Canada and the World
Current Events with a Canadian Perspective
Last update
07 December 2011
The Ross Rifle Scandal
Canadian soldiers went into battle in World War I
armed with a weapon that had major defects
but whose maker was a friend of senior politicians
The Boer War of 1899 to 1902 saw 7,000 Canadian soldiers fighting on behalf of the British Empire to defeat the Afrikaner farmers.
But, while Canadian lads were fighting and dying (267 lost their lives) the government had a difficult time supplying them with rifles.
Sporting Rifle Evaluated for the Army
British soldiers on the South African battlefields were equipped with the trusty
Lee-
Canadian Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier took up the idea that the country should make its own rifle. Mysteries of Canada reports that “A new rifle, developed by Sir Charles Ross, had recently appeared on the market. It was a fine target and sporting weapon.”
The Ross Rifle (above) was brought to Ottawa where it won the enthusiastic support of Conservative MP Colonel Sam Hughes, whose committee evaluated the weapon. Hughes was a personal friend of Ross’s.
Canada Makes its own Rifle
Too late for use in South Africa, the Canadian government adopted the Ross Rifle and, says the Canadian Encyclopedia, “In March 1903 the Canadian government signed a contract with Ross for 12,000 rifles to be supplied by the end of 1903.”
The first delivery was two years late and 1,000 were handed to the Royal Northwest Mounted Police. Problems immediately became obvious. The Canadian War Museum relates that it “jammed and often misfired.”
Modifications were made and, by the time Canadian soldiers were going into combat in Flanders in 1914 the Mark 3 version was in production.
Ross Rifle Fails in Trench Warfare
The Ross Rifle had proved itself to be a great target 
shooting weapon, but the muddy
battlefield conditions (right) in northern France showed up its glaring weaknesses.
Firstworldwar.com writes that soldiers found the weapon “ill-
The Canadian Encyclopedia adds that it was “unsuitable for the ‘trench-
Canadian soldiers under attack frequently struggled with a jammed weapon as an enemy bore down on them.
Unwieldy, unreliable, and unsuitable; but, in a scenario that still plays out today,
the Conservative minister ignored the advice of experts to pull the Ross and replace
it with the Lee-
Soldiers do their own Re-
Under the controlled conditions of a firing range Ross Rifles performed well, in the confusion and chaos of fighting it was a menace to its users.
Historica Dominion reveals that, “Because of its complex design, soldiers often reassembled the bolt improperly, resulting in ‘blowback’ of the straight pull bolt or misfires.” With blowback the bolt would come hurtling out of the back of the weapon into the soldier’s face.
Sometimes, the bayonet would fall off, the safety catch could cut the soldier’s hand, and mud, of which there was an oversupply, could foul the entire mechanism.
During the Second Battle of Ypres in the spring of 1915, the Mysteries of Canada
records that “Canadian soldiers threw away their Ross Rifles in despair and frustration,
and picked up Lee-
Finally the Ross is Replaced
Despite the mounting criticism, Sam Hughes stubbornly defended his friend’s rifle, claiming the problems were the result of mishandling by soldiers.
Library and Archives Canada
Soldiers hand in their Ross Rifles.
But, it was obvious to all except Hughes that the weapon had to be replaced. The
commander of the entire allied force, Sir Douglas Haig ordered the Ross out of service
in July 1916 to be replaced by the Lee-
Hughes was livid, said he was the victim of a conspiracy, and even launched into an attack on his boos, Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden.
In November 1916, Hughes resigned under pressure and died in 1921.
Sources
“The Ross Rifle Scandal.” Bruce Ricketts, Mysteries of Canada.
“Ross Rifle.” Glenn B. Foulds, Canadian Encyclopedia.
“Canada and the South African War, 1899-
“The Ross Rifle and the Equipping of Canadian Soldiers in World War One.” Sean Reid, Historica Dominion.
“The Great War as I Saw it.” Canon Frederick Scott, Legacy Books Press, May 2009.
© Canada and the World, December 2011
All rights reserved
Canon Frederick Scott was a military chaplain who ministered to Canadian soldiers.
In 1934 he published his memoirs in The Great War as I Saw It. He wrote that “The Ross Rifle is the greatest crime ever perpetrated against the soldier boys and their loved ones. The blood of Canadians wasn’t worth the filthy gold that somebody made out of it.”
FIRST WORLD
WAR TOLL
Number of Canadians enlisted: 595,000
Number who served overseas: 418,000
Number of Canadian military deaths: 60,383
Number of Canadians wounded: 155,799
Number of Canadians taken prisoner: 4,671
Estimated military deaths among all nations: 8,300,000
Estimated civilian deaths among all nations: 8,000,000
“The whole earth is ploughed by the exploding shells and the holes are filled with water, and if you do not get killed by the shells you may drown in the craters. Broken wagons and dead horses are moved to the sides of the road, also many dead soldiers lie here.
“Wounded soldiers who died in the ambulance have been unloaded and their eyes stare at you. Sometimes an arm or leg is missing. Everybody is rushing, running, trying to escape almost certain death in this hail of enemy shells. Today I have seen the real face of war.”
German Rifleman
Hans Schetter
The Canadian government took over the Ross Rifle Company in March 1917, after paying its owner Sir Charles Ross $2 million (about $34 million in today’s money.