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Except for a few details, the full dress uniform of officer cadets at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, remained essentially the same since the college was founded in 1874. As shown in this 1954 photo, only the shakos and pith helmets worn on parade by first-class officer-cadets disappeared, replaced by pill-box caps. (Canadian Department of National Defence, ZK-2049)

The Queen's Own Rifles, a Toronto volunteer regiment dating back to 1860, were second in seniority in the Canadia Volunteer Militia. They wore uniforms closely modelled on those of the British army. The white pith helmet was a passing fashion for the QOR - they had previously worn a black fur rifle busby, and would be wearing them again for full dress by 1900. The regiment was one of the most active Canadian volunteer units, fighting Fenians at Ridgeway in 1866 and Métis in Saskatchewan in 1885.

This large cannon is in a coastal battery at York Redoubt National Historic Site near Halifax. This type of gun weights 12 tons (12.2 mt) and fires a projectile of 256 pounds (116 kg.) at an effective range of 2,000 yards (1829 m.). Great guns such as this one were installed in Canadian major forts from the 1860s. During the 1880s, the eight forts defending Halifax had thirty-eight 9-inch (22.8 cm.) guns as well as fifteen 10-inch (25.4 cm.), fifteen 7-inch (17.7 cm.) and nine 64-pounder (29 kg.) RML cannons ready to battle enemy warships. The mountings and the concrete ‘Moncrieff’ emplacement pit, named after its designer, were a refinement of the 1890s which allowed gunner to fire the gun over a high parapet while being well protected from enemy fire. (Parks Canada)

This Royal Navy warship, launched in May 1868, was one of the first iron-built battleships fitted with turrets enclosing and rotating its four 25-ton (25.4 mt) 12-inch (30.4 cm.) guns. One of the largest and fastest battleships of its day, HMS Monarch had a displacement of 8820 tons (8962 mt), armour six to seven inches (15-18 cm) thick and a top speed of 15 knots (27.8 kph).

Built between 1828 and 1856, the Quebec Citadel has remained largely the same ever since, as this 1950s picture shows. It is now the regimental HQ of the Royal 22e Régiment / Royal 22nd Regiment - the famous 'Van Doos'. (Library of the Canadian Department of National Defence)

Royal Artillery detachments continued to be posted in Halifax until 1905 to serve the large coast defence guns which protected the naval base.

Sir Eugène Fiset (1874-1951) was a doctor, soldier, Deputy Minister of Defence, Member of Parliament, and Lieutenant Governor. (Private collection)

Because it is situated on the island of Île-aux-Noix, Fort Lennox has changed very little from the time of its construction, which started in 1819. The fort was built in reaction to the construction of American Fort Montgomery, 15 kilometres to the south. This view shows Fort Lennox as it appeared in 1896. After its regular garrison was withdrawn in the late 1860s, the fort was used as a training camp, a school, and detention camp during both world wars. It is now restored to its appearance in the 1820s and 1830s as a National Historic Site. (Library and Archives Canada, C-036685)

This type of bed gradually replaced wooden double bunks from 1824. Every day, the bed was folded and the mattress rolled up for inspection. Army Circular Memorandum of 12 June 1860.

The dress of Canadian gunners was virtually identical to that of the regular British artillery. After 1886, Canadian regulations ordered a white 'universal' pattern helmet for the Artillery, such as British troops wore in warm climates. Most militia units continued to wear the pillbox cap seen on the gunner in the background of this plate. The Halifax artillery unit had its origins in a militia battery raised in 1791. It went through several changes of title, becoming the 1st Halifax Brigade of Garrison Artillery in 1870. Men from the Garrison Artillery were part of the Halifax Battalion mobilized during the Northwest Rebellion of 1885.