Artillery fire to mark Loyalist Day in Saint John
If you’re out and about uptown Saint John or the city’s north end on May 18, you might hear an unfamiliar sound.
May 18 is Loyalist Day in the city, and to mark the occasion, members of the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment (The Loyal Company), RCA will fire a 21-round gun salute from Fort Howe at noon.
An announcement from the Department of National Defence advised the artillery guns will be firing blank ammunition.
Roads leading to the gun position will have a sentry posted and traffic will be directed to alternate parking locations during the salute.
DND said the public will have an opportunity afterward to view the guns and talk to the soldiers of the regiment.
Loyalist Day commemorates the approximately 15,000 loyalist refugees who arrived in what’s now New Brunswick between 1783 and 1785, fleeing the American Revolution.
A number of the refugees went on to form militia units that were the forebears of units now part of 37 Canadian Brigade Group.
DND noted in a statement that this year’s celebration carries special significance as it coincides with Victoria Day, honouring both the monarchy and the people who demonstrated their loyalty to the monarchy.
