Thomas Bland Strange

Thomas Bland Strange (15 September 1831 – 9 July 1925), known as 'Gunner Jingo', was a British officer noted for his service with the Canadian Militia during the North-West Rebellion of 1885. As a Royal Artillery officer posted to Canada, Strange was instrumental in establishing the country's fledgeling artillery regiments following Canadian Confederation and has been referred to as the ‘Father of Canadian Artillery’.

Military career Strange was born to a military family in British India and was educated at Edinburgh Academy. With his family unable to afford the cost of a commission in an infantry or cavalry regiment, he attended the Royal Military Academy Woolwich, and commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1851 at the age of twenty. He saw a number of postings across garrisons of the British Empire, with his first posting being Gibraltar in 1852 (where he was promoted to first lieutenant on 21 November 1852), followed by Jamaica in 1856. He contributed an article to the Canadian Defence Quarterly at the age of 93. He died at Camberley, England, in 1925.

Publications Artillery retrospect of the last great war, 1870, with its lessons for Canadians (Quebec, 1874) Manual for the militia artillery of Canada for the federal Department of Militia and Defence (3 pts., Quebec, 1875–78). Colonial defensive organization: précis of information concerning the province of Quebec (Quebec, 1876) The military aspect of Canada: a lecture delivered at the Royal United Service Institute (London, [1879?]); Gunner Jingo's Jubilee (London, 1893) “The father of the Canadian artillery, by ‘The Bombardier,’” Canadian Defence Quarterly (Ottawa), 2 (1924–25): 5–9.