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Fight Globally, Equip Locally
The Canadian Expeditionary Force that was being assembled at Valcartier had to
contend with equipment that was in short supply and, sometimes, not up to the
job of war. The British military had standardized on the Lee-Enfield rifle but,
due to a shortage of the Lee-Enfields during the Boer War, Canada had developed
its own rifle, the Ross Mark III. Unfortunately, while a good hunting rifle,
the Ross tended to jam when hot or gritty, its bayonet was inclined to fall off
and the bolt could blow back in a soldier's face. However, Hughes, who was fanatic
about using Canadian equipment and companies (often owned by his friends), championed
the Ross rifle despite concerns. In actual battle the rifle proved useless and
was discarded by thousands of soldiers in favour of the Lee-Enfield. By mid-war
Borden abandoned the Ross rifle altogether.
The men at Valcartier also trained with the the MacAdam Shield Shovel. This
was an invention |
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Hughes had patented using his secretary's name. It was a shovel with
a hole it in. It was supposed to act as a sniper's armour against bullets and
as a trenching tool. In the mud and high velocity bullets of actual war it did
neither well. In Europe, thousands were discarded and sold as scrap metal. |
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Turning in Mark w
Ross rifles, Barriefield Camp
The Ross Rifle, though preferred by Sam Hughes, turned
out to be a disaster on the battlefield as it jammed easily when hot or gritty. |
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