Captain Gordon S. Howard organized the first militia unit in Aneroid, Saskatchewan in 1925. Called the 10th Field Brigade Ammunition Column, it was part of the Non-Permanent Active Militia. In 1927, 60 Battery Canadian Field Artillery (CFA) was formed with Major Howard, Captain A.W. Boulter, and Lieutenant E.C. Jacobs as officers. The battery included men from the immediate Aneroid district as well as nearby Kincaid, Vanguard, Neville, and Ponteix. The Department of National Defence converted Aneroid's Beaver Lumber Company buildings into an armoury in 1927, giving 60 Battery a home.
A 24-hour guard was immediately posted around the armoury following the outbreak of World War II in September 1939. On July 24, 1940, 60 Battery mobilized for active duty and was soon up to strength. Captain Jacobs and senior Non-Commissioned Officers from the battery conducted training at a camp located on the town's exhibition grounds. On February 1, 1941, 60 Battery, 76 Battery from Indian Head, and 37 Battery from Portage la Prairie were designated 17th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery. Commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel W.C. Thackerey, the regiment served in England, Wales, Italy, and Northwest Europe. It was disbanded at the end of the war.
Holden Stoffel