most effectively used by Jacques Cartier to frighten the Indians who were crowding his longboats with their canoes. Volume I of Colonel Nicholson's definitive work traces the story of Canadian gunners from the days when the French used transformed naval guns against hostile natives to the intricately planned artillery barrages of the First World War. Having provided some fascinating background information on the development of guns and gunners, the story moves through four vividly depicted centuries of military history - the period of the Ancien Regime, the American War of Independence, the War of 1812, the Fenian Raids, and the Boer War to the climactic, tragic years of the Great War. Although during early Colonial days Canada was largely dependent upon Britain's Royal Artillery for her defences, we see how her own artillery gained steadily in strength, experience and prestige, until that proud moment in 1871 when, on the recall of the Royal Artillery to Britain, Canada added to her volunteer militia batteries her first regular artillery. Colonel Nicholson opens up new historical perspectives as he delineates the growth and participation of Canada's militia in our country's turbulent early history. Whether his weapon was a crude cannon or the most modern artillery equipment, the Canadian gunner traditionally displayed the resourcefulness, courage and ingenuity which bring such honour to his story. "The Gunners of Canada" is a unique and moving account of the proud heritage created by these artillerymen who shaped Canada's past. It is amply supported by maps, charts and photographs, and the text is greatly enhanced by many lively first-hand quotations from letters, documents and diaries. The author also provides a comprehensive list of the valiant individuals who created the distinguished record of the Royal Canadian Artillery up until 1918." It begins with a Table of Contents, followed by a Foreword by Major-General A. Bruce Matthews, Colonel Commandant, The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery and a Preface by the author, G.W.L. Nicholson. It is divided into twelve chapters: I - Early Guns and Gunners; II - The Artillery of the Early Colonial Period; III - Before Confederation; IV - The Early Years of the Regiment; V - Canadian Gunners in South Africa; VI - The Last Years of Peace; VII - The First World War - Entry into Battle; VIII - The Fighting in Flanders, 1915-1916; IX - From the Somme to Hill 70; X - The Winter of Passchendaele; XI - The Last Hundred Days; XII - After the Armistice. It concludes with eight Appendices, References, Illustrations Credits and a twenty-six page Index. The book contains 490 pages of text interspersed with twelve maps, printed in black ink, on a white paper stock, complemented by four fold-out colour maps, along with 32 pages incorporating multiple black and white photographs (16 inserted between pages 338 and 339, and between 178 and 179) and printed in black ink on a coated paper stock, measuring 160 mm (w) x 250 mm (h) x 40 mm (d). Wear and discolouration evident on the dust jacket, however, the pages contained within remain unaffected.
2,. The Gunners of Canada - The History of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, Volume II 1919-1967. Hardcover, red cloth cover, with dust jacket, entitled "The Gunners of Canada - The History of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, Volume II 1919-1967", by Colonel Gerald William Lingen "Gerry" Nicholson CD, copyrighted in 1972 by The Royal Canadian Artillery Association, published by McClelland and Stewart Limited of Toronto and Montreal, printed and bound in Canada by T.H. Best Printing Company Limited, Library of Congress Catalogue Card No. 67-30518. As stated on the dust jacket: " "They had illusions concerning what lay ahead - each man realized that if would be a grim and probably a costly struggle...and with a quiet determination was determined to see it through." Thus was expressed the spirit of the Canadian gunners on the eve of Operation "Blockbuster", the Rhineland battle which was to prove one of the decisive actions in the final phases of the Second World War. It is a spirit which is very much alive throughout this concluding volume of Colonel G.W.L. Nicholson's stirring and authoritative history of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery. Here is the chronicle of Canadian Gunners and Canadian Guns from the end of the First World War to the present day. Their story, encompassing as it does the difficult years of the depression; the terrible but magnificent experience of the Second World War; the significant work of the artillery in Korea; and their contribution to Canada's international role during the postwar years, has powerful meaning and appeal to all Canadians. Included in the appendices is a list of decorations won by Canadian artillerymen in the Second World War and in Korea. This is a book not only for gunners, but one which deserves a place on every Canadian bookshelves...a book which makes so very clear the reason for "that cry of hope which has arisen on so many occasions from infantry and other arms - 'The Guns, thank God, the Guns.' " " It begins with a Table of Contents, followed by a Foreword by Major-General H.A. Sparling, Colonel Commandant, The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery and a Preface by the author, G.W.L. Nicholson. It is divided into fifteen chapters: I - After the First World War; II - Before the Second World War; III - The Second World War - On Guard in Britain; IV - The Build-Up Overseas; V - The Non-Divisional Artillery; VI - From Pachino to Ortona; VII - The Battle for Rome; VIII - From the Gothic Line to the Senio; IX - The Invasion of Normandy; X - From Normandy to the Scheldt; XI - The Road to Victory; XII - On Guard in Canada; XIII - "The Artillery has been Terrific"; XIV - The Post-War Decade; XV - Two Canadian Centennials. It concludes with a Volume One Corrigenda and Addenda, eight Appendices, References, Illustrations Credits and a thirty-nine page Index. The book contains 774 pages of text interspersed with fifteen maps, printed in black ink, on a white paper stock, complemented by four fold-out colour maps, along with 32 pages incorporating multiple black and white photographs (16 inserted between pages 144 and 145, and between 500 and 501) and printed in black ink on a coated paper stock, measuring 160 mm (w) x 250 mm (h) x 40 mm (d). Tape residue present on the front and back covers, both on the exterior and on the interior, ghosting on the inside cover, wear and discolouration evident on the dust jacket, however, the pages contained within remain unaffected. The two volumes together weigh 3 kilograms. Better than very fine.