A Very Long Record of Service
Master Gunner James Maher served in the British and Canadian Artilleries for sixty-three years, from 1852 to 1915. He fought in the Crimean War of 1853-56, the Fenian Raid of 1866, and the Northwest Rebellion (Northwest Resistance) of 1885. He served in Canada during the Boer War (1899–1902) and retired, for the third time, one year into the First World War (1914-1918). His dedication to the guns was exceptional and unmatched in terms of duration.
In 1993, Alan and Eleanor Ede, close friends of the granddaughter of Master Gunner James Maher, donated an outstanding collection of Maher’s artifacts to the RCA Museum. The donation included eyeglasses, personal documents, pipes, service records, shaving accessories and a Victorian toiletry case. The jewel of the donation was his medal set with the original mount, with name, rank, and unit inscribed on the rim of each medal.
The medals from the left include the Crimea Medal with Sevastopol Bar, the General Service Medal with Fenian Raid 1866 Bar, the Turkish Crimea Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (UK, Victoria), and a second Meritorious Service Medal (Canada, Edward VII). The set is unusual, including two Meritorious Service Medals representing separate periods of service with the Royal Artillery and then the Canadian Artillery. The RCA Museum began exhibiting Maher’s decorations in 1993, and we uphold the tradition by prominently featuring them in the new Gunner Gallery.
James Maher was born in Portabello, Ireland, in 1839. James was the son of a trumpet major with the Royal Horse Artillery and followed his father’s footsteps, joining the Royal Artillery at thirteen. In 1855, Gunner Maher fought in the Siege of Sevastopol during the Crimean War. Maher rose through the ranks and, by 1861, became a Sergeant stationed in Portsmouth, England. From 1862 to 1867, he served in British North America, followed by six years in Malta from 1868 to 1874. He then went to England and retired from the Royal Artillery after 28 years of devoted service in 1880.
James Maher immigrated to Canada with his family and joined A Battery in Kingston, Ontario, that same year. Master Gunner Maher served with A Battery for eighteen years, from 1880 to 1898, including active operations during the Northwest Rebellion (Northwest Resistance) in 1885. After retirement from the Permanent Force, Maher worked for the Director of the Artillery at Militia Headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, for an additional seventeen years. At 78, in the fall of 1915, one year into the First World War, Master Gunner James Maher ended his sixty-three years of military service and retired. He died in Ottawa at the age of 88 in 1925.
Master Gunner James Maher, circa early 1880s.
While in uniform, Maher saw the Canadian Permanent Force grow from a select handful to thousands. He saw the Canadian Artillery advance from smoothbore breechloading cannons to modern quick-firing artillery systems. He saw military tactics go from cavalry charges and linear column formations to combined arms and trench warfare. Master Gunner Maher witnessed these advancements during his long record of outstanding service, unmatched by any Canadian Gunner.
By Andrew Oakden