Main gallery
The military presence in Oromocto dates back to Fort Hughes. In the beginning, the sole purpose of the soldiers in Oromocto was to work on building and ameliorating ships and equipment for the Royal Navy.
Until unification of the Canadian Army, the Royal Canadian Navy, and the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1968, CFB Gagetown was known as Camp Gagetown.
Mannequin
Thomas Gage was born in 1719 or 1720 in England. After attending school in Westminster, he enlisted in the British Army as an ensign sometime between 1736 and 1740. In January 1741, Gage purchased a commission in the First North Hampton Regiment. In May 1742 he transferred to Battereau’s Foot, an Irish Corps of two battalions, at the rank of Captain-Lieutenant. Gage reached the rank of Captain in January 1743. By 1751, Gage had been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel with his new unit, the Fifty-fifth Regiment
On the 20th of October 1763, Gage was given temporary command of the British Forces in America, succeeding General Amherst, and on the 16th of November 1764 he was sworn-in as the Commander-in-Chief of America as a Major General. He was consequently promoted to Lieutenant General in April 1771. He held the appointment of Commander-in-Chief for twelve years.
In 1765, General Gage received a grant of land on the Saint John River. The site of this grant includes part of the present day parish of Gagetown and a part of the grant lies within the boundaries of the base, hence its name.
The discovery of gold in the Klondike brought hordes of prospectors and hangers-on to the Yukon in 1897 and 1898. In all, some 42, 500 persons entered the territory, and as a result the Canadian government foresaw difficulties in maintaining law and order. Therefore, The North West Mounted Police (NWMP) detachment in the Yukon was reinforced, and on the 21st of March 1898 an Order in Council established a Yukon Filed Force of 12 officers and 191 men, almost a quarter of the Permanent Militia.
After the discovery of gold in South Africa, tension grew between the Boers and the British colonists. The Boers wanted to protect the newly found gold fields from the British by forbidding them to enter their territory. This infuriated the British because they could not benefit from the discovery. Therefore, On the 3rd of October 1898 Great Britain declared war on the Boer Republic (Transvaal and the Orange Free State). Eleven days later, on the 14th of October 1898, Prime Minister Laurier reluctantly published a compromising order in council which allowed for equipment and transportation of Canadian volunteer troops wishing to serve in the Boer War.
The Great War (First World War)
(1914-1918)Display
-Men wore soft hats, carried leather accoutrements (which, when submerged in water for a long period of time, disintegrated), and carried Canadian made Ross rifles. The Ross rifle had been designed specifically for the Great War. Although it was more accurate than its British counter-part the Lee-Enfield, it was ineffective in the muddy terrain of northern France. For this reason, most Canadian soldiers preferred the Lee-Enfield, which was more durable and had a tendency to jam less often than the Ross rifle.
-Rifle, German MP44, is the first assault rifle.
-Nazi party flag.
-Nazi anti-Semitic propaganda against the USA, whose economy, according to Hitler, was controlled by Jews, and was therefore declining and weak.
-Triumph used by the Canadian Army Signal Corps and in other different tasks during World War II and after.
Canadian/American weapons cabinet
-A variety of guns all made by American companies and used by both American and Canadian troops. Guns shown include a .30 and .50 caliber heavy machine gun and a Thompson machine gun. The .50 caliber heavy machine gun is still in use today.
