Skule Cannon

History

Although it was not until 1936 that the School of Practical Science (also called S.P.S. or Skule) had a cannon of its own, many cannons were honoured previously. In the 1923 Transactions, F.W. Thorold (S.P.S. '00) recalls how he and fellow classmates stole the cannon from in front of the Military Institute.

"Meds soon found out about this and after many battles they captured it. That old cannon frequently passed from Meds to Skule and back again, and the last I remember of it was that it had been dropped between two of the Meds buildings. Oh yes, we sure did shoot it off and broke lots of windows, too."

On November 2, 1905, The Varsity reported that "during Thursday night, five large windows at the Skule were broken by shots from a small gun or revolver. It will cost $100 in repairs."

The first cannons honoured with the tile 'Skule Cannon' were those in front of Hart House. In 1929, an Engineering caper resulted in the firing of one of the two cannons on the front lawn of Hart House. This however, demonstrated only 50% efficiency, as both cannons were supposed to blow.

Chief Attiliator

Etymology

Since the time of William the Conqueror, the title 'Atillator' has been given to the man responsible for maintenance of defense works and weapons of war. The title was synonymous with Engineer and the word artillery was probably derived from it. The Atillator was responsible for the number of guns used, their storing, mounting, and protection.