Fred Lawson joined the 89th Battalion of the CEF in Red Deer, Alberta in 1915, and soon afterwards transferred to the 10th Infantry Battalion in Calgary.
The 25 pounder was the basic field gun of the Canadian Army during the Second World War, and was considered to be the best artillery piece of its time.
During the Second World War, the Canadian Pacific Railways transformed major portions of their main shops in Montreal and Calgary to build munitions, naval guns, gun mounts and tanks.