Venerable Gunners of the Second World War and Korea
The Royal Canadian Artillery Association wishes to recognize remaining members of The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery who served during the Second World War or Korea by nominating them to our membership as Honourary Lifetime Members of the Association.
If you know of a Veteran that served the Guns during the Second World War or Korea, please ask them on our behalf if they would like their names recorded on this list. If they agree, please forward to the Secretary, secretary.rcaa.aarc@gmail.com a short biography with the following information: Veteran’s full name, rank on retirement from the Canadian Forces, birth city, units served in, information on their career after the war and two photos, one in uniform during the war and a recent photo. We would also request the following information (but will not post online): mailing address and birthdate.
Colonel Arthur Britton (Brit) Smith CM MC CD LH QC LLD
Born in Kingston, Ontario, ‘Brit’ Smith entered The Royal Military College of Canada in 1938 and graduated two years later with a commission in The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery. He served with 8th Field Regiment in England, transferring to 4th Field Regiment with which he landed at Normandy in July 1944, as part of 2nd Canadian Infantry Division. He participated in both the capture of Verrières Ridge during Operation ATLANTIC, where he was awarded the Military Cross, and the breakup of the German defensive cordon during Operation SPRING.
His accomplishments after the war, include the creation of Homestead Land Holdings Limited, one of the three largest residential rental organizations in Canada. He enlisted with the Princess of Wales Own Regiment (PWOR) as a company commander and later served as the Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel and Honorary Colonel of that Regiment. He was an Executive Member of the RMC Club of Canada from 1957 until he became its President in 1983-84. During his term as President, he had Homestead build the new entrance to the College in collaboration with the Club. He has been elected Kingston alderman, serving three terms, acted as chairman of the United Way in 1967 and later became its Honorary Patron, inducted into the Kingston Business Hall of Fame.
He was made a life member of the Law Society of Upper Canada. Philanthropic support has been a mainstay of Brit’s work over the decades. He has made major donations to the Kingston Large Venue Entertainment Centre, the Grand Theatre, the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes, the RMC Foundation, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind and numerous other organizations. He provided instrumental support for the building of a Hospice for Kingston, and supplied seed funding in anticipation of the building of a new Museum for RMC. At Queen’s University, he funded the Sally Smith Chair in Nursing and chairs in Surgery, Surgical Research and Orthopedic Research as well as providing support for sports. In recognition of his exceptional contributions, Brit was awarded Membership of the Order of Canada in 2019.
For his outstanding service to The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, Colonel Brit Smith was made an Honorary Life Member of The Royal Canadian Artillery Association in 2022.
Gunner Alex Moeller
A long time resident of Baysville, Ontario, Alex Moeller arrived with his parents in 1934 for a summer holiday. His first job was as a butcher with Dominion Stores in Toronto but the Scond World War found him volunteering with the Canadian Army. He served with Major Conn Smythe’s 30th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, 6th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA, CASF and landed in Normandy a few weeks after D-Day. On his return in 1945, he found work where he could, learning valuable trades by working at De Havilland and Canada Rogers Sheet Metal. After years of self-study and exams, Alex became a Stationary Engineer at A&P Canada Company’s head office.
